Search

FKBP4, a member of the FK506-binding protein (FKBP) family, is a promising target for a variety of disorders, including cancer. However, its underlying molecular mechanism and potential function in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are largely elusive. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the expression status, functional implications and underlying mechanisms of FKBP4 in HCC. Our bioinformatics analysis of TCGA LIHC datasets, ICGC LIRI-JP datasets and GEO datasets results showed FKBP4 was upregulated in HCC tissues. We also confirmed the elevated FKBP4 in clinical HCC samples. Additionally, quantitative RT-PCR results revealed FKBP4 was highly expressed in all five tested HCC cell lines. We also observed a correlation between elevated FKBP4 expression and poor prognosis in HCC patients. Loss of FKBP4 can inhibit the proliferation and migration in HCC cells. Furthermore, we found that silencing FKBP4 suppressed glucose uptake, lactic acid production and 18F-FDG uptake compared with the control group. Mechanistically, our funding indicated that FKBP4 participates in glycolysis through p53 mediated HK2 signaling pathway, specially, FKBP4 knockdown promotes the expression and stability of p53 protein rather than affecting the transcription level. Finally, rescue experiments revealed that simultaneous knockdown of both FKBP4 and p53 partially reversed the inhibitory effects on HK2 protein levels and 18F-FDG uptake. Our study elucidates a novel role of FKBP4 in promoting HCC development and glycolysis by modulating the p53/HK2 signaling pathway. Given the critical role of aerobic glycolysis in the progression of HCC, targeting FKBP4 may offer a new therapeutic strategy for treating this malignancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-k oxide dielectric films are indispensable for low-power-consumption oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) applied in advanced and portable electronics. However, high-quality oxide dielectric films prepared by solution process typically require sophisticated processes and long thermal annealing time, severely limiting both the throughput manufacturing and cost-effectiveness. In this study, the influence of different heating-up methods on the surface morphology and dielectric properties was systematically investigated. Gradient heating-up method could not only substantially improve the surface morphology and quality of high-k ZrO2 films but also efficiently shorten the annealing time. The gradient heating-up process was further designed on the basis of thermal behavior of the xerogel-like precursor, which successfully realize the preparation of high-quality ZrO2 films with an annealing time of 5 min (i.e. the efficiency of thermal treatment increased by about 89%). The ZrO2 film presented excellent dielectric properties, including a low leakage current density of ∼10−8 A cm−2 (at 2 MV cm−1), a large areal capacitance of 169 nF cm−2 and a high dielectric constant of 20.41 (1 MHz). Furthermore, InSnZnO TFT based on the ZrO2 gate dielectrics shows an acceptable device performances, such as a high carrier mobility of 2.82 cm2 V−1 s, a high on/off current ratio of ∼105 and a low subthreshold swing of 0.19 V decade −1 at a low operation voltage of 5 V. This work provide a highly promising approach to fabricate high-quality solution-processed high-k oxide dielectric films employed for large-scale and low-power-consumption electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Given the current technological advancements and the growing need for remote education, multimedia learning has become more popular among teachers and students. Therefore, the creation of multimedia teaching programmes that can improve learning outcomes has become increasingly important. However, there is a lack of research on whether incorporating visual cues into instructors' emotional designs is more effective than using only one approach. Objectives: Based on the cognitive‐affective theory of learning with media and the cognitive affective model of e‐learning, this study aimed to explore how instructor's voice enthusiasm and visual cueing affect students' multimedia learning experience and learning outcomes. Methods: A 2 (instructor's voice enthusiasm: high vs. low) × 2 (visual cueing: visual cues vs. no cues) between‐subjects design was used, college students unfamiliar with immunomodulation learned about this subject in a video lesson. Then, they then took a retention test and completed the learning experience scales. Results and Conclusions: The results indicated that both the instructor's vocal enthusiasm and visual cueing independently have a positive impact on learners' retention test scores. However, if present simultaneously, their positive effects are not cumulative. Specifically, when visual cueing was provided, the instructor's voice enthusiasm did not significantly affect the retention test. Without visual cueing, the instructor's high voice enthusiasm positively impacts the retention test. In addition, the learning experience mediated between the instructor's voice enthusiasm and retention test. These findings offer insights into enhancing the efficacy of multimedia learning by foregrounding instructors' emotional engagement and refining the design of instructional content cues. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?: The instructor's enthusiasm helps enhance learners' positive emotions.The effect of the instructor's enthusiasm on learning can vary depending on the conditions.Visual cueing can guide attention and improve learning. What this paper adds?: When the instructor's vocal enthusiasm and visual cueing are presented independently, they each effectively improve retention test. However, when combined, their effects are not cumulative.Learning experience acts as a mediator between the instructor's voice enthusiasm and the retention test.Instructor enthusiasm could be conveyed by voice solely. Implications for practice and/or policy: Combining the instructor's voice enthusiasm and visual cueing in the instructional video should be treated cautiously.Instructors should use enthusiastic voices to enhance students' positive emotions and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The robust guaranteed cost composite anti-bump L 2 -gain control for switched systems is investigated in this paper. By constructing a convex combination of positive definite matrices and segmenting the switching interval, a novel multiple convex Lyapunov function suitable for composite anti-bump switching (ABS) control problem is proposed. A new definition of composite ABS performance is presented without reference signals, which restrains the control and rate bumps of the system caused by switchings only at switching instants. Then, imposing a dwell time on the state-dependent switching law, a mixed state-dependent switching scheme is presented based on the multiple convex Lyapunov function. Robust guaranteed cost composite anti-bump control strategy is established for a class of switched systems to overcome the conflicts among guaranteed cost performance, composite bumpless switching performance and L 2 -gain performance. Eventually, an actual aircraft engine model is employed to demonstrate the validity of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nonlinear dynamic model of angular contact ball bearing under combined external loads is established based on the nonlinear elastic Hertz contact theory and raceless control theory. The established dynamic model is solved by employing variable step size Newton Raphson iteration method and the validation of model is verified by comparing the proposed results with the corresponding results come from the existing literatures. The solution of the presented model has high accuracy compared with the existing experimental results. In addition, the computational efficiency of the proposed model is improved significantly by introducing iteration step size adjustment factor. According to the proposed model, the dynamic contact and stiffness characteristics of angular contact ball are studied systematically by investigating the effects of combined external load working conditions on the contact parameters including contact angle and contact force and the stiffness parameters including diagonal stiffness and off-diagonal stiffness. This research can provide the theoretical basis and technique guidance for the designation and manufacture of angular contact ball bearing under combined external loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Salinity, as one of the most challenging environmental factors restraining crop growth and yield, poses a severe threat to global food security. To address the rising food demand, it is urgent to develop crop varieties with enhanced yield and greater salt tolerance by delving into genes associated with salt tolerance and high‐yield traits. MiR396b/GRF6 module has previously been demonstrated to increase rice yield by shaping the inflorescence architecture. In this study, we revealed that miR396b/GRF6 module can significantly improve salt tolerance of rice. In comparison with the wild type, the survival rate of MIM396 and OE‐GRF6 transgenic lines increased by 48.0% and 74.4%, respectively. Concurrent with the increased salt tolerance, the transgenic plants exhibited reduced H2O2 accumulation and elevated activities of ROS‐scavenging enzymes (CAT, SOD and POD). Furthermore, we identified ZNF9, a negative regulator of rice salt tolerance, as directly binding to the promoter of miR396b to modulate the expression of miR396b/GRF6. Combined transcriptome and ChIP‐seq analysis showed that MYB3R serves as the downstream target of miR396b/GRF6 in response to salt tolerance, and overexpression of MYB3R significantly enhanced salt tolerance. In conclusion, this study elucidated the potential mechanism underlying the response of the miR396b/GRF6 network to salt stress in rice. These findings offer a valuable genetic resource for the molecular breeding of high‐yield rice varieties endowed with stronger salt tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing deep learning techniques for the semantic segmentation of remote sensing images has emerged as a prevalent approach for acquiring information about water bodies. Yet, current models frequently fall short in accurately extracting water bodies from high-resolution remote sensing images, as these images often present intricate details of terrestrial objects and complex backgrounds. Vegetation, shadows, and other objects close to water boundaries have increased similarity to water bodies. Moreover, water bodies in high-resolution images have different boundary complexities, shapes, and sizes. This situation makes it somewhat challenging to accurately distinguish water bodies in high-resolution images. To overcome these difficulties, this paper presents a novel network model named EU-Net, specifically designed to extract water bodies from high-resolution remote sensing images. The proposed EU-Net model, with U-net as the backbone network, incorporates improved residual connections and attention mechanisms, and designs multi-scale dilated convolution and multi-scale feature fusion modules to enhance water body extraction performance in complex scenarios. Specifically, in the proposed model, improved residual connections are introduced to enable the learning of more complex features; the attention mechanism is employed to improve the model's discriminative ability by focusing on important channels and spatial areas. The implemented multi-scale dilated convolution technique enhances the model's receptive field while maintaining the same number of parameters. The designed multi-scale feature fusion module is capable of processing both small-scale details and large-scale structures in images, while simultaneously modeling the spatial context relationships of features at different scales. Experimental results validate the superior performance of EU-Net in accurately identifying water bodies from high-resolution remote sensing images, outperforming current models in terms of water extraction accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The popular traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compound FYTF-919 (Zhong Feng Xing Nao prescription) may improve outcome from acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) through effects on brain edema, hematoma absorption, and the immune system. This study is to assess whether FYTF-919 is safe and effective as compared to matching placebo treatment in patients with acute ICH. Methods: The ongoing Chinese Herbal medicine in patients with Acute INtracerebral hemorrhage (CHAIN) is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial of FYTF-919 in patients with acute ICH at 20–30 hospital sites in China. Eligible ICH patients presenting within 48 h after symptom onset are randomly allocated to receive either FYTF-919 (100 mL per day × 28 d, oral) or matching placebo. A sample size of 1,504 patients is estimated to provide 90% power (α 0.05) to detect a ≥20% improvement in average utility-weight scores on the modified Rankin scale (UW-mRS) assessed at 90 days, with 6% non-adherence and 10% lost to follow-up. The primary efficacy outcome is UW-mRS at 90 days. Secondary outcomes include binary measures of the mRS, neurological impairment on the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale, and health-related quality of life on the EuroQol EQ-5D-5L scale at different time points over 6 months of follow-up. The key safety measure is serious adverse events. Conclusion: CHAIN is on schedule to provide reliable evidence over the benefits of a popular herbal TCM for the treatment of acute ICH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of intratumoral metabolic heterogeneity and quantitative 18F‐FDG PET/CT imaging parameters in predicting patient outcomes in thymic epithelial tumors (TETs). Methods: This retrospective study included 100 patients diagnosed with TETs who underwent pretreatment 18F‐FDG PET/CT. The maximum and mean standardized uptake values (SUVmax and SUVmean), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) on PET/CT were measured. Heterogeneity index‐1 (HI‐1; standard deviation [SD] divided by SUVmean) and heterogeneity index‐2 (HI‐2; linear regression slopes of the MTV according with different SUV thresholds), were evaluated as heterogeneity indices. Associations between these parameters and patient survival outcomes were analyzed. Results: The univariate analysis showed that Masaoka stage, TNM stage, WHO classification, SUVmax, SUVmean, TLG, and HI‐1 were significant prognostic factors for progression‐free survival (PFS), while MTV, HI‐2, age, gender, presence of myasthenia gravis, and maximum tumor diameter were not. Subsequently, multivariate analyses showed that HI‐1 (p < 0.001) and TNM stage (p = 0.002) were independent prognostic factors for PFS. For the overall survival analysis, TNM stage, WHO classification, SUVmax, and HI‐1 were significant prognostic factors in the univariate analysis, while TNM stage remained an independent prognostic factor in multivariate analyses (p = 0.024). The Kaplan Meier survival analyses showed worse prognoses for patients with TNM stages III and IV and HI‐1 ≥ 0.16 compared to those with stages I and II and HI‐1 < 0.16 (log‐rank p < 0.001). Conclusion: HI‐1 and TNM stage were independent prognostic factors for progression‐free survival in TETs. HI‐1 generated from baseline 18F‐FDG PET/CT might be promising to identify patients with poor prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunoglobulin nephropathy (IgAN) stands as the most prevalent primary glomerular nephropathy globally, typically diagnosed through an invasive renal biopsy. Emerging research suggests the significant involvement of chiral amino acids in kidney disease progression. This study introduces a nonderivative LC–tandem mass spectrometry approach, offering efficient separation outcomes within 15 min for identifying chiral amino acids in human urine samples. Subsequently, using this method, the analysis of l‐ and d‐amino acids in the urine of both patients with IgAN and healthy individuals was conducted. Fourteen d‐amino acids and 20 l‐amino acids were identified in the urine samples obtained from 17 patients with IgAN and 21 healthy individuals. The results indicated notable variances in the concentrations of both l‐ and d‐amino acids between the IgAN and healthy control groups. In contrast to the healthy group, the IgAN group exhibited higher mean urine concentrations of most l‐amino acids and lower concentrations of d‐amino acids. Furthermore, correlations between amino acids and clinical markers were investigated. These results propose a novel method for monitoring trace amino acids in urine samples and introduce a new concept for potential markers of IgAN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is little research on the relationship between phthalates exposure and sleep problems in adult females, with existing studies only assessing the association between exposure to individual phthalates with sleep problems. We aimed to analyse the relationship between phthalates and sleep problems in 1366 US females aged 20 years and older from the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) by age stratification. Multivariate logistic regression showed that the fourth quartile of MECPP increased the risk of sleep problems in females aged 20–39 compared with the reference quartile (OR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.14, 3.08). The WQS index was significantly associated with the sleep problems in females aged 20–39. In the BKMR, a positive overall trend between the mixture and sleep problems in females aged 20–39. In this study, we concluded that phthalates might increase the risk of sleep problems in females aged 20–39. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the dissipative control of two‐dimensional (2‐D) discrete‐time switched Fornasini–Marchesini local state‐space systems under dwell‐time switching. It introduces a new point‐dependent convex storage function to establish the criteria for the asymptotic stability and strict (Q,S,R)$$ \left(Q,S,R\right) $$‐β$$ \beta $$‐dissipativity of the 2‐D switched Fornasini–Marchesini local state‐space model based on LMIs. From these established findings, special cases of dissipative control such as strict passivity and H∞$$ {H}_{\infty } $$ performance can be derived. The article also presents the design of a state feedback point‐dependent convex controller using the proposed storage function approach, along with a sufficient condition for the dissipativity of the closed‐loop system. Finally, several examples are presented to corroborate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a synthetical multi-degree-of-freedom mathematical modelling for analyzing the dynamic characteristics of angular contact ball bearing with waviness subjected to the external load working conditions. The above multi-degree-of-freedom mathematical modelling is established based on nonlinear elastic Hertz contact theory and inner raceway control theory by employing improved Newton–Raphson iteration method; the validation of the established mathematical modelling is verified by comparing the presented results with the existing literature results. The above mathematical modelling has considered raceway waviness, ball waviness, bearing clearance, centrifugal force, gyroscopic moment, external loads, and rotating speed comprehensively. Firstly, the effects of waviness order and waviness amplitude on time-varying contact and stiffness characteristics of angular contact ball bearing are investigated systematically. Then, the influences of bearing clearance, rotating speed, axial force, radial force, and torque on the dynamic contact and stiffness characteristics of angular contact ball bearing with waviness are analyzed thoroughly. The main results show that the solution results of mathematical modelling have converged, respectively, when raceway waviness order increases to 25 and ball waviness order increases to 5; The variation tendencies of time-varying contact angle, contact force, and stiffness of angular contact ball bearing with waviness are aperiodic; The amplitudes of time-varying contact angle, contact force, and stiffness of angular contact ball bearing increase evidently with waviness amplitude increased; The bearing clearance has important influence on the contact angle and contact force of outer raceway and inner raceway, respectively; The effects of radial force and torque on contact and stiffness characteristics are consistent basically in the corresponding direction; The influences of axial force and rotating speed on the contact and stiffness characteristics are more remarkable compared with other factors. The investigations of contact and stiffness characteristics of angular contact ball bearing with waviness are helpful for the designation and manufacture of high precision angular contact ball bearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the asynchronous rate anti-bump switching control issue for switched positive linear systems is addressed based on a novel Lyapunov function under admissible edge-dependent switching. Firstly, the definition of asynchronous rate anti-bump switching performance is proposed to restrain the rate bumps induced by system and controller mode switchings. A multiple convex copositive Lyapunov function is established for the asynchronously switched positive linear systems, allowing the Lyapunov function to descend at switching instants and largely relaxing the restriction conditions of the asynchronous rate anti-bump switching performance. Then, an asynchronous time-varying convex controller that depends on the time elapsed since the switching instant is devised, maintaining the last decided value of the former switching interval during the mismatched period. A group of sufficient conditions are developed to guarantee the asynchronous rate anti-bump switching performance of switched positive linear systems. Finally, a data communication network and a numerical example are provided to demonstrate how the switching performance of the system rate is improved effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background A paucity of evidence exists regarding the optimal management for abdominal aortic graft infection. The aim of this paper was to assess short- and long-term outcomes following different surgical options in aortic graft infection patients. Methods Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to February 2023. Network meta-analysis was performed using a frequentist method. Patients were divided into four treatment groups: complete graft removal with in situ repair, complete graft removal with extra-anatomic repair, partial graft removal with in situ repair and partial graft removal with extra-anatomic repair. The mortality rate at 30-days and 1-year was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were longer-term mortality rate, primary patency and reinfections. For included RCTs, the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was utilized to assess the risk of bias. The methodological quality of cohort studies was evaluated using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale. Results Among 4559 retrieved studies, 22 studies with 1118 patients (11 multi-arm and 11 single-arm studies) were included. Patients received complete graft removal with in situ repair (N = 852), partial graft removal with in situ repair (N = 36), complete graft removal with extra-anatomic repair (N = 228) and partial graft removal with extra-anatomic repair (N = 2). Both network meta-analysis results and pooled results of multi- and single-arm cohorts indicated that partial graft removal with in situ repair has the lowest 30-day and 1-year mortality rates (0% and 6.1% respectively), followed by complete graft removal with in situ repair (11.9% and 23.8% respectively) and complete graft removal with extra-anatomic repair (16.6% and 41.4% respectively). In addition, complete graft removal with in situ repair had a lower 3-year (complete graft removal with in situ repair versus complete graft removal with extra-anatomic repair: 32.1% versus 90%) and 5-year (complete graft removal with in situ repair versus complete graft removal with extra-anatomic repair: 45.6% versus 67.9%) mortality rate when compared with complete graft removal with extra-anatomic repair. Patients in the complete graft removal with in situ repair group had the lowest reinfections (8%), followed by partial graft removal with in situ repair (9.3%) and complete graft removal with extra-anatomic repair (22.4%). Conclusion Partial graft removal with in situ repair was associated with lower 30-day and 1-year mortality rates when compared with complete graft removal with in situ repair and complete graft removal with extra-anatomic repair. Partial graft removal with in situ repair might be a feasible treatment for specific aortic graft infection patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endothelial dysfunction is an independent risk factor for stroke. The dysfunction of endothelial cells (EC) is closely concerned with EC senescence. Gastrodin (GAS) is an organic compound extracted from the dried root mass of the Orchidaceae plant Gastrodiae gastrodiae. It is used clinically to treat diseases such as vertebrobasilar insufficiency, vestibular neuronitis and vertigo. In the present study, we used hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)‐induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to establish an in vitro EC senescence model and to investigate the role and mechanism of GAS in EC senescence. It's found that H2O2‐treated HUVECs increased the proportion of senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase (SA β‐gal) positive cells and the relative protein expression levels of senescence‐associated cyclin p16 and p21. In addition, GAS reduced the proportion of SA β‐gal positive cells and the relative protein expression levels of p16 and p21, and increased the proliferation and migration ability of HUVECs. Meanwhile, GAS increased the expression of the anti‐oxidative stress protein HO‐1 and its nuclear expression level of Nrf2. The anti‐senescence effect of GAS was blocked when HO‐1 expression was inhibited by SnPPIX. Furthermore, absence of HO‐1 abolished the effect of GAS on HUVEC proliferation and migration. In conclusion, GAS ameliorated H2O2‐induced cellular senescence and enhanced cell proliferation and migration by enhancing Nrf2/HO‐1 signalling in HUVECs. These findings of our study expanded the understanding of GAS pharmacology and suggested that GAS may offer a potential therapeutic agent for stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work proposes a multiple convex Lyapunov function and an inverse weighted switching scheme to investigate the finite-time stability and finite-time boundedness for a class of discrete-time switched linear systems with partial finite-time unstable modes. A multiple convex Lyapunov function is put forth by constructing a convex combination of positive definite matrices, which can relax the restricted conditions of the Lyapunov function and make it carry more decision variables than traditional Lyapunov function methods. Besides, the inverse weighted switching scheme is devised by summing the reciprocal of each dwell time with weighting coefficients, by which tighter dwell time bounds are ensured. On the basis of the new Lyapunov function and switching scheme, the finite-time control for a class of switched linear systems with partial finite-time unstable modes is addressed. Different from other researches that require all subsystems to be controllable, we only require the existence of one controllable subsystem. In the end, two numerical examples and a tunnel diode circuit example are provided to verify the effectiveness of the developed results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of the prime causes of end-stage renal disease. At present, the treatment of DKD is mainly confined to inhibiting the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, but the therapeutic effects is not satisfactory. As a kind of very rare and precious medicinal fungi, Inonotus obliquus has a very high medicinal value. Due to its special hypoglycemic and pharmacological effect, researchers currently have attached great importance to it. In this paper, the biological activities, pharmacological effects and application status in the treatment of DKD-related diseases of Inonotus obliquus and the latest progress of metabolites isolated from it in DKD were summarized, thus providing detailed insights and basic understanding of the potential application prospects in DKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the miniaturization and integration of wearable electronics, there are some serious problems such as signal crosstalk and high power consumption that restrict its development. Active‐matrix thin‐film transistors (TFTs) with high permittivity (high‐k) insulator layer provide a promising opportunity for reducing signal crosstalk and power consumption of wearable electronics. Here, we propose a simple and cost‐effective gradient heating‐up strategy to prepare high‐k zirconium dioxide (ZrO 2)‐based dielectric films. Amorphous ZrO 2 films annealed at 400°C exhibits a high transmittance and a high dielectric properties of a relative low leakage current (10‐8 A/cm2) and large capacitance density of 215 nF/cm2. To meet requirements of flexible wearable electronics, ZrO 2‐organic polymer hybrid dielectric film was further developed. A smooth surface morphology (Sa=0.478 nm) and good dielectric performance (~10‐8 A/cm2) of ZrO 2‐based hybrid film was obtained at 250°C, which can promote the development of flexible TFT and extend the application scenarios of wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aimed to figure out the relationships between depression, loneliness and pathological Internet use by testing 677 middle school students (Mage = 12.12, SD = 0.79) and making a three-wave cross-lagged analysis. The total measuring time was two years, with a time interval of one year. The results showed the following: (1) There were significantly positive relationships between depression, loneliness and pathological Internet use at three time points; (2) Depression at T1 and T2 could significantly and positively predict pathological Internet use at T2 and T3, while loneliness could not. Pathological Internet use at T1 could significantly and positively predict the feelings of depression and loneliness at T2, while pathological Internet use at T2 could not significantly and positively predict the feelings of depression and loneliness at T3. Thus, results were inconclusive regarding whether PIU led to later psychiatric symptoms. This complex interactions varied with time and did not vary with gender. The findings show important significance for promotion of adolescents' psychology development and the prevention of pathological Internet use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The entity and relation extraction task, which is the technical source of constructing and updating large scale knowledge graph, aims to identify the relationship between entities from unstructured text. Among the existing joint extraction methods of entity and relation, parallel decoding of tuples efficiently generates tuples by set prediction. However, this method ignores the interaction between entity and relationship, and entity subject and object, resulting in the generation of invalid tuples. To address this problem, this paper proposes a joint extraction model of entity and relation based on dual set prediction networks. To enhance the interaction between relationships and entities, a dual set prediction network is used to decode the tuples in parallel, and the entity information and relationship types in the tuples are generated sequentially. The first set prediction network models the set of tuples and decodes the subject-object information in the tuple. The second set prediction network models the set of tuples embedded with subject-object information and decodes the relationship type between subject and object. This paper designs an entity filter for entity subject-object, which predicts the subject-object correlation among entities in a sentence and filters out the tuples with lower subject-object correlation according to the result. Experiments on the NYT (New York Times) and WebNLG public datasets show that the proposed model performs better than the baseline model in terms of accuracy and F1 metrics when the encoder is BERT, which verifies the validity of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the finite-time issues (finite-time stability, finite-time boundedness, finite-time H ∞ control) of discrete-time switched systems. Different from the existing Lyapunov function (LF) approaches only concerning activated subsystem, a novel approach for constructing LF is first proposed, which not only depends on the subsystem the switching reaches but also is closely related to the freshly inactive subsystem. Based on this, a transferring-dependent convex Lyapunov function (CLF) and a transferring-dependent LF are introduced, under which the improved finite-time stability results are deduced with admissible edge-dependent average dwell time (AED-ADT) technique. In light of the merits of established finite-time stability criteria, two transferring-dependent controllers are devised—that is, transferring-dependent convex controller (TD-CC) and transferring-dependent ordinary controller (TD-OC)—to perform finite-time control synthesis. Then, the finite-time H ∞ control is further investigated based on the obtained control synthesis results. The designed transferring–dependent controllers can guarantee that the underlying system is finite-time bounded (FTB) with a prescribed H ∞ performance under tighter AED-ADT switching signals. Besides, it is the first time to use the multiple convex Lyapunov function (MCLF) to investigate the finite-time issues. Finally, two numerical examples and a practical example are used to verify the effectiveness of the developed results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The remaining useful life (RUL) prediction is important for improving the safety, supportability, maintainability, and reliability of modern industrial equipment. The traditional data-driven rolling bearing RUL prediction methods require a substantial amount of prior knowledge to extract degraded features. A large number of recurrent neural networks (RNNs) have been applied to RUL, but their shortcomings of long-term dependence and inability to remember long-term historical information can result in low RUL prediction accuracy. To address this limitation, this paper proposes an RUL prediction method based on adaptive shrinkage processing and a temporal convolutional network (TCN). In the proposed method, instead of performing the feature extraction to preprocess the original data, the multi-channel data are directly used as an input of a prediction network. In addition, an adaptive shrinkage processing sub-network is designed to allocate the parameters of the soft-thresholding function adaptively to reduce noise-related information amount while retaining useful features. Therefore, compared with the existing RUL prediction methods, the proposed method can more accurately describe RUL based on the original historical data. Through experiments on a PHM2012 rolling bearing data set, a XJTU-SY data set and comparison with different methods, the predicted mean absolute error (MAE) is reduced by 52% at most, and the root mean square error (RMSE) is reduced by 64% at most. The experimental results show that the proposed adaptive shrinkage processing method, combined with the TCN model, can predict the RUL accurately and has a high application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We experimentally and theoretically investigate the noise-like pulse (NLP) generation in a nonlinear polarization rotation-based mode-locked Ho-doped fiber ring laser, which can optionally operate in the dual-wavelength regime. By carefully changing the pump power and polarization state, the dual-wavelength NLP regime at 2041.9 and 2083.3 nm is finally achieved, which corresponds to a pulse energy of 11.84 nJ and a pulse duration of 849 fs. It is believed to be the first report on the dual-wavelength NLP operation from the previously reported Ho-doped fiber lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heading date, as one of the most important agronomic traits, is a fundamental factor determining crop yield. Although diverse genes related to heading date have already been reported in rice, the key gene that regulates heading date is still poorly understood. Here, we identified a heading date regulator, heading date 8 (OsHd8), which promoted the heading date under long-day conditions and encoded a putative HAP3 subunit of the CCAAT-box-binding transcription factor. It is localized in the nucleus and expressed in various tissues. Sequence analysis revealed that there were four SNPs and one InDel in the promoter region of OsHd8, which was involved in the regulation of some floral regulators including GHD7.1, SDG718, OsGI and HDT1. Further evolutionary analysis showed that OsHd8 presents divergence between indica and japonica, showing natural selection during the domestication of cultivated rice. These results indicate that OsHd8 plays an important role in the regulation of heading date, and may be an important target for rice breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using 9 kinds of resins, 4 kinds of curing agents, 2 kinds of fillers, and 5 kinds of additives, 55 polyurethane topcoats were prepared and their near infrared (NIR) spectra were determined. After optimizing the combination of preprocessing methods and choosing a reasonable spectral range, partial least squares (PLS) method was used to establish a quantitative analysis model for the resin binder and the curing agent, respectively. The prediction results were validated to be accurate, indicating that the models have high practical value. Besides the contents of organic ingredients, the contents of inorganic fillers could also be predicted accurately by the two models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Green-fleshed radish (Raphanus sativus L.) is an economically important root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family, and chlorophyll accumulates in its root tissues. It was reported that the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors play vital roles in the process of chlorophyll metabolism. Nevertheless, a comprehensive study on the bHLH gene family has not been performed in Raphanus sativus L. Results: In this study, a total of 213 Raphanus sativus L. bHLH (RsbHLH) genes were screened in the radish genome, which were grouped into 22 subfamilies. 204 RsbHLH genes were unevenly distributed on nine chromosomes, and nine RsbHLH genes were located on the scaffolds. Gene structure analysis showed that 25 RsbHLH genes were intron-less. Collineation analysis revealed the syntenic orthologous bHLH gene pairs between radish and Arabidopsis thaliana/Brassica rapa/Brassica oleracea. 162 RsbHLH genes were duplicated and retained from the whole genome duplication event, indicating that the whole genome duplication contributed to the expansion of the RsbHLH gene family. RNA-seq results revealed that RsbHLH genes had a variety of expression patterns at five development stages of green-fleshed radish and white-fleshed radish. In addition, the weighted gene co-expression network analysis confirmed four RsbHLH genes closely related to chlorophyll content. Conclusions: A total of 213 RsbHLH genes were identified, and we systematically analyzed their gene structure, evolutionary and collineation relationships, conserved motifs, gene duplication, cis-regulatory elements and expression patterns. Finally, four bHLH genes closely involved in chlorophyll content were identified, which may be associated with the photosynthesis of the green-fleshed radish. The current study would provide valuable information for further functional exploration of RsbHLH genes, and facilitate clarifying the molecular mechanism underlying photosynthesis process in green-fleshed radish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a visual colorimetric method for the rapid and selective detection of triacetone triperoxide is reported. This visual colorimetric method is based on the reaction between potassium titanyl oxalate and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) released from triacetone triperoxide degradation. Potassium titanyl oxalate can selectively react with H2O2 to form peroxo-titanic acid (an orange complex), enabling the colorimetric detection of triacetone triperoxide. Based on the theory that triacetone triperoxide produces hydrogen peroxide under acidic conditions, acid types, acid concentration, response time, visual limit of detection, and reactants ratio are systematically studied simultaneously for this colorimetric method. Under sulfuric acid concentration is 60%, the proposed method can almost detect triacetone triperoxide instantly, and the color of the solution reaches the maximum within 1 min and remains stable with a visual limit of detection as low as 3.0 × 10−5 mol/L. Interference experiments were carried out on other kinds of explosives (hexamethylene triperoxide diamine, trinitrotoluene, etc.). The use of colorimetric card brings great convenience to the rapid, qualitative, and semi-quantitative on-site detection of triacetone triperoxide. Because of its rapidity, high sensitivity, simplicity, and selectivity, the proposed visual colorimetric method can serve as a valuable and promising reference for triacetone triperoxide's rapid, qualitative on-site detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the mechanism of Yishen capsule against diabetic nephropathy (DN) based on the analysis of transcriptomics. Material and Methods: SD rats (Male, SPF grade) were randomly divided into four groups, the normal group, the DN group, the Yishen capsule group and the resveratrol group. Urine and renal tissue samples were collected after feeding with physiological saline and above drugs for 8 weeks. 24-hour urine microalbumin protein was detected by ELISA. HE staining and PAS staining were performed on renal tissues. Differential gene expression in renal tissues was analyzed by transcriptome sequencing. The differentially expressed genes were analyzed by GO enrichment and KEGG enrichment, and verified by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry staining. Results: The level of 24-hour urinary microalbumin in DN group was increased, while Yishen capsule treatment reversed the increasement of urinary microalbumin. Mesangial cell proliferation, matrix accumulation, edema and vacuolar degeneration of renal tubular epithelial cells and glycogen accumulation were observed in DN group. However, pathological phenotypes mentioned above were alleviated after Yisen capsule administration. This result indicates that Yishen capsule reversed pathological phenotypes of DN in rats. The expression of 261 genes were changed in Yishen capsule group compared with DN group. GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway analysis showed that these genes were implicated in pathways, including mineral absorption, adipocytokine signaling pathway, fatty acid biosynthesis, thyroid hormone synthesis, renin–angiotensin system, and NOD-like receptor signaling pathway. Based on previous reported study, the expression of key factors in NOD-like receptor signaling pathway was verified. RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry staining showed that the expression of NLRP3, Caspase-1 and IL-1β in renal tissues of DN group were increased (P < 0.05), which were decreased in Yishen capsule group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Yishen capsule reduced microalbuminuria and alleviated pathological changes in DN rats, which may be achieved by regulating NOD-like receptor signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the stability and stabilization are investigated for continuous-time switched systems with admissible edge-dependent average dwell time (AED-ADT). The core idea is to propose new-type Lyapunov functions (LFs), i.e., switching-dependent convex Lyapunov function (CLF) and switching-dependent LF, to achieve the less conservative stability criteria. Corresponding to the novel LFs, two controller design approaches are built to stabilize the underlying system, which are switching-dependent convex controller under an innovative switching scheme and switching-dependent traditional controller under AED-ADT. In the end, a numerical example is provided to verify the effectiveness of the designed LFs in the aspect of stability analysis; a tunnel diode circuit is employed to unfold the potency of the above controller design approaches in optimizing control performances, such as settling time and overshoot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bisphenol F (BPF) and bisphenol S (BPS) have replaced bisphenol A (BPA) in the manufacturing of products containing polycarbonates and epoxy resins; however, the effects of these substitutes on the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, heart attack, and stroke, have not been assessed. Objective: To examine the association of urinary BPS and BPF with CVD risk in a U.S. representative U.S. population. Methods: Cross-sectional data from 1267 participants aged 20–80 years from the 2013–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were analyzed. Survey-weighted multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association between BPA, BPF, BPS and CVD. The Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) model was applied to assess the mixture effect. Results: A total of 138 patients with CVD were identified. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the T3 tertile concentration of BPS increased the risk of total CVD (OR: 1.99, 95% CI 1.16–3.40). When stratified by age, we found that BPS increased the risk of CVD in the 50–80 age group (OR: 1.40, 95% CI 1.05–1.87). BPS was positively associated with the risk of coronary heart disease, and the T3 tertile concentration of BPS increased the coronary heart disease risk by 2.22 times (95% CI 1.04–4.74). No significant association was observed between BPF and CVD. Although the BKMR model did not identify the mixed exposure effect of BPS, the risk of CVD increased with increasing compound concentration. Conclusion: Our results suggest that BPS may increase the risk of total CVD and coronary heart disease in the US population, and prospective studies are needed to confirm the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work proposes the pre‐l2‐gain analysis framework based on the newly raised nonweighted pre‐l2‐gain performance index and predictive Lyapunov function, which is devoted to nonweighted l2‐gain analysis and relevant control of discrete‐time switched systems under mode‐dependent average dwell time. This also provides new ideas for other disturbance‐related studies. To begin with, the predictive Lyapunov function is established for switched nonlinear systems in the sense of better reflecting future system dynamics and future external disturbances. Hence, it is achievable to develop less conservative stability and nonweighted pre‐l2‐gain criteria for switched linear systems. Further, a new disturbance‐output expression is devised to match with the nonweighted pre‐l2‐gain, whose function is to estimate and optimize the traditional nonweighted l2‐gain of the underlying system through discussions. Then, a solvable condition is formulated to seek the piecewise time‐dependent gains of switching controller in a convex structure, ensuring the global uniform exponential stability with nonweighted pre‐l2‐gain and thereby attaining much smaller non‐weighted l2‐gain. Finally, the simulation comprised of a circuit system and a numerical example manifests the impressive potential of the obtained results for the purpose of preferable disturbance attenuation performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to evaluate an analytical characterization of a novel synthetic cannabinoid ethyl-2-(1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indole-3-carboxamido)-3,3-dimethylbutanoate (5F-EDMB-PICA), which has a similar chemical structure to the controlled synthetic cannabinoid 5F-MDMB-PICA. Methods: The compound was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), supercritical fluid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (SFC–QTOF-MS) and spectroscopic methods, such as attenuated total reflection (ATR)-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies. Results: In this study, we reported a comprehensive analytical data of 5F-EDMB-PICA. The data of analytical characterization for the 5F-EDMB-PICA were obtained by GC–MS, SFC–QTOF-MS, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, UV-VIS spectroscopy, and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Conclusions: In this study, we presented a comprehensive analytical characterization of 5F-EDMB-PICA obtained by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, GC–MS, SFC–QTOF-MS, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and UV–VIS spectroscopy. The analytical data of 5F-EDMB-PICA are very useful for forensic, toxicological, and clinical diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the problem of asynchronous control for a class of discrete-time switched systems is investigated under mode-dependent integrated dwell time (MDIDT) switching. By constructing a time-dependent convex function, a multiple convex Lyapunov function (MCLF) is firstly proposed for the asynchronous control of the switched systems. Under the MDIDT switching strategy, the matching interval is divided reasonably, and the convex function combination is constructed on the partitioned interval. Under asynchronous switching, the Lyapunov function is continuous when the subsystem mode is switched, but discrete when the controller mode is changed. Then, the increase of the Lyapunov function in the mismatched interval will be offset by the attenuation in the matched interval. In light of these merits, the stability results of the system are deduced, and the asynchronous controller is devised to guarantee the globally uniformly exponentially stability of the closed-loop system. Comparing with the traditional asynchronous control methods, the proposed method has less conservative results and larger stability regions. Finally, a numerical example and an application example are demonstrated to verify the validity and superiority of the asynchronous control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the thermal buckling characteristics of the functionally graded (FG) annular plate with variable thickness. The differential quadrature finite element method is used to derive the control differential equation of the FG annular plate with variable thickness in the thermal field. The numerical model is established on the basis of the first-order shear deformation theory. The reliability and accuracy of the proposed model are verified through a series of comparative studies. The influences of various parameters on the natural frequency, the critical buckling temperature difference and the associated buckling mode shapes are also analyzed and discussed in detail. In addition, the influences of key parameters such as power-law exponent, geometric structure and temperature change on thermal buckling characteristics are investigated under different boundary conditions, cross-sectional shapes and temperature distributions in the thermal field. The results show that the boundary conditions on the outer ring exert a more enormous function on the natural frequency and the critical buckling temperature difference. Frequency parameters of the annular plates with different cross-sectional shapes affect the temperature changes under totally different levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relinqing granules (RLQ) are being used alone or in combination with antibacterial drugs to treat urological disorders. This study investigates the pharmacokinetics of RLQ in humans and the potential for RLQ-perpetrated interactions on transporters. Twelve healthy subjects (six women and six men) participated to compare single- and multiple-dose pharmacokinetics of RLQ. In the single-dose study, all 12 subjects received 8 g of RLQ orally. After a 7-d washout period, the subjects received 8 g of RLQ for seven consecutive days (t.i.d.) and then a single dose. Gallic acid (GA) and protocatechuic acid (PCA) in plasma and urine samples were analysed using LC-MS/MS. The transfected cells were used to study the inhibitory effect of GA (50–5000 μg/L) and PCA (10–1000 μg/L) on transporters OAT1, OAT3, OCT2, OATP1B1, P-gp and BCRP. GA and PCA were absorbed into the blood within 1 h after administration and rapidly eliminated with a half-life of less than 2 h. The mean peak concentrations of GA (102 and 176 μg/L) and PCA (4.54 and 7.58 μg/L) were lower in males than females, respectively. The 24 h urine recovery rates of GA and PCA were about 10% and 5%, respectively. The steady-state was reached in 7 d without accumulation. GA was a potent inhibitor of OAT1 (IC50 = 3.73 μM) and OAT3 (IC50 = 29.41 μM), but not OCT2, OATP1B1, P-gp or BCRP. GA and PCA are recommended as PK-markers in RLQ-related pharmacokinetic and drug interaction studies. We should pay more attention to the potential for RLQ-perpetrated interactions on transporters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the diversity of mineral particle features in rock, including sizes, shapes, arrangements, and structural connections, the color image of the rock sample surface at laboratory scale is quite complex. Thus, unacceptable misjudgement and information loss often occur when the traditional image processing algorithms are adopted. To improve the accuracy of fracture extraction, a method based on image processing algorithms is proposed in this paper to extract fractures from 3D point clouds. First, a high-precision original depth image is generated by gridding the rock surface point cloud data with the Kriging interpolation. The hill shading method is then applied to further clarify the fractures. Finally, the fractures are extracted from depth images and compared with color images. The results show that the integrity of the fracture skeleton is significantly improved and the error rate is reduced. In combination with color images, the physical fractures and other fracture-like features can be distinguished. The proposed method provides a new idea for extracting fractures in various destructive experiments on rocks, and may be developed for recognition of discontinuities at typical engineering scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Niobium carbide (Nb2C), a newly developed 2D MXene material, has attracted much attention due to its outstanding electronic and optical properties. In this work, few‐layer 2D Nb2C nanosheets are synthesized by magnetron sputtering deposition method. Z‐scan measurements with pump source operating at 1.0 µm are performed to study the third‐order nonlinear optical response, revealing excellent light modulation capabilities of 2D Nb2C. The effective nonlinear absorption coefficient (βeff ≈ –105 cm GW–1) caused by saturable absorption effect is determined to be two orders of magnitude larger than that induced by reverse saturable absorption processes (two‐photon absorption, etc.). The positive nonlinear refractive index n2 is determined to be ≈10–13 m2 W–1 for the first time. Moreover, by decorating 2D Nb2C onto microfiber, microfiber‐based 2D Nb2C saturable absorber is fabricated and applied for compact square‐wave pulse mode‐locking ytterbium‐fiber laser. The pulse duration of SWP increases from 0.652 to 1.616 ns with the pulse energy increasing linearly up to 0.89 nJ while the peak power remains a constant. The results not only verify the capability of 2D Nb2C as an optical modulator, but also pave a new way for exploring SWP laser sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate coupling vibration characteristics of the flexible functionally graded material (FGM) shaft-disk coupling system with variable thickness disk. The mathematical model of the shaft-disk system is based on the first-order shear deformation theory, combined with the Voigt model and the four-parameter power-law distribution. The energy expression is discretized by the differential quadrature finite element method, and furthermore the differential equation of the shaft-disk system is derived. In order to verify the convergence and calculation accuracy of the current model, a series of numerical examples are introduced. In addition, the influence of geometrical and material parameters on vibration results is discussed, while the boundary conditions and the cross-sectional shape of the disk are considered. It can be seen that the variation of the FGM parameters will affect the vibration characteristics within a certain range, while the frequency parameter with different disk cross-sectional shapes is different in sensitivity to parameter changes. The parametric analysis can provide reference for the determination of structure and material parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the H ∞ filtering problem for a class of discrete-time switched systems by using an admissible edge-dependent average dwell time (AED-ADT) method. By means of a convex combination of positive definite matrices, a novel multiple piecewise convex Lyapunov function (MPCLF) is constructed, which can loosen the restrictions of Lyapunov function at switching points and interval interior points. Based on the MPCLF approach, sufficient conditions are established such that the filtering error system is globally uniformly exponentially stable (GUES) and a prescribed noise attenuation level in an H ∞ sense is achieved. Moreover, the corresponding time-varying H ∞ filters are given as well. Finally, the results of the simulation illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The l 2 - l ∞ filtering problem is studied for a class of discrete-time switched systems under the admissible edge-dependent average dwell time (AED-ADT) switching. Firstly, a new multiple convex Lyapunov function (MCLF) is established as a convex combination form in the context of the l 2 - l ∞ filtering problem. Then, corresponding to the MCLF, the quasi-time-dependent switched filter is proposed for the considered switched system, and the sufficient conditions are derived to ensure that the filtering error system is globally uniformly exponentially stable with a prescribed l 2 - l ∞ performance index. Owing to the quasi-time-dependent and multi-degree-of-freedom properties of the designed switched filter, the wider feasibility regions of system parameters, more desirable l 2 - l ∞ disturbance attenuation levels and tighter bounds on the AED-ADT can be acquired. Finally, a numerical example is given to expound that our approach outperforms the extant results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Distant hybridization is an important way to create interspecific genetic variation and breed new varieties in rice. A lot of backcross introgression lines (BILs) had been constructed for the scientific issues in rice. However, studies on the critical regulatory factor lncRNA in cultivated rice, wild rice and their BIL progenies were poorly reported. Results: Here, high-throughput RNA sequencing technology was used to explore the functional characteristics and differences of lncRNAs in O. sativa, O. longistaminata and their three BC2F12 progenies. A total of 1254 lncRNAs were screened out, and the number of differentially expressed lncRNAs between progenies and O. sativa were significantly less than that between progenies and O. longistaminata. Some lncRNAs regulated more than one mRNA, and 89.5% of lncRNAs regulated the expression of target genes through cis-acting. A total of 78 lncRNAs and 271 mRNAs were targeted by 280 miRNAs, and 22 lncRNAs were predicted to be the precursor of 20 microRNAs. Some miRNAs were found to target their own potential precursor lncRNAs. Over 50% of lncRNAs showed parental expression level dominance (ELD) in all three progenies, and most lncRNAs showed ELD-O. sativa rather than ELD-O. longistaminata. Further analysis showed that lncRNAs might regulate the expression of plant hormone-related genes and the adaptability of O. sativa, O. longistaminata and their progenies. Conclusions: Taken together, the above results provided valuable clues for elucidating the functional features and expression differences of lncRNAs between O. sativa, O. longistaminata and their BIL progenies, and expanded our understanding about the biological functions of lncRNAs in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are known to improve salt tolerance of plants, but not in all situations. Here, we show that a certain concentration of 24‐epibrassinolide (EBL), an active BR, can promote the tolerance of canola under high‐salt stress, but the same concentration is disadvantageous under low‐salt stress. We define this phenomenon as hormonal stress‐level‐dependent biphasic (SLDB) effects. The SLDB effects of EBL on salt tolerance in canola are closely related to H2O2 accumulation, which is regulated by polyamine metabolism, especially putrescine (Put) oxidation. The inhibition of EBL on canola under low‐salt stress can be ameliorated by repressing Put biosynthesis or diamine oxidase activity to reduce H2O2 production. Genetic and phenotypic results of bri1‐9, bak1, bes1‐D, and bzr1‐1D mutants and overexpression lines of BRI1 and BAK1 in Arabidopsis indicate that a proper enhancement of BR signaling benefits plants in countering salt stress, whereas excessive enhancement is just as harmful as a deficiency. These results highlight the involvement of crosstalk between BR signaling and Put metabolism in H2O2 accumulation, which underlies the dual role of BR in plant salt tolerance. Brassinosteroids (BRs) have biphasic effects on canola and Arabidopsis salt tolerance, which are related to H2O2 regulation by putrescine (Put). A moderate increase in BR level or BR signaling enhances salt stress tolerance in plants, while excessive levels are just as harmful as deficient levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Allopolyploidy is widespread in angiosperms, and they can coordinate two or more different genomes through genetic and epigenetic modifications to exhibit stronger vigor and adaptability. To explore the changes in homologous gene expression patterns in the natural allotetraploid Brassica napus (AnAnCnCn) relative to its two diploid progenitors, B. rapa (ArAr) and B. oleracea (CoCo), after approximately 7500 years of domestication, the global gene pair expression patterns in four major tissues (stems, leaves, flowers and siliques) of these three species were analyzed using an RNA sequencing approach. Results: The results showed that the 'transcriptomic shock' phenomenon was alleviated in natural B. napus after approximately 7500 years of natural domestication, and most differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in B. napus were downregulated relative to those in its two diploid progenitors. The KEGG analysis indicated that three pathways related to photosynthesis were enriched in both comparison groups (AnAnCnCn vs ArAr and AnAnCnCn vs CoCo), and these pathways were all downregulated in four tissues of B. napus. In addition, homoeolog expression bias and expression level dominance (ELD) in B. napus were thoroughly studied through analysis of expression levels of 27,609 B. rapa-B. oleracea orthologous gene pairs. The overwhelming majority of gene pairs (an average of 86.7%) in B. napus maintained their expression pattern in two diploid progenitors, and approximately 78.1% of the gene pairs showed expression bias with a preference toward the A subgenome. Overall, an average of 48, 29.7 and 22.3% homologous gene pairs exhibited additive expression, ELD and transgressive expression in B. napus, respectively. The ELD bias varies from tissue to tissue; specifically, more gene pairs in stems and siliques showed ELD-A, whereas the opposite was observed in leaves and flowers. More transgressive upregulation, rather than downregulation, was observed in gene pairs of B. napus. Conclusions: In general, these results may provide a comprehensive understanding of the changes in homologous gene expression patterns in natural B. napus after approximately 7500 years of evolution and domestication and may enhance our understanding of allopolyploidy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]