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Pattern-triggered immunity is activated by recognition of microbe-derived structures by host pattern recognition receptors. Here the authors use a genotype-by sequencing approach to show that bacterial translation initiation factor 1 triggers PTI in Arabidopsis thaliana after recognition by the RLP32 receptor.

Hexokinases are conserved proteins functioning in glucose sensing and signaling. The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae contains several hexokinases, including MoHxk1 (hexokinase) and MoGlk1 (glucokinase) encoded respectively by MoHXK1 and MoGLK1 genes. The heterologous expression of MoGlk1 and MoHxk1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae confirmed their conserved functions. Disruption of MoHXK1 resulted in growth reduction in medium containing fructose as the sole carbon source, whereas disruption of MoGLK1 did not cause the similar defect. However, the ΔMoglk1 mutant displayed decreased proton extrusion and a lower biomass in the presence of ammonium, suggesting a decline in the utilization of ammonium. Additionally, the MoGLK1 allele lacking catalytic activity restored growth to the ΔMoglk1 mutant. Moreover, the expression of MoPMA1 encoding a plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase decreased in the ΔMoglk1 mutant that can be suppressed by glucose and G-6-P. Thus, MoGlk1, but not MoHxk1, regulates ammonium utilization through a mechanism that is independent from its catalytic activity.

Abstract In recent decades, hypoxic areas have rapidly expanded worldwide in estuaries and coastal zones. The Pearl River Estuary (PRE), one of China's largest estuaries, experiences frequent seasonal hypoxia due to intense human activities and eutrophication. However, the ecological effects of hypoxia in the PRE, particularly on fish communities, remain unclear. To explore these effects, we collected fish community and environmental data in July 2021 during the summer hypoxia development period. The results revealed that bottom‐layer dissolved oxygen (DO) in the PRE ranged from 0.08 to 5.71 mg/L, with extensive hypoxic zones (DO ≤ 2 mg/L) observed. Hypoxia has varied effects on fish community composition, distribution, species, and functional diversity in the PRE. A total of 104 fish species were collected in this study, with approximately 30 species (28.6%) exclusively found in hypoxic areas. Species responses to hypoxia varied: species such as Sardinella zunasi, Coilia mystus, and Nuchequula nuchalis were sensitive, while Decapterus maruadsi, Siganus fuscescens, and Lagocephalus spadiceus showed higher tolerance. Within the hypoxia area, dissolved oxygen was the main limiting factor for fish community diversity. Functional diversity (FDiv) decreased with higher dissolved oxygen levels, indicating a potential shift in the functional traits and ecological roles of fish species in response to changing oxygen conditions. Further analysis demonstrated that dissolved oxygen had a significantly stronger effect on fish community structure at hypoxic sites than in the whole PRE. Moreover, other environmental variables also had significant effects on the fish community structure and interacted with dissolved oxygen in the hypoxia area. These findings suggest that maintaining sufficient dissolved oxygen levels is essential for sustaining fish communities and ecosystem health in the PRE. This study provides novel insights into the effects of hypoxia on fish communities in estuarine ecosystems and has significant implications for the ecological health and management of the PRE.

Understanding the dynamic response of composite material cartridges during the firing process is of great significance for improving their reliability and safety. A theoretical model describing the dynamic response of composite material cartridges is established based on the thick-walled cylinder theory and rate-dependent constitutive model of composite materials. The correctness of the theoretical model is validated through finite element simulations of cartridge deformation. The influence of chamber pressure and cartridge wall thickness on the cartridge’s deformation process and stress distribution is analyzed. The results indicate that the primary deformation of composite material cartridges inside the chamber is elastic deformation. Compared to metal cartridges, composite material cartridges require higher pressure for touching-chamber and are more prone to developing gaps after unloading to ensure smooth extraction. During the deformation process, the touching-chamber behavior of the cartridge can improve the stress distribution. Under the same chamber pressure, the touching-chamber behavior can reduce the circumferential stress by approximately 30%. The inner wall surface of the cartridge is a critical area that requires attention. The touching-chamber behavior can be facilitated by appropriately reducing the cartridge wall thickness while ensuring overall strength. This study can provide guidance for the optimization design of composite material cartridges.

The habitats of oyster reefs had played various ecological services functions, as an important means of marine ecological restoration and fishery resources conservation, which had been widely used worldwide. And the characteristics of microbial communities would be inevitably affected by habitat of oyster reefs. The aim of this study was to reveal the relationship between oyster reefs and the intestinal microbiota of fish (Takifugu ocellatus, Acanthopagrus latus, Clupanodon thrissa, and Mugil cephalus). Here, based on 16S rRNA sequencing, this research analyzed the microbial communities of fishes gut in the oyster reefs from the most crucial estuary economic zone in Southern China. It was significantly lower that the bacterial alpha-diversity in the fish intestines than in the sediments of oyster reefs. The non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) results showed that intestines microbiota of T. ocellatus and A. latus were more homologous to sediments microbiota, but intestines microbiota of C. thrissa and M. cephalus were more similar to the water microbiota. There were obvious differences in the contribution of oyster reefs habitat to intestinal microorganisms of four fishes. Source tracking analysis as well reached the similar conclusion. For instance, contribution of water to T. ocellatus and A. latus was lesser than sediments, which was related to their benthic habits. Based on the differences in microbial community compositions, the functional prediction analysis had demonstrated that special functional pathways and independent core indicators had been formed separately from oyster reefs and fish intestines. Overall, these findings highlighted the characteristics of microbial diversity and functions from the omnivorous fish living in oyster reefs habitats. This research proposed new insights into the function of oyster reefs habitats, which have enriched the ecological service value of oyster reefs from microbial ecology and provided a reference for the application of oyster reefs habitats in other estuaries.

Objective: Morphological and hemodynamic parameters might predict rupture of intracranial aneurysms (IAs). A practical model for the study is patients with ruptured mirror IAs in which one is ruptured and the other is unruptured. Although there have been analyses of the morphology and hemodynamics of ruptured mirror posterior communicating artery aneurysms (PComAAs), the sample sizes in these studies were small and only considered hemodynamics or morphological characters. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the morphological and hemodynamic parameters associated with ruptured mirror PComAAs.Methods: We considered 72 patients with ruptured mirror PComAAs using computational fluid dynamics (CFDs). Ruptured mirror PComAAs were divided into ruptured and unruptured groups. Fourteen morphological and eight hemodynamic parameters were calculated and compared. Significant parameters were analyzed by the multivariate logistic regression to identify independent risk factors. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated for all independent risk factors to determine the predictability and identify the optimal threshold.Results: Four hemodynamic and three morphological parameters were significantly different between ruptured and unruptured groups: normalized wall shear stress (NWSS), mean WSS, low wall shear WSS area (LSA%), size, aspect ratio (AR), size ratio (SR), and inflow angle (IA). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that AR, SR, NWSS, mean WSS, and LSA% were all independent factors significantly associated with PComAAs rupture. The ROC analysis for independent risk factors indicated that AR (0.751), NWSS (0.755), mean WSS (0.69), and LSA (0.778) had merely acceptable AUC values. Only SR (0.803) had a high acceptable AUC value. The threshold value of SR was 1.96.Conclusions: SR (>1.96) was the most significant parameter associated with IA rupture, whereas AR, NWSS, mean WSS, and LSA independently characterized the status of IA rupture.

Objective: Posterior communicating artery bifurcation aneurysms (PcomA-BAs) and infundibular dilations (PcomA-IDs) are found at the junction between the internal carotid artery (ICA) and the posterior communicating artery (PcomA). Several studies found that PcomA-IDs potentially progress to aneurysms and can even rupture. In our clinical practice, digital subtraction angiography (DSA) helps differentiate PcomA-IDs from unruptured PcomA-BAs. However, when PcomA-IDs are >3 mm in diameter or PcomA are absent on DSA, it is challenging to use DSA to differentiate PcomA-IDs from unruptured PcomA-BAs. Hemodynamic and morphological factors are thought to play important roles in the pathogenesis, progression, and rupture of cerebral aneurysms. We compared hemodynamic and morphological differences in unruptured PcomA-BAs and PcomA-IDs to better manage PcomA-IDs.Methods: We included 83 PcomA-IDs and 115 unruptured PcomA-BAs dignosed and measured using DSA from January 2015 to January 2019. Computational fluid dynamics was performed on these patient-specific models reconstructed using axial slices in DICOM format. Clinical, hemodynamic, and morphological factors were compared between the PcomA-IDs and PcomA-BAs. Significant parameters were analyzed using binary logistic regression analysis to identify independent risk factors. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed on the independent risk factors to acquire cutoff values.Results: One hemodynamic and four morphyological parameters were significantly different between PcomA-IDs and PcomA-BAs: normalized wall shear stress (NWSS), size, the angle between the ophthalmic segment of the ICA and the PcomA (APcomA), the angle between the ophthalmic and the communicating segment of the ICA (AICA) and the diameter of the PcomA (DPcomA). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that small size and DPcomA as well as APcomA were all independent significant factors characterizing the status of PcomA-IDs and the ROC analysis for independent risk factors indicated the cutoff values of size, APcomA, and DPcomA were 3.45 mm, 66.27°, and 1.24 mm, respectively.Conclusions: Size, DpcomA, and ApcomA could independently characterize the status of PcomA-IDs. These might help us better differentiate them from real aneurysms and guide its management.