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ObjectiveTo explore the drug resistance of Morganella morganii (Mm) and the risk factors for extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) positive infection in type 2 diabetes foot (DF) patients with Mm, and to provide a reference for clinical treatment.Methods310 samples of DF patients with Mm infection were collected from Shanghai Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2020 to March 2023. The patients were selected for the first time to detect Mm bacteria through cultivation, and were divided into ESBL producing group (n=45) and non ESBL producing group (n=265). Bacterial identification and drug sensitivity experiments on Mm were conducted. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors. The stepwise regression method (SRM) was used to screen the most important correlation factors for constructing risk prediction model and its evaluation.ResultsBoth ESBL producing and non ESBL producing Mm were sensitive to imipenem (IPM) and meropenem (MEM). Compared with the non ESBL producing group, the resistance of Mm in the ESBL producing group to other tested antibiotics [excluding ampicillin (AM)/sulbactam (SU)] was higher (P

Abstract Infusion extravasation has an increased incidence in newborns, which can result in various adverse outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different types of temperament on infusion extravasation in newborns. A total of 209 newborns aged 4–7 days who were treated with infusion therapy were assessed for temperament type using the neonatal behavioral assessment scale score (NBAS). The 2009 Infusion Nurses Society clinical grading criteria for extravasation were used, and the clinical data of the newborns, such as gestational age and body weight, were collected. Out of 209 newborns assessed, 107 developed infusion extravasations, with an incidence rate of 51.2%. Newborns with intermediate temperament type were more prone to develop infusion extravasation. Newborns with low body weight, amniotic fluid aspiration syndrome, or meconium aspiration syndrome were prone to develop infusion extravasation. Body weight, temperament type of consolability, temperament type of peak of excitement, diseases, general temperament type, and NBAS total scores of the neonates were independent risk factors for infusion extravasation. Thus, different types of temperament can have an impact on neonatal extravasation.

CO2 geological storage is a guaranteed technology for achieving carbon neutrality. The offshore deposit basin is far away from the human activity area, and the implementation of a CO2 geological storage is more advantageous than the land sedimentary basin. To find out the CO2 storage potential in the Weixinan sag of the Beibu Gulf Basin, based on the 8 indicators such as caprock burial depth, the maximum thickness of single layer mudstone, mud-soil ratio, fault density and reservoir porosity, formation thickness, sand-soil ratio, permeability, etc., it has established a reservoir evaluation system for the secondary structure unit of the basin. Combined with the core physical property data of lays and 3D geological models, the reservoir and caprock of the Weixinan sag are optimized, and the effective storage potential is evaluated with the US-DOE method. The results show that within 800−3000 meters below the sea floor, in the Weixinan sag, there are two sets of reservoir-cap combinations suitable for CO2 storage. Combination 1: in Neogene, the neritic mudstone of the first member of the Jiaowei Formation is the cap rock, and the neritic sandstone of the second member of the Jiaowei Formation and the Xiayang Formation is the reservoir, and the effective storage capacity is 0.749 billion tons. Combination 2: in the Paleogene, the deep lake mudstone in the second member of the Weizhou Formation is the cap rock, and the sandstone in the third member of the Weizhou Formation is the reservoir, and the effective storage capacity is 0.374 billion tons. In the Weixinan sag, two sets of reservoir-cap assemblages suitable for CO2 storage in the saline aquifers are selected, with an effective storage capacity of 1.123 billion tons. According to the evaluation of the annual CO2 emission of 70 million tons in the west of Guangdong Province, it can meet the CO2 emission reduction needs of the region for more than 16 years. Offshore geological storage is a potential path for the green and sustainable development of coastal heavy chemical clustering areas and to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.

Abstract Bleeding and thrombosis are known as common complications of polycythemia for a long time. However, the role of coagulation system in erythropoiesis is unclear. Here, we discover that an anticoagulant protein tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) plays an essential role in erythropoiesis via the control of heme biosynthesis in central macrophages. TFPI levels are elevated in erythroblasts of human erythroblastic islands with JAK2 V617F mutation and hypoxia condition. Erythroid lineage-specific knockout TFPI results in impaired erythropoiesis through decreasing ferrochelatase expression and heme biosynthesis in central macrophages. Mechanistically, the TFPI interacts with thrombomodulin to promote the downstream ERK1/2-GATA1 signaling pathway to induce heme biosynthesis in central macrophages. Furthermore, TFPI blockade impairs human erythropoiesis in vitro, and normalizes the erythroid compartment in mice with polycythemia. These results show that erythroblast-derived TFPI plays an important role in the regulation of erythropoiesis and reveal an interplay between erythroblasts and central macrophages.

Abstract Background Nuciferine (NUC), a natural compound extracted from lotus leaves, has been proven to have anti‐obesity effects. However, the development and application of NUC as an anti‐obesity drug in dogs are hindered due to its poor water solubility and low bioavailability. Objective To promote the development of NUC‐related products for anti‐obesity in dogs, this study prepared NUC into a liposome formulation and evaluated its characteristics, pharmacokinetics in dogs, and anti‐obesity effects on high‐fat diet dogs. Methods NUC liposomes were prepared by the ethanol injection method, using NUC, egg lecithin, and β‐sitosterol as raw materials. The characteristics and release rate in vitro of liposomes were evaluated by particle size analyser and dialysis method, respectively. The pharmacokinetics in dogs after oral administration of NUC‐liposomes was carried out by the high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Moreover, we investigated the anti‐obesity effect of NUC‐liposomes on obese dogs fed with a high‐fat diet. Results NUC‐liposome was successfully prepared, with an EE of (79.31 ± 1.06)%, a particle size of (81.25 ± 3.14) nm, a zeta potential of (–18.75 ± 0.23) mV, and a PDI of 0.175 ± 0.031. The cumulative release rate in vitro of NUC from NUC‐liposomes was slower than that of NUC. The T1/2 and relative bioavailability of NUC‐liposomes in dogs increased, and CL reduced compared with NUC. In addition, the preventive effect of NUC‐liposomes on obesity in high‐fat diet dogs is stronger than that of NUC. Conclusions The liposome formulation of NUC was conducive to improve its relative bioavailability and anti‐obesity effect in dogs.

In this study, high-throughput sequencing technology and statistical analysis were employed to explore the effects of adding green tea at proportions of 10%, 20%, and 30% on physicochemical characteristics, bacterial community diversity and succession of Daqu during fermentation compared with pure wheat Daqu (control). The results showed that the addition of green tea significantly increased the bacterial community diversity of Daqu and improved its saccharification capacity, moisture content and acidity. However, the increase in tea addition did not exhibit a proportional relationship with the community diversity. The unique evolutionary structure of the bacterial communities in different types of Daqu was found to be the major factor affecting the physicochemical characteristics of Daqu. During the fermentation process, all four Daqu exhibited differentiation in bacterial community succession starting from the thermophilic stage, thereby leading to the formation of their unique community structure at the end of the fermentation process. The phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidota, and Actinobacteria showed varying influences on the community succession of the four Daqu samples, thus making each of them have different physicochemical characteristics. Specifically, Pseudomonas was an important bacterial genus contributing to the physicochemical characteristics of the control and 10% tea Daqu, while Weissella and Pediococcus, were important contributors to the physicochemical characteristics of the 20% tea Daqu. Bacillus was found to be a significant bacterial genus contributing to the physicochemical characteristics of the 30% tea Daqu. This study provides a theoretical basis for process optimization in the production of tea-added Daqu and for the development of multi-raw material fermentation starters. It also has implications for improving the preparation process of Daqu and the application of tea in Daqu making.

Point cloud generation and representation is important in industry areas. Generating and editing high quality 3D shapes is challenging work in deep learning. Inspired by StyleGAN, a style based generative adversarial networks is proposed to generate high quality 3D point cloud. An improved non-linear mapping network learn distribution of points and is used to generate well distributed point cloud point cloud. We also provide a coarse to fine representation for point cloud. According to the experimental results on the ShapeNet Part data set(including aircraft, chair single category and overall 16 categories), our method can generate more uniform point cloud than other GAN methods with less training epoches. The latent code for point cloud has better linear separation,and is more easy to edit.

With the deep involvement of Chinese oil enterprises in global oil production and the breaking of the integrated management mode of production, transportation and marketing for Chinese oil and gas companies, it's necessary to have a more comprehensive and systematic understanding of crude oil custody measurement. Herein, the five major standard systems of crude oil custody measurement worldwide were sorted out. Comprehensive analysis was conducted for the application of crude oil custody measurement standards in different regions of the world, their interrelationship, and the development of relevant Chinese standards in the oil and gas field. The overall management level concerning the selection of main parameters of custody measurement, the accuracy of relevant instrument and equipment, and their calibration and verification, were analyzed systematically by comparing the requirements of different standard systems in terms of the base condition, oil measurement system, oil test and the calibration of measuring equipment. In addition, four measurement design schemes were summarized by analyzing the design schemes for custody measurement of multiple in-service crude oil pipelines by classification. Further, the quality bank of crude oil was included in the design schemes to improve the measurement management level. Generally, the research results could provide a useful reference for the promotion of relevant oil and gas standards in the emerging region and the design of various custody measurement schemes.

Norisoprenoids are important chemical compounds to grape and wine aroma, and their content in the grape berries can be greatly affected by varietal, terroir, and environmental factors. In this study, we investigate how major factors, such as genotype and climate conditions, influence the physicochemical properties of grape juice, volatile C13-norisoprenoid compounds, and gene expression profiles of three Vitis vinifera grape varieties: Muscat blanc à Petit grain, Muscat à petits grains rouges, and Gewürztraminer during the production period in 2010 and 2011. The total soluble solids (TSS) of both Muscat varieties were significantly higher in 2011 compared to 2010, reflecting interannual climatic variations, while Gewürztraminer showed no significant differences. At full maturity, total acid of all three cultivars was consistent between the years, indicating genetic determination. Thirteen norisoprenoids were identified, with Muscat varieties showing consistently higher levels than Gewürztraminer, irrespective of the production year. Varietal differences were significant for 13 out of 14 volatile compounds, and vintage effects were notable for 11 compounds, including key aroma contributors β-damascenone and β-ionone. OPLS-DA analysis highlighted distinct volatile profiles for each variety and vintage, influenced by climatic factors such as precipitation and sunlight hours. Gene expression analysis revealed strong correlations between VvCCD1, VvCCD4a, and VvCCD4b genes and C13-norisoprenoid accumulation, with these genes also implicated in the ABA biosynthesis pathway. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in VvCCD1, VvCCD4a, and VvCCD4b were linked to variations in norisoprenoid content among the cultivars. Altogether, these findings revealed the interaction of genetic and environmental factors in shaping the physicochemical properties for the grape, volatile profiles, and gene expression patterns of grape berries, with significant implications for viticulture and the winemaking process.

At present, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has issued interim guidelines for the direct stability assessment of surf-riding and broaching for the second-generation intact stability criteria. Accurately and efficiently predicting surf-riding and broaching remains a key problem to be solved for the direct stability assessment of surf-riding and broaching. Therefore, a six-degree-of-freedom(6DOF) coupled mathematical model is established in this paper. Firstly, the four-degree-of-freedom(4DOF) coupled equations of surge–sway–roll–yaw motions are built based on the traditional MMG maneuvering mathematical model by considering Froude–Krylov forces, diffraction forces and restoring forces, and the heave and pitch are approximately calculated by iteratively solving improved static equilibrium equations in real-time, effectively solving the divergence problem in direct time-domain seakeeping calculations of high-speed ships in stern-quartering waves. Secondly, the hydrodynamic lift forces due to the coexistence of wave particle velocity and ship forward velocity are taken into account in the propeller-thrust and rudder-force models. In addition, the real-time emersion of twin rudders in waves is considered in the rudder-force models. At the same time, the free-running model experiments with a ONR tumblehome vessel are carried out in stern-quartering waves, and the pure loss of stability and broaching motions are observed. Finally, comparative validations between the calculations and the experiments of surf-riding and broaching in stern-quartering waves are carried out, and the effects of the ship speed, the instantaneous wetted surface of the hull, rudder exposure, heave and pitch motions on predicting surf-riding and broaching motions are investigated. The computation results show that the established 6DOF mathematical model has enough accuracy to be used for the direct stability assessment of the surf-riding and broaching failure modes.

IntroductionSugarcane endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacterium Klebsiella variícola DX120E displayed broad impact on growth, but the exact biological mechanism, especially polyamines (PAs) role, is still meager.MethodsTo reveal this relationship, the content of polyamine oxidase (PAO), PAs, reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging antioxidative enzymes, phytohormones, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic synthase (ACS), chlorophyll content, and biomass were determined in sugarcane incubated with the DX120E strain. In addition, expression levels of the genes associated with polyamine metabolism were measured by transcriptomic analysis.ResultsGenomic analysis of Klebsiella variícola DX120E revealed that 39 genes were involved in polyamine metabolism, transport, and the strain secrete PAs in vitro. Following a 7-day inoculation period, DX120E stimulated an increase in the polyamine oxidase (PAO) enzyme in sugarcane leaves, however, the overall PAs content was reduced. At 15 days, the levels of PAs, ROS-scavenging antioxidative enzymes, and phytohormones showed an upward trend, especially spermidine (Spd), putrescine (Put), catalase (CAT), auxin (IAA), gibberellin (GA), and ACS showed a significant up-regulation. The GO and KEGG enrichment analysis found a total of 73 differentially expressed genes, involving in the cell wall (9), stimulus response (13), peroxidase activity (33), hormone (14) and polyamine metabolism (4).DiscussionThis study demonstrated that endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria stimulated polyamine metabolism and phytohormones production in sugarcane plant tissues, resulting in enhanced growth. Dual RNA-seq analyses provided insight into the early-stage interaction between sugarcane seedlings and endophytic bacteria at the transcriptional level. It showed how diverse metabolic processes selectively use distinct molecules to complete the cell functions under present circumstances.

Epoxy resin is widely used in the surface protection and repair of hydraulic structures in water conservancy and hydropower engineering projects.However， with the extension of service time， the problem of aging failure of epoxy resin protective and repair materials gradually occurs.Especially， the aging resistance and service life of epoxy resin protection and repair materials are faced with great challenges when they are exposed to ultraviolet， humid and hot hydraulic environment for a long time.In this work， the test methods and specifications of the aging resistance of epoxy resin protective repair materials， the evaluation indexes of aging resistance and the research status of coating life prediction methods were reviewed， and the future research directions were put forward.

The wide application of virtual reality technology has brought opportunities for teaching ideology and politics, breaking traditional education’s time and space limitations. This paper proposes an automatic three-dimensional modeling technology model, combined with computer vision camera imaging principles, to optimize the amount of data and improve optimization efficiency. And on this basis, it further proposes the Civics virtual scene construction technology, combined with the improved QEM grid simplification algorithm of edge segmentation, to optimize the virtual scene by simplifying the complex three-dimensional grid model. The experimental group’s students have shown good acceptance of this teaching method when teaching Civics in VR venues. In the cognitive and knowledge level of Civics learning, there is a significant difference between the experimental group and the control group in the dimensions of value identity and knowledge retention (P

Abstract Background The antisense noncoding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL) has been confirmed related to multiple disease progression, but the role and exact mechanisms of lnc‐ANRIL in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced inflammation of bovine mammary epithelial cells (MAC‐T) remain unclear. Aims This manuscript focused on expounding the functional role of lnc‐ANRIL through experiments performed in MAC‐T. Methods At the in vitro level, we established a Bovine mammary epithelial cell (BMEC) cell model of mastitis by LPS treatment. Transfection of siRNA was examined by immunofluorescence localization and RT‐qPCR. CCK8, clonogenic assay and EdU were used to detect the proliferation ability of the cells. Cell cycle and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry and Western blot. The levels of inflammatory factors and oxidative stress markers were detected by ELISA kits. Results Cell Counting Kit‐8, colony formation, and 5‐ethynyl‐20‐deoxyuridine were adopted and the data illustrated that LPS could significantly suppress the cell proliferation, while knockdown of lnc‐ANRIL expression obviously promoted MAC‐T cell proliferation compared with LPS or LPS + si‐NC group. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that lnc‐ANRIL could induce MAC‐T cell apoptosis. In addition, downregulation of lnc‐ANRIL affected LPS‐induced immune response by regulating inflammatory factor expressions and modulating the nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB) axis in MAC‐T cells. Conclusion Our results suggest that lnc‐ANRIL is involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, cell cycle, and cell apoptosis of MAC‐T cells, and plays an important role in the inflammatory and immune response of MAC‐T cells through the regulation of the NF‐κB pathway, proposing new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of innate immune response‐related disease such as bovine mastitis.

Background: Progress in cardiovascular health is increasingly concentrated in high-income countries, while the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is high in low - and middle-income countries, a clear health inequity that must be urgently addressed. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the prevalence and clustering of CVD risk factors in the three Lancang-Mekong regions. Methods: We conducted a population-based cross-sectional survey from January 2021 to March 2023 in China, Laos, and Cambodia. We compared the prevalence and clustering of CVD risk factors including hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, overweight / obesity, current smoker, current drinker, inadequate vegetable and fruit intake, and insufficient physical activity across the three regions, and were further stratified by gender and age. Multivariate logistic regression models were performed to explore factors influencing the aggregation of CVD risk factors (≥2, ≥3, ≥4). Results: A total of 11005 adults were included. Hypertension emerged as the primary metabolic risk factors in Laos (36.8%) and Cambodia (23.5%), whereas overweight / obesity was 37.6% in China. In terms of behavioral risk factors, all three regions showed insufficient vegetable and fruit intake. The prevalence of individuals without CVD risk factors was 10% in China, 1.9% in Laos, and 5.2% in Cambodia. Meanwhile, the prevalence of two or more risk factors was 64.6% in China, 79.2% in Laos, and 76.0% in Cambodia. Multivariate logistic regression models revealed that the propensity for CVD risk factors clustering was higher in men and increased with age in all three countries. Conclusions: CVD risk factors and multiple clustering are pressing health threats among adults in low- and middle-income areas along the Lancang-Mekong River Basin. This study highlights the urgent need for proactive tailored strategies to control CVD risk factors.

Vehicle emissions belong to the category of near-surface sources, occur close to human activity areas, and pose a greater threat to human health than other anthropogenic pollution sources. Furthermore, the study of the spatiotemporal characteristics of near-road traffic pollution is of great significance to urban and regional ambient air quality management, and is also an important basis for vehicle emission inventories, as well as the assessment of ambient air impact. Most previous studies have analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics of hydrocarbons (HCs), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and carbon dioxide (CO2) in urban vehicle emissions over a certain time, without considering the synergistic effect of mobile source particulate matter, NOx, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this study, we analyze the composition of vehicles with different emission standards from road mobile sources in Anqing City, China. National category III and IV vehicles are the main contribution sources of various pollutants, accounting for more than 60% of emissions. Although national category I and II vehicles accounted for less than 1% of the total number of vehicles, their contribution to emissions cannot be ignored, especially for CO and HCs, the contribution of which from such vehicles can reach about 7%. This is mainly due to the low level of pollution control arising from the larger emission factor and greater age of these vehicles. Furthermore, eliminating old cars and increasing the proportion of national category VI vehicles can effectively reduce vehicle pollutant emissions. In terms of the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics, highways around urban areas are also the main sources of heavy vehicles, and the emission intensity of these pollutants is also higher on national roads and highways surrounding urban areas. In addition, the presence of m/p-xylene and toluene solvent-using species is detected, which indicates that petrol vehicle emissions, LPG and petrol volatilization, and solvent-using sources contribute significantly to ozone formation in the ozone pollution process. Comparing weekdays and non-weekdays, the PM2.5 peaks on non-weekdays are significantly higher than those on weekdays, and there is no “weekend effect”, which indicates that traffic emissions have little influence on PM2.5 emissions, and may be related to energy use and industrial pollution. Overall, this study strengthens the understanding of the relationship between emissions, traffic volumes, and vehicle types on spatial and temporal scales, and emphasizes the need for further investigation and comprehensive measures to mitigate pollution from these emissions.

The grapevine is an important and economically valuable fruit crop, with flower sex being a key genetic trait that directly affects grapevine yield and quality. Despite its significance, there is a lack of studies on sex-linked molecular markers that can assist in grapevine breeding. In this study, we developed a grapevine single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker array using a combination of genotyping by target sequencing (GBTS) and capture-in-solution technology and applied it to marker-assisted selection (MAS) of grapevine gender. The SNP array could detect a total of 20,597 core SNPs and 97,453 multiple SNPs (mSNPs), covering over 99% of the grapevine genome on each chromosome. A total of 131 progenies from a cross between Vitis vinifera 'Cabernet Sauvignon' and Vitis pseudoreticulata 'Huadong1058' that exhibited segregated sex phenotypes were sequenced using this array. Through locus mapping and a genome-wide association study (GWAS), a locus on chromosome 2 (54.74−58.80 cM) that explained 98.6% of the phenotypic variation was identified. To further utilize this locus, a sex prediction marker combination consisting of two SNPs was developed, which accurately predicted the sex of 34 natural grapevine varieties/accessions. This study demonstrates the application of GBTS in grapevine breeding and provides a reliable MAS marker set for early-stage sex selection.

Marine hydrates mainly occur in clayey silt sediments, and their occurrence environment has the characteristics of a high clay content and low permeability, which seriously inhibit an increase in the gas production rate. This study presents a new method, the high-pressure jet breaking and sand filling method, to transform the natural gas hydrate (NGH) reservoir near the production well, whereby a water jet is used to form an area of sediment with large particle diameters and high permeability. Based on indoor experiments, we report the characteristics of hydrate formation, decomposition, and phase equilibrium in the transition area formed by this method under different sand particle sizes and mass fractions. The addition of sand at a high mass fraction with a large particle diameter significantly shortened the time required for rapid hydrate formation, prolonged slow hydrate formation, and reduced the increase in temperature. With an increase in the mass fraction of large-diameter sand, the free water content of pores increased, which made it easier to form hydrates with large particles, thus delaying the hydrate decomposition rate. The phase equilibrium curves of hydrates in clayey silt sediments with sand added at mass fractions of 30% and 50% were close to that of bulk hydrate in pure water at lower temperatures. As the temperature increased, the phase equilibrium curves gradually approached those of hydrates in clayey silt sediments.

Abstract To optimize the optimal nozzle structure and multiple nozzle arrangement for hydrate jet crushing and to promote the development of solid fluidization extraction technology for shallow unconformity hydrate in China’s oceans, the submerged jet flow field of six commonly used nozzle structures in the downhole in-situ jet crushing process was analyzed on the basis of the solid fluidization extraction process in double-layer pipes, and the effect of the jet hole arrangement on the overflow performance of hydrate slurry in the outer annulus of double-layer pipes was also investigated. It was demonstrated that tapered straight nozzles were preferably selected as the nozzle type for hydrate solid fluidization mining process based on jet core stage length, jet energy dissipation rate, and jet fluid axial velocity. In the meantime, the optimum arrangement of the nozzles was preferred on the basis of the annular pressure drop and the flow resistance coefficient, with the number of single circle not higher than 3 and the axial spacing of the nozzles not lower than 50 mm. This study can provide a theoretical basis for nozzle selection and tool design for the solid fluidization jet crushing process of marine unconformable hydrates.

Understanding the pattern of changes in extreme heat is crucial to developing climate change adaptation strategies. Existing studies mostly focus on changes in air temperature and tend to overlook soil temperature; however, changes in extreme heat in air and soil can be inconsistent under global change and water–carbon cycling may be more sensitive to soil condition. In this study, we examine the global pattern of long-term trends in the difference between air temperature and soil temperature ( T _soil − T _2m ) for the hottest month of the year during the period of 1961–2022. The results show that in certain hotspots, such as the middle and high latitudes of Eurasia, the Mediterranean, and the Western United States, the increasing trend in soil temperature has exceeded the increasing trend in 2 m air temperature during the warm season, implying that the land surface can contribute to the increase in air temperature extreme by releasing more heat than before. Our study suggest that the effect of soil temperature to air temperature is strongly related to the partitioning of surface latent heat, sensible heat ( H ) and soil heat flux ( G ). In the hot spots, T _soil − T _2m was significantly positively correlated with H and G while a significant negative correlation was found with evaporative fraction (EF) ( p < 0.05), and the significant correlations with G and EF exhibit greater spatial heterogeneity. Moreover, the higher the degree of vegetation cover and soil moisture the smaller the difference between soil and air high temperatures. Therefore, changes in vegetation cover and land use management may play an important role in regulating the range of soil and air temperature differences as well as land-atmosphere coupling effects on heat extreme.

ObjectiveTo explore the association of delayed diagnosis time with post-surgery recovery in children with congenital heart disease (CHD) for providing evidences to effective early screening and treatment of CHD.MethodsFrom January 2017 to December 2020, a CHD screening program was conducted among 3 015 470 students from 7 783 schools in 8 provincial-level regions in western China and totally 3 805 diagnosed CHD patients were surgically treated at Fuwai Yunnan Cardiovascular Hospital and followed up for post-treatment management. Medical records and information on physical-psychological-social adaptation of the CHD patients aged 0 – 18 years were collected and analyzed to assess the correlation between delayed diagnosis time and post-surgery recovery in the child patients.ResultsOf the 2 879 child patients included in the analysis, 66.3% (1 908) had delayed diagnosis of CHD and 23.0% (663), 21.4% (615), and 21.9% (630) had delayed diagnosis time of 0.03 – 3 years, 3.01 – 7.5 years, and longer than 7.5 years, respectively. Among the child patients with delayed diagnosis time of 0.03 – 3 years, 19.7% had developmental retardation and 28.0% had difficulty in group living; of the child patients with the delayed diagnosed time longer than 7.5 years, 17.4% were assessed being prone to have negative emotion. After adjusting for gender, age, ethnics, type of CHD, and family structure, the results of multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that compared to those with the delayed diagnosis time of longer than 7.5 years, the child patients with shorter delayed diagnosis time were at a decreased the risk of post-surgery negative emotion with the odds ratio (OR) of 0.685 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.499 – 0.940) for those with the time of 0.03 – 3 years and the OR of 0.630 (95% CI: 0.450 – 0.882) for those with the time of 3.01 – 7.5 years; while, compared to those with the delayed diagnosis time of 0.03 – 3 years, the child patients being timely diagnosed and the patients with the delayed diagnosis time longer than 7.5 years were at a decreased risk of having difficulty in group living, with the OR of 0.717 (95% CI: 0.563 – 0.914) and OR of 0.685 (95% CI: 0.528 – 0.888), respectively. ConclusionAmong child patients having surgery treatment, the delayed time of CHD diagnosis can influence post-surgery recovery; the delayed diagnosis time of 7.5 years is associated with the incidence of post-surgery negative emotion and that of 0.03 – 3 years is related to having difficulty in group living after surgery treatment.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a severe respiratory disorder occurring in critical care medicine, with high rates of mortality and morbidity. This study aims to screen the potential biomarkers for ALI.

The rapid development of global transportation network and information communication technology has an important impact on regional economy and social spatial structure, and promotes the transformation of regional research paradigm. The coordinated development of urban agglomeration and regional functional linkage from the perspective of flow space has become an important issue in urban regional research. Different from the traditional central place theory that emphasizes the differences in scale and level of cities within the region, the flow space perspective helps to understand how the regional factor flow organizes cities of all scales and levels in the form of network with the background of space-time compression, and promotes the functional linkage and coordinated development within the region on the basis of reshaping the urban spatial relationship. Based on the literature review of relevant research at home and abroad, this paper constructs an analytical framework for the relationship between regional spatial factor flow and function collaboration, and discusses the regional function collaborative mechanism of urban agglomeration from three aspects: "how to reshape the regional spatial network by factor flow", "how to restructure the urban hierarchy by infrastructure connectivity" and "how to strengthen the regional functional linkage by functional complementarity". On this basis, taking the urban agglomeration of San Francisco Bay Area as an example, this paper discusses the evolution progress of San Francisco Bay Area from "single center agglomeration development" to "double-core symbiotic evolution", "polycentric development" and "generic network functional linkage development" from three aspects of liquidity, connectivity and complementarity. The study found that: 1) In the first stage (before the 1930s), fact flow strengthened the connection between San Francisco and Oakland, connectivity improved the status of Oakland, and functional complementarity promoted the symbiosis of the two cities. 2) In the second stage (1940s-1980s), the flow and converge of factors towards the south bay promoted the tripartite growth of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose, transport connectivity strengthened the core-peripheral connection, and factor convection and functional reciprocity promoted the multi-center linkage development. 3) In the third stage (since 1980s), factor distribution and transportation network connectivity contributed to the generic network spatial structure, dislocation and complementary development strengthened the regional circulation and realized the functional linkage of the Bay Area. Based on the perspective of flow space, this paper reviews the basic situation of the development of world-class bay area urban agglomerations and excavates the internal mechanism of regional functional coordinated development driven by factor flow, which has reference significance for guiding China's cities from competition to competition and cooperation and establishing a new mechanism of regional coordinated development. The research shows that to promote the development of China's bay area in the future, we should: 1) Comply with the law of factor flow, innovate the mechanism and remove barriers to factor mobility, and promote the free flow of factors inside and outside the region; 2) Give play to the guiding role of the government and non-governmental organizations to improve the connectivity of software and hardware infrastructure within the region; 3) Explore the regional consultation mechanism, break through the regional administrative barriers, and formulate the regional development strategy of functional complementation and linkage with the help of multiple subject forces.

Grape is one of the most economically important fruits and is cultivated worldwide, but the viticulture faces challenges of various biotic and abiotic stresses. WRKY transcription factors play important roles in regulating plant responses to these stresses, in addition to their roles in plant growth. Genome-wide identification and functional analysis of grape WRKY family genes have been conducted in recent years. However, different approaches were found in naming the grape WRKY family gene members among these reports, which causes a great deal of confusion and has become a barrier in the sharing of research findings in the research community. Here we attempt to comprehensively review the research progress on grape WRKY family transcription factors, and attempt to assign unified names for them.

Hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays critical roles in stress responses under challenging conditions such as hypoxia, via regulating gene expression and integrating activities of hypothalamus-pituitary-targets cells. However, the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms and signaling pathways of hypoxic stress in the pituitary remain to be defined. Here, we report that hypoxia induced dynamic changes in the transcription factors, hormones, and their receptors in the adult rat pituitary. Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), oxidative phosphorylation, and cAMP signaling pathways were all differentially enriched in genes induced by hypoxic stress. In the pituitary gene network, hypoxia activated c-Fos and HIFs with specific pituitary transcription factors (Prop1), targeting the promoters of hormones and their receptors. HIF and its related signaling pathways can be a promising biomarker during acute or constant hypoxia. Hypoxia stimulated the transcription of marker genes for microglia, chemokines, and cytokine receptors of the inflammatory response. Corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) mediated the transcription of Pomc, Sstr2, and Hif2a, and regulated the function of HPA axis. Together with HIF, c-Fos initiated and modulated dynamic changes in the transcription of hormones and their receptors. The receptors were also implicated in the regulation of functions of target cells in the pituitary network under hypoxic stress. CRHR1 played an integrative role in the hypothalamus-pituitary-target axes. This study provides new evidence for CRHR1 involved changes of hormones, receptors, signaling molecules and pathways in the pituitary induced by hypoxia.

Abstract Clinical success of adoptive cell therapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells for treating hematological malignancies has revolutionized the field of cellular immunotherapy. However, due to the nature of utilizing autologous T cells, affordability and availability are major hurdles, in addition to scientific challenges relating to CAR‐T therapy optimization. Natural killer (NK) cell is a specialized immune effector cell type that recognizes and kills targets without human leukocyte antigen (HLA) restriction and prior sensitization. CAR‐NK cells do not cause graft vs host disease and can be obtained from unrelated donors as well as pluripotent stem cells (PSC), representing an ideal off‐the‐shelf therapeutics readily available for patients. Furthermore, unlike cytotoxic T cells, NK cells specifically target and eliminate cancer stem cells, which are the cells causing relapse and metastasis. PSCs can be genetically manipulated and engineered with CARs at the pluripotent stage, which allows the establishment of permanent, stable, and clonal PSC‐CAR lines for the manufacture of unlimited homogenous CAR‐NK cells. Multiple master PSC‐CAR cell banks targeting a variety of antigens for cancer, viral infection, and autoimmune diseases provide inexhaustible cell sources for all patients. Development of a next‐generation 3D bioreactor platform for PSC expansion and NK cell production overcomes major barriers related to cost and scalability for CAR‐NK product.

Bladder cancer is one of the most common and highly vascularized cancers. Here the authors perform a whole-genome analysis in urothelial bladder carcinomas and identify recurrent genetic alterations in a set of angiogenesis genes, facilitating the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying pathological angiogenesis in this type of cancer.

In the 21st century, the traditional model of official development assistance (ODA) promoted by developed countries is faced with many challenges. One of them is the emergence of the “public-private partnership (PPP)” model for international development cooperation (IDC), which has become increasingly popular among developed countries and international organizations over the past decade. This article explores the origin, meaning, and mechanism of the PPP model, and discusses the major obstacles it encounters in practice. The article also compares PPP with China’s “development package” model, and puts forward some policy recommendations on China’s participation in IDC. Although China is a pioneer in carrying out public-private cooperation in international development, it needs to fully reflect on its experience, so as to formulate clearer guiding principles and management rules on public-private cooperation. It is also imperative for the country to set up relevant institutions and mechanisms to promote PPP practices.

Background: The present study aimed to explore the correlation between calcium-activated potassium channels, left atrial flow field mechanics, valvular atrial fibrillation (VAF), and thrombosis. The process of transforming mechanical signals into biological signals has been revealed, which offers new insights into the study of VAF. Methods: Computational fluid dynamics simulations use numeric analysis and algorithms to compute flow parameters, including turbulent shear stress (TSS) and wall pressure in the left atrium (LA). Real-time PCR and western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of IKCa2.3/3.1, ATK1, and P300 in the left atrial tissue of 90 patients. Results: In the valvular disease group, the TSS and wall ressure in the LA increased, the wall pressure increased in turn in all disease groups, mainly near the mitral valve and the posterior portion of the LA, the increase in TSS was the most significant in each group near the mitral valve, and the middle and lower part of the back of the LA and the mRNA expression and protein expression levels of IKCa2.3/3.1, AKT1, and P300 increased (p < 0.05) (n = 15). The present study was preliminarily conducted to elucidate whether there might be a certain correlation between IKCa2.3 and LA hemodynamic changes. Conclusions: The TSS and wall pressure changes in the LA are correlated with the upregulation of mRNA and protein expression of IKCa2.3/3.1, AKT1, and P300.

Abstract Background Diverse plant pathogens deliver effectors into plant cells to alter host processes. Oomycete pathogen encodes a large number of putative RxLR effectors which are likely to play a role in manipulating plant defense responses. The secretome of Plasmopara viticola (downy mildew of grapevine) contains at least 162 candidate RxLR effectors discovered in our recent studies, but their roles in infection and pathogenicity remain to be determined. Here, we characterize in depth one of the putative RxLR effectors, PvRxLR16, which has been reported to induce cell death in Nicotiana benthamiana in our previous study. Results The nuclear localization, W/Y/L motifs, and a putative N-glycosylation site in C-terminal of PvRxLR16 were essential for cell death-inducing activity. Suppressor of G-two allele of Skp1 (SGT1), heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) and required for Mla12 resistance (RAR1), but not somatic embryogenesis receptor-like kinase (SERK3), were required for the cell death response triggered by PvRxLR16 in N. benthamiana. Some mitogen-activated protein kinases and transcription factors were also involved in the perception of PvRxLR16 by N. benthamiana. PvRxLR16 could also significantly enhance plant resistance to Phytophthora capsici and the nuclear localization was required for this ability. However, some other PvRxLR effectors could suppress defense responses and disease resistance induced by PvRxLR16, suggesting that it may not trigger host cell death or immune responses during physiological infection under natural conditions. Conclusion These data demonstrate that PvRxLR16 may be recognized by endogenous proteins in nucleus to trigger immune responses in N. benthamiana, which in turn can be suppressed by other PvRxLR effectors.

Monosialoganglioside 1 (GM1) is the main ganglioside subtype and has neuroprotective properties in the central nervous system. In this study, we aimed to determine whether GM1 alleviates neurotoxicity induced by moderate and high concentrations of propofol combined with remifentanil in the immature central nervous system. Hippocampal neural stem cells were isolated from newborn Sprague-Dawley rats and treated with remifentanil (5, 10, 20 ng/mL) and propofol (1.0, 2.5, 5.0 μg/mL), and/or GM1 (12.5, 25, 50 μg/mL). GM1 reversed combined propofol and remifentanil-induced decreases in the percentage of 5-bromodeoxyuridine(+) cells and also reversed the increase in apoptotic cell percentage during neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation. However, GM1 with combined propofol and remifentanil did not affect β-tubulin(+) or glial fibrillary acidic protein(+) cell percentage during neural stem cell differentiation. In conclusion, we show that GM1 alleviates the damaging effects of propofol combined with remifentanil at moderate and high exposure concentrations in neural stem cells in vitro, and exerts protective effects on the immature central nervous system.

Macrophages in teleosts are less sensitive to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) compared to mammals. The functional equivalent of the mammalian LPS surface receptor in teleost macrophages for the pro-inflammatory response is either non-existent or replaced by negative regulation. LPS signaling in teleost macrophages remains unclear. Here, we found a scavenger receptor class B 2a (PaSRB2a) that played a crucial role in LPS signaling in teleost macrophages. The internalization of LPS and subsequent pro-inflammatory responses in macrophages were mediated by PaSRB2a, which is a novel isoform of the mammalian SRB2 gene. LPS internalization by PaSRB2a is dependent on its C-terminal intracellular domain. Following LPS internalization, it interacts with the ayu intracellular receptors nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain protein 1 (PaNOD1) and PaNOD2. Moreover, LPS pre-stimulation with sub-threshold concentrations reduced the effect of secondary LPS treatment on pro-inflammatory responses that were mediated by PaSRB2a. The pro-inflammatory responses in LPS-treated ayu were down-regulated upon PaSRB2a knockdown by lentivirus siRNA delivery. In grass carp and spotted green pufferfish, SRB2a also mediated LPS internalization and pro-inflammatory responses. Our work identifies a novel LPS signaling pathway in teleosts that differs from those in mammals, and contributes to our understanding of the evolution of pathogen recognition in vertebrates.

How extramedullar cytokines regulate hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) homeostasis is unclear. Here, the authors show that the cytokine leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 regulates HSC expansion and mobilisation via tumour necrosis factor and interaction with CD209a in macrophages.

In order to evaluate diabetes mellitus objectively and accurately, this paper builds a self-adaptive dynamic evaluation model for diabetes mellitus, based on evolutionary strategies. First of all, on the basis of a formalized description of the evolutionary process of diabetes syndromes, using a state transition function, it judges whether a disease is evolutionary, through an excitation parameter. It then, provides evidence for the rebuilding of the evaluation index system. After that, by abstracting and rebuilding the composition of evaluation indexes, it makes use of a heuristic algorithm to determine the composition of the evolved evaluation index set of diabetes mellitus, It then, calculates the weight of each index in the evolved evaluation index set of diabetes mellitus by building a dependency matrix and realizes the self-adaptive dynamic evaluation of diabetes mellitus under an evolutionary environment. Using this evaluation model, it is possible to, quantify all kinds of diagnoses and treatment experiences of diabetes and finally to adopt ideal diagnoses and treatment measures for different patients with diabetics.

AIM: To investigate the effect of rigid contact lens in the treatment after pterygium excision and limbal stem cell transplantation in senile patients. METHODS: Totally 90 elderly patients diagnosed as unilateral pterygium in our hospital from March 2015 to March 2016 were selected and divided into two groups, observation group and control group, 45 case with 45 eyes in each group. Observation group was treated with limbal stem cell transplantation and rigid contact lens. Control group was treated with limbal stem cell transplantation only. The following indicators were observed and compared: corneal healing time, visual analogue score(VAS)at 1, 3, 5 and 7d after surgery and the recurrence rate of pterygium. RESULTS: The score on corneal irritation of observation group was significantly lower than that of control group(PPPP>0.05).CONCLUSION: Autologous corneal stem cell transplantation combined with rigid contact lens for pterygium in elderly patients is effective with shorter healing time and less pain, and it does not increase the recurrence rate.

AIM: To analyze the influence and safety of KTP laser combined with drainage tube implantation for lacrimal duct obstruction patients.METHODS: Totally 200 patients(200 eyes)randomly selected from June 2012 to September 2015 in our hospital was diagnosed with lacrimal duct obstruction and treated with KTP laser combined drainage tube implantation. The ocular surface condition, including tear break-up time, fern-like crystals, dry eye symptoms questionnaire, lissamine green staining, corneal fluorescein staining, were assessed before and 1mo after surgery.RESULTS: At 1mo after surgery, the tear secretion increased significantly. After extubation, tear secretion decreased significantly compared to the preoperative(PCONCLUSION: KTP laser combined with drainage tube implantation can improve the symptoms and quality of life for lacrimal duct obstruction patients.

The protein family with nucleotide binding sites and leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) in plants stimulates immune responses caused by effectors and can mediate resistance to hemi-biotrophs and biotrophs. In our previous study, a Toll-interleukin-1(TIR)-NBS-LRR gene cloned from Vitis amurensis “Shuanghong”, VaRGA1, was induced by Plasmopara viticola and could improve the resistance of tobacco to Phytophthora capsici. In this study, VaRGA1 in “Shuanghong” was also induced by salicylic acid (SA), but inhibited by jasmonic acid (JA). To investigate whether VaRGA1 confers broad-spectrum resistance to pathogens, we transferred this gene into Arabidopsis and then treated with Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis (Hpa), Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea), and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (PstDC3000). Results showed that VaRGA1 improved transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana resistance to the biotrophic Hpa and hemi-biotrophic PstDC3000, but decreased resistance to the necrotrophic B. cinerea. Additionally, qPCR assays showed that VaRGA1 plays an important role in disease resistance by activating SA and inhibiting JA signaling pathways. A 1104 bp promoter fragment of VaRGA1 was cloned and analyzed to further elucidate the mechanism of induction of the gene at the transcriptional level. These results preliminarily confirmed the disease resistance function and signal regulation pathway of VaRGA1, and contributed to the identification of R-genes with broad-spectrum resistance function.

9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) is a key enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of abscisic acid (ABA), which is associated with drought tolerance in plants. An osmotic-inducible VaNCED1 gene was isolated from a drought-resistant cultivar of Vitis amurensis and constitutively overexpressed in a drought-sensitive cultivar of Vitis vinifera. Transgenic plants showed significantly improved drought tolerance, including a higher growth rate and better drought resistant under drought conditions, compared to those of wild-type (WT) plants. After water was withheld for 50 days, the upper leaves of transgenic plants remained green, whereas most leaves of WT plants turned yellow and fell. Besides the increase in ABA content, overexpression of VaNCED1 induced the production of jasmonic acid (JA) and accumulation of JA biosynthesis-related genes, including allene oxide cyclase (AOC) and 12-oxophytodienoate reductase (OPR3). Moreover, transgenic plants possessed advantageous physiological indices, including lower leaf stomatal density, lower photosynthesis rate, and lower accumulation of proline and superoxide dismutase (SOD), compared to those of WT plants, indicating increased resistance to drought stress. Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis revealed that overexpression of VaNCED1 enhanced the expression of drought-responsive genes, such as ABA-responsive element1 (ABRE1), ABRE binding factors 2 (ABF2), plasma membrane intrinsic proteins 2 (PIP2), C-repeat/DRE-Binding Factor 4 (VvCBF4) and ABA-insensitive 5 (ABI5). Although the development of transgenic plants was delayed by 4 months than WT plants, because of seed dormancy and abnormal seedlings, the surviving transgenic plants provided a solid method for protection of woody plants from drought stress.

Downy mildew is one of the most destructive diseases of grapevine, causing tremendous economic loss in the grape and wine industry. The disease agent Plasmopara viticola is an obligate biotrophic oomycete, from which over 100 candidate RXLR effectors have been identified. In this study, 83 candidate RXLR effector genes (PvRXLRs) were cloned from the P. viticola isolate “JL-7-2” genome. The results of the yeast signal sequence trap assay indicated that most of the candidate effectors are secretory proteins. The biological activities and subcellular localizations of all the 83 effectors were analyzed via a heterologous Agrobacterium-mediated Nicotiana benthamiana expression system. Results showed that 52 effectors could completely suppress cell death triggered by elicitin, 10 effectors could partially suppress cell death, 11 effectors were unable to suppress cell death, and 10 effectors themselves triggered cell death. Live-cell imaging showed that the majority of the effectors (76 of 83) could be observed with informative fluorescence signals in plant cells, among which 34 effectors were found to be targeted to both the nucleus and cytosol, 29 effectors were specifically localized in the nucleus, and 9 effectors were targeted to plant membrane system. Interestingly, three effectors PvRXLR61, 86 and 161 were targeted to chloroplasts, and one effector PvRXLR54 was dually targeted to chloroplasts and mitochondria. However, western blot analysis suggested that only PvRXLR86 carried a cleavable N-terminal transit peptide and underwent processing in planta. Many effectors have previously been predicted to target organelles, however, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to provide experimental evidence of oomycete effectors targeted to chloroplasts and mitochondria.

In the present study, the complete chloroplast genome of Vitis davidii Foex strain ‘SJTU003’ was assembled and subjected to phylogenetic analysis. This chloroplast genome of ‘SJTU003’ was 161,335 bp in length, including two inverted repeat regions (IRa and IRb) that were separated by a large single-copy region (89,570 bp) and a small single-copy region (19,059 bp). The genome contained 133 genes, including 88 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that V. davidii is most closely related to Vitis flexuosa and Vitis amurensis.

Vitis pseudoreticulata is a wild Vitis species distributed in Southern China and wildly used to crossbreeding based on its resistance to moisture. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome of V. pseudoreticulata was assembled for the first time. The chloroplast genome was 161,065 bp in length, including two single-copy regions (19,083 and 89,276), which separated by a pair of inverted repeat regions. In totally, 132 genes were predicted, including 87 CDSs, 8 rRNA genes and 37 tRNA genes. The phylogenetic tree analysis showed that V. pseudoreticulata was the closest related to Vitis amurensis.

This study first released the complete chloroplast genome of Vitis yeshanensis. The circular genome was 161,188 bp in length, composed of a large single-copy region (LSC, 161,100–89,334 bp) and a small single-copy region (SSC, 115,689–134,745 bp), separated by two inverted repeat regions (IRA, 89,335–115,688 bp; IRB, 134,746–161,099 bp). The genome encoded 134 genes, containing 88 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 38 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The phylogenetic tree showed a close relationship between V. yeshanensis and V. amurensis.

In this study, the complete chloroplast genome of Vitis hancockii was assembled for the first time. This genome was 161,205 bp in length, containing a large single copy region (89,397 bp) and a small single copy region (19,100 bp), seperated by two inverted repeat regions. The genome harbored 133 genes, including 88 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that V. hancocikk was the closest related to Vitis ficifolia.

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins within the polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) and PRC2 are significant epigenetic regulatory factors involved in important cellular and developmental processes in eukaryotes. In Arabidopsis, LIKE HETEROCHROMATIN PROTEIN 1 (LHP1), also known as TERMINAL FLOWER 2, has been proposed as a plant specific subunit of PRC1 that could bind the trimethylated lysine 27 of histone H3 (H3K27me3), which is established by PRC2 and is required for a functional plant PcG system. LHP1 not only interacts with PRC1 to catalyze monoubiquitination at lysine 119 of histone H2A but also functions with PRC2 to establish H3K27me3. This review is about the interaction of LHP1 with PRC1 and PRC2, in which LHP1 may act as a bridge between the two. Meantime, this review highlights that LHP1 could act as an activator and a repressor of transcription.

In this study, eight different submerged aquatic species were screened by batch biochemical methane potential and anaerobic degradability tests to identify a promising/suitable feedstock. Kinetics of the best-screened substrate were studied in a mesophilic semi-continuous experiment. The aquatic species Myriophyllum aquaticum, Egeria densa and Potamogeton perfoliatus showed relatively higher methane yields of over 400 NmL/g-VS (volatile solids). Semi-continuous operation was carried out by feeding E. densa for over 400 days. The achieved results were 33%–53% chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction and methane yield of 126–231 NmL/g-VS with a short hydraulic retention time (HRT). Additionally, the NH4+ and PO43− releases from the biomass to water were found to be low (18%–27% and 2.5%–3.9%) throughout the experiment. Hydrolysis was the limiting step in the digestion of E. densa, regardless of changes in HRT (15–45 days). The acid-phase model indicated that the hydrolysis rate constant (kh) of E. densa was 0.058 one/day, which was one third lower the kh value of food waste, but quite similar to cow manure.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide a potentially replenishable source for the production of transfusable platelets. Here, we describe a method to generate megakaryocytes (MKs) and functional platelets from iPSCs in a scalable manner under serum/feeder-free conditions. The method also permits the cryopreservation of MK progenitors, enabling a rapid “surge” capacity when large numbers of platelets are needed. Ultrastructural/morphological analyses show no major differences between iPSC platelets and human blood platelets. iPSC platelets form aggregates, lamellipodia, and filopodia after activation and circulate in macrophage-depleted animals and incorporate into developing mouse thrombi in a manner identical to human platelets. By knocking out the β2-microglobulin gene, we have generated platelets that are negative for the major histocompatibility antigens. The scalable generation of HLA-ABC-negative platelets from a renewable cell source represents an important step toward generating universal platelets for transfusion as well as a potential strategy for the management of platelet refractoriness.

The import of sugar from source leaves and it further accumulation in grape berries are considerably high during ripening, and this process is mediated via sucrose transporters. In this study, a grape sucrose transporter (SUT) gene, VvSUC27, located at the plasma membrane, was transferred to tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). The transformants were more sensitive to sucrose and showed more rapid development, especially roots, when cultured on MS agar medium containing sucrose, considering that the shoot/root dry weight ratio was only half that of the control. Moreover, all transformed plants exhibited light-colored leaves throughout their development, which indicated chlorosis and an associated reduction in photosynthesis. The total sugar content in the roots and stems of transformants was higher than that in control plants. No significant difference was observed in the leaves between the transformants and control plants. The levels of growth-promoting hormones were increased, and those of stress-mediating hormones were reduced in transgenic tobacco plants. The qRT-PCR analysis revealed that the expression of VvSUC27 was 1,000 times higher than that of the autologous tobacco sucrose transporter, which suggested that the markedly increased growth rate of transformants was because of the heterogeneously expressed gene. The transgenic tobacco plants showed resistance to abiotic stresses. Strikingly, the overexpression of VvSUC27 leaded to the up regulation of most reactive oxygen species scavengers and abscisic acid-related genes that might enable transgenic plants to overcome abiotic stress. Taken together, these results revealed an important role of VvSUC27 in plant growth and response to abiotic stresses, especially in the presence of sucrose in vitro.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) plays a critical role in immune and inflammatory responses and is important in controlling a variety of processes in monocytes and macrophages. However, very little information is available about the functions of HIF-1α in fish monocytes/macrophages (MO/MФ). In this study, the cDNA sequence of the mudskipper (Boleophthalmus pectinirostris) HIF-1α gene (BpHIF-1α) was determined. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic tree analysis showed that BpHIF-1α is clustered in the fish HIF-1α tree. Constitutive expression of BpHIF-1α mRNA was detected by real-time quantitative PCR in all tested tissues, and the expression was found to be dramatically increased in the skin, liver, spleen, and kidney after Edwardsiella tarda infection. In addition, hypoxia and infection induced the expression of the BpHIF-1α transcript and protein in MO/MФ, respectively. Hypoxia caused an increase in phagocytic and bactericidal capacity of mudskipper MO/MФ in a BpHIF-1α-dependent manner. BpHIF-1α induced an anti-inflammatory status in MO/MФ upon E. tarda infection and hypoxia. Therefore, BpHIF-1α may play a predominant role in the modulation of mudskipper MO/MФ function in the innate immune system.