Search

The mass and volume of Rosa roxburghii fruits are essential for fruit grading and consumer selection. Physical characteristics such as dimension, projected area, mass, and volume are interrelated. Image-based mass and volume estimation facilitates the automation of fruit grading, which can replace time-consuming and laborious manual grading. In this study, image processing techniques were used to extract fruit dimensions and projected areas, and univariate (linear, quadratic, exponential, and power) and multivariate regression models were used to estimate the mass and volume of Rosa roxburghii fruits. The results showed that the quadratic model based on the criterion projected area (CPA) estimated the best mass (R2 = 0.981) with an accuracy of 99.27%, and the equation is M = 0.280 + 0.940CPA + 0.071CPA2. The multivariate regression model based on three projected areas (PA1, PA2, and PA3) estimated the best volume (R2 = 0.898) with an accuracy of 98.24%, and the equation is V = − 8.467 + 0.657PA1 + 1.294PA2 + 0.628PA3. In practical applications, cost savings can be realized by having only one camera position. Therefore, when the required accuracy is low, estimating mass and volume simultaneously from only the dimensional information of the side view or the projected area information of the top view is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 3D imaging-based model reconstruction technology is being applied in various aspects of fruit planting management, picking, transportation, and promoting fruit industry automation development. The fruit model based on 3D imaging technology is closer to the external characteristics of the fruit itself. More accurate data is obtained when the model is imported into a computer for simulation and analysis for growth prediction, quality grading, and mechanical damage. The reconstructed fruit models can also be used to calibrate the parameters of the robot's vision system, optimize the grasping strategy of the picking machinery, and improve the identification sorting and picking accuracy. Some articles have been published on the principles of 3D imaging technology, and there are also numerous studies on the practical application of fruit models. However, no review article exists on applying 3D reconstruction and modeling of fruits using 3D imaging techniques. This paper will focus on the acquiring and processing of 3D data and analyzing the application of imaging principles and technologies such as triangulation, time-of-flight(TOF), interferometry, electromagnetic radiation(EMR), and ultrasound imaging(US). Also, this paper summarizes the application of fruit models for quality assessment, mechanical property study, and picking machinery. Finally, the latest progress in the application of fruit models is prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problem of untimely monitoring of tool wear status during laser-ultrasonic compound cutting (LUCC), which leads to the reduction of process accuracy and product quality damage, a method of tool wear status monitoring based on acoustic emission (AE) and deep learning is proposed in this paper. The AE signal is collected and analyzed in the frequency and time-frequency domains by using Fourier transform (FT) and wavelet packet decomposition (WPD), it is found that the AE signal energy is mainly concentrated in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th frequency bands, and the energy of each frequency band in the signal increases gradually when the tool wear degree increases, however, the percentage of energy of each frequency band in the total energy shows different change trend. According to the amount of flank wear of the tool, the tool wear degree is divided into four tool wear states. The SVM model and BP neural network model were established based on MATLAB software to realize the tool wear state monitoring. The results show that the tool wear monitoring based on BP neural network is better than that of SVM for tool wear status monitoring. The model identification correct rate reaches 99 %, which is more suitable for the tool wear state monitoring designed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequently, unit disk graphs (UDGs) are used as abstractions of wireless networks. In the paper, we study the problem of finding an extended minimum connected dominating set (E-MCDS) in a wireless network with cooperative communication (CC), which was proposed in Wu et al. (IEEE Trans Parallel Distrib Syst 17(8):851–864, 2006) and is NP-hard. We propose a two-phase centralized algorithm to construct an extended connected dominating set (ECDS) for a given UDG with CC. First, we construct a 2-hop extended dominating set (EDS) in the UDG. Then, we add some new nodes into the 2-hop EDS to make it connected. To obtain the performance ratio of this two-phase centralized algorithm, we first give an upper bound on the size of the 2-hop EDS. Using this upper bound, we prove that the size of the ECDS found by the centralized algorithm is no greater than 27.192 opt - 3 or 160 ECDS opt - 3 , where opt and ECDS opt are the sizes of the minimum connected dominating set and the E-MCDS, respectively, in the UDG. Finally, a 160-approximate distributed algorithm based on the two-phase centralized algorithm is proposed, and its message and time complexities are analyzed, both of which are O (n 3) . Simulation results show that our work outperforms competing methods on average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogels electrolytes with flexibility and high conductivity have been widely used in kinds of flexible electronics. However, hydrogels always suffer from the inevitable freezing of water at subzero temperatures, which results in the sacrificing of their electrical properties. Herein, an anti-freezing, flexible hydrogel based on in situ reduction of graphene oxide (GO) and laponite has been developed as electrolyte for high performance supercapacitor and sensitive sensors. The crosslinked GO and laponite in polyacrylamide (PAM) resulted in an enhanced mechanical property, while the in-situ reduction of GO in the hydrogel enhanced the conductivity and diminishes the aggregated of GO. These features guarantee a reliable electro signal as sensor and a high performance of the supercapacitor. Besides, in the process of preparation of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) hydrogel, the addition of ethylene glycol (EG) and KOH, endows the hydrogel antifreeze properties. This anti-freezing electrolyte can be stretched to a strain of 1600% and maintained a specific capacitance of 37.38 F·g−1 at −20 °C. In addition, the photothermal conversion character of rGO in the hydrogel, endows it's the potential application in wound healing. The overall merits of the hydrogel will open up a new avenue for sensitive sensor and energy storage device in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome are the flexible material basis for the stable plant genotypes to produce the dynamic phenotypes that change with the environment. The fitting of the transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome into metabolic pathways in plants commonly requires complex and ectopic biotechnology experiments. Spatial multiomics technology led by mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) can provide the most intuitive in situ evidence chain through the spatial association of related transcription factors, functional proteins, and metabolites in the pathway. This spatial evidence can be associated with space, time, plant morphology, tissues and organs, and provides the most direct physiological evidence for the dynamic relationship between plant phenotypic changes and their macromolecular or small molecule components. The instrumental basis of how MSI can achieve high-throughput in situ spatial metabolic data acquisition and the factors affecting imaging quality are introduced. The last 3–4 years of this spatial evidence reflecting specific plant molecular physiology applications, including the spatial biosynthesis pathway of plant natural products, the material exchange between plant roots and the external environment, the physiological resistance of plants under abiotic stress, the chemical defense of plants under biological stress, and the interaction between plants and microorganisms are summarized. Finally, the possibility of spatial multiomics combined with phenotypic techniques to achieve spatiotemporal consistency in genotype-transcriptome-proteome-metabolome-phenotype in future plant physiology studies are discussed and the difficulty of mining plant physiological information from spatial data is examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inland lakes on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are undergoing significant changes due to their sensitivity to climate. The largest lake in Tibet, Siling Co, has expanded most dramatically during recent decades. Using Landsat, GRACE and meteorological data, the expansion of Siling Co was detailed in four stages and the process was further explained. The results show that the lake area increased from 1 647.30 km2 in 1972 to 2 438.99 km2 in 2020. It experienced a slow growth at a rate 6.03 km2/yr from 1972 to 1988, while fluctuating at 1.44 km2/yr during 1989–1997, then accelerated at 60.28 km2/yr between 1998 and 2005, and expanded slowly again at 11.40 km2/yr since 2006. The continued expansion led to its merger with nearby Yagain Co in 2003. Terrestrial water storage (TWS) increase was also observed from GRACE (0.65 cm/yr), with about 0.75 coefficient of determination between the TWS and lake area during 2002–2020. The long-term expansion of Siling Co is related to the increasing trends of temperature and precipitation, but their contributions vary with time span. Specifically, the accelerated stage between 1998 and 2005 can be explained by the increased temperature and precipitation accompanied by a drop in evaporation, while the slow expansion since 2006 was due to the decrease in precipitation and temperature and the rise in evaporation. There is no obvious mass loss of glaciers revealed by GRACE during 2002–2020, which may be related to the negative trend of the temperature. Furthermore, the precipitation may still make a major contribution in this phase, as its average is about 93.9 mm higher than that in 1988–1997. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid refrigerants exhibiting a caloric effect upon applying external stimuli are receiving attention as one of the next-generation refrigeration technologies. Herein, we report a new inorganic refrigerant, rubidium cyano-bridged manganese–iron–cobalt ternary metal assembly (cyano-RbMnFeCo). Cyano-RbMnFeCo shows a reversible barocaloric effect with large reversible adiabatic temperature changes of 74 K (from 57 °C to −17 °C) at 340 MPa, and 85 K (from 88 °C to 3 °C) at 560 MPa. Such large reversible adiabatic temperature changes have yet to be reported among caloric effects in solid–solid phase transition refrigerants. The reversible refrigerant capacity is 26000 J kg−1 and the temperature window is 142 K. Additionally, cyano-RbMnFeCo shows barocaloric effects even at low pressures, e.g., reversible adiabatic temperature change is 21 K at 90 MPa. Furthermore, direct measurement of the temperature change using a thermocouple shows +44 K by applying pressure. The temperature increase and decrease upon pressure application and release are repeated over 100 cycles without any degradation of the performance. This material series also possesses a high thermal conductivity value of 20.4 W m−1 K−1. The present barocaloric material may realize a high-efficiency solid refrigerant. Cyano-RbMnFeCo shows a large barocaloric effect with reversible adiabatic temperature changes of 74 K (340 MPa) and 85 K (560 MPa). Here, the authors observe temperature change of +44 K (440 MPa), stable after repeating over 100 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic alga Neopyropia, which holds significant value in China for its edibility and economic potential, harbors diverse epiphytic bacteria on its surface. The epiphytic bacteria on Neopyropia yezoensis and Neopyropia katadae, two nori species of Neopyropia living at the same tidal level but with distinct physiological states and living habits, were investigated to understand the differences between them and the effects of epiphytic bacteria on their differential characteristics. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) of thalli and seawater samples (n=24) revealed notable differences in microbial diversity and community structure between the two species. Bacteroidetes dominated the bacterial communities in association with N. yezoensis, whereas Proteobacteria were predominant in N. katadae. Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt2) analysis revealed enriched genes that related to the ABC transport system, iron complex outer membrane receptor proteins, and proliferation in N. yezoensis, whereas N. katadae exhibited enrichment of genes that related to energy supply as well as cell wall and cell membrane production. The results of qPCR indicate a higher abundance of epiphytic bacteria on surface of N. yezoensis than those on surface of N. katadae. The findings indicate that differences in the living environments of N. yezoensis and N. katadae may result in distinct structural composition and abundance of epiphytic bacteria on their surfaces, thereby conferring specific biological functionalities to each microbial community, and the epiphytic bacteria may shape the living habits of hosts to some extents. This study provided a basis for understanding the close association between surface microorganisms and algal bodies, and the physiological and ecological characteristics of nori species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

miR-124 is a miRNA predominantly expressed in the nervous system and accounts for more than a quarter of the total miRNAs in the brain. It regulates neurogenesis, neuronal differentiation, neuronal maturation, and synapse formation and is the most important miRNA in the brain. Furthermore, emerging evidence has suggested miR-124 may be associated with the pathogenesis of various neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. Here, we provide an overview of the role of miR-124 in neurodevelopment and the underling mechanisms, and finally, we prospect the significance of miR-124 research to the field of neuroscience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment and maintenance of neuronal polarity are important for neural development and function. Abnormal neuronal polarity establishment commonly leads to a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders. Over the past three decades, with the continuous development and improvement of biological research methods and techniques, we have made tremendous progress in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of neuronal polarity establishment. The activity of positive and negative feedback signals and actin waves are both essential in this process. They drive the directional transport and aggregation of key molecules of neuronal polarity, promote the spatiotemporal regulation of ordered and coordinated interactions of actin filaments and microtubules, stimulate the specialization and growth of axons, and inhibit the formation of multiple axons. In this review, we focus on recent advances in these areas, in particular the important findings about neuronal polarity in two classical models, in vitro primary hippocampal/cortical neurons and in vivo cortical pyramidal neurons, and discuss our current understanding of neuronal polarity.​ [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Perry syndrome is rare, characteristic clinical features are usually present, and it should be considered when parkinsonism is accompanied by significant weight loss, ventilatory dysfunction, or an autosomal dominant family history of parkinsonism. These phenotypes do not seem to co-exist with Perry syndrome, though individuals with Perry syndrome, dHMN7B, and an overlapping phenotype have been reported in a family from China [[6]]. Dear Sirs, Mutations in the I DCTN1 i gene cause the Perry syndrome: an autosomal dominant form of heredodegenerative parkinsonism, accompanied by neuropsychiatric symptoms, profound weight loss, and later, ventilatory dysfunction [[1]]. [Extracted from the article]

Chromosome rearrangements play an important role in the speciation of plants and animals, and the recognition of chromosome rearrangement patterns is helpful to elucidate the mechanism of species differentiation at the chromosome level. However, the existing chromosome rearrangement recognition methods have some major limitations, such as low quality, barriers to parental selection, and inability to identify specific rearrangement patterns. Based on the whole genome protein sequences, we constructed the combined figure according to the slope of the collinear fragment, the number of homologous genes, the coordinates in the top left and bottom right of the collinear fragment. The standardized combination figure is compared with the four standard pattern figures, and then combined with the information entropy analysis strategy to automatically classify the chromosome images and identify the chromosome rearrangement pattern. This paper proposes an automatic karyotype analysis method EntroCR (intelligent recognition method of chromosome rearrangement based on information entropy), which integrates rearrangement pattern recognition, result recommendation and related chromosome determination, so as to infer the evolution process of ancestral chromosomes to the existing chromosomes. Validation experiments were conducted using whole-genome data of Gossypium raimondii and Gossypium arboreum, Oryza sativa and Sorghum bicolor. The conclusions were consistent with previous results. EntroCR provides a reference for researchers in species evolution and molecular marker assisted breeding as well as new methods for analyzing karyotype evolution in other species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Pyropia contains several important cultivated species. Genetic research in nori species has mainly focused on the cell nucleus, with few studies on organelles (chloroplast and mitochondria). Due to the high copy numbers of organelles in cells, which influence the development and traits of algae, it is necessary to study their genetic mechanism. In this study, the marine red alga Pyropia yezoensis, an important economic macroalga, was selected as the study object. To investigate organelle (chloroplast and mitochondria) inheritance in P. yezoensis, the wild type RZ (maternal strain) was crossed with the red mutant HT (paternal strain) and 30 color-sectors from 11 F1 gametophytic blades were examined. The complete chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes of the red mutant (HT) were assembled for the first time. One reliable and stable single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci filtrated by bioinformatics analysis was used as a molecular marker for chloroplast and mitochondrial DNA, respectively, in subsequent experiments. PCR amplification and sequence analysis showed that the haplotypes of color-sectors detected were consistent with those of the maternal parent, confirming that both chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes were inherited maternally in P. yezoensis. The inheritance pattern of organelles in P. yezoensis can be used to guide the hybridization and breeding of nori. Additionally, the organelle SNP markers developed in this study can be applied in subsequent genetic research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microorganisms plays an important role in the growth of Pyropia haitanensis. To understand the structural and functional diversity of the microorganism community of P. haitanensis (PH40), the associated metabolic pathway network in cluster of orthologous groups (COG) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) were explored in metagenomic analysis. DNA extraction from gametophytes of P. haitanensis was performed first, followed by library construction, sequencing, preprocessing of sequencing data, taxonomy assignment, gene prediction, and functional annotation. The results show that the predominant microorganisms of P. haitanensis were bacteria (98.98%), and the phylum with the highest abundance was Proteobacteria (54.64%), followed by Bacteroidetes (37.92%). Erythrobacter (3.98%) and Hyunsoonleella jejuensis (1.56%) were the genera and species with the highest abundance of bacteria, respectively. The COG annotation demonstrated that genes associated with microbial metabolism was the predominant category. The results of metabolic pathway annotation show that the ABC transport system and two-component system were the main pathways in the microbial community. Plant growth hormone biosynthesis pathway and multi-vitamin biosynthesis functional units (modules) were the other important pathways. The CAZyme annotation revealed that the starch might be an important carbon source for microorganisms. Glycosyl transferase family 2 (GT2) and glycosyl transferase family 3 (GT3) were the highly abundant families in glucoside transferase superfamily. Six metagenome-assembled genomes containing enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of cobalamin (vitamin B12) and indole-3-acetic acid were obtained by binning method. They were confirmed to belong to Rhodobacterales and Rhizobiales, respectively. Our findings provide comprehensive insights into the microorganism community of Pyropia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyropia yezoensis is an important macroalga because of its extensive global distribution and economic importance. Color is an important trait in the thalli of P. yezoensis, it is also an effective marker to identify the hybridization in genetic breeding. In this study, a high-density genetic linkage map was constructed based on high-throughput single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, and used for analyzing the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) of red color trait in the thalli of P. yezoensis. The conchospore undergoes meiosis to develop into an ordered tetrad, and each cell has a haploid phenotype and can grow into a single individual. Based on this theory, F1 haploid population was used as the mapping population. The map included 531 SNP markers, 394.57 cM long on average distance of 0.74 cM. Collinear analysis of the genetic linkage map and the physical map indicated that the coverage between the two maps was 79.42%. Furthermore, QTL mapping identified six QTLs for the chromosomal regions associated with the red color trait of the thalli. The value of phenotypic variance explained (PVE) by an individual QTL ranged from 4.71%–63.11%. And QTL qRed-1-1, with a PVE of 63.11%, was considered the major QTL. Thus, these data may provide a platform for gene and QTL fine mapping, and marker-assisted breeding in P. yezoensis in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration have played a central role in algal and plant adaptation and evolution. The commercially important red algal genus, Pyropia (Bangiales) appears to have responded to inorganic carbon (Ci) availability by evolving alternating heteromorphic generations that occupy distinct habitats. The leafy gametophyte inhabits the intertidal zone that undergoes frequent emersion, whereas the sporophyte conchocelis bores into mollusk shells. Here, we analyze a high-quality genome assembly of Pyropia yezoensis to elucidate the interplay between Ci availability and life cycle evolution. We find horizontal gene transfers from bacteria and expansion of gene families (e.g. carbonic anhydrase, anti-oxidative related genes), many of which show gametophyte-specific expression or significant up-regulation in gametophyte in response to dehydration. In conchocelis, the release of HCO3- from shell promoted by carbonic anhydrase provides a source of Ci. This hypothesis is supported by the incorporation of 13C isotope by conchocelis when co-cultured with 13C-labeled CaCO3. The nori producing seaweed Pyropia yezoensis has heteromorphic generations that occupy distinct habitats. Here, via genome assembly, transcriptome analysis, and 13 C isotope labeling, the authors show the interplay between inorganic carbon availability and life cycle evolution in the intertidal environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lysyl oxidase-like 4 (LOXL4), a member of the LOX family proteins, catalyzes oxidative deamination of lysine residues in collagen and elastin, which are responsible for maintaining extracellular matrix homeostasis. In this study, the mRNA expression of LOXL4 in seven esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cell lines and 15 ESCC pairs of clinical samples were examined. Furthermore, LOXL4 protein levels in the ESCC cell lines were determined using western blotting. With the use of immunofluorescence, LOXL4 was observed to be localized primarily in the cytoplasm, but was also present in the nucleus. In addition, the results indicated that the upregulated expression of LOXL4 was associated with poor survival in patients with ESCC even following curative resection (P = 0.010). Similar Kaplan–Meier estimator curves for proteins that interact with LOXL4, SUV39H1 (P = 0.014) and COL2A1 (P = 0.011), were plotted. The analyses based on the protein–protein interaction network depicted the expression of LOXL4 and its associated proteins as well as their functions, suggesting that LOXL4 and its associated proteins may serve a significant role in the development and progression of ESCC. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggest that LOXL4 is a potential biomarker for patients with ESCC, as well as SUV39H1 and COL2A1, and high expression levels of these genes are associated with poor prognosis in patients with ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Face recognition has great theory research and application value. It is a very complicated problem which often suffers from variations in lighting condition, facial expression, head pose, glasses, background, and so on. This paper realizes an effective recognition for 108 face images of 27 individuals in complex background, through a biological inspired emergent developmental network (DN). To decrease the influence of complex background on the recognition of the foreground object, another biological inspired mechanism—synapse maintenance, which can dynamically determine which synapse should be removed, weaken or strengthened, is introduced to enhance the image recognition rate. To prevent the quick decay of the learning rate with the increasement of the neuron age, simulating the learning principle of the human brain, a new learning rate is proposed to determine the neuron learning process. Moreover, to exploit the network resource efficiently, neuron regenesis mechanism is designed to regulate the neuron resource dynamically. First, we design two kinds of neuron states to depict the neuron action, then, simulating the work mechanism of the human brain to produce new neurons continuously to learn new knowledge, we design the neuron regenesis mechanism to activate the suppressed old neurons in the developmental network to regenerate and learn new feature, thus to enhance the network usage efficiency. In order to demonstrate the effect of DN on face recognition, we compare and analyze the performances of DN with/without synapse maintenance mechanism, with the neuron regenesis mechanism. Experiment results in semi-constrained dataset and unconstrained dataset illustrate that DN with the synapse maintenance and neuron regenesis mechanism can effectively improve the face recognition rate in complex background. Further, comparing the performance of DN with some state-of-the-art algorithms, experimental results demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interspecific hybrids often produce extensive gametic variation due to poor chromosome pairing and unbalanced chromosome segregation. To elucidate the influence of interspecific hybridisation on pollen variation in Populus L., we compared pollen size among three P. deltoides Marsh. clones, two P. nigra L. clones, and three P. deltoides × P. nigra hybrids and investigated the cytological mechanism of pollen variation by observing meiotic chromosome behaviour and microtubules. The frequency of shrunken and unstainable pollen grains was higher in the hybrids (15.54-57.28 %) than in the non-hybrid clones (0.98-4.82 %). The distribution of stained pollen size ranged more broadly in the hybrids than in the non-hybrids, suggesting that hybridisation increases pollen size variation. Precocious chromosome migration and lagging chromosomes were common in the hybrids, indicating poor chromosome pairing. Some micronuclei formed minispindles in metaphase II and emanated secondary nuclear-based radial microtubule systems in telophase II, undergoing cytokinesis to develop into microcytes in the meiotic products. Eliminated micronuclei might result in the formation of aneuploid pollen. The frequency of sporads with microcytes was higher in the hybrids (3.19-11.08 %) than in the non-hybrids (0-0.94 %). Disoriented spindles, including fused and tripolar spindles, led to the formation of dyads and triads, contributing to unreduced pollen production. These results provide new insights into the gametic variation of Populus interspecific hybrids and reveal several 2n pollen producers, which will be valuable in polyploid breeding of the section Aigeiros Duby. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]