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The evolutionary analysis showed that the GF14 family was conserved, however, there was limited evidence linking GF14s to plant height. In our investigations, we discovered a co-expression relationship between ZmGF14s and functionally characterized genes linked to plant height. In the co-expression network, we identified ZmGF14-3, a gene expression exhibiting a positive correlation with plant height in three maize varieties, we postulated that this gene could be intimately linked to plant height development. Subsequently, we cloned ZmGF14-3 from the maize B73 inbred line and overexpressed it in Arabidopsis, resulting in markedly dwarfed transgenic phenotypes. Measurements of endogenous phytohormones disclosed a significant reduction in concentrations of Gibberellic Acid 7 (GA7) and Indole-3-Acetic Acid (IAA) in the overexpressed Arabidopsis, furthermore, qPCR results highlighted a pronounced decrease in the expression levels of plant height-related genes when compared to the wild type, therefore, it is plausible to posit that ZmGF14-3 plays a pivotal role in regulating the growth and development of maize through interactions with various phytohormone-related genes. Thus, delving into the potential interactions between ZmGF14-3 and these genes holds the promise of yielding valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underpinning plant height development in maize.

Abstract Objective Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) is a phytoestrogen that has been reported to improve postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) caused by estrogen deficiency. In our work, we aimed to investigate the mechanism of SDG in regulating the expressions of ERs on PMOP model rats. Methods Ovariectomization (OVX) was used to establish PMOP model in rats. The experiment was allocated to Sham, OVX, SDG and raloxifene (RLX) groups. After 12-week treatment, micro-CT was used to detect the transverse section of bone. Hematoxylin and Eosin staining and Safranine O-Fast Green staining were supplied to detect the femur pathological morphology of rats. Estradiol (E2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), bone formation and bone catabolism indexes in serum were detected using ELISA. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining was used to detect the osteogenic ability of chondrocytes. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were applied to detect the protein expressions of estrogen receptors (ERs) in the femur of rats. Results Compared with the OVX group, micro-CT results showed SDG could lessen the injury of bone and improve femoral parameters, including bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD). Pathological results showed SDG could reduce pathological injury of femur in OVX rats. Meanwhile, SDG decreased the level of IL-6 and regulated bone formation and bone catabolism indexes. Besides, SDG increased the level of E2 and conversed OVX-induced decreased the expression of ERα and ERβ. Conclusion The treatment elicited by SDG in OVX rats was due to the reduction of injury and inflammation and improvement of bone formation index, via regulating the expression of E2 and ERs.

Abstract Background/Objectives Oral maintenance chemotherapy can effectively prolong overall survival (OS) in many types of metastatic cancer, but its role in metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (mNPC) is unclear. In this study, the efficacy of oral maintenance chemotherapy in mNPC and the effectiveness of circulating tumor EBV‐DNA for screening patients were evaluated. Methods Between June 2016 and December 2017, 141 patients with mNPC who received platinum‐based systemic chemotherapy were included (median follow‐up time, 21 months). Patients were classified into two groups according to the administration of oral maintenance chemotherapy. Plasma samples were collected before, during, and after treatment for the measurement of circulating EBV DNA. Results The 2‐year OS was higher for patients who received maintenance chemotherapy than for patients without maintenance chemotherapy (78.9% vs 62.7%, P = .016). Patients with undetectable posttreatment EBV‐DNA after 4‐6 cycles of systemic chemotherapy (n = 73) had a higher 2‐year OS than that of patients with detectable EBV‐DNA (n = 68) (82.16% vs 51.45%, P = .001). For patients with undetectable posttreatment EBV‐DNA, OS was better for those with maintenance chemotherapy than for those without (86.7% vs 73%, P = .027). For patients with detectable posttreatment EBV‐DNA, maintenance chemotherapy did not improve outcomes (49.5% vs 55.4%, P = .824). The most common acute events were hematological toxicity, and all were tolerable and curable. Conclusions Oral maintenance chemotherapy with S1 or capecitabine can improve OS in mNPC. Posttreatment EBV‐DNA was not only an independent prognosis factor for mNPC but also can screen out beneficiaries of maintenance chemotherapy.

Creative thinking is the ability to think creatively. It is of great guidance for the development of lighting design major to combine the spirit of innovation and the advantage of creativity when designing. Based on intention extraction, space reconstruction, environmental narrative and system construction, this paper, integrating creative thinking construction into the task of the “Four Orders of Design” in outdoor lighting design, aims to help lighting design majors to form creative thinking and make an organic whole of technology and art in lighting design projects.

This study aims to investigate the effects of oxytetracycline on growth and photosynthetic capacity of rape (Brassica campestris L.). Four levels of oxytetracycline (0, 10, 100, and 200 mg kg-1) were added to the potted soil. Chlorophyll fluorescence parameters induced by five levels (90, 190, 420, 820, and 1,500 μmol photons m-2 s-1) of PAR (PAR, photosynthetically active radiation) were measured. Plant growth indices and leaf traits were also determined. Electron transport rate increased along with the increase of PAR, but an opposite trend was found for the effective quantum yield of PSII. The quantum yield of light-induced non-photochemical fluorescence quenching in higher oxytetracycline treatments (100 and 200 mg kg-1) gradually increased when PAR increased from 90 to 820 μmol photons m-2 s-1, but then declined under higher PAR gradients. The fractions of quantum yield of non-light-induced non-photochemical fluorescence quenching in PSII were significantly higher in all the oxytetracycline treatments than in the control. Oxytetracycline exposure was also found to alter the energy distribution in the photosynthetic electron transport chain. This study showed that oxytetracycline exposure evidently diminished the photosynthetic capacity of rape, which was further supported by the observations that growth indices and leaf traits were significantly inhibited by oxytetracycline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thymidine kinase 1 in serum (STK1) has been found to be a reliable proliferation marker in clinical trials. In this study, we examined the significance of STK1 in routine clinical settings. The concentration of STK1 was determined by a sensitive dot blot ECL assay. The STK1 value was correlated to clinical stage and reactions and used for monitoring the outcome of surgery and/or multidrug chemotherapy of 1,247 patients with five different types of carcinomas (lung, esophagus, gastric, head and neck, and thyroid) in routine clinical settings. The STK1 values correlated with the clinical stage in patients with lung, esophagus, thyroid, and gastric carcinomas. After treatment, STK1 declined in all tumor groups after treatments ( P < 0.01). The STK1 was low (<2 pM) or decreasing during treatment in patients with clinical reactions of complete response (CR) or partial response (PR), but high (>2 pM) or increasing in patients with stable disease (SD) or progressive disease (PD), some of them showing metastasis. STK1 also reflected the differences in clinical reactions when surgery and chemotherapy were compared. We concluded that the concentration of TK1 in serum correlates to clinical stages and clinical reactions and monitors the effect of tumor therapies, not only in controlled clinical trials, but also in routine clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ATC (air traffic control) automation system is a complex system, which helps maintain the air traffic order, guarantee the flight interval, and prevent aircraft collision. It is essential to ensure the safety of air traffic. Failure effects evaluation is an important part of ATC automation system reliability engineering. The failure effects evaluation of ATC automation system is aimed at the effects of modules or components which affect the performance and functionality of the system. By analyzing and evaluating the failure modes and their causes and effects, some reasonable improvement measures and preventive maintenance plans can be established. In this paper, the failure effects evaluation framework considering performance and functionality of the system is established on the basis of reliability theory. Some algorithms for the quantitative evaluation of failure effects on performance of ATC automation system are proposed. According to the algorithms, the quantitative evaluation of reliability, availability, maintainability, and other assessment indicators can be calculated.