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In this paper, we consider the Oldroyd-B model with stress tensor diffusion in R d with d ≥ 2. We first establish the global well-posedness of solutions to this model for small initial data (u 0 , τ 0) ∈ ( B ˙ p , 1 d p − 1 ∩ B ˙ p , 1 d p + 1) d × ( B ˙ p , 1 d p ) d × d with 1 ≤ p < ∞. Furthermore, under some additional L 2 type conditions on (u 0 , τ 0) , but without any more smallness restrictions, we get the L 2 decay rates of all derivatives of (u , τ). It is shown that the velocity u decays as fast as the solution to the corresponding homogeneous linear heat equation, and the symmetry τ decays as fast as ∇ u. In particular, when d = 3 the velocity u admits the decay rate faster than (1 + t) − 3 4 in L 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate regularity criteria for weak solutions to the Cauchy problem of the 3d co-rotational Beris-Edwards system for nematic liquid crystals, which couples the Navier–Stokes equations for the fluid velocity u with an evolution-diffusion equations for the Q -tenser. Our results yield that for any positive constant γ > 0 , if either the negative part of the associated pressure Π satisfies Π − [ ln ⁡ (1 + Π −) ] 1 + γ ∈ L ∞ (R + ; L 3 2 , ∞ (R 3)) , or the quantity 2 Π + | u | 2 + | ∇ Q | 2 satisfies (2 Π + + | u | 2 + | ∇ Q | 2) [ ln ⁡ (1 + 2 Π + + | u | 2 + | ∇ Q | 2) ] 1 + γ ∈ L ∞ (R + ; L 3 2 , ∞ (R 3)) , then the weak solution (u , Q) , to the 3d co-rotational Beris-Edwards system, is global-in-time smooth. Here, the subscript "−" and "+" denote the negative and the nonnegative part, respectively. L 3 2 , ∞ (R 3) denotes the standard weak Lebesgue space. If Q ≡ 0 , then our results extend some previous known results from the theory of the 3d Navier–Stokes equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the industry in charge of the cultivation of Macrobrachium nipponense (M.nipponense) has suffered significant economic losses due to an infectious pathogen called Spiroplasma eriocheiris (S.eriocheiris). There has therefore been a need to identify the key immune and autophagy genes that respond to M.nipponense 's infection with S. eriocheiris to analyze its immune response mechanism and the regulation of related microRNAs (miRNAs). In this study, the mRNA and miRNA transcriptome of M.nipponense 's hemocytes were analyzed at different stages of infection. This analysis employed the second and third-generation sequencing technologies. In the mRNA transcriptome, 1656 genes were expressed in healthy and susceptible M.nipponense. 892 of these were significantly up-regulated, while 764 were down-regulated. 118 genes with significant differences in autophagy, endocytosis, lysosome, Toll, IMD, and VEGF pathways were obtained from the transcriptome. In the miRNA transcriptome, 312 miRNAs (Conserved: 112, PN-type: 18, PC-type: 182) were sequenced. 74 were significantly up-regulated, and 57 were down-regulated. There were 25 miRNAs involved in regulating the Toll and IMD pathways, 41 in endocytosis, 30 in lysosome, and 12 in the VEGF pathway. An integrated analysis of immune-related miRNAs and mRNAs showed that miRNAs with significant differences (P < 0.05) such as ame-miR-29b-3p, dpu-miR-1and PC-3p-945_4074, had corresponding regulatory relationships with 118 important immune genes such as Relish , Dorsal , Caspase-3, and NF-κB. This study obtained the key immune and autophagy-related genes and corresponding regulatory miRNAs in M. nipponense' s hemocytes in response to an infection by S.eriocheiris. The results can provide vital data that further reveals the defense mechanism of M.nipponense 's immune system against S.eriocheiris. It can also help further comprehension and interpretation of M.nipponense's resistance mechanism to the invading S.eriocheiris , and provide molecular research information for the realization of host-directed therapies (HDT) for M.nipponense. • Comprehensive mRNA and miRNA transcriptome profiling of M.nipponense challenged with S. eriocheiris. • 118 significant genes related to autophagy, endocytosis, lysosome, Toll, IMD, and VEGF pathways were excavated. • A total of 312 miRNAs, of which 74 were significantly up-regulated and 57 were significantly down-regulated. • The key immune and autophagy-related genes and miRNAs in hemocytes in response to an infection by S.eriocheiris. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass-related airborne fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is an important risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Macrophage polarization has been reported to be involved in PM2.5-induced COPD, but the dynamic characteristics and underlying mechanism of this process remain unclear. Our study established a PM2.5-induced COPD mouse model and revealed that M2 macrophages predominantly presented after 4 and 6 months of PM2.5 exposure, during which a notable increase in MMP12 was observed. Single cell analysis of lung tissues from COPD patients and mice further revealed that M2 macrophages were the dominant macrophage subpopulation in COPD, with MMP12 being involved as a hub gene. In vitro experiments further demonstrated that PM2.5 induced M2 polarization and increased MMP12 expression. Moreover, we found that PM2.5 increased IL-4 expression, STAT6 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation. Nuclear pSTAT6 then bound to the MMP12 promoter region. Furthermore, the inhibition of STAT6 phosphorylation effectively abrogated the PM2.5-induced increase in MMP12. Using a coculture system, we observed a significantly reduced level of E-cadherin in alveolar epithelial cells cocultured with PM2.5-exposed macrophages, while the decrease in E-cadherin was reversed by the addition of an MMP12 inhibitor to the co-culture system. Taken together, these findings indicated that PM2.5 induced M2 macrophage polarization and MMP12 upregulation via the IL-4/STAT6 pathway, which resulted in alveolar epithelial barrier dysfunction and excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, and ultimately led to COPD progression. These findings may help to elucidate the role of macrophages in COPD, and suggest promising directions for potential therapeutic strategies. [Display omitted] • PM2.5 induced M2 macrophage polarization at the mid and late stages of COPD. • PM2.5 upregulated MMP12 via IL-4/STAT6 pathway. • PM2.5-exposed macrophages impaired alveolar epithelial barrier through MMP12. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imidacloprid (IMI), a commonly utilized neonicotinoid insecticide, has been identified to adversely impact glucose homeostasis. Pregnant women are believed to be more sensitive to toxins than non-pregnant women, and the impact of IMI exposure on gestational hyperglycemia remain unclear. To explore the impact, pregnant mice fed a high-fat diet were exposed to different doses (0.06, 0.6, 6 mg/kg bw/day) of IMI by gavage. Glucose homeostasis-related parameters were measured. The glucose homeostasis influenced by IMI treatment was explored through integrating gut microbiota, metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis. Results showed that IMI-H (6 mg/kg bw/day) exposure notably restricted gestational weight gain and perturbed glucose homeostasis characterized by reduced glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, alongside elevated levels of fasting blood glucose and insulin. Multi-omics analysis revealed that IMI-H exposure induced significant changes in the richness and composition of the gut microbiome. The metabolite profiles of serum samples and cecal contents, and transcriptome of liver and ileum were all affected by IMI-H treatment. The altered gut microbiota, metabolites and genes exhibited significant correlations with glucose homeostasis-related parameters. These differential metabolites and genes were implicated in various metabolic pathways including bile secretion, glucagon signaling pathway, lipid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism. Significant correlations were observed between the altered gut microbiota and caecum metabolome as well as liver transcriptome. For example, the abundance of Oscillibacter was strongly correlated with gut microflora-related metabolites (Icosenoic acid, Lysosulfatide, and fluticasone) and liver differential genes (Grin3b, Lifr, and Spta1). Together, IMI exposure resulted in significant changes in microbial composition, along with alterations in certain metabolites and genes associated with metabolic process, which may promote gestational hyperglycemia. • IMI exposure model in pregnant mice was constructed. • Multi-omics analysis was conducted to study IMI-related gestational hyperglycemia. • IMI treatment affected gut microbiome, metabolome and transcriptome. • IMI may promote gestational hyperglycemia by multiple omics changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the partial regularity of suitable weak solutions to the 3d co-rotational Beris-Edwards system modeling the hydrodynamical motion of nematic liquid crystal flows with the Landau-De Gennes bulk potential, and present an improved version of the Caffarelli-Kohn-Nirenberg criterion obtained recently by Du-Hu-Wang (2020) [9] in terms of the velocity gradient only. The result yields that the velocity field plays a more important role than the Q -tensor field in the partial regularity theory of the 3d co-rotational Beris-Edwards system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the asymptotic behavior of the regular solution to a simplified Ericksen–Leslie model for the compressible nematic liquid crystal flow in a bounded smooth domain in R 2 as the Mach number tends to zero. The evolution system consists of the compressible Navier–Stokes equations coupled with the transported heat flow for the averaged molecular orientation. We suppose that the Navier–Stokes equations are characterized by a Navier's slip boundary condition, while the transported heat flow is subject to Neumann boundary condition. By deriving a differential inequality with certain decay property, the low Mach limit of the solutions is verified for all time, provided that the initial data are well-prepared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe congenital neutropenia caused by ELANE gene mutation is a rare disease. To date, only four families were reported with mosaicism. Here we examined the morphology and function of granulocytes isolated from two patients and their mosaic fathers. Analysis of granulocytes isolated from the fathers revealed no genetic mutations. DNA extracted from fractionated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and fingernails obtained from both fathers did harbor the mutation, suggesting mosaicism. Granulocytes isolated from the patients displayed significantly weaker ionomycin-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) responses than those isolated from the fathers. Both patients showed increased expression of neutrophil elastase, whereas the mosaic fathers showed normal expression. Taken together, the results suggest that granulocytes from these SCN patients are immunocompromised, whereas those from the mosaic fathers are normal. These findings may provide new insight into disease diagnosis, prognosis, therapy and genetic counseling. • Granulocytes harbored by the mosaic father of an affected child are immunocompetent. • Granulocytes from ELANE patients showed normal NADPH oxidase expression. • Granulocytes from ELANE patients displayed abolished ionomycin-induced ROS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with DOCK8 deficiency are at increased susceptibility to develop allergic diseases such as food allergy and asthma. Here, we aimed to analyze the pathogenesis of asthma in DOCK8-deficient patients. In our mouse model, DOCK8-knockout (KO) mice sensitized with low-dose OVA were challenged with 1.5% OVA to induce allergic asthma. As compared to that in WT mice, remarkable airway hyperresponsiveness was observed in KO mice. Increased inflammatory cells and eosinophils infiltrated in airway lumen in KO mice especially around bronchi. KO mice showed higher levels of serum IgE and OVA-specific IgE and significantly elevated IgE-producing B cells in blood and in spleen. Surprisingly, nasal administration with rmIL-21 significantly reduced the airway hyperresponsiveness, inflammatory infiltration, as well as the serum IgE and IgE-producing B cells. DOCK8-knockout mice are susceptible to low-dose OVA induced allergic airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness. Supplementary nasal administration of rmIL-21 alleviates allergic asthma in this mouse model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the global existence and uniqueness of solution to the 3D inhomogeneous incompressible nematic liquid crystal flows with variable density in the framework of Besov spaces. It is proved that there exists a global and unique solution to the nematic liquid crystal flows if the initial data ( ρ 0 − 1 , u 0 , n 0 − e 3 ) ∈ M ( B ˙ p , 1 3 p − 1 ( R 3 ) ) × B ˙ p , 1 3 p − 1 ( R 3 ) × B ˙ p , 1 3 p ( R 3 ) with 1 ≤ p < 6 , and satisfies ‖ ρ 0 − 1 ‖ M ( B ˙ p , 1 3 p − 1 ) + ‖ u 0 ‖ B ˙ p , 1 3 p − 1 + ‖ n 0 − e 3 ‖ B ˙ p , 1 3 p ≤ c for some small c > 0 depending only on p . Here M ( B ˙ p , 1 3 p − 1 ( R 3 ) ) is the multiplier space of Besov space B ˙ p , 1 3 p ( R 3 ) . Using the Lagrangian approach in Danchin and Mucha (2012, 2013) [7,8] is the key to our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the global regularity of Leray–Hopf weak solutions to the 3D Navier–Stokes equations in terms of pressure. In particular, we establish three Serrin-type regularity criteria in framework of the anisotropic Lebesgue spaces. Our result can be understood as a generalization of the notable works of Y. Zhou (2006) [23] , C. Cao and E. Titi (2008) [5] , and Y. Zhou and M. Pokorný (2010) [24] . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Guo and Wang (2012) [10] , Y. Guo and Y. Wang developed a general new energy method for proving the optimal time decay rates of the solutions to dissipative equations. In this paper, we generalize this method in the framework of homogeneous Besov spaces. Moreover, we apply this method to a model arising from electro-hydrodynamics, which is a strongly coupled system of the Navier–Stokes equations and the Poisson–Nernst–Planck equations through charge transport and external forcing terms. We show that some weighted negative Besov norms of solutions are preserved along time evolution, and obtain the optimal time decay rates of the higher-order spatial derivatives of solutions by the Fourier splitting approach and the interpolation techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns the Cauchy problem of the two-dimensional (2D) nonhomogeneous incompressible nematic liquid crystal flows on the whole space R 2 with vacuum as far field density. It is proved that the 2D nonhomogeneous incompressible nematic liquid crystal flows admit a unique global strong solution provided that the initial data density and the gradient of orientation decay not too slow at infinity, and the initial orientation satisfies a geometric condition (see (1.3) ). In particular, the initial data can be arbitrarily large and the initial density may contain vacuum states and even have compact support. Furthermore, the large time behavior of the solution is also obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In metabolism, molecular oxygen is a necessary substrate. Oxygen imbalances are linked to a variety of circumstances in the organism's homeostasis. Recently, the positive effects of hypoxia treatment in improving exercise ability and hypoxia tolerance have become a research focus. We explored the effects of intermittent hypoxia exposure (IHE, for one hour or three hours per day) on the hypoxia tolerance of largemouth bass in this study. The results showed that (1) IHE significantly reduced the LOEcrit (the critical O 2 tension for loss of equilibrium) value of largemouth bass, indicating that its hypoxia tolerance was enhanced. (2) The level of oxidative stress in the liver decreased in the HH3 group (exposed to a hypoxic condition for 3 h per day) compared to HH1 group (exposed to a hypoxic condition for 1 h per day). (3) IHE reduced the content of lactic acid and enhanced the process of gluconeogenesis in the liver. (4) Importantly, lipid mobilization and fatty acid oxidation in the liver of largemouth bass were significantly enhanced during IHE. In short, the results of this study indicate that IHE can improve hypoxia tolerance by regulating the energy metabolism of largemouth bass. [Display omitted] • Intermittent hypoxic exposure (IHE) can significantly improve hypoxic tolerance. • The level of oxidative stress in liver was related to the intensity of IHE. • IHE can enhance the ability to remove the anaerobic metabolic by-products. • The lipid was the main energy source for largemouth bass during IHE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent paper [7] , Y. Du and K. Wang (2013) proved that the global-in-time Koch–Tataru type solution ( u , d ) to the n -dimensional incompressible nematic liquid crystal flow with small initial data ( u 0 , d 0 ) in BMO − 1 × BMO has arbitrary space–time derivative estimates in the so-called Koch–Tataru space norms. The purpose of this paper is to show that the Koch–Tataru type solution satisfies the decay estimates for any space–time derivative involving some borderline Besov space norms. More precisely, for the global-in-time Koch–Tataru type solution ( u , d ) to the nematic liquid crystal flow with initial data ( u 0 , d 0 ) ∈ BMO − 1 × BMO and ‖ u 0 ‖ BMO − 1 + [ d 0 ] BMO ≤ ε for some small enough ε > 0 , and for any positive integers k and m , one has ‖ t k + m 2 ( ∂ t k ∇ m u , ∂ t k ∇ m ∇ d ) ‖ L ˜ ∞ ( R + , B ˙ ∞ , ∞ − 1 ) ∩ L ˜ 1 ( R + ; B ˙ ∞ , ∞ 1 ) ≤ ε . Furthermore, we shall give that the solution admits a unique trajectory which is Hölder continuous with respect to space variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, we investigate the regularity criterion for the solution of nematic liquid crystal flows in three dimensions ( ) and in two dimensions ( ). We prove that the solution is smooth up to time provided that there exists a positive constant such that (i) for , and (ii) for , [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we study a hydrodynamical system modeling the deformation of the vesicle membrane under external incompressible viscous flow fields. The system is in the Eulerian formulation and is governed by the coupling of the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations with a phase field equation. In the three dimensional case, we establish two logarithmically improved blow-up criteria for local smooth solutions of this system in terms of the vorticity field only in the homogeneous Besov spaces. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We study the Cauchy problem for an incompressible magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) system in the modulation space () with initial data . We prove that this problem is locally well-posed in such a space when , and , and globally well-posed when , and . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In rice grains, high amylose content (AC) is correlated with poor grain quality, particularly in indica hybrid rice. To obtain indica hybrid rice with improved cooking and eating qualities, we introduced the antisense Waxy (Wx) gene into 2 elite parental lines of indica hybrid rice by using co-transformation methods. Subsequently, we selected several elite homozygous transgenic lines that did not contain the selectable marker. The expression of the endogenous Wx gene of the selected transgenic lines was significantly downregulated, resulting in low AC in the mature seeds; moreover, the AC in some lines reduced to the level observed in glutinous rice. With the decrease in AC, the gel consistency of the transgenic rice became softer, and the gelatinization temperature tended to be higher than those of the wild types, especially in the case of the Longtefu-derived transformants. We also analyzed the pasting properties of the selected transgenic low-AC lines, and we noted an improvement in the pasting properties of the transgenic rice lines. The results from a field trial indicated that the grain weights of the transgenic lines with lower AC exhibit remarkable reduction compared with those of the wild types. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An increasing number of studies show that bisphenol A (BPA) can cause lipid metabolism disorder. However, few studies focused on the effect of BPA on lipid transport. Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) plays important roles in triglyceride (TG) transportation. Our previous study found that ApoE was a sensitive gene in response to BPA exposure in male rare minnow. To investigate the effect and mechanism of BPA on hepatic ApoE , adult male rare minnow Gobiocypris rarus were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of BPA (15 μg/L) for 1, 3 and 5 weeks. Results showed that BPA inhibited ApoE expression at week 1 and 5, while induced its expression at week 3. A positive estrogen-related receptor gamma (Esrrg) response element was identified in the promoter region of ApoE. The change of the Esrrg recruitment was consistent with ApoE mRNA expression. Moreover, the methylation status of the CpG sites near and on the Esrrg binding sites changed opposite to the ApoE mRNA level, which may be the main cause for the change in Esrrg recruitment. The expression of ApoE protein was significantly enhanced following long-term BPA exposure. Consistently, the TG accumulation was significantly increased in the plasma. The present study demonstrates that BPA could affect rare minnow ApoE expression, which is probably one of the ways for BPA disturbing fish lipid metabolism. • BPA had a significant effect on ApoE expression in rare minnow liver • BPA affected ApoE mRNA expression through regulating the Esrrg recruitment. • BPA altered the DNA methylation level in hepatic ApoE promoter. • Hepatic ApoE protein level was significantly enhanced by BPA. • Triglyceride was significantly increased in liver and plasma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We study trace operators in weighted variable exponent Sobolev spaces for sufficiently regular unbounded domain with noncompact boundary, where is a Lipschitz continuous function defined on Ω satisfying . We show that when , the trace operators are compact under certain conditions on weight functions , , w. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To investigate the potential antifungal mechanisms of rhizosphere Actinobacteria against Ceratocystis fimbriata in sweet potato, a comprehensive approach combining biochemical analyses and multi-omics techniques was employed in this study. A total of 163 bacterial strains were isolated from the rhizosphere soil of sweet potato. Among them, strain MEPS155, identified as Streptomyces djakartensis , exhibited robust and consistent inhibition of C. fimbriata mycelial growth in in vitro dual culture assays, attributed to both cell-free supernatant and volatile organic compounds. Moreover, strain MEPS155 demonstrated diverse plant growth-promoting attributes, including the production of indole-3-acetic acid, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase, phosphorus solubilization, nitrogen fixation, and enzymatic activities such as cellulase, chitinase, and protease. Notably, strain MEPS155 exhibited efficacy against various sweet potato pathogenic fungi. Following the inoculation of strain MEPS155, a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in malondialdehyde content was observed in sweet potato slices, indicating a potential protective effect. The whole genome of MEPS155 was characterized by a size of 8,030,375 bp, encompassing 7234 coding DNA sequences and 32 secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 1869 differentially expressed genes in the treated group that cultured with C. fimbriata , notably influencing pathways associated with porphyrin metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, and biosynthesis of type II polyketide products. These alterations in gene expression are hypothesized to be linked to the production of secondary metabolites contributing to the inhibition of C. fimbriata. Metabolomic analysis identified 1469 potential differently accumulated metabolites (PDAMs) when comparing MEPS155 and the control group. The up-regulated PDAMs were predominantly associated with the biosynthesis of various secondary metabolites, including vanillin, myristic acid, and protocatechuic acid, suggesting potential inhibitory effects on plant pathogenic fungi. Our study underscores the ability of strain S. djakartensis MEPS155 to inhibit C. fimbriata growth through the production of secretory enzymes or secondary metabolites. The findings contribute to a theoretical foundation for future investigations into the role of MEPS155 in postharvest black rot prevention in sweet potato. • Streptomyces djakartensis MEPS155 inhibited C. fimbriata mycelial growth. • MEPS155 produced hydrolytic enzymes and demonstrated broad-spectrum antagonistic activities. • Up-regulated DEGs were related to the synthesis of secondary metabolites. • Up-regulated PDAMs such as vanillin and protocatechuic acid, might inhibited C. fimbriata. • MEPS155 may be a potential biocontrol agent against postharvest sweet potato black rot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Balancing the bicatalytic activities and stabilities between oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a critical yet challenging task for exploring advanced rechargeable Zinc–air batteries (ZABs). Herein, a hybrid nanosheet catalyst with highly dispersed and densified metallic species is developed to boost the kinetics and stabilities of both ORR and OER concurrently. Through a progressive coordination and pyrolysis approach, we directly prepared highly conductive onion-like carbon (OLC) accommodating dense ORR-active Co N C species and enveloping high-loading OER-active CoNi-synergic structures within a porous lamellar architecture. The resultant CoNi/OLC nanosheet catalyst delivers better ORR and OER activities showcasing a smaller reversible oxygen electrode index (Δ E = E j10 − E 1/2) of 0.71 V, compared to state-of-the-art Pt/C-RuO 2 catalysts (0.75 V), Co/amorphous carbon polyhedrons (0.80 V), NiO nanoparticles with higher Ni loading (1.00 V), and most CoNi-based bifunctional catalysts reported so far. The rechargeable ZAB assembled with the developed catalyst achieves a remarkable peak power density of 270.3 mW cm−2 (172 % of that achieved by Pt/C + RuO 2) and ultrahigh cycling stability with a negligible increase in voltage gap after 800 h (110 mV increase after 200 h for a Pt/C + RuO 2 -based battery), standing the top level of those ever reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the regularity of weak solutions to the Cauchy problem of the 3D simplified nematic liquid crystal flows with lower bound on pressure, and show that if the negative part of the pressure Π is controlled, or if the positive part of quantity | u | 2 + | ∇ d | 2 + 2 Π is controlled, then the weak solution (u , d) is global-in-time smooth. We also study the singular points of weak solutions, and prove that if a weak solution (u , d) on R 3 × (0 , T) satisfies ‖ u (⋅ , t) ‖ L p (R 3) + ‖ ∇ d (⋅ , t) ‖ L p (R 3) ≤ c (T − t) p − 3 2 p for some 3 < p < ∞ , where c is a positive constant, then the number of singular points is finite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Strain MEPF0303 inhibited mycelial growth of S. delphinii. • Strain MEPF0303 had a good control against southern blight of D. officinale. • The down-regulated DEGs were related to growth and pathogenicity of S. delphinii. • MEPF0303 may be a potential biocontrol agent against D. officinale southern blight. Southern blight is a common and devastating disease adversely affecting the yield and quality of cultivated Dendrobium officinale plants. The pathogens responsible for this disease are Sclerotium delphinii and S. rolfsii , although S. delphinii is more pathogenic than S. rolfsii. Plant endophytes are potential sources of biological control agents. In this study, 18 microbial strains were isolated from wild Dendrobium shixingense plants (e.g., Streptomyces , Bacillus , and Trichoderma), among which strain MEPF0303 significantly inhibited S. delphinii mycelial growth. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence, this strain was identified as Streptomyces sp. In addition, the volatile organic compounds and cell-free supernatant of MEPF0303 had significant inhibitory effects on S. delphinii growth. Moreover, MEPF0303 effectively controlled southern blight of D. officinale. A total of 1,797 differentially expressed genes were identified by a comparative transcriptome analysis of S. delphinii mycelia treated with MEPF0303 and the untreated control mycelia. Strain MEPF0303 significantly altered the expression of genes related to cell membrane morphological development and integrity, pathogenicity, energy metabolism, and oxidative stress responses. Furthermore, the transcriptome sequencing results were validated by analyzing gene expression via a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The study results showed that MEPF0303 can inhibit the growth and pathogenicity of S. delphinii , with potential implications for the biological control of southern blight of D. officinale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrobrachium rosenbergii (M. rosenbergii), is a major aquaculture species in China and Southeast Asia. However, infection with Spiroplasma eriocheiris (S. eriocheiris) has caused huge economic losses to the cultivation of M. rosenbergii. Currently, there are few reports on the immune response mechanism of M. rosenbergii that are infected with S. eriocheiris. To clarify the immune response mechanism of M. rosenbergii infected with S. eriocheiris , the key immune genes which respond to the infection with the pathogen and the regulation of related microRNAs (miRNAs) on them were identified. In this study, the mRNA and miRNA transcriptome of hepatopancreas of M. rosenbergii at different infection stages were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing and qRT-PCR. In the mRNA transcriptome, 27,703 and 33,402 genes were expressed in healthy and susceptible M. rosenbergii , respectively. By digital gene-expression profiling analysis, 23,929 and 24,325 genes were expressed, and 223 and 373 genes were significantly up-regulated and down-regulated, respectively. A total of 145 key genes related to Toll, IMD, JAK/STAT and MAPK were excavated from the transcriptome. In the miRNA transcriptome, 549 miRNAs (Conserve d : 41, PN-type: 83, PC-type: 425) were sequenced, of which 87 were significantly up-regulated and 23 were significantly down-regulated. Among the related immune pathways, there are 259 miRNAs involved in the regulation of target genes in the Toll and IMD pathways, 231 JAK/STAT pathways and 122 MAPK pathways. qRT-PCR differential detection of immune-related miRNAs and mRNAs showed that 22 miRNAs with significant differences (P < 0.05) such as mro-miR-100, PC-mro-3p-27 and PN-mro-miR-316 had corresponding regulatory relationships with 22 important immune genes such as TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, TLR5, MyD88, Pelle and Relish in different stages after infection. In this study, the immune genes and related regulatory miRNAs of M. rosenbergii in response to S. eriocheiris infection were obtained. The results can provide basic data to further reveal the immune defense mechanism of M. rosenbergii against S. eriocheiris infection. • Comprehensive transcriptome profiling of M. rosenbergii challenged with S. eriocheiris. • 145 key genes related to Toll, IMD, JAK/STAT and MAPK were excavated. • A total of 549 miRNAs, of which 87 were significantly up-regulated and 23 were significantly down-regulated. • QRT-PCR differential detection for 22 immune-related miRNAs and mRNAs, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A strongly coupled CoP-C/CN photocatalyst is prepared by using amorphous carbon layer as intermediate medium. • A new charge transfer pathway was constructed through VDW forces and P-C bonds. • CoP-C/CN exhibits much enhanced charge transfer and separation efficiency. • CoP-C/CN shows superior activity and stability for photocatalytic H 2 evolution by visible light. Enhancing the charge transmission rate at the interface of transition metal phosphide cocatalysts is an efficient technique to reinforce the photocatalytic activity action of semiconductors, but achieving a faster interface charge transfer rate remains a challenge. This paper reported the coupling of a two-dimensional carbon layer supported CoP (CoP C) as a non-noble metal heterostructure catalyst and a two-dimensional porous graphite carbon nitride (CN) photocatalyst to enhance the transmission rate of photogenerated carriers at the interface. Detailed characterizations and mechanism research have confirmed that the P C bond and Van der Waals heterojunction at the interface function as a novel charge transmission channel, which facilitates the effective transfer of photogenerated carriers from CN to CoP. Furthermore, the large contact area exhibited by the 2D/2D Van der Waals heterojunction offers an increased number of active sites for hydrogen evolution reactions. Consequently, the composite material (CoP C/CN) formed by the coupling of CoP C and CN has an enhanced H 2 production rate of 1503 μmol∙g−1∙h−1 (AQY: 3.03 % at 400 nm) and favorable H 2 production stability under visible light irradiation. This investigation not only provides a new idea for the regulation of interface charge transfer pathway but also offers new inspiration for the photocatalytic system's design with the synergistic impacts of 2D/2D VDW heterojunction and chemical bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 24-h hypoxia exposure experiment was conducted to determine how hypoxia exposure induce liver angiogenesis in largemouth bass. Nitrogen (N 2) was pumped into water to exclude dissolved oxygen into 1.2 ± 0.2 mg/L, and liver tissues were sampled during hypoxia exposure of 0 h, 4 h, 8 h, 12 h, 24 h and re-oxygenation for 12 h. Firstly, the results showed that hypoxia exposure promoted the angiogenesis occurrence by immunohistochemical analysis of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2). Secondly, the concentration of vasodilation factor increased and it's activity was elevated during 8 h exposure, such as nitric oxide (NO) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) (p < 0.05). Thirdly, hypoxia exposure promoted angiogenesis through up-regulation the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), jagged, protein kinase B (AKT), phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) at 4 h; contrarily, the expression of inhibiting angiogenesis genes presented up-regulated at 8 h (p < 0.05), such as matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor-2 (TIMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor-3 (TIMP-3). Finally, the genes and proteins that regulate angiogenesis presented obvious chronological order. Parts of them promoted the budding and extension of blood vessels were up-regulated during 4 h–8 h (p < 0.05), such as vascular endothelial growth factor a (VEGFA), VEGFR2, monocarboxylic acid transporter 1 (MCT1), CD147, prolyl hydroxylase (PHD), nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB); other part of them promoted blood vessel maturation were highly expressed during 12 h–24 h (p < 0.05), such as angiogenin-1 (Ang-1) and angiogenin-2 (Ang-2). In short, acute hypoxia can promote the liver angiogenesis of largemouth bass by HIF - dependent pathway. • Hypoxia promote the liver angiogenesis in largemouth bass. • Hypoxia modulate VEGF pathway and downstream genes. • MCT1 and HIF pathway are key factors regulating angiogenesis during hypoxia exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The T-2 toxin is a highly toxic trichothecene mycotoxin that would cause serious toxicity in humans and animals. Recent studies suggest that the central nervous system (CNS) is susceptible to T-2 toxin, which can easily cross the blood-brain barrier, accumulate in brain tissues, and cause neurotoxicity. The growing evidence indicates that oxidative damage and mitochondrial dysfunction play a critical role in T-2 toxin-induced neurotoxicity, but the mechanisms are still poorly understood. Our present study showed that T-2 toxin decreased cell viability and increased lactate dehydrogenase leakage in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. T-2 toxin elicited prominent oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, as evidenced by the promotion of cellular reactive oxygen species generation, disruption of the mitochondrial membrane potential, depletion of glutathione and reduction of the cellular ATP content. T-2 toxin impaired mitochondrial biogenesis, including decreased mitochondrial DNA copy number and affected the nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (NRF2) / peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α) pathway by upregulating NRF2 mRNA and protein expression while inhibiting the expression of PGC-1α, nuclear respiratory factor (NRF1) and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM). NRF2 knockdown was found to significantly exacerbate T-2 toxin-induced cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction, as well as aggravate mitochondrial biogenesis impairment. NRF2 knockdown compromised T-2 toxin-induced upregulation of NRF2, but augmented the inhibition of PGC-1α, NRF1, and TFAM by T-2 toxin. Taken together, these findings suggest that T-2 toxin-induced oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in SH-SY5Y cells, at least in part by, NRF2/PGC-1α pathway-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis. • T-2 toxin induced oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in SH-SY5Y cells. • T-2 toxin impaired mitochondrial biogenesis and affected NRF2/PGC-1α pathway. • Knockdown of NRF2 exacerbated the cytotoxicity and mitochondrial dysfunction by T-2 toxin. • NRF2-knockdown aggravated T-2 toxin-induced mitochondrial biogenesis impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we successfully constructed Pd NPs were encapsulated in HZSM-5 (Pd@HZSM-5) by in situ synthesis. Pd@HZSM-5 shows greatly higher reaction rates, selectivity and stability versus Pd/HZSM-5. The highest yield of 3-AP (90.3%) to date was obtained with a nearly 100% conversion of 2-MF. This work put forward an effective strategy and highlights the significance of the metal/acid balance adjustment for the bifunctional catalysts in the biomass value-added conversion. [Display omitted] • Pd NPs are successfully encapsulated into zeolite by in situ synthesis with enhanced acid sites and metal dispersion. • Pd@HZSM-5 shows the highest yield of 3-AP (90.3%) at ~100% conversion of 2-MF, and a satisfying yield at high substrate concentration. • Pd@HZSM-5 shows the optimum balance of metal/acid sites and good cycling stability in the selective conversion of 2-MF to 3-AP. Biomass is a promising renewable carbon resource, and bio-based platform molecules such as furan derivatives play an important role in the green manufacturing of high value-added chemicals. Of these, the conversion of 2-methylfuran (2-MF) to 3-acetyl-1-propanol (3-AP) over a bifunctional catalyst has attracted significant interest. However, bifunctional catalysts prepared by traditional method suffer from poor catalytic performance and limited stability due to the agglomeration of metal NPs. Here, Pd@HZSM-5, in which Pd NPs were encapsulated in HZSM-5 in situ showed improved stability and 3-AP yield. The highest yield of 3-AP (90.6%) to date was obtained with a nearly 100% conversion of 2-MF. The catalytic performance over a series of Pd@Zeolite confirms the superiority of the encapsulation effect, which is ascribed to the optimal adjustment of metal/acid balance. The Pd@HZSM-5 catalyst displayed excellent stability due to the encapsulation structure, which restricts the Pd NPs agglomeration. The highest yield of 3-AP was obtained at a high concentration of 2-MF (60%), which implies a promising strategy for the green industrial manufacture of 3-AP. This work reports a new bifunctional catalytic system for the green synthesis of 3-AP from 2-MF, thus stimulating the downstream biomass market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yinchenhao Decoction (YD), a Chinese herbal medicine, has been traditionally used for treatment of metabolic liver diseases. A 10-week feeding trail was carried out to examine the effects of YD supplementation in a high carbohydrate diet (HCD) on liver histopathology, immune response, disease resistance, and expression of genes associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress, autophagy, apoptosis, necroptosis and inflammation in juvenile largemouth. A diet containing 9% carbohydrate was used as a low carbohydrate diet (LCD), and a HCD was formulated to contain 18% carbohydrate and supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1, 2 or 4% YD (HCD, HCD+0.5YD, HCD+1YD, HCD+2YD and HCD+4YD). Triplicate groups of fish (5.6 ± 0.2 g) were feed the test diets to visual satiety for 10 weeks. The highest survival rate after Nocardia seriolae challenge was recorded for the HCD+4YD group. YD application led to reduced ACP, AKP, AST and ALT activities. HCD-induced cells swelling, ruptured cell membrane, migrated nuclei and increasing inflammatory cells in hepatocytes were mitigated by YD addition. Moreover, YD decreased the expressions of pro-inflammation genes (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-8, hepcidin1, NF-κB, COX2, CD80 and CD83) and increased the mRNA levels of anti-inflammation genes (IL-10 and IKBα). The mode of liver cell death was preferably changed to programed apoptosis rather than uncontrolled necroptosis by application of YD in HCD. Furthermore, the expression of UPR genes (IRE1, Eif2α, ATF6, XBP1 and GRP78/Bip) and autophagy genes (LC3-2, BNIP3 and P62) was increased by YD supplementation. In summary, our results demonstrated that YD addition in HCD enhances UPR, autophagy and programed apoptosis maintaining the homeostasis, and decreases uncontrolled necroptosis and inflammation, ultimately leading to improved immune response in largemouth bass. • YD promoted the UPR and autophagy to maintain hepatocytes intracellular homeostasis balance of largemouth bass fed HCD. • YD promoted programmed apoptosis rather than pro-inflammatory necroptosis to remove damaged hepatocytes. • YD improved the immunity and decreased hepatic inflammation in largemouth bass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical melting pretreatment for granular swelling and soluble starch release was performed before freeze-thawing (FT) to enhance the effect of FT treatment on structure modification of potato starch. The critical melting temperature applied was based on the onset melting temperature (T o) of the native potato starch. After pretreatment, the effect of multiple FT cycles on the morphology, structure, and functionality was investigated. The pretreatment effectively induced granular swelling and partial disruption of the crystalline structure by increasing the volume of water molecules inside the granules. The pasting pattern changed obviously after treatments with the significantly increased final viscosity (up to 5000 from 2900 mPa s) and decreased breakdown (1/5th of native starch). Soluble starch released due to the both critical melting and FT treatments had a strong tendency to reassociate outside the granules, which effectively raised the thermal stability of starch granules. Moreover, increased water (∼109–∼164%) and oil (∼56–∼64%) absorption of starch at room temperature were observed. The synergistic effect of the combination of critical melting pretreatment and mechanical force of ice crystals effectively modified the properties of potato starch, suggesting a useful clean-label method for starch modification. [Display omitted] • Pretreatment enhanced modification effect of freeze-thawing on potato starch (PS). • Critical melting pretreatment applied is based on onset melting temperature of PS. • The combined treatment changed the morphology, structure, and functionality of PS. • Thermal stability of PS granules raised significantly after the combined treatment. • Partial disruption of chain arrangement and soluble starch release plays a key role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the effects of feed carbohydrate content on intestinal physical barrier and immunity in juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Triplicate groups of juvenile fish (4.1 ± 0.2 g) were fed low (LCD, 7%), medium (MCD, 12%) and high (HCD, 17%) carbohydrate diets for eight weeks. Gut histology revealed the slight infiltration of inflammatory cells and moderate loss of mucous membrane layer in HCD group. Expression of ZO1 , occluding , and claudin7 genes and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene were significantly decreased in HCD group indicating the impairment of tight junction and epithelial cell regeneration. The results showed the significant (P < 0.05) reduction of antioxidant capacity in HCD group compared to LCD. Furthermore, expression of intestinal ERS-related genes such as IRE1, Eif2α, GRP78, CHOPα and CHOPβ in HCD group was significantly higher than the LCD group. In addition, HCD induced the up-regulated expression of inflammatory (IL-8, IL-1β , TNFα and COX2) and apoptosis (TRAF2 , bax , casepase3, caspase8 and casepase9) related genes in fish intestine. The data generated in this study clearly demonstrated that HCD induced ERS and oxidative stress, which promoted intestinal inflammation and apoptosis in juvenile largemouth bass. • High carbohydrate diet (HCD) induced intestinal endoplasmic reticulum stress, apoptosis and inflammation. • HCD inhibited epithelial cell renewal and impaired tight junction resulting in the impairment of intestinal barrier. • Intestinal barrier deterioration was aggravated by oxidative stress, choric ERS, excessive inflammation and apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rowell's syndrome is an autoimmune disease characterized by lupus erythematosus, erythema multiforme skin lesions, and speckled antinuclear antibody. We report the case of a woman who presented with erythema multiforme with target-type skin lesions and vulvar vegetation who fulfilled the criteria for Rowell's syndrome and condyloma acuminatum. The simultaneous occurrence of both conditions has rarely been reported in the literature. • A rare case of Rowell's syndrome with condyloma acuminatum. • Autoimmunity and infection occur simultaneously. • Analyze the reasons why two diseases appear at the same time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High temperatures and low oxygen in aquatic environments, such as intensive aquaculture or in natural watersheds, inevitably cause stress in fish. Fish are exposed to high temperatures during the summer, which exacerbates hypoxia. Hypoxia (1.2 ± 0.2 mg/L) under 20 °C (20 HG) and 26 °C (26 HG) was simulated to induce stress in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Related enzymes and genes involved in antioxidant, immune, and apoptotic responses were selected to explore the interactive effects of temperature and hypoxia on largemouth bass. The results showed that malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in plasma, gill, and liver increased in the 26 HG (p < 0.05). Liver superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased in the 26 HG. Peak SOD (SOD1, SOD2, SOD3a, and SOD3b), CAT , and GSH-Px mRNA levels in the gill and liver were observed at 12–24 h of stress. The levels of gill and liver total antioxidant capacity, catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities and other enzyme activities and genes in the 26 HG were higher than those in the 20 HG (p < 0.05). The gill and liver acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase activities increased with time in the 26 HG (p < 0.05), while gill and liver lysozyme activities in the 26 HG were lower than those in the 20 HG (p < 0.05). Tumor necrosis factor-α mRNA level was upregulated in the gill and downregulated in the liver at 24 h in the 26 HG. Interleukin (IL)-1β and IL- 8 mRNA levels were upregulated in the gill and liver in the 26 HG at 24 h, whereas IL- 15 mRNA level was downregulated in the 26 HG at 12 h. Transforming growth factor-β1 mRNA level was upregulated in the gill in the 20 HG at 24 h, but downregulated in gill and liver in the 26 HG at 24 h. Similarly, IL-10 , Hepcidin-1 , and Hepcidin-2 showed lower expression levels in the 26 HG. Gill and liver caspase-3 activities were higher in the 26 HG (p < 0.05), and gill caspase-3 activity was higher than that in the liver. The mRNA levels of proapoptotic genes (caspase-3 , caspase-8 , and caspase-9) were higher in the 26 HG. The present study demonstrates the interactive effects of temperature and hypoxia on stress in largemouth bass gill and liver. These results will be helpful to understand the mechanisms of stress induced by temperature and hypoxia in fish and provide a theoretical basis for aquaculture management. • High temperature aggravates oxidative stress in gill and liver under acute hypoxia. • Immune response in gill and liver is inhibited under high temperature and hypoxia. • Combined effect of heat and hypoxia promotes gill and liver cell apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epilepsy, a common complication of diffuse low-grade gliomas (DLGGs; diffuse oligodendroglioma and astrocytoma collectively), severely compromises the quality of life of patients. DLGG epileptogenicity may primarily be generated by interactions between the tumor and the neocortex. Neuronal uptake of dysfunctional mitochondria from the extracellular environment can lead to abnormal neuronal discharge. Mitochondrial dysfunction is frequently observed in gliomas that can transmigrate across the plasma membranes. Here, we examined the role of the Rho GTPase-activating protein 44 (RICH2) in mitochondrial dynamics and DLGG-related epilepsy. We investigated the association between mitochondrial and RICH2 expression in human DLGG tissues using immunohistochemistry. We examined the association between RICH2 and epilepsy in nude mouse glioma models by electrophysiology. The effect of RICH2 on mitochondrial morphology and calcium motility were assessed by single cell fluorescence microscopy. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot analysis were performed to characterize RICH2 induced expression changes in the genes related to mitochondrial dynamics, mitogenesis and mitochondrial function. We found that RICH2 expression was higher in oligodendroglioma than in astrocytoma and was correlated with better prognosis and higher epilepsy rate in patients. The expression of mitochondria may be associated with clinical DLGG-related epilepsy and reduced by RICH2 overexpression. And RICH2 could promote DLGG-related epilepsy in tumorigenic nude mice. RICH2 overexpression decreased calcium flow and the mitochondria released from glioma cells (SW1088 and U251) into the extracellular environment, potentially via downregulation of MFN-1/MFN-2 levels which suggests reduced mitochondrial fusion. In addition, we observed decreased mitochondrial trafficking into neurons (released from glioma cells and trafficked into neurons), which could explain the higher incidence of DLGG-related epilepsy due to reduced neuroprotection. Furthermore, RICH2 downregulated MAPK/ERK/HIF-1 pathway. In conclusion, these results suggest that RICH2 could promote epilepsy by (i) inhibiting mitochondrial fusion via MFN downregulation and Drp-1 upregulation; (ii) altering the MAPK/ERK/Hif-1 signaling axis. RICH2 may be a potential target in the treatment of DLGG-related epilepsy. • Gliomas could release mitochondria extracellular and traffic into the neuron. • RICH2 can downregulate mitochondria fusion but upregulate mitochondria fission. • RICH2 could promote epilepsy by influencing mitochondrial dynamics. • RICH2 is a tumor suppressor while contribute to epileptogenicity in gliomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiroplasma eriocheiris is one of the major pathogenic bacteria in crustaceans, featuring high infectivity, rapid transmission, and an absence of effective control strategies, resulting in significant economic losses to the aquaculture industry. Research into virulence-related factors provides an important perspective to clarify how Spiroplasma eriocheiris is pathogenic to shrimps and crabs. Therefore, in this study, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) technology was utilized to undertake a differential proteomic analysis of high- and low-virulence Spiroplasma eriocheiris strains at different growth phases. A total of 868 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were obtained, of which 31 novel proteins were identified by proteogenomic analysis. There were 62, 61, 175, and 235 DEPs between the log phase (YD) and non-log phase (YFD) of the high-virulence strain, between the log phase (CD) and non-log phase (CFD) of the low-virulence strain, between YD and CD, and between CFD and YFD, respectively. All the DEPs were compared with virulence protein databases (MvirDB and VFDB), and 68 virulence proteins of Spiroplasma eriocheiris were identified, of which 12 were involved in a total of 21 metabolic pathways, including motility, chemotaxis, growth, metabolism and virulence of the bacteria. The results of this study form the basis for further research into the molecular mechanism of virulence and physiological differences between high- and low-virulence strains of Spiroplasma eriocheiris , and provide a scientific basis for a detailed understanding of its pathogenesis. • Comparative proteomics was used to investigate high- and low-virulence S. eriocheiris strains at different growth phases. • A total of 868 DEPs were obtained, of which 31 novel proteins were identified by iTRAQ and LC-MS/MS. • All the DEPs were compared with MvirDB and VFDB, and 68 virulence proteins of S. eriocheiris were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological studies have linked ambient pollutants with tuberculosis (TB) risk, but the association has not been fully understood. Here, for the first time, we applied whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to assess the reproductive state of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) by profiling the mutation rate of MTB (MTBMR) during within-host endogenous reactivated progression, intending to dissect the actual effects of ambient pollutants on the endogenous reactivation. We conducted a retrospective cohort study on bacteriologically confirmed TB patients and followed them for relapse in Jiangsu and Sichuan Province, China. Endogenous and exogenous activation were distinguished by WGS of the pathogen. The average concentration of air pollution was estimated by considering a lag of 0–1 to 0–12 months. We applied a generalized additive model with a Poisson function to evaluate the relationships between ambient pollutants exposure and MTBMR. In the single-pollutant adjusted models, the maximum effect for PM 10 (MTBMR increase: 81.87%, 95% CI: 38.38, 139.03) and PM 2.5 (MTBMR increase: 73.91%, 95% CI: 22.17, 147.55) was observed at a lag of 0–12 months for every 10 μg/m³ increase. For SO 2 , the maximum effect was observed at lag 0–8 months, with MTBMR increasing by 128.06% (95% CI: 45.92, 256.44); and for NO 2 , the maximum effect was observed at lag 0–9 months, with MTBMR increasing by 124.02% (95% CI: 34.5, 273.14). In contrast, the O 3 concentration was inversely associated with MTBMR, and the maximum reduction of MTBMR was 6.18% (95% CI: −9.24, −3.02) at a lag of 0–9 months. Similar results were observed for multi-pollutant models. Increased exposure to ambient pollutants (PM 10 , PM 2.5 , SO 2 , and NO 2) contributed to a faster MTBMR, indicating that MTB exhibits increased reproductive activity, thus accelerating within-host endogenous reactivation. O 3 exposure could decrease the MTBMR, suggesting that MTB exerts low reproductive activity by inhibiting within-host endogenous activation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In aquaculture production, out-of-season spawning is beneficial to solve the seasonal shortage of fry that are normally produced once annually by species such as largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), thereby implementing year-round fry production. Maintaining low temperature over a period of several months can delay largemouth bass ovarian development, but it can cause severe stress to their reproductive function, leading to decreased fertility during out-of-season spawning. Feeding with antioxidants is one of the most effective methods to alleviate the negative effects of low temperature stress. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to: (a) evaluate the changes in oocyte morphology, antioxidant capacity, reproductive hormone-related index, cell apoptosis and autophagy during the out-of-season spawning of largemouth bass, and (b) to investigate the protective effect of the antioxidant resveratrol on this fish during out-of-season spawning from May through August. The study was divided into two groups (three replicates per group, 2000 fish per replicate): control group (Control) (exposure to water temperature of 12–17 °C) and resveratrol supplementation group (Res) (exposure to water temperature of 12–17 °C and fed with 200 mg/kg resveratrol). The results show that: (1) The serum hormones LH and E2 increased first and then remained unchanged, and the ovarian section showed that the ovary remained in stage IV. (2) In the process of off-season reproduction, a large number of follicles experienced follicular atresia, accompanied by endoplasmic reticulum expansion, nuclear chromatin condensation and mitochondrial swelling, which was relieved after feeding resveratrol. (3) Resveratrol decreased the ovarian ROS content and improved the activities of CAT and other antioxidant enzymes in the ovary and liver to some extent. (4) Resveratrol reduced the level of pro-apoptotic (Bax , Caspase3 , Caspase8 , Caspase9) and autophagy-related components (LC3-B , Beclin-1) while increasing the transcription level of anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2) factors. These findings suggest that resveratrol alleviates some adverse effects of largemouth bass during out-of-season spawning to some extent and provide a model for efficient and high-quality out-of-season spawning. • Resveratrol increase the antioxidant capacity of the body. • Resveratrol reduces the occurrence of follicular atresia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grass carp reovirus (GCRV) is the most virulent agent to Grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella , and causes a severe infectious disease called hemorrhagic disease of grass carp. Generally, barbel chub, Squaliobarbus curriculus , a genetically closely related species to grass carp, exhibits significant resistance against GCRV infection compared to grass carp. To investigate whether the Toll-like receptor 22 ( tlr22 ) has got a vital role against the GCRV infection, the full cDNA sequence of tlr22 from barbel chub ( Sctlr22 ) was cloned by RACE-PCR, and the structure and expression feature were studied. The complete cDNA sequence of Sctlr22 has a size of 3504 bp, encoding for 960 amino acid residues. Sctlr22 possesses typical structural features of the tlrs family, including 19 leucine rich repeats (LRRs), a transmembrane (TM) and a Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that barbel chub Tlr22 was clustered together with the Tlr22 of grass carp ( Citlr22 ). Structurally, barbel chub Tlr22 have two different structure in LRRs domain and TIR domain with grass carp (Susceptible to GCRV), but was similar to that of Danio rerio and Cyprinus carpio (Resistance to GCRV). Quantitative RT-PCR analysis has shown that Sctlr22 is prominently expressed in immune relevant tissues such as head kidney and spleen. After GCRV infection, Sctlr22 expression level was up-regulated in four tested tissues and the highest expression of Sctlr22 appeared fast and higher than Citlr22 . The interferon-β ( ifn-β ) expression level in CIK cells over-expressing fused cDNA encoding the LRR domain of Sctlr22 to the transmembrane and TIR domain of Citlr22 was significantly higher than that cells overexpressing Citlr22 after GCRV infection. The virus titer was significantly reduced compared to Citlr22 over-expressing cells. These results suggested that Sctlr22 seems to play a vital role in the immune response against GCRV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vast diffusion of social networks has made an unprecedented amount of user-generated data available, increasing the importance of Aspect Based Sentiment Analysis(ABSA) when extracting sentiment polarity. Although recent research efforts favor the use of self attention networks to solve the ABSA task, they still face difficulty in extracting long distance relations between non-adjacent words, especially when a sentence has more than one aspect. We propose the BERT-MAM model which approaches the ABSA task as a memory activation process regulated by memory decay and word similarity, implying that the importance of a word decays over time until it is reactivated by a similarity boost. We base experiments on the less commonly used Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), to achieve competitive results in the Laptop and Restaurant datasets. • Aspect Based Sentiment Analysis. • Activation weighted memory. • Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers. • Memory decay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quenching, harvesting, and extraction protocol was optimized for cardiomyocytes NMR metabonomics analysis in this study. Trypsin treatment and direct scraping cells in acetonitrile were compared for sample harvesting. The results showed trypsin treatment cause normalized concentration increasing of phosphocholine and metabolites leakage, since the trypsin-induced membrane broken and long term harvesting procedures. Then the intracellular metabolite extraction efficiency of methanol and acetonitrile were compared. As a result, washing twice with phosphate buffer, direct scraping cells and extracting with acetonitrile were chosen to prepare cardiomyocytes extracts samples for metabonomics studies. This optimized protocol is rapid, effective, and exhibits greater metabolite retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The QM, firstly identified as a putative tumor suppressor gene from human, has been confirmed to possess varieties of functions in a range of organisms. In the present study, the cDNA that encodes a 220-amino-acid QM protein with calculated molecular mass of 25.5 kDa and isoelectric point of 10.07 was characterized from the Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence of LvQM revealed that it contained a series of conserved functional motifs. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) results showed that the transcript of LvQM was extensively distributed in the tissues under investigation and most highly expressed in gill. After challenged with Vibrio anguillarum, the LvQM transcripts were significantly increased (P < 0.05) both in hepatopancreas and hemocytes in the early experimental phase. When LvQM was knocked down by RNA interference (RNAi), the transcript of prophenoloxidase (proPO) and the phenoloxidase activity (PO) in shrimp hemolymph were dramatically decreased, while the mortality was significantly increased. Furthermore, the recombinant LvQM protein (rLvQM) was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3)-pLysS. Injecting the purified rLvQM mixed with V. anguillarum markedly increased the clearance rate of bacteria and PO activity in the shrimp hemolymph. Hence, we conclude that LvQM was involved in the host defense of L. vannamei, probably as a positive regulator to phenoloxidase activity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Most existing trackers are based on using a classifier and multi-scale estimation to estimate the target state. Consequently, and as expected, trackers have become more stable while tracking accuracy has stagnated. While trackers adopt a maximum overlap method based on an intersection-over-union (IoU) loss to mitigate this problem, there are defects in the IoU loss itself, that make it impossible to continue to optimize the objective function when a given bounding box is completely contained within/without another bounding box; this makes it very challenging to accurately estimate the target state. Accordingly, in this paper, we address the above-mentioned problem by proposing a novel tracking method based on a distance-IoU (DIoU) loss, such that the proposed tracker consists of target estimation and target classification. The target estimation part is trained to predict the DIoU score between the target ground-truth bounding-box and the estimated bounding-box. The DIoU loss can maintain the advantage provided by the IoU loss while minimizing the distance between the center points of two bounding boxes, thereby making the target estimation more accurate. Moreover, we introduce a classification part that is trained online and optimized with a Conjugate-Gradient-based strategy to guarantee real-time tracking speed. Comprehensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves competitive tracking accuracy when compared to state-of-the-art trackers while with a real-time tracking speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Rice kernels of a transgenic high-amylose rice line and its wild type were examined by a high-resolution X-ray microtomography (XMT) and an environmental scanning electron microscope. Two-dimensional (2-D) cross-sectional images and 3-D objects from XMT were reconstructed and analyzed to elucidate their structural features. The lack of two isoforms of starch branching enzyme, termed SBEI and SBEIIb in high-amylose rice (HAR), resulted in a distinctly different grain inner density than wild-type rice (WTR). HAR had smaller, elongated starch granules with air spaces inside the kernels resulting in an opaque grain, whereas WTR had a tight endosperm with little air space and polygonal starch granules. XMT allowed a full 3-D characterization of the rice kernel structure and revealed that air space distribution was not uniform in the HAR kernel. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]