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RNA regulates various biological processes, such as gene regulation, RNA splicing, and intracellular signal transduction. RNA's conformational dynamics play crucial roles in performing its diverse functions. Thus, it is essential to explore the flexibility characteristics of RNA, especially pocket flexibility. Here, we propose a computational approach, RPflex, to analyze pocket flexibility using the coarse-grained network model. We first clustered 3154 pockets into 297 groups by similarity calculation based on the coarse-grained lattice model. Then, we introduced the flexibility score to quantify the flexibility by global pocket features. The results show strong correlations between the flexibility scores and root-mean-square fluctuation (RMSF) values, with Pearson correlation coefficients of 0.60, 0.76, and 0.53 in Testing Sets I–III. Considering both flexibility score and network calculations, the Pearson correlation coefficient was increased to 0.71 in flexible pockets on Testing Set IV. The network calculations reveal that the long-range interaction changes contributed most to flexibility. In addition, the hydrogen bonds in the base–base interactions greatly stabilize the RNA structure, while backbone interactions determine RNA folding. The computational analysis of pocket flexibility could facilitate RNA engineering for biological or medical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable auxiliary devices for visually impaired people are highly attractive research topics. Although many proposed wearable navigation devices can assist visually impaired people in obstacle avoidance and navigation, these devices cannot feedback detailed information about the obstacles or help the visually impaired understand the environment. In this paper, we proposed a wearable navigation device for the visually impaired by integrating the semantic visual SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) and the newly launched powerful mobile computing platform. This system uses an Image-Depth (RGB-D) camera based on structured light as the sensor, as the control center. We also focused on the technology that combines SLAM technology with the extraction of semantic information from the environment. It ensures that the computing platform understands the surrounding environment in real-time and can feed it back to the visually impaired in the form of voice broadcast. Finally, we tested the performance of the proposed semantic visual SLAM system on this device. The results indicate that the system can run in real-time on a wearable navigation device with sufficient accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of the targets of anti-viral compounds are hot topics in the field of pesticide research. Various efficient anti-TMV (Tobacco Mosaic Virus) compounds, such as Ningnanmycin (NNM), Antofine (ATF), Dufulin (DFL) and Bingqingxiao (BQX) are available. However, the mechanisms of the action of these compounds on targets remain unclear. To further study the mechanism of the action of the anti-TMV inhibitors, the TMV coat protein (TMV CP) was expressed and self-assembled into four-layer aggregate disks in vitro, which could be reassembled into infectious virus particles with TMV RNA. The interactions between the anti-TMV compounds and the TMV CP disk were analyzed by size exclusion chromatography, isothermal titration calorimetry and native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis methods. The results revealed that assembly of the four-layer aggregate disk was inhibited by NNM; it changed the four-layer aggregate disk into trimers, and affected the regular assembly of TMV CP and TMV RNA. The four-layer aggregate disk of TMV CP was little inhibited by ATF, DFL and BQX. Our results provide original data, as well as new strategies and methods, for research on the mechanism of action of anti-viral drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Religious Openness Hypothesis, the religious and psychological openness of American Christians is obscured by a defensive ghettoization of thought associated with a Religious Fundamentalist Ideological Surround and can be discovered instead within a Biblical Foundationalist Ideological Surround. A test of this claim examined Religious Fundamentalism, Biblical Foundationalism, Quest, and Multidimensional Quest Scales in 432 undergraduates. Christian Religious Reflection, Religious Schema, and Religious Orientation measures clarified these two ideological surrounds. Partial correlations controlling for Biblical Foundationalism described a Religious Fundamentalist Ideological Surround that more strongly rejected Quest and that more generally displayed a failure to integrate faith with intellect. Partial correlations controlling for Religious Fundamentalism revealed a Biblical Foundationalist Ideological Surround that was more open to Quest and that offered numerous demonstrations of an ability to unite faith with intellect. These data supplemented previous investigations in demonstrating that Christianity and other traditional religions have ideological resources for promoting a faithful intellect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV), a new virus from Fiji, has seriously damaged rice crops in southern China and northern Vietnam in recent years. This virus is difficult to diagnose in the early stages of infection, and is very destructive at the late stage. In the present study, a dot immunobinding assay (DIBA) that has a high sensitivity for diagnosing SRBSDV was developed. Two kinds of treatment for the DIBA were evaluated to determine the most effective one for removing chlorophyll interferences via rice extraction. The first included several reagents to remove chlorophyll, namely, the alkaline reagents like magnesium oxide and alumina oxide, the adsorbent reagents like activated carbon and bentonite, as well as the extraction agent acetone. The second and third treatments, which were used to remove chlorophyll in blot membrane-nitrocellulose and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), included several organic solvents containing methanol, ethanol, acetone, ethyl acetate, and diethyl ether. The results showed that activated carbon and methanol yielded the best contrasting purple color for the infected samples by decreasing the chlorophyll content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from 4-chlorobenzoic acid, 10 new 5-(4-chlorophenyl)-N-substituted-N- 1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-sulfonamide derivatives were synthesized in six-steps. Esterification of 4-chlorobenzoic acid with methanol and subsequent hydrazination, salt formation and cyclization afforded 5-(4-chlorophen-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-thiol (5). Conversion of this intermediate into sulfonyl chloride 6, followed by nucleophilic attack of the amines gave the title sulfonamides 7a-7j whose structures were confirmed by NMR, IR and elemental analysis. The bioassay tests showed that compounds 7b and 7i possessed certain antitobacco mosaic virus activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV) has spread from the south of China to the north of Vietnam in the past few years and severely influenced rice production. Its long incubation period and early symptoms are not evident; thus, controlling it is difficult. Chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) is a green plant immunomodulator. Early studies showed that preventing and controlling SRBSDV have a certain effect and reduce disease infection rate, but its underlying controlling and preventing mechanism is unclear. In this study, label-free proteomics was used to analyze differentially expressed proteins in rice after COS treatment. The results showed that COS can up-regulate the plant defense-related proteins and down-regulate the protein expression levels of SRBSDV. Meanwhile, quantitative real-time PCR test results showed that COS can improve defense gene expression in rice. Moreover, COS can enhance the defense enzymatic activities of peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase through mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascade pathway, and enhance the rice disease resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sixteen novel pyrazole acyl thiourea derivatives 6 were synthesized from monomethylhydrazine (phenylhydrazine) and ethyl acetoacetate. The key 5-chloro-3- methyl-1-substituted-1H-pyrazole-4-carbonyl chloride intermediates 4 were first generated in four steps through cyclization, formylation, oxidation and acylation. Thess were then reacted with ammonium thiocyanate in the presence of PEG-400 to afford 5-chloro-3- methyl-1-substituted-1H-pyrazole-4-carbonyl isothiocyanates 5. Subsequent reaction with fluorinated aromatic amines resulted in the formation of the title compounds. The synthesized compound were unequivocally characterized by IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and elemental analysis and some of the synthesized compounds displayed good antifungal activities against Gibberella zeae, Fusarium oxysporum, Cytospora mandshurica and anti-TMV activity in preliminary antifungal activity tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diseases caused by southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV) and rice ragged stunt virus (RRSV) considerably decrease grain yield. Therefore, determining rice cultivars with high resistance to SRBSDV and RRSV is necessary. In this study, rice cultivars with high resistance to SRBSDV and RRSV were evaluated through field trials in Shidian and Mangshi county, Yunnan province, China. SYBR Green I-based quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis was used to quantitatively detect virus gene expression levels in different rice varieties. The following parameters were applied to evaluate rice resistance: acre yield (A.Y.), incidence of infected plants (I.I.P.), virus load (V.L.), disease index (D.I.), and insect quantity (I.Q.) per 100 clusters. Zhongzheyou1 (Z1) and Liangyou2186 (L2186) were considered the most suitable varieties with integrated higher A.Y., lower I.I.P., V.L., D.I. and I.Q. features. In order to investigate the mechanism of rice resistance, comparative label-free shotgun liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) proteomic approaches were applied to comprehensively describe the proteomics of rice varieties' SRBSDV tolerance. Systemic acquired resistance (SAR)-related proteins in Z1 and L2186 may result in the superior resistance of these varieties compared with Fengyouxiangzhan (FYXZ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteosarcoma (OS), also known as osteogenic sarcoma, is the most common primary malignancy of bone tumor in children and adolescents. However, its underlying molecular pathogenesis is still only vaguely understood. Recently, LIM mineralization protein-1 (LMP-1) was reported to be an essential positive regulator of osteoblast differentiation. In the present study, we found that the expression of LMP-1 is downregulated in OS tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. Moreover, we restored the expression of LMP-1 through a recombinant adenovirus. Overexpression of LMP-1 inhibited cell proliferation and invasion, arrested cell cycle progression, and induced apoptosis in vitro. Finally, ectopic LMP-1 expression suppressed the expression of Runx2 and BMP-2 in OS cells. These data demonstrate that LMP-1 is an essential tumor suppressor in the OS pathological process, which will provide a new opportunity for discovering and identifying novel effective treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent prostate cancer (PCa) genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified rs103294, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located on LILRA3, a key component in the regulation of inflammatory inhibition, to be significantly associated with PCa risk in a Chinese population. Because inflammation may be a common etiological risk factor between PCa and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), the current study was conducted to investigate the association of rs103294 with BPH risk. rs103294 was genotyped in a Chinese population of 426 BPH cases and 1,008 controls from Xinhua Hospital in Shanghai, China. Association between rs103294, BPH risk and clinicopathological traits were tested with adjustment for age. rs103294 was significantly associated with BPH risk with a p-value of 0.0067. Individuals with risk allele "C" had increased risk for BPH (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.09-1.66). Stratified analysis revealed a stronger association risk for younger patients who are below 72 years old (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.06-2.16). Our study represents the first effort to demonstrate that LILRA3 gene is significantly associated with BPH risk in a Chinese population. Our results support a common role of inflammation in the development of PCa and BPH. Additional studies are needed to further evaluate our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outbreaks of the southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV) have caused significant crop losses in southern China in recent years, especially in 2010. There are no effective, quick and practicable methods for the diagnosis of rice dwarf disease that can be used in the field. Traditional reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) methodology is accurate but requires expensive reagents and instruments, as well as complex procedures that limit its applicability for field tests. To develop a sensitive and reliable assay for routine laboratory diagnosis, a rapid dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (dot-ELISA) method was developed for testing rice plants infected by SRBSDV. Based on anti-SRBSDV rabbit antiserum, this new dot-ELISA was highly reliable, sensitive and specific toward SRBSDV. The accuracy of two blotting media, polyvinylidene fluoride membrane (PVDF membrane) and nitrocellulose filter membrane (NC membrane), was compared. In order to facilitate the on-site diagnosis, three county laboratories were established in Shidian (Yunnan province), Jianghua (Hunan Province) and Libo (Guizhou province). Suspected rice cases from Shidian, Yuanjiang and Malipo in Yunnan province were tested and some determined to be positive for SRBSDV by the dot-ELISA and confirmed by the One Step RT-PCR method. To date, hundreds of suspected rice samples collected from 61 districts in southwestern China have been tested, among which 55 districts were found to have rice crops infected by SRBSDV. Furthermore, the test results in the county laboratories showed that Libo, Dehong (suspected samples were sent to Shidian) and Jianghua were experiencing a current SRBSDV outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]