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Summary Long terminal repeat retroelements (LTR‐REs) have profound effects on DNA methylation and gene regulation. Despite the vast abundance of LTR‐REs in the genome of Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis), an industrial crop in underdeveloped countries, their precise implication of the LTR‐RE mobility in stress response and development remains unknown. We investigated the RNA and DNA products of LTR‐REs in Moso bamboo under various developmental stages and stressful conditions. Surprisingly, our analyses identified thousands of active LTR‐REs, particularly those located near genes involved in stress response and developmental regulation. These genes adjacent to active LTR‐REs exhibited an increased expression under stress and are associated with reduced DNA methylation that is likely affected by the induced LTR‐REs. Moreover, the analyses of simultaneous mapping of insertions and DNA methylation showed that the LTR‐REs effectively alter the epigenetic status of the genomic regions where they inserted, and concomitantly their transcriptional competence which might impact the stress resilience and growth of the host. Our work unveils the unusually strong LTR‐RE mobility in Moso bamboo and its close association with (epi)genetic changes, which supports the co‐evolution of the parasitic DNAs and host genome in attaining stress tolerance and developmental robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plantago lanceolata has been increasingly cultivated in recent years as a forage crop due to its high feeding quality, good adaptability and medicinal benefits. Between 2015 and 2023, Alternaria leaf spot (ALS), appearing as reddish‐brown necrotic spots with a greyish white to pale brown centre, was commonly observed in two forage germplasm nurseries of P. lanceolata of Sichuan Province, China. Initially, 139 Alternaria strains were isolated from leaf lesions, and then identified using the identity of rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences in the NCBI database and the similarity of morphological characteristics. By pure culture technique, six representative isolates were finally obtained for the present study. Based on both multilocus phylogeny (SSU, LSU, ITS, gapdh, rpb2, tef1, endoPG, OPA10‐2, alt a 1, KOG1058 and KOG1077) and morphology, four Alternaria species were identified: three new records of A. alternata, A. arborescens species complex and A. gossypina on this host in China, belonging to section Alternaria, and a new species of section Porri, namely, A. lanceolatae sp. nov. Pathogenicity tests by inoculation on both detached leaves and whole plants revealed that A. lanceolatae was the most important causal agent of ALS, while the other three species were nonpathogenic to P. lanceolata. This study characterized a novel pathogenic Alternaria species of section Porri from P. lanceolata in China and could contribute as useful research for possible ALS management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease characterized by persistent activation of immune cells and overproduction of autoantibodies. The accumulation of senescent T and B cells has been observed in SLE and other immune‐mediated diseases. However, the exact mechanistic pathways contributing to this process in SLE remain incompletely understood. In this study, we found that in SLE patients: (1) the frequency of CD4+CD57+ senescent T cells was significantly elevated and positively correlated with disease activity; (2) the expression levels of B‐lymphoma‐2 (BCL‐2) family and interferon‐induced genes (ISGs) were significantly upregulated; and (3) in vitro, the cytokine IL‐15 stimulation increased the frequency of senescent CD4+ T cells and upregulated the expression of BCL‐2 family and ISGs. Further, treatment with ABT‐263 (a senolytic BCL‐2 inhibitor) in MRL/lpr mice resulted in decreased: (1) frequency of CD4+CD44hiCD62L−PD‐1+CD153+ senescent CD4+ T cells; (2) frequency of CD19+CD11c+T‐bet+ age‐related B cells; (3) level of serum antinuclear antibody; (4) proteinuria; (5) frequency of Tfh cells; and (6) renal histopathological abnormalities. Collectively, these results indicated a dominant role for CD4+CD57+ senescent CD4+ T cells in the pathogenesis of SLE and senolytic BCL‐2 inhibitor ABT‐263 may be the potential treatment in ameliorating lupus phenotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is often considered one of the most destructive bacterial pathogens causing bacterial leaf blight (BLB), resulting in significant yield and cost losses in rice. In this study, a series of novel derivatives containing the isopropanolamine moiety linked to various substituted phenols and piperazines were designed, synthesized and screened. RESULTS: Antibacterial activity results showed that most compounds had good inhibitory effects on Xoo, among which compound W2 (EC50 = 2.74 μg mL−1) exhibited the most excellent inhibitory activity, and W2 also had a certain curative effect (35.89%) on rice compared to thiodiazole copper (TC) (21.57%). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results indicated that compound W2 could cause rupture of the Xoo cell membrane. Subsequently, proteomics and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction revealed that compound W2 affected the physiological processes of Xoo and may exert antibacterial activity by targeting the two‐component system pathway. Interestingly, W2 upregulated Xoo's methyltransferase to impact on its pathogenicity. CONCLUSION: The present study offers a promising phenolic‐piperazine‐sopropanolamine compound as an innovative antibacterial strategy by specifically targeting the two‐component system pathway and inducing upregulation of methyltransferase to effectively impact Xoo's pathogenicity. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a chronic relapsing disease, psoriasis is characterized by widespread skin lesions. The Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) is the most frequently utilized tool for evaluating the severity of psoriasis in clinical practice. Nevertheless, long‐term monitoring and precise evaluation pose difficulties for dermatologists and patients, which is time‐consuming, subjective and prone to evaluation bias. To develop a deep learning system with high accuracy and speed to assist PASI evaluation, we collected 2657 high‐quality images from 1486 psoriasis patients, and images were segmented and annotated. Then, we utilized the YOLO‐v4 algorithm to establish the model via four modules, we also conducted a human‐computer comparison through quadratic weighted Kappa (QWK) coefficients and intra‐class correlation coefficients (ICC). The YOLO‐v4 algorithm was selected for model training and optimization compared with the YOLOv3, RetinaNet, EfficientDet and Faster_rcnn. The model evaluation results of mean average precision (mAP) for various lesion features were as follows: erythema, mAP = 0.903; scale, mAP = 0.908; and induration, mAP = 0.882. In addition, the results of human‐computer comparison also showed a median consistency for the skin lesion severity and an excellent consistency for the area and PASI score. Finally, an intelligent PASI app was established for remote disease assessment and course management, with a pleasurable agreement with dermatologists. Taken together, we proposed an intelligent PASI app based on the image YOLO‐v4 algorithm that can assist dermatologists in long‐term and objective PASI scoring, shedding light on similar clinical assessments that can be assisted by computers in a time‐saving and objective manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The efficacy and safety of ainuovirine+lamivudine+tenofovir (ANV+3TC+TDF) and efavirenz+lamivudine+tenofovir (EFV+3TC+TDF) have been confirmed in previous clinical trials; however, there are no related studies on patient‐reported outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of these 2 antiretroviral therapy regimens and to understand the patient's symptom experience and subjective experience of sleep quality through patient‐reported outcomes. Methods: This is a single‐center prospective cohort study with 243 patients evaluated from October 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. Virological effectiveness and patient‐reported outcomes results were analyzed. The primary endpoint was the proportion of HIV viral load <50 copies/mL (virological suppression rate) at 48 weeks and the changes in the HIV symptom index and Pittsburgh sleep quality index. Results: The virological suppression rates in the ANV+3TC+TDF and EFV+3TC+TDF groups were 83.6% (102/122) and 87.6% (106/121), respectively, at 48 weeks. In the ANV+3TC+TDF group, the scores of HIV symptom index and pittsburgh sleep quality index in the 48th week were lower than the baseline level (p < 0.05). Logistic regression results showed that the baseline regimen EFV+3TC+TDF was a risk factor for dizziness/lightheadedness (odds ratio = 3.153, 95% confidence interval: 1.473–6.748, p = 0.003), sadness/depression odds ratio = 2.404, 95% confidence interval:1.188–4.871, p = 0.015), and difficulty sleeping (odds ratio = 2.802, 95% confidence interval: 1.437–5.463, p = 0.002) at 48 weeks. Conclusions: Both regimens showed good virological effectiveness; however, compared with ANV+3TC+TDF, the EFV+3TC+TDF regimen reduced the prevalence of HIV‐related symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intangible capital is an important growth driver in the modern knowledge‐based and innovation‐driven economy. While there seems to be sufficient support for the role of intangible capital from developed economies, evidence from fast‐growing developing countries is much more limited. This paper explores the heterogeneous pattern and potential determinants of firm‐level intangible capital investment in Vietnam. We found that firm size, human capital, and information and communication technology increase the likelihood to invest in intangible capital. Additionally, an inverted‐U shaped relation is identified between market competition and intangible capital investment: Moderate levels of market competition induce firms in Vietnam to invest more in innovative activities, but the effect of stronger competition diminishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

P53 gene mutation is one of the important causes in tumors. p53‐MDM2 (murine double minute 2) inhibitors can interrupt p53‐dependent gene transcription activity, and inhibit p53‐mediated apoptosis, block p53‐MDM2/MDMx interaction, and significantly reduce DNA formation. In this article, we focused on the synthesis methods about nutlins and other p53 small molecule inhibitors, in order to find potential new structure for novel p53 small molecule inhibitor synthesizing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study aimed to identify the characteristics of unipolar and bipolar electrogram (UniEGM and BiEGM) in guiding successful ablation of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) originating from the free wall of the ventricular aspect of the tricuspid annulus (TA). We hypothesized that the negative concordance pattern (NCP) on the onset of UniEGM and BiEGM, together with the least value of the difference between the earliest BiEGM and UniEGM dV/dTmax, might improve the accuracy of conventional mapping. Methods and Results: Thirty consecutive patients who underwent successful catheter ablation from February 2018 to July 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The BiEGM and UniEGM for successful ablation sites were compared with those for non‐successful ablation sites. Among the 30 patients, 30 successful and 26 nonsuccessful ablation sites were compared. The earliest activation time of the BiEGM (BiEGMoneset‐QRS) was 25 ± 6 ms for the successful ablation sites and 21 ± 6 ms for the nonsuccessful ablation sites (p =.47). The value of the difference in the earliest BiEGM and UniEGM dV/dTmax differed between successful and nonsuccessful ablation sites (6.4 ± 3.6 ms vs. 10.4 ± 6.8 ms). NCP was observed at 90.0% and 42.3% of the successful and nonsuccessful ablation sites, respectively. Alignment of NCP and BiEGMonset‐UniEGM ≤6 ms was applied as the mapping criterion for successful PVC suppression (73.1% sensitivity and 87.7% specificity). The area under the receiver‐operating characteristic curve for this cutoff was 0.85. Conclusion: Mapping based on an NCP at the onset of the BiEGM and UniEGM and the least difference value of the earliest BiEGM and UniEGM dV/dTmax had an excellent predictive value for successful ablation. These strategies may reduce the number of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) applications for free‐wall tricuspid annular PVCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prospective studies examining long‐term therapeutic outcomes of the Bictegravir/Emtricitabine/Tenofovir Alafenamide (BIC/FTC/TAF) regimen in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remain limited. This study assessed the actual efficacy and safety of BIC/FTC/TAF in HIV‐infected individuals in southwest China. Methods: This was a single‐center, prospective study enrolling ART‐naïve (n = 32) and ART‐experienced (n = 177) HIV‐infected patients administered BIC/FTC/TAF treatment between March 2022 and August 2022. The data were collected until February 28, 2023. Virological reactions and adverse events to the treatment were recorded, and patient subjective feelings in the form of Electronic Patient Reporting Outcome (ePRO) were collected. The primary endpoint was the rate of patients with HIV viral load <50 copies/mL at Week 24. Results: At Week 24, 87.5% and 95.5% of ART‐naïve and ART‐experienced HIV patients had a viral load <50 copies/mL, respectively. CD4 cell counts in ART‐naïve and ART‐experienced patients increased significantly by 163.5 cells/μL (p =.002) and 55.0 cells/μL (p =.022), respectively. By Week 24, no patients had discontinued the BIC/FTC/TAF treatment due to adverse events. Based on ePRO data, ART‐naïve and ART‐experienced patients at Week 24 had stable disease symptom burden, quality of life, and depression level after treatment with BIC/FTC/TAF. Conclusion: BIC/FTC/TAF reduces the viral load in ART‐naïve patients with high viral load as well as ART‐experienced patients with residual viremia. The patient's subjective experience was maintained stable after treatment with BIC/FTC/TAF. This study also revealed a very low incidence for BIC/FTC/TAF drug‐related side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has documented the immediate negative impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on household and business consumption, but there is still limited investigation into the medium‐term effects in specific consumption categories. This paper addresses this gap using a vector autoregression analysis of a system of aggregated consumer final demand across Australia. We highlight the importance of studying a demand system, as opposed to investigating independent consumption categories, due to the interactive evolution of consumption during the pandemic. Modelling the paths of various consumption categories in response to shocks from one another, we find that, despite the large and abrupt shocks to consumption during the first two quarters of 2020, most categories reverted to pre‐COVID levels when restrictions were lifted. Importantly, transportation had the largest and most persistent decline. Overall, shocks to sectors other than food, alcohol and education were outside the counterfactual forecast confidence intervals estimated based on pre‐COVID information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a new measure of the tradability of 120+ commodities based on price dispersion. This approach is used to construct price indices of tradables and non‐tradables for 150+ countries. The expenditure share of tradables is lower for richer countries, while the relative price of non‐tradables, which plays an important role in the determination of real exchange rates, is higher. Secondly, a common‐factor approach (based on principal components) is introduced to compress the large volume of information on prices and quantities consumed globally. We find that cross‐commodity correlations are higher for prices than for consumption. In addition, income is responsible for most of the variation in the first principal component of consumption but explains less of the first price component. This suggests consumption are driven primarily by domestic factors, while prices are determined by factors outside the country, along the lines of the Purchasing Power Parity theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reviews the literature on the residence after retirement via Systematic Literature Network Analysis, which consists of the systematic literature review and bibliometric network analysis. There are three research questions, including (1) what the most recent studies are on the residence after retirement, (2) Who the most significant authors, documents, and sources are in residence after retirement, and (3) whether the extant research structure could guide the future agenda for the residence after retirement. Based on the systematic literature review, this study extracts 50 publications from the Scopus database by keyword, document type, source type, publication period, language, and subject area relevant to the residence after retirement. This study analyzes data employing Nvivo, VOSviewer, and SciMAX. The clusters of authors, countries, keywords, documents, and sources linked with relevant studies on the residence after retirement are according to the co‐authorship (1) author, (2) country/territory, (3) keyword, and (4) document. Skitmore, M., Xia, B., Buys, I., Hu, X., Hu, Y., and Chen, Q. who the most influential authors are in residence after retirement. The themes of aging, continuing care retirement community, retirement village, and their associated keywords contribute to future research on the residence after retirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiblock copolymers are envisioned as promising materials with enhanced properties and functionality compared with their diblock/triblock counterparts. However, the current approaches can construct multiblock copolymers with a limited number of blocks but tedious procedures. Here, we report a thioester‐relayed in‐chain cascade copolymerization strategy for the easy preparation of multiblock copolymers with on‐demand blocks, in which thioester groups with on‐demand numbers are built in the polymer backbone by controlled/living polymerizations. These thioester groups further serve as the in‐chain initiating centers to trigger the acyl group transfer ring‐opening polymerization of episulfides independently and concurrently to extend the polymer backbone into multiblock structures. The compositions, number of blocks, and block degree of polymerization can be easily regulated. This strategy can offer easy access to a library of multiblock copolymers with ≈100 blocks in only 2 to 4 steps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the centre of the multi‐dimensional impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic, the shortage of medical supplies in countries with weaker healthcare systems significantly reduced the effectiveness of national and international public health interventions. Using a database of test‐kit trade flows and barriers, we estimate the price responsiveness of test‐kit demand in a global sample of countries. These estimates allow us to investigate the degree to which import tariffs by leading producers could result in a disruption in global supply chains, price increases, and welfare loss. Simulation experiments indicate that the combination of rising demand for test kits and import dependence magnifies the impact of trade barriers on consumer welfare and this impact is more profound for developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SARS‐CoV‐2, the virus that caused the COVID‐19 pandemic, can remain viable and infectious on surfaces for days, posing a potential risk for fomite transmission. Liquid‐based disinfectants, such as chlorine‐based ones, have played an indispensable role in decontaminating surfaces but they do not provide prolonged protection from recontamination. Here a safe, inexpensive, and scalable membrane with covalently immobilized chlorine, large surface area, and fast wetting that exhibits long‐lasting, exceptional killing efficacy against a broad spectrum of bacteria and viruses is reported. The membrane achieves a more than 6 log reduction within several minutes against all five bacterial strains tested, including gram‐positive, gram‐negative, and drug‐resistant ones as well as a clinical bacterial cocktail. The membrane also efficiently deactivated nonenveloped and enveloped viruses in minutes. In particular, a 5.17 log reduction is achieved against SARS‐CoV‐2 after only 10 min of contact with the membrane. This membrane may be used on high‐touch surfaces in healthcare and other public facilities or in air filters and personal protective equipment to provide continuous protection and minimize transmission risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two dinuclear Ni (II) and Zn (II) salamo‐type complexes, [Ni2(L)(μ‐OAc)(MeOH)]·2CHCl3 (1) and [{Zn2(L)(μ‐OMe)}3]·3CHCl3·MeOH (2), have been successfully synthesized by wet‐chemical method and characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectra, UV–Vis spectra and single crystal X‐ray diffraction. Complex 1 consists of two closely related dinuclear units 1A and 1B, and complex 2 consists of three closely related dinuclear units 2A, 2B and 2C. The five units are unique example of crystallographically independent but chemically identical molecules. The Ni (II) atoms of complex 1 are located in the N2O4 coordination cavities, possessing six‐coordinated distorted octahedral geometries, but all Zn (II) atoms in complex 2 are located in the N2O3 coordination cavities, possessing five‐coordinated distorted square‐pyramid and triangular bipyramid geometries, the geometries about the Zn (II) atoms (Zn3 and Zn6) that obtain in 2B and 2C where τ5 is very close to 0.500, which is τ5Zn3 = 0.5006 and τ5Zn6 = 0.4941, respectively. The interactions were quantitatively determined by Hirshfeld surfaces analyses. Significantly, fluorescence properties were also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The pathogen cereal cyst nematode (CCN) is deleterious to Triticeae crops and is a threat to the global crop yield. Accession no. 1 of Aegilops variabilis, a relative of Triticum aestivum (bread wheat), is highly resistant to CCN. Our previous study demonstrated that the expression of the phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) gene AevPAL1 in Ae. variabilis is strongly induced by CCN. PAL, the first enzyme of phenylpropanoid metabolism, is involved in abiotic and biotic stress responses. However, its role in plant–CCN interaction remains unknown. In the present study, we proved that AevPAL1 helps to confer CCN resistance through affecting the synthesis of salicylic acid (SA) and downstream secondary metabolites. The silencing of AevPAL1 increased the incidence of CCN infection in roots and decreased the accumulation of SA and phenylalanine (Phe)‐derived specialized metabolites. The exogenous pre‐application of SA also improved CCN resistance. Additionally, the functions of PAL in phenylpropanoid metabolism correlated with tryptophan decarboxylase (TDC) functioning in tryptophan metabolism pathways. The silencing of either AevPAL1 or AevTDC1 exhibited a concomitant reduction in the expression of both genes and the contents of metabolites downstream of PAL and TDC. These results suggested that AevPAL1, possibly in coordination with AevTDC1, positively contributes to CCN resistance by altering the downstream secondary metabolites and SA content in Ae. variabilis. Moreover, AevPAL1 overexpression significantly enhanced CCN resistance in bread wheat and did not exhibit significant negative effects on yield‐related traits, suggesting that AevPAL1 is valuable for the genetic improvement of CCN resistance in bread wheat. Significance Statement: The cereal cyst nematode (CCN) constrains wheat yield and yet few CCN‐resistant genes have been reported in wheat. The use of genes from wheat relatives is an efficient strategy to improve wheat CCN resistance. AevPAL1 from Aegilopsvariabilis was found to play an essential role in CCN resistance through coordinately functioning with AevTDC1 to affect salicylic acid and phenylalanine‐derived metabolite biosynthesis. The overexpression of AevPAL1 in bread wheat enhanced CCN resistance without significant yield penalty, suggesting that AevPAL1 is valuable for genetic improvement in CCN resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newly designed hetero‐dinuclear 3d–4f complex [Cu(L)La (NO3)2(μ‐NO3)(H2O)]·EtOH (1), hetero‐tetranuclear 3d–4f complex [Cu(L)Ce (NO3)2(μ‐NO3)(OAc)2]2·MeOH (2) and hetero‐multinuclear 3d–4f complexes [{Cu(L)Ln (NO3)3}2][Cu(L)Ln (NO3)3]2 (Ln = Pr (3) and Nd = (4)) have been self‐assembled from the reaction of Cu (OAc)2·H2O, Ln (NO3)3·6H2O (Ln = La, Ce, Pr and Nd) with an unsymmetric salamo‐like bisoxime ligand H2L (6‐Methoxy‐6′‐ethoxy‐2,2′‐[ethylenedioxybis (nitrilomethylidyne)]diphenol) based on a Schiff base condensation of 2‐[O‐(1‐ethoxyamide)]oxime‐6‐methoxyphenol and 3‐ethoxysalicylaldehyde. The structures of complexes 1–4 were characterized by elemental analyses, PXRD analyses, IR, UV–Vis spectra, and single‐crystal X‐ray analyses. In addition, the supramolecular interactions and fluorescence properties of complexes 1–4 are discussed in detail. Moreover, the antioxidant activities of the complexes 1–4 were determined by superoxide radical‐scavenging method in vitro, which indicates that the complexes 1–4 all show potential antioxidant properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: Hull‐less barley provides health benefits, but it is not consumed widely because of its poor processing performance and eating quality of end products. In this study, cookies from 23 whole hull‐less barley varieties including waxy and ordinary types were prepared, and its nutritional composition, in vitro digestibility, and textural properties were evaluated. Findings: Wide variations were observed in the properties of different cookies. Waxy cookies were higher in protein and β‐glucan contents (10.08% and 5.46%) than ordinary ones (8.27% and 3.83%, respectively), but lower in equilibrium concentration of hydrolysis (C∞), glycemic index (GI), rapidly digestible starch (RDS), and resistant starch (RS) contents which corresponded to its higher crystallinity and more number of crystalline peaks. Besides, waxy cookies tended to be more crispy, hard, and chewy than ordinary ones. Correlation analyses indicate that amylose and total starch positively influenced starch hydrolysis, but negatively affected cookie texture. Conversely, both protein and β‐glucan corresponded with a low estimated GI and high textural parameters. Conclusions: Waxy cookies retained higher nutritional value and potential health benefits. Meanwhile, waxy cookies gained desirable sensory properties as well as ordinary ones. Significance and novelty: The major components of barley grain significantly influenced the nutritional value, in vitro starch digestibility, and texture of 100% whole hull‐less barley cookies, and waxy type could be more beneficial to human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waxy barley referred to as low‐amylose or amylose‐free has special advantages in nutrition composition and food processing. Waxy gene encoding granule–bound starch synthase I (GBSSI) is responsible for amylose synthesis in barley. The G3935‐to‐T in Waxy gene has been previously found in amylose–free barley. In this study, G3935‐to‐T was proved to co‐segregate with the waxy phenotype of barley, but has no obvious effect on GBSSI catalytic activity and starch chain length distribution. However, recombinant inbred lines with G3935‐to‐T in Waxy gene are of significant modification in starch granules morphology and pasting properties, increase of grain β‐glucan content, and decrease of thousand kernel weight along with lower kernel width. A polymerase chain reaction with confronting two–pair primers marker was developed for economic and efficient screening of G3935‐to‐T. This study provides the basis for cultivar improvement of waxy barley then fully developing its potential value and utility in food processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three different perfluorinated type polymers as anion exchange membranes for electrochemical applications were studied. They have a sulfonamide linkage to a spacer methylene chain attached to a tri‐methyl ammonium cation, specifically using a three carbon spacer chain (PFAEM_H_C3), and methylated imide polymers with three (PFAEM_CH3_C3) and six carbon spacer chain (PFAEM_CH3_C6). There are significant number of zwitterionic side chains in the PFAEM_H_C3 polymer and very few in the PFAEM_CH3_C3 or the PFAEM_CH3_C6 polymer. They have similar halide conductivity, but the PFAEM_CH3_C6 showed highest OH− conductivity, 122 mS cm−1 at 80 °C and 95% RH. The larger spacer chain polymer, PFAEM_CH3_C6 has a higher water uptake value (λ = 9) compared to PFAEM_CH3_C3(λ = 7) at 60 °C and 95% RH in the Cl− form. Therefore, it has a larger domain spacing of 4.9 nm versus 4.1 nm from small angle X‐ray scattering data. The polymer was characterized by FTIR and DFT was used to fully assign the spectra. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019, 57, 700–712 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a common disturbing complication of intra‐articular fractures. Its prevention and treatment are still difficult as its pathogenesis is unclear. It was reported that PDGFRα+ muscle cells in skeletal muscle may participate in the formation of HO; however, the specific mechanism is still unknown. This study investigated the function of miR‐19b‐3p in osteogenic differentiation of PDGFRα+ muscle cells. MiR‐19b‐3p was upregulated during PDGFRα+ muscle cell osteogenic differentiation. The exogenous expression of miR‐19b‐3p led to an increase in osteogenic marker gene transcription and translation during the osteogenic differentiation of PDGFRα+ muscle cells. Furthermore, both alkaline phosphatase and alizarin red staining increased in miR‐19b‐3p mimic transfected cells. Over‐expression of miR‐19b‐3p led to the down‐regulation of gene of phosphate and tension homology deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN). Additionally, the dual luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that PTEN was a direct target of miR‐19b‐3p. The increase of osteocalcin, osteopontin, and Runt‐related transcription factor 2 protein levels induced by ectopic miR‐19b‐3p expression could be partially reversed by PTEN over‐expression. In conclusion, our results suggested that miR‐19b‐3p may be a promising target in inhibiting PDGFRα+ muscle cell osteogenic differentiation and treatment of HO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N2-Selective autocatalytic ditriazolylation reactions of cyclopropenones and tropone with N1-sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles are reported for the first time. In contrast to previous methods for preparing N2-substituted bis(1,2,3-triazolyl) compounds, the present reaction achieved ditriazolylation in one step under simple and user-friendly conditions with a wide substrate scope. A plausible mechanism has been proposed relying on preliminary mechanistic investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an effort to reduce costs, a systematic optimization approach is proposed to address the energy consumption of dividing-wall columns (DWCs). This iterative optimization procedure begins by minimizing the overall heat duty using an innovative objective function within a constrained design space. A sensitivity analysis is then carried out on the manipulated variables to obtain their optimal ranges. Optimal operating parameters are obtained through the evaluation of the total annualized cost (TAC). For the separation process of benzene/toluene/ o-xylene, the optimal DWC flow sheet exhibits a significant decrease in TAC when compared to conventional flow sheet optimum designs. The applied optimization method and sensitivity analysis have proven to produce results at the global optimum. This method is both practical and easily applied to other systems, even to systems with more than three components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last two decades, cationic polymers have become one of the most promising synthetic vectors for gene transfection. However, the weak interactions formed between DNA and cationic polymers result in low transfection efficacy. Furthermore, the polyplexes formed between cationic polymers and DNA generally exhibit poor stability and toxicity because of the large excess of cationic polymer typically required for complete DNA condensation. Herein, we report the preparation of a novel class of bioreducible cationic nanomicelles by the use of disulfide bonds to connect the cationic shell to the fluorocarbon core. These bioreducible nanomicelles form strong interactions with DNA and completely condense DNA at an N/P ratio of 1. The resulting nanomicelle/DNA polyplexes exhibited high biocompatibility and performed very effectively as a gene-delivery system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of phenylene vinylene macrocycles (PVMs) bearing substituents with various sizes and electronic properties have been synthesized through a one-step acyclic diene metathesis macrocyclization approach and their aggregation behaviors have been investigated. In great contrast to the aggregation of the analogous phenylene ethynylene macrocycles, which aggregate only when substituted with electron-withdrawing groups, these PVMs undergo exceptionally strong aggregation, regardless of the electron-donating or -withdrawing characters of the substituents. The unusual aggregation behavior of the PVMs is further investigated with thermodynamic and computer modeling studies, which show a good agreement with the recently proposed direct through-space interaction model, rather than the polar/π model. The high aggregation tendency of PVMs suggests the great potential of this novel class of shape-persistent macrocycles in a variety of applications, such as ion channels, host-guest recognition, and catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly stable permanently interlocked aryleneethynylene molecular cages were synthesized from simple triyne monomers using dynamic alkyne metathesis. The interlocked complexes are predominantly formed in the reaction solution in the absence of any recognition motif and were isolated in a pure form using column chromatography. This study is the first example of the thermodynamically controlled solution-phase synthesis of interlocked organic cages with high stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil N mineralization is critical for designing appropriate N management strategies, though it has been seldom studied in plastic-mulched croplands. We evaluated plastic mulch effect on N mineralization in urea-amended furrow-ridge plots with and without maize (Zea mays L.) planting at a semiarid rain-fed site, China. Clear film covered all soil surfaces in the mulched treatments and maize was seeded in furrows in the cropped treatments. Mulch increased daytime soil temperature in the 0 to 15 cm throughout the season without maize but only in the seedling and elongation stages with maize, compared with no mulch. Mulch increased soil moisture in the whole season without maize but only in the early growth with maize, compared with no mulch in 2011. However, the mulch influence on soil moisture was independent on the presence of maize in 2012. Compared with non-mulched soils, N mineralization rate increased in mulched soils throughout the season in 2011 and 2012. By harvest, in 2011 total N mineralized averaged 112 kg ha-1 in mulched soils, contrasting to 54 kg N ha-1 immobilized in non-mulched soils; in 2012 total N mineralization was 348 kg ha-1 in mulched soils whereas it was 116 kg ha-1 in non-mulched soils. Maize increased N mineralization in the tasseling and silking stages compared with no maize. However, the mulch effect on N mineralization rate was independent on the presence of maize. We concluded that plastic mulch increased N mineralization in urea-amended soils by increasing soil temperature and moisture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shape-persistent covalent organic polyhedrons (COPs) with ethynylene linkers are usually prepared through kinetically controlled cross-coupling reactions. The high-yielding synthesis of ethynylene-linked rigid tetrameric cages via one-step alkyne metathesis from readily accessible triyne precursors is presented. The tetrameric cage contains two macrocyclic panels and exhibits D2 h symmetry. The assembly of such a COP is a thermodynamically controlled process, which involves the initial formation of macrocycles as key intermediates followed by the connection of two macrocycles with ethynylene linkages. With a large internal cavity, the cage exhibits a high binding selectivity toward C70 ( K=3.9×103 L mol−1) over C60 (no noticeable binding). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alleviating the hydrothermal limitations to growth, clear film fully mulched ridge-furrow (FMRF) cropping significantly improves maize (Zea mays L.) grain yield on the Loess Plateau of China. Major concerns for FMRF cropping are the stability of maize productivity and whether the system is detrimental to the soil organic C (SOC) balance under changed hydrothermal conditions. We investigated the effects of maize production with FMRF and its effect on SOC concentration for five consecutive years from 2008 to 2012. Three treatments were imposed: no mulch (narrow ridges with the crop sown beside the ridges), half mulch (the same as no mulch, except the narrow ridges were mulched), and full mulch (i.e., FMRF; alternate narrow and wide ridges, all mulched, with maize in furrows). The 5-yr average of the grain yield was 3.8 Mg ha-1 under no mulch. Half and full mulch increased the grain yield by 68 and 102%, respectively, relative to no mulch. Root biomass was 69 and 104% greater under half and full mulch, respectively, than no mulch. The maize yield and biomass differed among years depending on the growing-season precipitation and its distribution, but the increased yield and biomass from mulching was consistent in all years. The mulch stimulated SOC mineralization and enzymatic activity but had no effect on light (density <1.8 g cm-3) and total SOC concentrations compared with no mulch. We conclude that increased SOC mineralization under FMRF was offset by increased SOC addition; FMRF cropping increased maize productivity without detriment to the SOC balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though great attention has been paid in constructing well-defined nano-structures via the self-assembly of amphiphilic macromolecules, the self-assembly of non-amphiphilic macromolecules in nanodroplet has drawn less attention up to now. Recently, we prepared a temperature-responsive PEG-based branched polymer with disulfide bonds in its backbone via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of 2-(2-methoxyethoxy) ethyl methacrylate, oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate, and N,N′-cystamine bisacrylamide. Subsequently, we loaded the branched polymer into nanodroplets, and have found that the self-assembly behaviors of this branched poly­mer in the nanodroplet are different from those in common solution. Bioreducible nanocapsules with tunable size can easily formed in nanodroplet even at high concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the efficiency of perforator pedicled propeller flaps for soft tissue coverage of lower leg and foot defects. Methods Twenty patients (12 male, 8 females; mean age 28 years, range, 5-75) with soft tissue defects of the lower leg and foot were retrospectively reviewed. Their defects had been repaired with perforator pedicled propeller flaps from September 2011 to October 2013 and included five cases of injuries caused by spokes, four of infection with postoperative skin necrosis, two of dorsal skin defects caused by heavy objects and nine caused by car accidents. The areas of soft tissue defect were from 2 cm × 8 cm to 10 cm × 20 cm. Fifteen cases had terminal branch of the peroneal artery perforator flaps and five posterior tibia artery perforator flaps, flap size ranging from 5 cm × 11 cm to 12 cm × 28 cm. Color Doppler ultrasound was used to locate all perforator vessels, the calibers of which ranged from 0.8 mm to 1.0 mm. Results The intraoperative coincidence rate of the color Doppler ultrasound was 96.7%. The donor sites were sutured directly in 12 cases and skin grafted in 8. One case had a venous crisis within 24 h that was treated by removal some sutures and drainage. All cases were followed up for 1-18 months; all flaps survived well and pedicles had a satisfactory appearance. The patients were extremely satisfied with the results for repair. Conclusion Perforator pedicled propeller flaps have the advantages over other pedicle flap of being simple, safe, and effective and not involving vascular anastomosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lily symptomless virus ( LSV) and Arabis mosaic virus ( Ar MV) cause severe losses of quantity and quality of lily flower and bulb production. Specificity, sensitivity and speed of detection methods for viruses need to be improved greatly to prevent LSV and Ar MV from spreading from infected lilies. A dual IC- RT- PCR procedure for detection was developed in which the antibodies of LSV and Ar MV were mixed and the mixture used to coat the PCR tubes. The particles of the two viruses were captured by the respective antibodies. Interference by other RNA viruses in infected lily was eliminated in the RT- PCR. Also, an RNA extraction step was omitted. The dual IC- RT- PCR products of LSV and Ar MV were 521 bp and 691 bp, respectively. The specificity of the method was validated; only LSV and Ar MV of four viruses were detected by dual IC- RT- PCR. The sensitivity of the detection method is 1 mg leaf tissue and higher than DAS- ELISA due to enrichment by dual immunocapture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A versatile one-pot strategy for the preparation of reversibly cross-linked polymer-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) via surface reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization is presented for the first time in this paper. The less reactive monomer oligo(ethylene glycol) acrylate (OEGA) and the more reactive cross-linker N,N′-cystaminebismethacrylamide (CBMA) are chosen to be copolymerized on the external surfaces of RAFT agent-functionalized MSNs to form the cross-linked polymer shells. Owing to the reversible cleavage and restoration of disulfide bonds via reduction/oxidation reactions, the polymer shells can control the on/off switching of the nanopores and regulate the drug loading and release. The redox-responsive release of doxorubicin (DOX) from this drug carrier is realized. The protein adsorption, in vitro cytotoxicity assays, and endocytosis studies demonstrate that this biocompatible vehicle is a potential candidate for delivering drugs. It is expected that this versatile grafting strategy may help fabricate satisfying MSN-based drug delivery systems for clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol acetyltransferase ( AATase), which is mainly encoded by ATF 1, is one of the most important enzymes for acetate ester synthesis. On the other hand, isoamyl acetate is degraded into a higher alcohol under the catalysis of IAH 1-encoded esterase. In this study, Chinese Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used as the parent strain to construct an ATF 1 overexpression and IAH1 disruption mutant. The results show that after 5 days of pre-fermentation, the concentrations of ethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate and isobutyl acetate in the yellow rice wines fermented with EY1 ( pUC-PIAK) increased to 468.94 mg L−1 (which is approximately 22-fold higher than that of the parent cell RY1), 99.86 and 7.69 mg L−1 respectively. Meanwhile, isoamyl alcohol production was reduced to 56.37 mg L−1 (which is approximately 50% of that produced by the parent strain RY1). Therefore, ATF1 overexpression and IAH1 disruption can significantly increase acetate esters contents and reduce isoamyl alcohol content in Chinese yellow rice wine, thereby paving the way for breeding an excellent yeast strain for high-quality Chinese yellow rice wine production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral compounds are very important in drug development, organic synthesis, materials science, toxicology, or environmental chemistry. Therefore, for creating new drugs, several methods have been suggested in recent years. In several laboratories in the world, some new methods for the derivations of the parameters were constructed and used for studies on quantitative structure-activity/property relationships of chiral molecules. The algorithms reviewed in this paper involve Zargeb group chiral indices, chiral molecular connectivity index, chiral topological charge index, chiral Am index, chiral indices based on the matrixes, chiral indices based on chiral product, conformation-independent chirality code, conformation-dependent chirality code, quantitative two-dimensional chirality degrees of benzenoids, and so on. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To examine the role of microRNA-142-3p/5p (miR-142-3p/5p) in the development of autoimmunity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods MicroRNA-142-3p/5p expression levels were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and potential target genes were verified using luciferase reporter gene assays. The effects of miR-142-3p/5p on T cell function were assessed by transfection with miR-142-3p/5p inhibitors or mimics. Histone modifications and methylation levels within a putative regulatory region of the miR-142 locus were detected by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay and bisulfite sequencing, respectively. Results We confirmed that miR-142-3p and miR-142-5p were significantly down-regulated in SLE CD4+ T cells compared with healthy controls and observed that miR-142-3p/5p levels were inversely correlated with the putative SLE-related targets signaling lymphocytic activation molecule-associated protein (SAP), CD84, and interleukin-10 (IL-10). We demonstrated that miR-142-3p and miR-142-5p directly inhibit SAP, CD84, and IL-10 translation, and that reduced miR-142-3p/5p expression in CD4+ T cells can significantly increase protein levels of these target genes. Furthermore, inhibiting miR-142-3p/5p in healthy donor CD4+ T cells caused T cell overactivation and B cell hyperstimulation, whereas overexpression of miR-142-3p/5p in SLE CD4+ T cells had the opposite effect. We also observed that the decrease in miR-142 expression in SLE CD4+ T cells correlated with changes to histone modifications and DNA methylation levels upstream of the miR-142 precursor sequence. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that reduced expression of miR-142-3p/5p in the CD4+ T cells of patients with SLE causes T cell activity and B cell hyperstimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study by Sha Zhao and colleagues to identify microRNA genes with abnormal expression in the CD4+ T cells in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and to determine the role of microRNA-126 (miR-126) in the etiology of SLE. It was concluded that miR-126 regulates DNA methylation in CD4+ T cells and contributes to T cell autoreactivity in SLE by directly targeting DNA methyltransferase 1 (Dnmt1).

The interaction between recombinant Fab57P and the coat protein of tobacco mosaic virus was studied using quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) method. The development of quantitative multivariate model has shown to be a promising approach for unraveling protein–protein interactions by designed mutations in peptide sequence. This approach makes it possible to stereo-chemically determine which residue properties contribute most to the interaction. A set of side-chain descriptors was proposed and applied in structural characterization of three positions (positions 142, 145 and 146) in the peptide antigen. Quantitative sequence–kinetics relationship (QSKR) models describing the dissociation rates (log kd) were developed successfully using orthogonal signal correction–partial least squares method. The results showed that peptides will have high log kd values when the amino acids in position 142 and 145 have high net charge index, and when residue 145 has high hydrophobicity and residue 146 has low hydrophobicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]