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Summary: Sorghum, the fifth largest cereal crop, has high value as a staple food and raw material for liquor and vinegar brewing. Due to its high biomass and quality, it is also used as the second most planted silage resource. No fragrant sorghums are currently on the market. Through CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated knockout of SbBADH2, we obtained sorghum lines with extraordinary aromatic smell in both seeds and leaves. Animal feeding experiments showed that fragrant sorghum leaves were attractable. We believe this advantage will produce great value in the sorghum market for both grain and whole biomass forage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the analysis of an AIDS dataset where each patient is characterized by a list of symptoms and is labeled with one or more TCM syndromes. The task is to build a classifier that maps symptoms to TCM syndromes. We use the minimum reference set-based multiple instance learning (MRS-MIL) method. The method identifies a list of representative symptoms for each syndrome and builds a Gaussian mixture model based on them. The models for all syndromes are then used for classification via Bayes rule. By relying on a subset of key symptoms for classification, MRS-MIL can produce reliable and high quality classification rules even on datasets with small sample size. On the AIDS dataset, it achieves average precision and recall 0.7736 and 0.7111, respectively. Those are superior to results achieved by alternative methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the protective role of microRNA-30b (miR-30b) in ischemia–reperfusion (I/R)-induced injury in rat H9C2 cardiomyocytes. H9C2 cells were subjected to hypoxia–reoxygenation (H/R) treatment to simulate ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury. H9C2 cells were divided into: vehicle control (VC) group; scrambled inhibitors (INC) group; scrambled mimics (MNC) group; H/R + VC group; H/R + INC group; H/R + mimics group. H/R induced apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry and the pathways involved in miR-30b-mediated protection were examined by analyzing the expression of miR-30b, Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-3, KRAS, p-AKT and total AKT in H9C2 cells. Overexpression of miR-30b mimic (H/R + mimics group) significantly increased Bcl-2 and Bcl-2/Bax levels and decreased Bax and Caspase-3 levels, compared with the H/R + VC group (all P < 0.05). Consistent with this, the apoptosis rate was significantly decreased in the H/R + mimics group ( P < 0.05) compared with the H/R + VC group. Western blot analysis revealed that overexpression of miR-30b mimic resulted in significantly increase in AKT activation and decreased KRAS, compared to the H/R + VC group (both P < 0.05). In conclusion, the H/R induced apoptosis decreased miR-30b expression, but over-expression of miR-30b inhibited H/R induced apoptosis. The observed miR-30b-mediated protection against H/R induced apoptosis involved the upregulation of Ras–PI3K–Akt pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among people living with HIV (PLHIV) was challenging. The study aimed to develop and validated a simple, convenient screening model for prioritizing TB among PLHIV.Methods: The study included eligible adult PLHIV participants who attended health care in Yunnan, China, from January 2016 to July 2019. Participants included before June 2018 were in the primary set; others were in the independent validation set. The research applied the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression to identify predictors associated with bacteriological confirmed PTB. The TB nomogram was developed by multivariate logistic regression. The C-index, receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test (H-L), and the calibration curves were applied to evaluate and calibrate the nomogram. The developed nomogram was validated in the validation set. The clinical usefulness was assessed by cutoff analysis and decision curve analysis in the primary set.Result: The study enrolled 766 PLHIV, of which 507 were in the primary set and 259 in the validation set, 21.5% and 14.3% individuals were confirmed PTB in two sets, respectively. The final nomogram included 5 predictors: current CD 4 cell count, the number of WHO screen tool, previous TB history, pulmonary cavity, and smoking status (p < 0.05). The C-statistic was 0.72 (95% CI 0.66-0.77) in primary set and 0.68 (95% CI 0.58-0.75) in validation set, ROC performed better than other models. The nomogram calibration was good (H-L χ2 = 8.14, p = 0.15). The area under the decision curve (0.025) outperformed the existing models. The optimal cutoff for screening TB among PLHIV was the score of 100 (sensitivity = 0.93, specificity = 0.35).Conclusion: The study developed and validated a discriminative TB nomogram among PLHIV in the moderate prevalence of TB and HIV. The easy-to-use and straightforward nomogram would be beneficial for clinical practice and rapid risk screening in resource-limited settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) underpins most intelligent transportation systems and given the open nature of the wireless communication environment, edge nodes in the VANET are subject to varying levels of attacks. While there are a large number of conditional privacy-preserving authentication protocols in the literature, most of these protocols (whose security is guaranteed by classical cryptographic primitives) are not designed to resist quantum attacks. In this paper, we propose a lattice-based conditional privacy-preserving authentication protocol for VANETs, designed to simultaneously achieve mutual authentication and privacy protection. We also show that our protocol is secure in the random oracle model, relying on the small integer solution problem. Additionally, we demonstrate the potential utility of our protocol by evaluating its performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several surveys have reported that patients treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist (GnRH-ant) protocol showed a significantly lower rate of implantation and clinical pregnancy compared to GnRH agonist (GnRH-a) protocol during in vitro fertilization-fresh embryo transfer. Subsequent studies imputed this poor outcome to the negative effects of GnRH-ant on endometrial receptive. However, the mechanisms were not fully understood. Methods: The clinical data of 2815 patients undergoing fresh embryo transfer in our center were analyzed. Human endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) from healthy women undergoing elective pregnancy termination of a normal pregnancy at 8–10 weeks gestation were treated with GnRH-analogs or imatinib (c-kit receptor inhibitor). CCK8 and Flow cytometry were used to investigated the growth ability of ESCs. Immunofluorescence staining and western blot was used to detected the target proteins. Results: The clinical data showed that the endometrial thickness on HCG Day were significantly lower in GnRH-ant group. Although no difference of embryo quality in these two groups, GnRH-ant group showed remarkably decreased rate of HCG positive, embryo implantation and pregnancy. Moreover, GnRH-ant significantly reduced the proliferation and induced the apoptosis of ESCs. Furthermore, the expression and activation of c-kit receptor, which played pivotal roles during embryo implantation, were observably decreased by GnRH-ant. Inhibiting the activation of c-kit by imatinib remarkably suppressed the proliferation and promoted the apoptosis of ESCs. Additionally, the phosphorylation of AKT and expression of Cyclin D1, which were closely related with cellular growth, were distinctly lessened after treating with imatinib. Conclusions: In summary, our study showed that GnRH-ant weakened the activization of c-kit receptor by decreasing its expression, causing the impaired growth ability of ESCs. Our findings provided a new insight into the effects of GnRH-ant on endometrium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common pathological subtype of human kidney cancer with a high probability of metastasis. To understand the molecular processing essential for ccRCC tumorigenicity, we conducted an integrative in silico analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) ccRCC dataset and clustered randomly interspersed short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) screening dataset of ccRCC cell lines from Depmap. We identified spindle pole body component 24 homolog (SPC24) as an essential gene for ccRCC cell lines with prognostic significance in the TCGA database. Targeting SPC24 by CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated gene knockout attenuated ccRCC proliferation, metastasis, and in vivo tumor growth. Furthermore, we found that SPC24 regulates metastasis genes expression in a SRY‐box transcription factor 2 (SOX2)‐dependent manner. The anti‐proliferative effects of SPC24 knockout were strengthened with SOX2 knockdown. Collectively, our findings suggest SPC24 has a pivotal function in promoting ccRCC progression, providing a new insight for the treatment of ccRCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To query the experience of oral surgeons concerning referral routines and preferences for radiographic imaging modality before surgical removal of mandibular third molars and investigate factors that influence imaging modality preferences. Materials and methods: Members of the Swedish Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (n = 280) were invited to participate in a web-based digital survey concerning their experiences and use of three imaging modalities in pre-surgical assessment of mandibular third molar removal. The survey comprised multiple-choice questions and four cases depicted in images; respondents reported whether they would supplement the cases with other images and, if so, from which modality. Results: The response rate was 64%. Panoramic radiographs were most commonly used in pre-surgical planning (response options: always or often), significant difference between professions (p = 0.039), and considered to facilitate treatment planning (87%), as was CBCT (82%); for 51%, CBCT reduced post-operative complications. Preferred modality for localizing the mandibular canal was fairly evenly distributed and for non-complex case, significant difference between subgroups of OMFS surgeons was found (p = 0.003) as to preference for intraoral radiographs. Conclusions: A majority of respondents received a report within 2 weeks of their referral for CBCT and would read the report and view the images before surgery. Image modality preference differed depending on case complexity, with a greater perceived need for CBCT. Profession and practical experience affected choice. Clinical relevance: Choice of imaging modality in mandibular third molar assessment is also important from dose delivery and social economy standpoints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsoil contains a significant amount of soil organic carbon (SOC) in rice paddies, playing a crucial role in global carbon (C) cycling. However, the mechanisms driving SOC dynamics in topsoil and subsoil remain elusive, as the vertical distribution of soil microbes and their associated functions varies. In our study, we explored the linkages between SOC dynamics and microbial functions across different soil depths (0–10 cm for topsoil, and 10–20 and 20–30 cm for subsoil) within a framework of contrasting tillage managements, including conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT), and no-tillage (NT). In the topsoil, bacterial biosynthesis and degradation functions negatively contributed (P < 0.05) to SOC accumulation, whereas in the subsoil layers, these functions exhibited a positive effect. Notably, both partial least squares path modeling (PLSPM) and stepwise regression showed that bacterial biosynthesis and degradation functions exert a stronger influence on SOC accumulation than fungal functions. Metagenomic sequencing revealed that the cellulose degradation (K01179) and reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle (rTCA cycle) (K00174 and K00175) were main factors driving SOC variation in topsoil. Starch degradation (K00705 and K01187) and rTCA cycle (K00175 and K00031) contributed to 93 % of the SOC variation in subsoil. Therefore, the rTCA cycle contributed to SOC variation in paddy soil across 0–30 cm soil profile. Moreover, tillage management could influence the abundances of enzymes associated with starch degradation and rTCA cycle. The contrasting driving factors influencing SOC in topsoil and subsoil could be associated with soil microbial functions, which would response differently to tillage managements. • Soil depth significantly influences SOC, TN, and pH levels more than tillage practices. • Bacterial biosynthesis and degradation functions are found to negatively impact SOC accumulation in the topsoil, whereas they positively affect SOC in subsoil layers. • The reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle is a pivotal driver of SOC variation. • Fungal degradation functions positively contribute to SOC across all soil depths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To alleviate the reliance on expensive annotations, contrastive learning techniques have been applied to diagnose diseases from various types of medical images. However, popular contrastive learning methods, which generate positive pairs by random cropping, face challenges in diagnosing retinal diseases, due to the retinal disease's characteristic that retinal lesions are tiny and randomly distributed in abnormal fundus images. These lesions may be missed after random cropping, resulting in semantically inconsistent positive pairs that hinder the effectiveness of contrastive learning for retinal disease diagnosis. To address this issue, we propose a novel unsupervised gradient-weighted class activation mapping (Grad-CAM) strategy to roughly locate lesions, thereby suppressing or even eliminating semantically inconsistent positive pairs. Specifically, we develop a gradient-weighted Class Activation Map guided Contrastive Learning (CAMCL) method with two branches for the Grad-CAM based instance discrimination task and the k-nearest neighbors (KNN)-based cluster-wise discrimination task, respectively. By minimizing the KNN loss, the cluster-wise discrimination branch learns high-level representations containing class semantic information. This is then followed by gradient back-propagation to generate Grad-CAM heatmaps from unlabeled data. The generated heatmaps can highlight class-discriminative regions in abnormal fundus images (e.g., retinal lesions) to identify semantically consistent positive pairs while suppressing inconsistent ones. The semantically consistent positive pairs are then input to the instance discrimination task for contrastive learning. In this manner, the semantic inconsistency problem is relieved, and the improved contrastive learning pipeline can be effectively used for retinal disease diagnosis. Experimental results on five retinal disease classification datasets show that our model surpasses other contrastive learning methods, indicating a promising approach for clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The UAEE process parameters of PFP was optimized by RSM. • Two new polysaccharides of PFP1-1 and PFP2-1 were obtained from Paulownia flowers. • Structural characterization of PFP1-1 and PFP2-1 were performed. • PFP2-1 demonstrated superior antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities compared to PFP1-1. • Antioxidant and hypoglycemic capacity may be related to low M W and uronic acid. This study aimed to optimize the ultrasound-assisted enzymatic extraction (UAEE) process of Paulownia flowers polysaccharides (PFP) and investigate its antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities. The optimal extraction conditions were cellulase dosage 1.6 mg/g, liquid-solid ratio 27:1mL/g, ultrasonic power 230 W, temperature 51 °C, the PFP yield reached 5.50 % which was close to the predicted value of 5.59 %. Furthermore, the PFP was isolated and purified by DEAE-52 cellulose column and sephadex G-200 column to obtain two polysaccharide fractions, PFP1-1 and PFP2-1. The characteristics, antioxidant activity and hypoglycemic activity of PFP1-1 and PFP2-1 were analyzed. PFP1-1 with a molecular weight of 52.8 kDa was mainly composed of mannose and glucose (molar ratio1.00:5.05), and PFP2-1 with a molecular weight of 8.768 kDa was consisted of mannose, rhamnose, glucuronic acid, glucose (molar ratio 1.00:7.41:8.09:11.30). Compared to PFP1-1, the antioxidant activity assays showed that PFP2-1 exhibited stronger DPPH radical, hydroxyl radical and superoxide radical scavenging capacity and the inhibitory activities revealed that PFP2-1 could more effectively inhibit α-amylase and α-glucosidase, which might be attributed to the uronic acid and low molecular weight in PFP2-1. This work will provide a foundation for the efficient extraction of PFP and utilization for antioxidant agent and digestive enzymes inhibitor of diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• aCD19 Ab improved ovarian pathological structure and function of PCOS mice. • aCD19 Ab reduced splenic MZB cells and serum IgM level of PCOS mice. • aCD19 Ab reduced macrophage infiltration and TNF-α expression in ovaries of PCOS mice. • TNF-α promoted granulosa cell apoptosis. Immune dysregulation has been summarized as a critical factor in the occurrence and development of Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but potential mediators and mechanisms remain unclear. Our previous study showed that CD19+ B cells were involved in the pathogenesis of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)-induced PCOS mice. Here, we studied the therapeutic potential of anti-CD19 antibody (aCD19 Ab) on DHEA-induced PCOS mice. The results showed that aCD19 Ab treatment improved ovarian pathological structure and function of PCOS mice, manifested by an increased number of corpus luteum, a decreased number of cystic follicles and atretic follicles, and regular estrus cycles. The aCD19 Ab treatment reduced the proportion of splenic CD21+ CD23low marginal zone B cells as well as the level of serum IgM and decreased the percentage of peripheral blood and splenic neutrophils. In particular, aCD19 Ab treatment reduced the apoptosis of granulosa cells and macrophage infiltration in ovarian secondary follicles of PCOS mice, as well as the expression of TNF-α in ovarian tissue and serum TNF-α levels. Moreover, we confirmed that TNF-α induced the apoptosis of human ovarian granulosa tumor cell line cells in vitro. Thus, our work demonstrates that aCD19 Ab treatment improves ovarian pathological phenotype and function by reducing local and systemic inflammation in PCOS mice, which may provide a novel insight into PCOS therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Gallic acid has been widely used as an antioxidant in the food industry. • The health benefits of gallic acid make it a potential dietary supplement. • Gallic acid has a low bioavailability due to rapid absorption and metabolism. • Nanocarriers have been developed for the delivery of dietary gallic acid. • Gallic acid-induced drug interactions with conventional drugs need attention. Gallic acid (GA), a dietary phenolic acid with potent antioxidant activity, is widely distributed in edible plants. GA has been applied in the food industry as an antimicrobial agent, food fresh-keeping agent, oil stabilizer, active food wrap material, and food processing stabilizer. GA is a potential dietary supplement due to its health benefits on various functional disorders associated with oxidative stress, including renal, neurological, hepatic, pulmonary, reproductive, and cardiovascular diseases. GA is rapidly absorbed and metabolized after oral administration, resulting in low bioavailability, which is susceptible to various factors, such as intestinal microbiota, transporters, and metabolism of galloyl derivatives. GA exhibits a tendency to distribute primarily to the kidney, liver, heart, and brain. A total of 37 metabolites of GA has been identified, and decarboxylation and dihydroxylation in phase I metabolism and sulfation, glucuronidation, and methylation in phase Ⅱ metabolism are considered the main in vivo biotransformation pathways of GA. Different types of nanocarriers, such as polymeric nanoparticles, dendrimers, and nanodots, have been successfully developed to enhance the health-promoting function of GA by increasing bioavailability. GA may induce drug interactions with conventional drugs, such as hydroxyurea, linagliptin, and diltiazem, due to its inhibitory effects on metabolic enzymes, including cytochrome P450 3A4 and 2D6, and transporters, including P-glycoprotein, breast cancer resistance protein, and organic anion-transporting polypeptide 1B3. In conclusion, in-depth studies of GA on food industry applications, health benefits, bioavailability, nano-delivery systems, and drug interactions have laid the foundation for its comprehensive application as a food additive and dietary supplement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than half of all cancers demonstrate aberrant c-Myc expression, making this arguably the most important human oncogene. Deregulated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are also commonly implicated in tumorigenesis, and some limited examples have been established where lncRNAs act as biological tuners of c-Myc expression and activity. Here, we demonstrate that the lncRNA denoted c-Myc Enhancing Factor (MEF) enjoys a cooperative relationship with c-Myc, both as a transcriptional target and driver of c-Myc expression. Mechanistically, MEF functions by binding to and stabilizing the expression of hnRNPK in colorectal cancer cells. The MEF-hnRNPK interaction serves to disrupt binding between hnRNPK and the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM25, which attenuates TRIM25-dependent hnRNPK ubiquitination and proteasomal destruction. In turn, the stabilization of hnRNPK through MEF enhances c-Myc expression by augmenting the translation c-Myc. Moreover, modulating the expression of MEF in shRNA-mediated knockdown and overexpression studies revealed that MEF expression is essential for colorectal cancer cell proliferation and survival, both in vitro and in vivo. From the clinical perspective, we show that MEF expression is differentially increased in colorectal cancer tissues compared to normal adjacent tissues. Further, correlations exist between MEF, c-Myc, and hnRNPK suggesting the MEF-c-Myc positive feedback loop is active in patients. Together these data demonstrate that MEF is a pivotal partner of the c-Myc network and propose MEF as a valuable therapeutic target for colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microglial reactivity to injury and disease is emerging as a heterogeneous, dynamic, and crucial determinant in neurological disorders. However, the plasticity and fate of disease-associated microglia (DAM) remain largely unknown. We established a lineage tracing system, leveraging the expression dynamics of secreted phosphoprotein 1（ Spp1 ） to label and track DAM-like microglia during brain injury and recovery. Fate mapping of Spp1 + microglia during stroke in juvenile mice revealed an irreversible state of DAM-like microglia that were ultimately eliminated from the injured brain. By contrast, DAM-like microglia in the neonatal stroke models exhibited high plasticity, regaining a homeostatic signature and integrating into the microglial network after recovery. Furthermore, neonatal injury had a lasting impact on microglia, rendering them intrinsically sensitized to subsequent immune challenges. Therefore, our findings highlight the plasticity and innate immune memory of neonatal microglia, shedding light on the fate of DAM-like microglia in various neuropathological conditions. [Display omitted] • Spp1 + microglia exhibit context- and age-dependent heterogeneity in neuropathologies • Fate mapping of Spp1 + microglia reveals irreversible removal of DAM in juvenile stroke • Neonatal DAM exhibits remarkable plasticity and regain homeostasis as stroke resolves • Neonatal DAM retains immune memory and increased sensitivity to future immune insults The fate of disease-associated microglia (DAM) in neuropathologies remains elusive. Lan et al. generated an Spp1 fate-mapping model to track DAM-like microglia and find that the plasticity of DAM is age dependent. Juvenile stroke leads to the elimination of DAM, whereas neonatal DAM exhibits high plasticity and reversibility after injury, along with heightened sensitivity to subsequent immune challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formins are actin-binding proteins that are key to maintaining the actin cytoskeleton in cells. However, molecular mechanisms controlling the stability of formin proteins in plants remain unknown. Here, we have identified six rice SIAH-type E3 ligases, named RIP1-6 (RMD Interacting Protein 1–6) respectively, with ubiquitination enzyme activity in vitro. All six proteins can form homo- and hetero-dimers with themselves, and hetero-dimers with type II formin RMD/OsFH5. In vivo assays showed that RIP1-6 proteins localize in the cytoplasm with a punctate distribution, and all of them interact with RMD to change its native diffuse cytoplasmic localization to match that of RIP1-6. To our surprise, degradation experiments revealed that RIP1, RIP5, and RIP6 decrease rather than increase the degradation rate of RMD. Genetic analyses revealed redundancy between these six genes; either single or double mutants did not show any obvious phenotypes. However, the sextuple rip1-6 mutant displayed dwarf height, wrinkled seeds and wider leaves that were similar to the previously reported rmd mutant, and defective microfilaments and increased flag leaf angles that were not reported in rmd mutant. Collectively, our study provides insights into the mechanisms determining formin protein stability in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formins are actin-binding proteins that are key to maintaining the actin cytoskeleton in cells. However, molecular mechanisms controlling the stability of formin proteins in plants remain unknown. Here, we have identified six rice SIAH-type E3 ligases, named RIP1-6 (RMD Interacting Protein 1–6) respectively, with ubiquitination enzyme activity in vitro. All six proteins can form homo- and hetero-dimers with themselves, and hetero-dimers with type II formin RMD/OsFH5. In vivo assays showed that RIP1-6 proteins localize in the cytoplasm with a punctate distribution, and all of them interact with RMD to change its native diffuse cytoplasmic localization to match that of RIP1-6. To our surprise, degradation experiments revealed that RIP1, RIP5, and RIP6 decrease rather than increase the degradation rate of RMD. Genetic analyses revealed redundancy between these six genes; either single or double mutants did not show any obvious phenotypes. However, the sextuple rip1-6 mutant displayed dwarf height, wrinkled seeds and wider leaves that were similar to the previously reported rmd mutant, and defective microfilaments and increased flag leaf angles that were not reported in rmd mutant. Collectively, our study provides insights into the mechanisms determining formin protein stability in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reliable yellow phosphor converter that can be efficiently excited by a 405 nm bluish violet laser is in high demand for laser illumination applications. A NaAlSiO 4 :Eu2+ phosphor with a quantum efficiency reaching 92% was obtained using LTA zeolite as the raw material. NaAlSiO 4 :Eu2+ ceramics with suitable porosities for laser illumination were prepared from the phosphor powders via spark plasma sintering. The ceramics lost only 2% of the quantum efficiency compared to the powders, maintained good thermal quenching properties (30% drop at 150 °C), and showed good thermal conductivity (2.02 W‧m−1‧K−1). The NaAlSiO 4 :Eu2+ ceramic with 405 nm bluish violet lasers, with the increase in laser power density to 9.15 W/mm2, exhibited an increasing luminous flux (23.83–70.26 lm) and maintained a stable luminous efficacy (47.7–46.8 lm/W), and the temperature distribution of the ceramic remained uniform and stable under long-time laser irradiation. This indicates that the nepheline-phase NaAlSiO 4 :Eu2+ ceramic is a promising material for laser illumination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fast-response energy compensating feature from a superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) device is favored for suppressing instantaneous voltage fluctuations, while the self-triggering current limiting feature from a superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) suits to suits to achieve automatic load protections in the electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. This paper investigates a new DC voltage quality enhancing scheme by using a combined superconducting power technology employing SMES and SFCL devices. Preliminary simulations demonstrate the feasibility of this SMES-SFCL-based voltage quality improver to avoid the voltage fluctuations during the EV load transients and suppress the fault current effectively during the short circuits simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein S-acylation is an important post-translational modification in eukaryotes, regulating the subcellular localization, trafficking, stability, and activity of substrate proteins. The dynamic regulation of this reversible modification is mediated inversely by protein S-acyltransferases and de-S-acylation enzymes, but the de-S-acylation mechanism remains unclear in plant cells. Here, we characterized a group of putative protein de-S-acylation enzymes in Arabidopsis thaliana , including 11 members of Alpha/Beta Hydrolase Domain-containing Protein 17-like acyl protein thioesterases (ABAPTs). A robust system was then established for the screening of de-S-acylation enzymes of protein substrates in plant cells, based on the effects of substrate localization and confirmed via the protein S-acylation levels. Using this system, the ABAPTs, which specifically reduced the S-acylation levels and disrupted the plasma membrane localization of five immunity-related proteins, were identified respectively in Arabidopsis. Further results indicated that the de-S-acylation of RPM1-Interacting Protein 4, which was mediated by ABAPT8, resulted in an increase of cell death in Arabidopsis and Nicotiana benthamiana , supporting the physiological role of the ABAPTs in plants. Collectively, our current work provides a powerful and reliable system to identify the pairs of plant protein substrates and de-S-acylation enzymes for further studies on the dynamic regulation of plant protein S-acylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Due to climate change, drought has become a severe abiotic stress that affects the global production of all crops. Elucidation of the complex physiological mechanisms underlying drought tolerance in crops will support the cultivation of new drought‐tolerant crop varieties. Here, two drought‐tolerant lines, RIL70 and RIL73, and two drought‐sensitive lines, RIL44 and RIL93, from recombinant inbred lines (RIL) generated from maize drought‐tolerant line PH4CV and drought‐sensitive line F9721, were selected for a comparative RNA‐seq study. Through transcriptome analyses, we found that gene expression differences existed between drought‐tolerant and ‐sensitive lines, but also differences between the drought‐tolerant lines, RIL70 and RIL73. ZmbHLH124 in RIL73, named as ZmbHLH124T‐ORG which origins from PH4CV and encodes a bHLH type transcription factor, was specifically up‐regulated during drought stress. In addition, we identified a substitution in ZmbHLH124 that produced an early stop codon in sensitive lines (ZmbHLH124S‐ORG). Overexpression of ZmbHLH124T‐ORG, but not ZmbHLH124S‐ORG, in maize and rice enhanced plant drought tolerance and up‐regulated the expression of drought‐responsive genes. Moreover, we found that ZmbHLH124T‐ORG could directly bind the cis‐acting elements in ZmDREB2A promoter to enhance its expression. Taken together, this work identified a valuable genetic locus and provided a new strategy for breeding drought‐tolerant crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Suicidality is common in people living with HIV/AIDS. However, the prevalence estimates of the suicidality vary between studies. Here, we performed a systematic review and estimated the prevalence of suicidal behavior in this population.Methods: Systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, Scopus and PsycINFO for relevant studies published before August 29, 2020. A random-effects model was used to pool the estimates of the prevalence of suicidal ideation, attempts and plans, which were also stratified by continent or region and screening instrument from the studies included in this meta-analysis.Results: Suicide prevalence data were extracted from 36 studies(n=32,818) from 15 countries. The overall pooled crude prevalence estimates of suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts were 20.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) 16.5-21.6%],8.1% (95% CI 5.4-11.3%), and 7.5% (95% CI 5.7-9.5%), respectively. For lifetime suicidal ideation and attempts prevalence, this was 22.4% (95% CI 15.9-29.8%), and 12.0% (95% CI 6.9- 18.1%), respectively. Summary prevalence estimates ranged across assessment modalities from 6.5% to 33.7%. Pooled estimates were generally higher for females, as compared with males (risk ratios in the range 1.48-1.85). The leave-one-out analysis showed that no single study significantly affected the final pooled results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different from many superconducting magnet designs based on the analytical algorithm and finite element method (FEM), this article presents an intelligent design of the SMES and high-field magnet using the self-programmed graphical user interface (GUI). As the important basis, the analytical solutions of SMES magnet are developed for calculating the magnetic field, inductance and critical current, whose accuracies are also verified by the experiment. Then, the analytical solutions are merged into the GUI tool with multi-window interface based on the MATLAB. The new platform is built to offer scientists and engineers a smart tool to design and optimize SMES magnets to reach the maximum energy capacity. After the structural optimization of a MJ-class SMES magnet, the critical current and energy capacity improve by 20.46% and 38.67%, respectively. Compared to previous superconducting magnet designs, this new platform for the SMES and high-field magnet design has the advantages of diverse HTS tape/magnet structure selections, user-friendly interface, automatic optimization, and fast speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) is known to regulate plant responses to diverse stresses, yet its underlying molecular mechanisms and links to various stress signaling pathways are poorly understood. Here, we show that the ERAD component ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme UBC32 positively regulates drought tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana by targeting the aquaporins PIP2;1 and PIP2;2 for degradation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the RING-type ligase Rma1 acts together with UBC32 and that the E2 activity of UBC32 is essential for the ubiquitination of Rma1. This complex ubiquitinates a phosphorylated form of PIP2;1 at Lys276 to promote its degradation, thereby enhancing plant drought tolerance. Extending these molecular insights into crops, we show that overexpression of Arabidopsis UBC32 also improves drought tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa). Thus, beyond uncovering the molecular basis of an ERAD-regulated stress response, our study suggests multiple potential strategies for engineering crops with improved drought tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peroxisomes are essential eukaryotic organelles that mediate various metabolic processes. Peroxisome import depends on a group of peroxisome biogenesis factors called peroxins, many of which are evolutionarily conserved. PEX2, PEX10, and PEX12 are three RING-finger-domain-containing integral membrane peroxins crucial for protein import. In yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisae), RING peroxins act as E3 ligases, facilitating the recycling of the peroxisome import receptor protein PEX5 through ubiquitination. In plants, RING peroxins are essential to plant vitality. To elucidate the mode of action of the plant RING peroxins, we employed in vitro assays to show that the Arabidopsis RING peroxins also have E3 ligase activities. We also identified a PEX2-interacting protein, DSK2b, which is a member of the ubiquitin receptor family known to function as shuttle factors ferrying polyubiquitinated substrates to the proteasome for degradation. DSK2b and its tandem duplicate DSK2a are localized in the cytosol and the nucleus, and both interact with the RING domain of PEX2 and PEX12. DSK2 artificial microRNA lines did not display obvious defects in plant growth or peroxisomal processes, indicating functional redundancies among Arabidopsis ubiquitin receptor proteins. Our results suggest that Arabidopsis RING peroxins can function as E3 ligases and act together with the ubiquitin receptor protein DSK2 in the peroxisomal membrane-associated protein degradation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To meet the mission requirement of alternately traversing water-air interface and freely voyaging either in air or water, solve the contradiction between aerodynamic configuration and hydrodynamic configuration, and endure huge water-entry impact, a conformal semi-ring wing configuration is proposed based on the extendable ring wing concept. Basic arrangement of single aero and hydro configuration is framed and the switch method is carried out by the wing's symmetrically rotating around aircraft axis. Aerodynamic and hydrodynamic performance of corresponding configuration is simulated by CFX under designed speed. Numerical simulation results indicate that, when the angle of attack (α) is 0° the lift and drag characteristic of aero configuration is twice as much as the plain wing configuration with the same airfoil, chord length and equivalent wing projective area, when α>12° the lift increasing ratio reduces to ten percent. The performance of hydro configuration is approximate to torpedo configuration, and when the aero configuration voyages in water, the wing drag accounts for 50% of the whole drag, while the wing lift proportion is settled to 50% as |α| > 15° When the absolute value of a is decreasing, lift ratio of the wing to aero configuration increases sharply, at α=3° the ratio reaches 98%. All the results validate the rationality and necessity of the two deployments and morphing scenario of conformal semi-ring wing configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this work, the thermal annealing effect on the metal gate effective work function (EWF) modulation for the Al/TiN/SiO2/p-Si(100) structure was investigated. Compared with the sample of TiN/SiO2/p-Si(100) structure, for the sample additionally capped with Al the flat band voltage has a very obvious shift as large as 0.54V to the negative direction after forming gas annealing. It is also revealed that the thermal budget can effectively influence both the EWF of the gate electrode and the thickness of the gate dielectric layer when a post annealing at 600°C with different soak times was applied to the samples with Al cap. Material characterization indicates that the diffusion of Al and the formation of Al oxide during annealing should be responsible for all the phenomena. The interface trap density Dit calculated from the high-frequency C–V and the laser-assisted high-frequency C–V curves show that the introduction of Al does not cause reliability problem in the Al/TiN/SiO2/p-Si structure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The ZnO nanorods network transistor fabricated by the hydrothermal process has been demonstrated. Bottom-gate structure was selected and the source-drain electrodes were formed by the conventional lift off process. After the deposition of ZnO seed layer by the sol–gel method, the channel region was defined by the HCl etching. Then the ZnO nanorods selectively grew on the channel region with the help of patterned seed layer. The device obeys the n-type depletion mode with the I on/I off ratio of 103 and field-effect mobility of 6.7cm2/Vs. The fabrication temperature of the whole process is below 300°C which has great potential in the application on the transparent substrate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The hydrogenation activity and sulfur-tolerant ability of nano-NiMo catalysts prepared by sol–gel method were investigated by hydrogenation of ethylbenzene containing thiophene. The results show that the adding of molybdenum has a profound effect on the structure and the sulfur-tolerant ability of nickel-based catalyst. The catalyst with MoNi ratio of 0.16 showed maximum hydrogenation activity and good sulfur resistance when compared to other catalysts. It seems that new hydrogen-adsorbed phase is formed at high temperature and the quantity of hydrogen adsorbed increases greatly when Mo is added to the nickel-based catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper studies the problem of finite-time synchronization for the unified chaotic systems. We prove that global finite-time synchronization can be achieved for unified chaotic systems which have uncertain parameters. Simulation results for Lorenz, Lü and Chen chaotic systems are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective. A new generation of the laser fluorescence device, DIAGNOdent, for caries detection and quantification has been introduced recently. It is the DIAGNOdent pen. The aim of this study was to compare the validity and reliability of both laser-based devices, DIAGNOdent and the DIAGNOdent pen, in quantifying smooth surface caries. Material and Methods. The material comprised a sample of 52 premolar teeth extracted on orthodontic indication. The teeth were visually sound or had various stages of non-cavitated carious lesions on smooth surfaces. All teeth were photographed and measured with both DIAGNOdent and the DIAGNOdent pen by two examiners independently. The teeth were then sectioned into 300-µm slices and analysed under a microscope for verification of lesion depth. Histopathological analyses were performed by two observers to assess lesion depth, which was classified into five categories ranging from sound to dentinal caries. Reliability and validity of the two devices were evaluated in terms of intra-class coefficients and Spearman rank correlation coefficient, respectively. The relation between measurements performed by DIAGNOdent and the DIAGNOdent pen was analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results . Both DIAGNOdent and the DIAGNOdent pen had excellent intra-observer agreement and acceptable inter-observer agreement. The correlation with histology for DIAGNOdent and the DIAGNOdent pen ranged between 0.47 and 0.57, although the correlation between DIAGNOdent and the DIAGNOdent pen was high. Conclusions. In this in vitro study, the new laser fluorescence device, the DIAGNOdent pen, showed similar reliability and validity at quantification of smooth surface caries compared to the conventional DIAGNOdent device. Agreement between DIAGNOdent and the DIAGNOdent pen was excellent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The properties for Ru/Ta and Ru/TaN bi-layer on Si substrate were investigated. The Ru, Ta and TaN films were deposited by ion beam sputtering technology and were annealed at temperatures ranging from 300 °C to 900 °C in high purity N2 ambient. The phase formation, microstructure evolution and thermal stability for the Ru/Ta/Si and Ru/TaN/Si structures were investigated. Results show that adding the Ta or TaN layer between Ru and Si delays the reaction of Ru with Si. The Ru/TaN bi-layer is more stable on Si and shows better diffusion barrier property than the Ru/Ta bi-layer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The diagnostic value of DIAGNOdent in detecting primary occlusal caries has been investigated in many studies, although its use in in vivo detection of secondary caries remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of DIAGNOdent in in vivo detection of secondary caries on teeth with amalgam restorations. The material comprised 51 posterior teeth restored with amalgam material. Bitewing radiographs were taken of all teeth, in accordance with the standard clinical protocol, and analysed by five observers with respect to secondary caries. The restoration margins of each tooth were carefully scanned with DIAGNOdent and the site of the highest reading and its value were registered in a digital picture. The color (stained/unstained) of the restoration margins was also documented. The restoration material was removed and all cavities were examined carefully by two observers together, both visually and by probe. The results showed that the sensitivity and specificity of DIAGNOdent and conventional radiography in detecting secondary caries were 0.60/0.81 and 0.56/0.92, respectively. For DIAGNOdent, 100% of the teeth in the false-positive fraction had stains. Regarding receiver operating characteristic analyses, the Az values were 0.78 and 0.69 for DIAGNOdent and radiography, respectively. We conclude that DIAGNOdent may be used only as an adjunct to conventional methods in detecting secondary caries on teeth with amalgam restorations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A method to enhance the resilience of DC microgrids with hybrid energy storage system is developed. • Model Predictive Control-based scheme is introduced to control the hybrid energy storage system. • For the proposed method, only local communication in the HESS between BESS and SMES is needed. • A power assignment strategy is proposed to achieve a better coordination between the SMES and the battery. Due to the renewable energy resources fluctuations, load changes, failures and unplanned disconnection from the utility grid, DC microgrids (DCMGs) may at various risks of different time scale power mismatch and dc bus voltage instability. The hybrid energy storage system (HESS) composed of power-type energy storage and energy-type energy storage devices is considered as a cost-effective measure to enhance the resilience of DCMGs against those disturbances. This paper proposes a fast model predictive control (MPC) based voltage control and power allocation optimization method for HESS. In this MPC controller, only local information in the HESS is utilized, and the DC bus voltage can be regulated quickly by one-step prediction horizon and simplified switching states, which enhances the resilience of DCMGs against various disturbances. Besides, the power allocation command is optimally achieved by the residual capacity triggered activating-sequence of different types of ESSs based on a dynamic voltage control. Several cases conducted in MATLAB/Simulink demonstrate the feasibility and superiority of fast response ability without causing DC bus voltage oscillation. Furthermore, reducing the charge/discharge cycles and rates of the battery effectively extends the service lifetime of HESS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As a significant cause of cancer deaths worldwide, breast cancer continues to be a troublesome malignancy. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in the development of breast cancer. Abnormal methylation has been associated with unfavorable breast cancer prognosis. Herein, the current study aimed to elucidate the role of lncRNA ROR in breast cancer.Methods: RT-qPCR was performed to determine whether lncRNA ROR was highly expressed in breast cancer tissues, while lncRNA ROR expression was detected in both the nuclear and cytoplasm of breast cancer cells. MCF-7 cells were subsequently introduced with oe-lncRNA ROR, sh-lncRNA ROR to explore the effects of lncRNA ROR on cell proliferation, invasion and apoptosis.Results: RIP, RNA pull-down and ChIP assays provided evidence suggesting that lncRNA ROR recruited transmethylase MLL1 to promote H3K4 trimethylation that enhanced TIMP3 transcription. The rescue experiments demonstrated that lncRNA ROR knockdown could inhibit the progression of breast cancer via the downregulation of TIMP3. Finally, the in vivo experiment findings consistently highlighted the suppressive effects of lncRNA ROR silencing on tumor growth.Conclusion: Taken together, our study demonstrates that silencing of lncRNA ROR inhibits breast cancer progression via repression of transmethylase MLL1 and TIMP3, emphasizing the potential of lncRNA ROR as a novel target against breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: CERBERUS (also known as LIN) and VAPYRIN (VPY) are essential for infection of legumes by rhizobia and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Medicago truncatula LIN (MtLIN) was reported to interact with MtVPY, but the significance of this interaction is unclear and the function of VPY in Lotus japonicus has not been studied.We demonstrate that CERBERUS has auto‐ubiquitination activity in vitro and is localized within distinct motile puncta in L. japonicus root hairs and in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. CERBERUS colocalized with the trans‐Golgi network/early endosome markers.In L. japonicus, two VPY orthologs (LjVPY1 and LjVPY2) were identified. CERBERUS interacted with and colocalized with both LjVPY1 and LjVPY2. Co‐expression of CERBERUS with LjVPY1 or LjVPY2 in N. benthamiana led to increased protein levels of LjVPY1 and LjVPY2, which accumulated as mobile punctate bodies in the cytoplasm. Conversely, LjVPY2 protein levels decreased in cerberus roots after rhizobial inoculation. Mutant analysis indicates that LjVPY1 and LjVPY2 are required for rhizobial infection and colonization by AMF.Our data suggest that CERBERUS stabilizes LjVPY1 and LjVPY2 within the trans‐Golgi network/early endosome, where they might function to regulate endocytic trafficking and/or the formation or recycling of signaling complexes during rhizobial and AMF symbiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rising use of 3D digital products has increased the demand for copyright protection. In this paper, we propose a novel and robust 3D watermarking method with high imperceptibility based on EMD (empirical mode decomposition) on surfaces. It first defines a normalized modulus signal on a 3D host model so as to involve EMD into 3D watermarking effectively. And then, it extracts different scale features of the defined signal by using EMD to locate the proper embedding positions. After this, the watermark signal is embedded repeatedly and cyclically into the 3D host model to enhance the robustness. The embedding strength is optimized according to a predefined fidelity parameter to control the imperceptibility of the watermark. Many experiment results show that the proposed method can obtain good results against various attacks while maintaining high invisibility, such as pseudo-random noise, Laplacian smoothing, simplification, subdivision, cropping, and similarity transformation. Furthermore, it is very competitive with the current state-of-the-art 3D watermarking techniques in terms of robustness and invisibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth factor receptors rank among the most important oncogenic pathways, but pharmacologic inhibitors often demonstrate limited benefit as monotherapy. Here, we show that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling repressed N6-methyladenosine (m6A) levels in glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs), whereas genetic or pharmacologic EGFR targeting elevated m6A levels. Activated EGFR induced non-receptor tyrosine kinase SRC to phosphorylate the m6A demethylase, AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5), thereby inhibiting chromosomal maintenance 1 (CRM1)-mediated nuclear export of ALKBH5 to permit sustained mRNA m6A demethylation in the nucleus. ALKBH5 critically regulated ferroptosis through m6A modulation and YTH N6-methyladenosine RNA binding protein (YTHDF2)-mediated decay of the glutamate-cysteine ligase modifier subunit (GCLM). Pharmacologic targeting of ALKBH5 augmented the anti-tumor efficacy of EGFR and GCLM inhibitors, supporting an EGFR-ALKBH5-GCLM oncogenic axis. Collectively, EGFR reprograms the epitranscriptomic landscape through nuclear retention of the ALKBH5 demethylase to protect against ferroptosis, offering therapeutic paradigms for the treatment of lethal cancers. [Display omitted] • EGFR downregulates m6A levels by promoting ALKBH5 nuclear localization • SRC phosphorylates ALKBH5, reducing CRM1-mediated ALKBH5 nuclear export • EGFR-ALKBH5 protects GCLM decay via m6A to repress ferroptosis • Pharmacologic ALKBH5 inhibitors augment efficacy of EGFR and GCLM inhibitors Although growth receptor pathways commonly activate similar pathways, Lv et al. show that EGF signaling represses m6A levels in contrast to induction by PDGF. EGFR blocks ALKBH5 nuclear export, increasing m6A eraser function and suppression of ferroptosis through glutathione production. ALKBH5 inhibitors enhance the anti-tumor efficacy of EGFR or glutathione inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To alleviate the adverse effect of rain streaks in image processing tasks, CNN-based single image rain removal methods have been recently proposed. However, the performance of these deep learning methods largely relies on the covering range of rain shapes contained in the pre-collected training rainy-clean image pairs. This makes them easily trapped into the overfitting-to-the-training-samples issue and cannot finely generalize to practical rainy images with complex and diverse rain streaks. Against this generalization issue, this study proposes a new network architecture by enforcing the output residual of the network possess intrinsic rain structures. Such a structural residual setting guarantees the rain layer extracted by the network finely comply with the prior knowledge of general rain streaks, and thus regulates sound rain shapes capable of being well extracted from rainy images in both training and predicting stages. Such a general regularization function naturally leads to both its better training accuracy and testing generalization capability even for those non-seen rain configurations. Such superiority is comprehensively substantiated by experiments implemented on synthetic and real datasets both visually and quantitatively as compared with current state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Ewing sarcoma (ES) is one of the most common malignant bone tumors in children and adolescents. The immune microenvironment plays an important role in the development of ES. Here, we developed an optimal signature for determining ES patient prognosis based on immune-related genes (IRGs). Methods: We analyzed the ES gene expression profile dataset, GSE17679, from the GEO database and extracted differential expressed IRGs (DEIRGs). Then, we conducted functional correlation and protein–protein interaction (PPI) analyses of the DEIRGs and used the machine learning algorithm-iterative Lasso Cox regression analysis to build an optimal DEIRG signature. In addition, we applied ES samples from the ICGC database to test the optimal gene signature. We performed univariate and multivariate Cox regressions on clinicopathological characteristics and optimal gene signature to evaluate whether signature is an important prognostic factor. Finally, we calculated the infiltration of 24 immune cells in ES using the ssGSEA algorithm, and analyzed the correlation between the DEIRGs in the optimal gene signature and immune cells. Results: A total of 249 DEIRGs were screened and an 11-gene signature with the strongest correlation with patient prognoses was analyzed using a machine learning algorithm. The 11-gene signature also had a high prognostic value in the ES external verification set. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that 11-gene signature is an independent prognostic factor. We found that macrophages and cytotoxic, CD8 T, NK, mast, B, NK CD56bright, TEM, TCM, and Th2 cells were significantly related to patient prognoses; the infiltration of cytotoxic and CD8 T cells in ES was significantly different. By correlating prognostic biomarkers with immune cell infiltration, we found that FABP4 and macrophages, and NDRG1 and Th2 cells had the strongest correlation. Conclusion: Overall, the IRG-related 11-gene signature can be used as a reliable ES prognostic biomarker and can provide guidance for personalized ES therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commutation failure is one of the common faults in the line commutated converter high voltage direct current (LCC-HVDC) transmission system, which will lead to a transient voltage disturbance with the characteristic of “decrease first and then increase” at the feed end. Such a transient voltage may cause severe dynamic responses on the wind generator adjacent to the converter station, resulting in the tripping of large-scale wind turbines and even cascading failure. By analyzing the principle of the transient voltage, this paper investigates the response mechanism of doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG), involving the variation of electrical parameters and fault ride through (FRT) ability. Further verifications through simulations and experiments prove that under the disturbance of commutation failure, DFIG may suffer greater transient shocks compared to a single sag or swell disturbance event. Finally, some suggestions are put forward to mitigate the transient voltage and improve the transient response of DFIG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A myriad of abiotic stress responses in plants are controlled by abscisic acid (ABA) signaling. ABA receptors can be degraded by both the 26S proteasome pathway and vacuolar degradation pathway after processing via the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) proteins. Despite being essential for ABA signaling, the upstream regulators of ESCRTs remain unknown. Here, we report that the ESCRT-I component VPS23A is an unstable protein that is degraded via the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). The UEV domain of VPS23A physically interacts with the two PSAP motifs of XBAT35, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, and this interaction results in the deposition of K48 polyubiquitin chains on VPS23A, marking it for degradation by 26S proteasomes. We showed that XBAT35 in plants is a positive regulator of ABA responses that acts via the VPS23A/PYL4 complex, specifically by accelerating VPS23A turnover and thereby increasing accumulation of the ABA receptor PYL4. This work deciphers how an ESCRT component is regulated in plants and deepens our understanding of plant stress responses by illustrating a mechanism whereby crosstalk between the UPS and endosome-vacuole-mediated degradation pathways controls ABA signaling. The ESCRT-I component VPS23A recognizes the ABA receptor PYL4 for endosome-vacuole-mediated degradation during ABA signaling. This study reveals that the E3 ubiquitin ligase XBAT35 accelerates VPS23A turnover through the 26S proteasome degradation pathway to maintain PYL4 protein homeostasis. This work illustrates a mechanism by which crosstalk between the ubiquitin-proteasome system and endosome-vacuole-mediated degradation pathways controls ABA signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To develop and evaluate an educational web‐based programme for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) assessment using cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods: A web‐based educational programme was designed for TMJ assessment using CBCT images. Fifteen CBCT cases of the TMJ (three‐dimensional reconstructed volumes) and an assessment module based on image analysis criteria in the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) were added to the programme. Thirty‐six undergraduate dental students were invited to test the programme by assessing all cases twice: before and after 2 months of training. Participants submitted written subjective evaluations of the programme. Results: The web‐based programme can be accessed on Malmö University webpage (www.cbct‐tmj.mau.se). Despite limited CBCT learning in their undergraduate training and not using the programme in the 2‐month interval, the students were able to correctly diagnose 80% of the cases at the second assessment. Their diagnoses, however, did not differ significantly from the first assessment. Overall, the students were satisfied with the programme and considered it user‐friendly. Conclusion: The web‐based educational programme that was developed in the present study and tested by dental students could be a useful educational tool for TMJ assessment using CBCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flowering plants and mammals contain imprinted genes that are primarily expressed in the endosperm and placenta in a parent-of-origin manner. In this study, we show that early activation of the geminivirus genes C2 and C3 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants, encoding a viral suppressor of RNA interference and a replication enhancer protein, respectively, is correlated with the transient vegetative expression of VARIANT IN METHYLATION5 (VIM5), an endosperm imprinted gene that is conserved in diverse plant species. VIM5 is a ubiquitin E3 ligase that directly targets the DNA methyltransferases MET1 and CMT3 for degradation by the ubiquitin-26S proteasome proteolytic pathway. Infection with Beet severe curly top virus induced VIM5 expression in rosette leaf tissues, possibly via the expression of the viral replication initiator protein, leading to the early activation of C2 and C3 coupled with reduced symmetric methylation in the C2-3 promoter and the onset of disease symptoms. These findings demonstrate how this small DNA virus recruits a host imprinted gene for the epigenetic activation of viral gene transcription. Our findings reveal a distinct strategy used by plant pathogens to exploit the host machinery in order to inhibit methylation-mediated defense responses when establishing infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt and drought-induced RING finger1 (SDIR1) is a RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase that plays a key role in ABA-mediated responses to salinity and drought stress via the ubiquitination pathway in some plant species. However, its function in wheat (Triticum aestivum) is unknown. Here, we isolated a SDIR1 member in wheat, TaSDIR1-4A , and characterized its E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. DNA polymorphism assays showed the presence of two nucleotide variation sites in the promoter region of TaSDIR1-4A , leading to the detection of the haplotypes Hap-4A-1 and Hap-4A-2 in wheat populations. Association analysis showed that TaSDIR1-4A haplotypes were associated with 1000-grain weight (TGW) across a variety of different environments, including well-watered and heat-stress conditions. Genotypes with Hap-4A-2 had higher TGW than those with Hap-4A-1. Phenotypes in both gene-silenced wheat and transgenic Arabidopsis showed that TaSDIR1-4A was a negative regulator of grain size. Gene expression assays indicated that TaSDIR1-4A was most highly expressed in flag leaves, and expression was higher in Hap-4A-1 accessions than in Hap-4A-2 accessions. The difference might be attributable to the fact that TaERF3 (ethylene response factor) can act as a transcriptional repressor of TaSDIR1-4A in Hap-4A-2 but not in Hap-4A-1. Examination of modern wheat varieties shows that the favorable haplotype has been positively selected in breeding programs in China. The functional marker for TaSDIR1-4A developed in this study should be helpful for future wheat breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants can be simultaneously exposed to multiple stresses. The interplay of abiotic and biotic stresses may result in synergistic or antagonistic effects on plant development and health. Temporary drought stress can stimulate plant immunity; however, the molecular mechanism of drought-induced immunity is largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that cysteine protease RD21A is required for drought-induced immunity. Temporarily drought-treated wild-type Arabidopsis plants became more sensitive to the bacterial pathogen-associated molecular pattern flg22, triggering stomatal closure, which resulted in increased resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst -DC3000). Knocking out rd21a inhibited flg22-triggered stomatal closure and compromised the drought-induced immunity. Ubiquitin E3 ligase SINAT4 interacted with RD21A and promoted its degradation in vivo. The overexpression of SINAT4 also consistently compromised the drought-induced immunity to Pst -DC3000. A bacterial type III effector, AvrRxo1, interacted with both SINAT4 and RD21A, enhancing SINAT4 activity and promoting the degradation of RD21A in vivo. Therefore, RD21A could be a positive regulator of drought-induced immunity, which could be targeted by pathogen virulence effectors during pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies showed that microRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators in drug resistance. The current study investigated the role of miR-185-3p and its predicted target gene AQP5 in 5-FU-insensitive colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Spearman's correlation analysis were conducted to determine the correlation of expression levels of miR-185-3p and AQP5 from CRC tissues. HCT-116 and HCT-8 cells were treated by gradient concentration of 5-FU to construct 5-FU-resistant CRC model. The inhibition and viability of 5-FU-resistant cells were detected by MTT assay, and cell migration and invasion ability were determined by wound healing and transwell assay. The expressions of miR-185-3p and AQP5 were measured by qRT-PCR. StarBase and dual-luciferase reporter assay were used to predict and confirm the interaction between miR-185-3p and AQP5. Further experiments were performed to explore the function of miR-185-3p in 5-FU-resistant cells through regulating aquaporin-5 (AQP5). The levels of EMT-associated markers and AQP5 were determined by conducting Western Blot and qRT-PCR. We found that 5-FU-resistant CRC cells showed a lower inhibition rate, and higher migration and invasion abilities. MiR-185-3p was low-expressed in CRC tissues and 5-FU-resistance cells, and it targeted and regulated the expression of AQP5, which was found up-regulated in CRC and 5-FU-resistance CRC cells (r = −0.29, P <.05). Furthermore, miR-185-3p mimic enhanced the chemo-sensitivity of 5-FU-resistant cells, while overexpressed AQP5 reversed such an effect produced by miR-185-3p mimic. MiR-185-3p mimic enhances the chemosensitivity of CRC cells via AQP5. Our research provides a potential therapeutic target for 5-FU-resistant CRC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]