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Recently, KTaO3 (KTO)-based 5d two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs), characterized by robust spin–orbit coupling, have emerged as promising candidates for future spintronic devices. However, the carrier mobility of KTO-based 2DEGs is typically lower than that of SrTiO3-based 2DEGs, which limits their further development. It is imperative to explore the underlying causes of diminished carrier mobility and devise strategies to augment it. In addition, the genesis of magnetism within KTO-based 2DEGs remains ambiguous. In this study, the 2DEG within the amorphous-EuTiO3/KTO (a-ETO/KTO) heterostructure demonstrates a high electron mobility of 289.1 cm2 V−1 s−1, which exhibits a significant decrease as the film growth temperatures increase. This decrease can be primarily ascribed to electron scattering by impurities, which is induced by the amplified interfacial element interdiffusion at a higher film growth temperature. In addition, the magnetism of 2DEGs for samples grown at different temperatures shows an increasing trend with growth temperatures, which is predominantly derived from the interdiffusion of Eu atoms. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the origin of magnetic ordering and reduced mobility in KTO-based 2DEGs, which will promote the further development of 2DEGs for future applications in electronic devices.

Abstract Background Patients with myocardial infarction (MI) frequently experience a heightened incidence of depression, thereby increasing the risk of adverse cardiovascular events. Consequently, early detection and intervention in depressive symptoms among patients with MI are imperative. Shexiang Baoxin Pills (SBP), a Chinese patent medicine employed for the treatment of MI, exhibits diverse mechanisms targeting this condition. Nevertheless, its therapeutic efficacy on postmyocardial infarction depressive symptoms remains unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness and mechanism of SBP in managing depression during acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods A rat model combining MI and depression was established, and the rats were randomly divided into four groups: the model (MOD) group, SBP group, Fluoxetine (FLX) group, and Sham group. After 28 days of drug intervention, cardiac function was assessed using echocardiography while behavior was evaluated through sucrose preference test (SPT), forced swimming test (FST), and open‐field test (OFT). Additionally, levels of inflammatory factors in serum and hippocampus were measured along with NLRP3 inflammasome‐related protein expression via Western blotting and immunofluorescence. Results SBP can enhance cardiac function in rats with AMI and depression, while significantly ameliorating depressive‐like behavior. Compared to the Sham group, levels of IL‐1β, IL‐18, TNF‐α, and other inflammatory factors were markedly elevated in the MOD group. However, expressions of these inflammatory factors were reduced to varying degrees following treatment with SBP or FLX. Analysis of NLRP3 inflammasome‐related proteins in the hippocampus revealed a significant upregulation of IL‐1β, IL‐18, NLRP3, ASC, caspase‐1, and GSDMD in the MOD group; conversely, these measures were significantly attenuated after SBP intervention. Conclusion We have observed a significant amelioration in depression‐like behavior upon SBP administration during the treatment of AMI, suggesting that this effect may be attributed to the inhibition of NLRP3‐mediated pyroptosis. (The main findings are summarized in the graphical abstract in the supplementary file.)

Abstract Venous thromboembolism, which includes deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism, is the third most common vascular disease in the world and seriously threatens the lives of patients. Currently, the effect of conventional treatments on DVT is limited. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play an important role in the resolution and recanalization of DVT, but an unfavorable microenvironment reduces EPC function. Non-coding RNAs, especially long non-coding RNAs and microRNAs, play a crucial role in improving the biological function of EPCs. Non-coding RNAs have become clinical biomarkers of diseases and are expected to serve as new targets for disease intervention. A theoretical and experimental basis for the development of new methods for preventing and treating DVT in the clinic will be provided by studies on the role and molecular mechanism of non-coding RNAs regulating EPC function in the occurrence and development of DVT. To summarize, the characteristics of venous thrombosis, the regulatory role of EPCs in venous thrombosis, and the effect of non-coding RNAs regulating EPCs on venous thrombosis are reviewed. This summary serves as a useful reference and theoretical basis for research into the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and prognosis of venous thrombosis.

Objective To develop a Negative Cognitive Processing Bias Scale for Adolescents and examine its reliability and validity, and apply it to explore the status quo of negative cognitive processing bias in adolescents. Methods Based on Negative Cognitive Processing Bias Questionnaire for Adults, a theoretical model was constructed according to the results of literature analysis and expert interviews, and then a Negative Cognitive Processing Bias Scale suitable for adolescents was developed with reference to the opinions of primary and secondary school teachers. A total of 5 794 adolescents were subjected and randomly allocated into Sample 1 (n=2 897) and Sample 2 (n=2 897). The data in Sample 1 were analyzed by item analysis and exploratory factor analysis, and the data of Sample 2 were analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis. Finally, the overall data of 5 794 participants were used to test the reliability of the scale. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the negative cognitive processing bias of the participants. Results ① Our developed scale had 14 items and mainly 3 factors, that is, negative attention bias, negative memory bias and negative interpretation bias. ② The 3-factor model was fit for the data well (RMSEA=0.052, SRMR=0.028, CFI=0.957, TLI=0.947). The Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.883, the McDonald's ω coefficient was 0.884, the split half reliability coefficient was 0.849, and the criterion validity with the score of Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) was 0.494 (P < 0.01). The dimension scores were positively correlated with total score of the scale (r=0.707~0.941, P < 0.01). ③ The negative cognitive processing bias of adolescents was quite higher, and there were significant difference in demographic variables. Conclusion Our developed Negative Cognitive Processing Bias Scale for Adolescents has good validity and reliability, and can be used for measuring negative cognitive processing bias in adolescents.

IntroductionNutritional deficiency occurs frequently during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Tryptophan (Trp), an essential amino acid which is critical for protein synthesis, serves as the precursor for serotonin, melatonin, and kynurenine (Kyn). The imbalance between serotonin and kynurenine pathways in Trp metabolism is closely related to inflammation and depression. This study assessed the effects of Trp deficiency on mouse early pregnancy.MethodsEmbryo implantation and decidualization were analyzed after female mice had been fed diets containing 0.2% Trp (for the control group), 0.062% Trp (for the low Trp group) and 0% Trp (for the Trp-free group) for two months. The uteri of the mice were collected on days 4, 5, and 8 of pregnancy for further analysis.ResultsOn day 8 of pregnancy, the number of implantation sites were found to be similar between the control and the low Trp groups. However, no implantation sites were detected in the Trp-free group. On day 5 of pregnancy, plane polarity- and decidualization-related molecules showed abnormal expression pattern in the Trp-free group. On day 4 of pregnancy, there was no significant difference in uterine receptivity molecules between the low-Trp group and the control group, but uterine receptivity was abnormal in the Trp-free group. At implantation sites of the Trp-free group, IDO and AHR levels were markedly elevated. This potentially increased levels of Kyn, 2-hydroxy estradiol, and 4-hydroxy estradiol to affect decidualization.ConclusionsTrp-free diet may impair decidualization via the IDO-KYN-AHR pathway.

Abstract Evaluation of the oxygen‐mediated effects of clinical and daily activities demands an on‐skin device that can track multi‐vital regional tissue hemodynamics simultaneously. For example, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is the third most prevalent cardiovascular disease, but the means of diagnosing and monitoring this disease are limited because the affected area is usually in the non‐pulsatile area away from the heart. Herein, we report on an ultrathin and ultralight multi‐vital near‐infrared optoelectronic biosensor for the diagnosis and rehabilitation monitoring of regional tissue hemodynamics, which is suitable for mounting on the skin for long‐term measurement. The device can simultaneously detect tissue oxygen saturation, heart rate, arterial blood oxygen, and tissue perfusion and shows potential for various hypoxia monitoring applications. Moreover, the tissue hemodynamics detected by this device showed a highly accordance with the ankle‐brachial index and CT angiography obtained by traditional clinical methods. Therefore, our design was able to accurately diagnose and effectively evaluate PAD patients before and after surgery. The on‐skin optoelectronic biosensor shows potential in biological oxygen‐mediated behavior evaluation, injury‐state monitoring, PAD clinical diagnosis optimization, and after surgery care.

Purpose To investigate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of high intensity focused ultrasound ablation (HIFU) as a preoperative treatment for challenging hysteroscopic myomectomies.Materials and methods A total of 75 patients diagnosed with types 0–III of uterine fibroids were enrolled. Based on the Size, Topography, Extension of the base, Penetration and lateral Wall position (STEPW) classification scoring system, 25 cases with a score ≥ 5 points were treated with HIFU followed by hysteroscopic myomectomy (HIFU + HM group), whereas 50 cases with a score < 5 points were treated with hysteroscopic myomectomy (HM group).Results The median preoperative STEPW score was 7 in the HIFU + HM group and 2 in the HM group. The average non-perfused volume (NPV) ratio achieved in fibroids after HIFU was 86.87%. Patients in the HIFU + HM group underwent hysteroscopic myomectomy one to four days after HIFU, and downgrading was observed in 81.81% of fibroids. The operation time for patients in the HIFU + HM group was 73 min and the success rate of myomectomy in a single attempt was 60%. The volume of distention medium used during the operation was greater in the HIFU + HM group than in the HM group (15,500 ml vs. 7500 ml). No significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of intraoperative blood loss, the incidence of intraoperative and postoperative complications, menstrual volume score, or uterine fibroid quality of life score.Conclusion HIFU can be utilized as a preoperative treatment for large submucosal fibroids prior to hysteroscopic myomectomy. HIFU offers a novel approach in the management of this subset of patients.

Exosomes are nanoscale endocytic vesicles, 30–150 nm in diameter, secreted by most cells. They mainly originate from multivesicular bodies formed by intracellular invagination of lysosomal microparticles, and released into the extracellular matrix after fusion of multivesicular bodies with cell membrane. Studies have shown that exosomes contain a variety of active molecules, such as proteins, lipids and RNAs (such as mRNA, miRNA, lncRNA, circRNA, etc.), which regulate the behavior of recipient cells and serve as circulating biomarkers of diseases, including thrombosis. Therefore, exosome research is important for the diagnosis, treatment, therapeutic monitoring, and prognosis of thrombosis in that it can reveal the counts, surface marker expression, protein, and miRNA cargo involved. Recent studies have shown that exosomes can be used as therapeutic vectors for tissue regeneration and as alternative vectors for drug delivery. In this review, we summarize the physiological and biochemical characteristics, isolation, and identification of exosomes. Moreover, we focus on the role of exosomes in thrombosis, specifically venous thromboembolism, and their potential clinical applications, including as biomarkers and therapeutic vectors for thrombosis.

The iliac vein can be severely stenosed and occluded due to thrombosis, tumor compression, or an anatomical abnormality. Such occlusion could result in limb swelling, venous claudication, and persistent leg ulcers. Its devastating sequelae heavily impact patients lifestyles and the social economy. Due to a lack of a stable and easy-to-operate iliac vein occlusion (IVO) model, its underlying molecular mechanism and pathophysiological process has not been completely understood. Melatonin (MLT) plays a critical role in anti-inflammation, but the potential protective effect of melatonin on venous dysfunction induced by IVO has not been revealed. In this study, a mouse model of IVO was established to study the effects of MLT on injured veins. The results of laser speckle images and Evans blue showed that MLT inhibited venous permeability in an IVO mouse model. Furthermore, MLT suppressed inflammation of surrounding tissues close to the affected vein by inhibiting the mRNA levels of TNF-α, IL-1α, and MCP-1. In addition, endothelial injury was inhibited by MLT using zonula occludens protein-1 (ZO-1) staining. Taken together, we elucidated the therapeutic effect of MLT on vascular dysfunction induced by IVO, mainly by inhibiting the TNF-α, IL-1α, and MCP-1 mRNA levels, improving endothelial function, and inhibiting vascular leakage.

Recent trends in consumer electronics have led to a proliferation of high dynamic range (HDR) video acquisition and transmission studies. High-end video capturing systems increase the bit depth of each pixel to adapt to the high-contrast ambient light. However, the extended bit depth is pathetically meager compared with the far wider dynamic range of the incident light. What’s more, incompatibility issues for the subsequent compression and transmission system may be arisen along with the increased bit depth. In this paper, we propose an auto complementary exposure (ACE) algorithm for optimal exposure parameter estimation under Siamese Trigger (ST) mode to maximize the entropy of the output HDR image. With the proposed algorithm, neither the sensor nor other related hardware needs to be modified. Only the auto-exposure algorithm in the firmware needs to be updated. In the proposed ACE algorithm, every two consecutive images are treated as Siamese twins, and the exposure parameters for the twin images are calculated simultaneously. The target of the ACE algorithm is not to maximize the entropy of each image but to maximize that of the fused image. Compared to existing auto exposure or bracketed fusing algorithms, the proposed algorithm has three significant advantages. Firstly, no extra bit-depth is needed to embrace the details of the scene. Thus the image transmission system is not affected. Secondly, only two raw images are necessary for one output fused HDR image. The computation load is relatively low. Thirdly, the proposed method can fit video recording, which has a broader application prospect than HDR image capturing. Experiment results on a self-built database and publicly accessible database demonstrate that the algorithm works well under various types of scenarios. Furthermore, the experiment results on the real-time system show that the captured video image reveals many details under high dynamic scenes.

Objective To explore the feasibility of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation for treating metastatic pelvic tumors and recurrent ovary cancer. Materials and methods Eight patients with metastatic pelvic tumors or recurrent ovary cancer were enrolled in this study. Among them, 5 patients had ovarian cancer, 1 had cervical cancer, 1 had endometrial cancer, and 1 had rectal cancer. Six of them received abdominal surgical operation for their primary cancer, no one received radiotherapy. HIFU treatment was performed under conscious sedation. Vital signs were monitored during the procedure, and adverse effects were recorded. Postoperative follow-up was performed to observe pain relief and the improvement of the patient’s quality of life. Results The median age of the patients was 54 (range: 33–76) years, with a total of 12 lesions. The average volume of the lesions was 238.0 cm3. Six patients completed 12 months follow-up. Postoperative pain relief rate was 60% (3/5), and the quality of life improved in the short term. The main adverse effect of HIFU was pain in the treated area, with the pain score lower than 4, and all of which was self-relieved within 1 day after HIFU treatment. No serious complications such as skin burn, intestinal perforation, and nerve injury occurred. Conclusion HIFU is feasible for the treatment of metastatic pelvic tumors or recurrent ovary cancer without serious complications. Therefore, HIFU seems a promising treatment for recurrent ovary cancer, metastatic pelvic tumors from cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, and rectal cancer.

Abstract Background NITRATE TRANSPORTER 1/PEPTIDE TRANSPORTER (NRT1/PTR) family (NPF) members are essential transporters for many substrates in plants, including nitrate, hormones, peptides, and secondary metabolites. Here, we report the global characterization of NPF in the important oil crop Brassica napus, including that for phylogeny, gene/protein structures, duplications, and expression patterns. Results A total of 199 B. napus (BnaNPFs) NPF-coding genes were identified. Phylogenetic analyses categorized these genes into 11 subfamilies, including three new ones. Sequence feature analysis revealed that members of each subfamily contain conserved gene and protein structures. Many hormone−/abiotic stress-responsive cis-acting elements and transcription factor binding sites were identified in BnaNPF promoter regions. Chromosome distribution analysis indicated that BnaNPFs within a subfamily tend to cluster on one chromosome. Syntenic relationship analysis showed that allotetraploid creation by its ancestors (Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea) (57.89%) and small-scale duplication events (39.85%) contributed to rapid BnaNPF expansion in B. napus. A genome-wide spatiotemporal expression survey showed that NPF genes of each Arabidopsis and B. napus subfamily have preferential expression patterns across developmental stages, most of them are expressed in a few organs. RNA-seq analysis showed that many BnaNPFs (32.66%) have wide exogenous hormone-inductive profiles, suggesting important hormone-mediated patterns in diverse bioprocesses. Homologs in a clade or branch within a given subfamily have conserved organ/spatiotemporal and hormone-inductive profiles, indicating functional conservation during evolution. qRT-PCR-based comparative expression analysis of the 12 BnaNPFs in the NPF2–1 subfamily between high- and low-glucosinolate (GLS) content B. napus varieties revealed that homologs of AtNPF2.9 (BnaNPF2.12, BnaNPF2.13, and BnaNPF2.14), AtNPF2.10 (BnaNPF2.19 and BnaNPF2.20), and AtNPF2.11 (BnaNPF2.26 and BnaNPF2.28) might be involved in GLS transport. qRT-PCR further confirmed the hormone-responsive expression profiles of these putative GLS transporter genes. Conclusion We identified 199 B. napus BnaNPFs; these were divided into 11 subfamilies. Allopolyploidy and small-scale duplication events contributed to the immense expansion of BnaNPFs in B. napus. The BnaNPFs had preferential expression patterns in different tissues/organs and wide hormone-induced expression profiles. Four BnaNPFs in the NPF2–1 subfamily may be involved in GLS transport. Our results provide an abundant gene resource for further functional analysis of BnaNPFs.

Chronic venous disease (CVD) is a progressive inflammatory disease that increases in prevalence with age. Elucidating the underlying molecular mechanism of CVD development is essential for disease prevention and treatment. This study constructed a mouse model of iliac vein stenosis to explore the mechanism of the CVD disease progression, and diosmin was administered as a positive control (as recommended by clinical practice). The mouse model was established successfully with iliac vein stenosis, leading to the expansion of the intercellular space and venous leakage. Conversely, micronized diosmin showed a dose-dependent therapeutic effect for these manifestations. Concerning the mechanism, iliac vein stenosis caused an inflammatory response in veins, while diosmin suppressed this increase. Furthermore, RNA sequencing analysis indicated that diosmin significantly improved muscle function through actin filament organization and muscle contraction. These results indicated that the mouse model of iliac vein stenosis is a reliable model to study venous diseases. Furthermore, the dose-dependent therapeutic effect of diosmin on stenosis (without toxic side-effects) suggests greater protection against venous diseases at higher doses of diosmin.

Abstract Background Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) constitutes a major global disease burden. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been described in association with recanalization of venous thrombus. Furthermore, emerging evidence suggests microRNAs are involved in this progression. The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of miR-150 on the behavior of EPCs and its potential contribution in venous thrombosis resolution. Methods We isolated and cultured EPCs from healthy adults. Next, early EPCs or endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs or late EPCs) were transfected with miR-150 agomir and antagomir. Gene expression profiles, proliferation, cytokine secretion, and angiogenic capacity of early EPCs and ECFCs were examined. The effects of miR-150 on c-Myb expression and Akt/FOXO1 signaling were also evaluated. Furthermore, a rat model of venous thrombosis was constructed to determine the in vivo function of EPCs. Results Our results showed that miR-150 overexpression in early EPCs significantly promoted differentiation to ECFCs and contributed to proliferation and tube formation. However, suppression of miR-150 in late EPCs inhibited proliferation and tube formation. Moreover, we identified that this progression is regulated by inhibition of c-Myb and activation of the Akt/FOXO1 pathway. Our findings also showed that miR-150 led to the enhanced resolution ability of EPCs in a rat venous thrombosis model. Conclusions In this study, we present a novel mechanism of miRNA-mediated regulation of EPCs and Akt activation in thrombus resolution.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a common disease affecting over 200 million people worldwide. PAD is associated with significant limb and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality which is reduced by antiplatelet and antithrombotic therapy. However, the optimal type, dose, and time of antithrombotic therapy is still uncertain.We searched 4 electronic databases from January 1, 1990, to June 1, 2020, for randomized controlled trials of patients who received oral anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy for PAD. The primary outcome was a composite of acute limb ischemia, major amputation, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, death from cardiovascular events, or death from any cause. Secondary outcomes included major bleeding, fatal bleeding, and intracranial hemorrhage events.We identified 3 studies that satisfied inclusion and exclusion criteria. Compared with antiplatelet alone, oral anticoagulant plus antiplatelet therapy improved acute limb ischemia (p < 0.00001), stroke (p = 0.005), and major amputation events (p = 0.11). However, oral anticoagulant plus antiplatelet therapy was not effective for prevention of myocardial infarction (p = 0.23), death from cardiovascular events (p = 0.65), or death from any cause (p = 0.66). Additionally, a significant increase in major bleeding events was demonstrated (p < 0.00001). There was no significant difference in fatal bleeding (p = 0.16) or intracranial hemorrhage events (p = 0.43). This meta-analysis showed that oral anticoagulant plus antiplatelet therapy for PAD may improve acute limb ischemia and major amputation or stroke risk compared with antiplatelet therapy alone, but could increase the risk of major bleeding events. On the other hand, measuring myocardial infarction, death, fatal bleeding, or intracranial hemorrhage risk remains controversial.

The classification of sleep stages is the process which helps to evaluate the quality of sleep and detect the sleep related disorders. Through analyzing the electroencephalography, the sleep stages can be discriminated manually by specialists. However, this can be a laboriousness work because of the huge datasets. Until now, several studies have been conducted based on the automatic analysis of electroencephalography. Still, as the development of wearable technology, there is a need for an accurate and single-channel electroencephalography based sleep stages identification system. In this paper, a state-space based sleep stages classification method is proposed using the proposed model based essence features extraction method. This method employed the state-space model to establish the intrinsic models based on the single-channel electroencephalography, from which the features used for further classification can be extracted. For 2-stage to 6-stage classification of sleep states, the verification system can achieve 98.6%, 94.9%, 93.0%, 92.3%, 91.8% accuracy on the Sleep-EDF database, and also reach 94.9%, 87.7%, 82.7%, 80.9%, 78.2% on Dreams Subjects database.

With the various applications of the Internet of Things, research into wireless sensor networks (WSNs) has become increasingly important. However, because of their limited energy, the communication abilities of the wireless nodes distributed in the WSN are limited. The main task of WSNs is to collect more data from targets in an energy-efficient way, because the battery replacement of large amounts of nodes is a labor-consuming work. Although the life of WSNs can be prolonged through energy-harvesting (EH) technology, it is necessary to design an energy-efficient routing protocol for the energy harvesting-based wireless sensor networks (EH-WSNs) as the nodes would be unavailable in the energy harvesting phase. A certain number of unavailable nodes would cause a coverage hole, thereby affecting the WSN’s monitoring function of the target environment. In this paper, an adaptive hierarchical-clustering-based routing protocol for EH-WSNs (HCEH-UC) is proposed to achieve uninterrupted coverage of the target region through the distributed adjustment of the data transmission. Firstly, a hierarchical-clustering-based routing protocol is proposed to balance the energy consumption of nodes. Then, a distributed alternation of working modes is proposed to adaptively control the number of nodes in the energy-harvesting mode, which could lead to uninterrupted target coverage. The simulation experimental results verify that the proposed HCEH-UC protocol can prolong the maximal lifetime coverage of WSNs compared with the conventional routing protocol and achieve uninterrupted target coverage using energy-harvesting technology.

Auxin response factor (ARF) is a member of the plant-specific B3 DNA binding superfamily. Here, we report the results of a comprehensive analysis of ARF genes in allotetraploid Brassica napus (2n = 38, AACC). Sixty-seven ARF genes were identified in B. napus (BnARFs) and divided into four subfamilies (I-IV). Sixty-one BnARFs were distributed on all chromosomes except C02; the remaining were on Ann and Cnn. The full length of the BnARF proteins was highly conserved especially within each subfamily with all members sharing the N-terminal DNA binding domain (DBD) and the middle region (MR), and most contained the C-terminal dimerization domain (PBI). Twenty-one members had a glutamine-rich MR that may be an activator and the remaining were repressors. Accordingly, the intron patterns are highly conserved in each subfamily or clade, especially in DBD and PBI domains. Several members in subfamily III are potential targets for miR167. Many putative cis-elements involved in phytohormones, light signaling responses, and biotic and abiotic stress were identified in BnARF promoters, implying their possible roles. Most ARF proteins are likely to interact with auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (Aux/IAA) -related proteins, and members from different subfamilies generally shared many common interaction proteins. Whole genome-wide duplication (WGD) by hybridization between Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea and segmental duplication led to gene expansion. Gene loss following WGD is biased with the An-subgenome retaining more ancestral genes than the Cn-subgenome. BnARFs have wide expression profiles across vegetative and reproductive organs during different developmental stages. No obvious expression bias was observed between An- and Cn-subgenomes. Most synteny-pair genes had similar expression patterns, indicating their functional redundancy. BnARFs were sensitive to exogenous IAA and 6-BA treatments especially subfamily III. The present study provides insights into the distribution, phylogeny, and evolution of ARF gene family.

In recent years, studies on denitration by applying biomass reburning method has drawn the attention of many researchers due to the characteristics of low sulfur and nitrogen content, high volatile, high ash focal activity, zero CO2 net emissions, etc. Based on Chemkin software and selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) denitration chemical kinetic model, this paper conducted SNCR denitration chemical kinetic modeling. And the results showed that: with the increase of residence time, under the different initial concentration of NO, SNCR denitration efficiency tends to stabilize after the first increase. Moreover, the higher the initial concentration of NO, the longer the residence time which is required to achieve the greatest denitration efficiency. With the increase of ammonia nitrogen ratio, SNCR denitration efficiency increases step by step. When the normalized stoichiometric ratio (NSR) is greater than 1.5, the denitration efficiency is at a basic stable state. Under the same conditions, simulation results of the SNCR results agree well with the test results. Therefore, it can be concluded that carrying out the SNCR denitration chemical dynamics simulation using Chemkin software can provide a reference for tests and mechanism researches on SNCR, biomass reburning and advanced reburning denitration.

The automatic sleep stage classification technique can facilitate the diagnosis of sleep disorders and release the medical expert from labor-consumption work. In this paper, novel improved model based essence features (IMBEFs) were proposed combining locality energy (LE) and dual state space models (DSSMs) for automatic sleep stage detection on single-channel electroencephalograph (EEG) signals. Firstly, each EEG epoch is decomposed into low-level sub-bands (LSBs) and high-level sub-bands (HSBs) by wavelet packet decomposition (WPD), separately. Then, the DSSMs are estimated by the LSBs and the LE calculation is carried out on HSBs. Thirdly, the IMBEFs extracted from the DSSM and LE are fed into the appropriate classifier for sleep stage classification. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated on three public sleep databases. The experimental results show that under the Rechtschaffen’s and Kale’s (R&K) standard, the sleep stage classification accuracies of six classes on the Sleep EDF database and the Dreams Subjects database are 92.04% and 78.92%, respectively. Under the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) standard, the classification accuracies of five classes in the Dreams Subjects database and the ISRUC database reached 79.90% and 81.65%. The proposed method can be used for reliable sleep stage classification with high accuracy compared with state-of-the-art methods.

MADS-box transcription factors are important for plant growth and development, and hundreds of MADS-box genes have been functionally characterized in plants. However, less is known about the functions of these genes in the economically important allopolyploid oil crop, Brassica napus. We identified 307 potential MADS-box genes (BnMADSs) in the B. napus genome and categorized them into type I (Mα, Mβ, and Mγ) and type II (MADS DNA-binding domain, intervening domain, keratin-like domain, and C-terminal domain [MIKC]c and MIKC*) based on phylogeny, protein motif structure, and exon-intron organization. We identified one conserved intron pattern in the MADS-box domain and seven conserved intron patterns in the K-box domain of the MIKCc genes that were previously ignored and may be associated with function. Chromosome distribution and synteny analysis revealed that hybridization between Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea, segmental duplication, and homologous exchange (HE) in B. napus were the main BnMADSs expansion mechanisms. Promoter cis-element analyses indicated that BnMADSs may respond to various stressors (drought, heat, hormones) and light. Expression analyses showed that homologous genes in a given subfamily or sister pair are highly conserved, indicating widespread functional conservation and redundancy. Analyses of BnMADSs provide a basis for understanding their functional roles in plant development.

The plant-specific WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) transcription factor gene family is important for plant growth and development but little studied in oil crops. We identified and characterized 58 putative WOX genes in Brassica napus (BnWOXs), which were divided into three major clades and nine subclades based on the gene structure and conserved motifs. Collinearity analysis revealed that most BnWOXs were the products of allopolyploidization and segmental duplication events. Gene structure analysis indicated that introns/exons and protein motifs were conserved in each subclade and RNA sequencing revealed that BnWOXs had narrow expression profiles in major tissues and/or organs across different developmental stages. The expression pattern of each clade was highly conserved and similar to that of the sister and orthologous pairs from Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that members of the WOX4 subclade were induced in seedling roots by abiotic and hormone stresses, indicating their contribution to root development and abiotic stress responses. 463 proteins were predicted to interact with BnWOXs, including peptides regulating stem cell homeostasis in meristems. This study provides insights into the evolution and expression of the WOX gene family in B. napus and will be useful in future gene function research.

Cytochrome P450 93 family (CYP93) belonging to the cytochrome P450 superfamily plays important roles in diverse plant processes. However, no previous studies have investigated the evolution and expression of the members of this family. In this study, we performed comprehensive genome-wide analysis to identify CYP93 genes in 60 green plants. In all, 214 CYP93 proteins were identified; they were specifically found in flowering plants and could be classified into ten subfamilies-CYP93A-K, with the last two being identified first. CYP93A is the ancestor that was derived in flowering plants, and the remaining showed lineage-specific distribution-CYP93B and CYP93C are present in dicots; CYP93F is distributed only in Poaceae; CYP93G and CYP93J are monocot-specific; CYP93E is unique to legumes; CYP93H and CYP93K are only found in Aquilegia coerulea, and CYP93D is Brassicaceae-specific. Each subfamily generally has conserved gene numbers, structures, and characteristics, indicating functional conservation during evolution. Synonymous nucleotide substitution (dN/dS) analysis showed that CYP93 genes are under strong negative selection. Comparative expression analyses of CYP93 genes in dicots and monocots revealed that they are preferentially expressed in the roots and tend to be induced by biotic and/or abiotic stresses, in accordance with their well-known functions in plant secondary biosynthesis.