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The color of flour products has an important influence on consumer acceptance. Flour color is largely determined and measured by the index of flour whiteness (FW) in China. In this study, an association population comprising 207 wheat (Triticum aestivum) accessions originating from seven countries was used for dissection of FW-related genetic loci through genome-wide association analysis. Six quantitative trait loci (QTLs) significantly associated with FW were identified, accounting for 7.87–16.53 % of the total phenotypic variation. Four KASP markers were developed from single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with the QTLs QFW.HAAS-1AS, QFW.HAAS-1BL, QFW.HAAS-5AL, and QFW.HAAS-7AL. The phytoene synthase-encoding gene TraesCS7A03G1357000 (TaPsyA1) was identified as a candidate gene for QFW.HAAS-7AL. Two allelic variants of TaPsyA1 (designated PsyA1-a and PsyA1-b) were differentiated on the basis of a 37 bp insertion/deletion polymorphism in the second intron. PsyA1-b included the 37 bp insertion, which led to a translational frameshift in the gene and was associated with higher FW. The PsyA1-a allele lacked the 37 bp insertion and was classified into two haplotypes according to the number of repeated ‘TC’ units in a simple sequence repeat in the promoter region. Of the two PsyA1-a haplotypes, the Type 1 haplotype conferred higher FW, flour brightness, and flour redness, and lower yellow pigment content and flour yellowness. The KASP markers and PsyA1 polymorphic markers developed in the present study are suitable for use in molecular marker-assisted selection for improvement of wheat FW.

Granuloma is a crucial pathological feature of tuberculosis (TB). The relationship between CD4+ T cells in both peripheral blood and granulomatous tissue, and the integrity of granulomas in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)–MTB co-infection, remains unexplored. This study collected biopsy specimens from 102 TB patients (53 with HIV-MTB co-infection and 49 only with TB). Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemical staining were performed, followed by microscopic examination of the integrity of tuberculous granulomas. Through statistical analysis of peripheral blood CD4+ T cell counts, tissue CD4+ T cell proportion, and the integrity of granulomas, it was observed that HIV infection leads to poor formation of tuberculous granulomas. Peripheral blood CD4+ T cell counts were positively correlated with granuloma integrity, and there was a similar positive correlation between tissue CD4+ T cell proportions and granuloma integrity. Additionally, a positive correlation was found between peripheral blood CD4+ T cell counts and the proportion of CD4+ T cells in granuloma tissues. Therefore, HIV infection could impact the morphology and structure of tuberculous granulomas, with a reduced proportion of both peripheral blood and tissue CD4+ T lymphocytes.

Abstract Fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) are key indicators reflecting blood glucose control in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. The purpose of this study is to establish a predictive model for blood glucose changes in T2DM patients after 3 months of treatment, achieving personalized treatment.A retrospective study was conducted on type 2 diabetes mellitus real-world medical data from 4 cities in Sichuan Province, China from January 2015 to December 2020. After data preprocessing, data inputting, data sampling, and feature screening, 16 kinds of machine learning methods were used to construct prediction models, and 5 prediction models with the best prediction performance were screened respectively. A total of 100,000 cases were included to establish the FBG model, and 2,169 cases were established to establish the HbA1c model. The best prediction model both of FBG and HbA1c finally obtained are realized by ensemble learning and modified random forest inputting, the AUC values are 0.819 and 0.970, respectively. The most important indicators of the FBG and HbA1c prediction model were FBG and HbA1c. Medication compliance, follow-up outcome, dietary habits, BMI, and waist circumference also had a greater impact on FBG levels. The prediction accuracy of the models of the two blood glucose control indicators is high and has certain clinical applicability.HbA1c and FBG are mutually important predictors, and there is a close relationship between them.

Abstract Background This study aimed to establish an effective ultrasound diagnostic nomogram for benign or malignant lymph nodes in HIV-infected patients. Methods The nomogram is based on a retrospective study of 131 HIV-infected patients who underwent ultrasound assess at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center from December 2017 to July 2022. The nomogram’s predictive accuracy and discriminative ability were determined by concordance index (C-index) and calibration curve analysis. A nomogram combining the lymph node US characteristics were generated based on the multivariate logistic regression results. Results Predictors contained in the ultrasound diagnostic nomogram included age (OR 1.044 95%CI: 1.014–1.074 P = 0.004), number of enlarged lymph node regions (OR 5.445 95%CI: 1.139–26.029 P = 0.034), and color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) grades (OR 9.614 95%CI: 1.889–48.930 P = 0.006). The model displayed good discrimination with a C (ROC) of 0.775 and good calibration. Conclusions The proposed nomogram may result in more-accurate diagnostic predictions for benign or malignant lymph nodes in patients with HIV infection.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with aging. Its main pathological feature is the degeneration and loss of dopaminergic neurons related to the misfolding and aggregation of α-synuclein. The pathogenesis of PD has not yet been fully elucidated, and its occurrence and development process are closely related to the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Dysregulation of intestinal microbiota may promote the damage of the intestinal epithelial barrier, intestinal inflammation, and the upward diffusion of phosphorylated α-synuclein from the enteric nervous system (ENS) to the brain in susceptible individuals and further lead to gastrointestinal dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration of the central nervous system (CNS) through the disordered microbiota-gut-brain axis. The present review aimed to summarize recent advancements in studies focusing on the role of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in the pathogenesis of PD, especially the mechanism of intestinal microbiome dysregulation, intestinal inflammation, and gastrointestinal dysfunction in PD. Maintaining or restoring homeostasis in the gut microenvironment by targeting the gut microbiome may provide future direction for the development of new biomarkers for early diagnosis of PD and therapeutic strategies to slow disease progression.

Abstract Background Heterosis is widely used in many crops and is important for global food safety, and maize is one of the most successful crops to take advantage of heterosis. Gene expression patterns control the development of the maize ear, but the mechanisms by which heterosis affects transcriptional-level control are not fully understood. Results In this study, we sampled ear inflorescence meristems (IMs) from the single-segment substitution maize (Zea mays) line lx9801 hlEW2b , which contains the heterotic locus hlEW2b associated with ear width, as well as the receptor parent lx9801, the test parent Zheng58, and their corresponding hybrids Zheng58 × lx9801 hlEW2b (HY) and Zheng58 × lx9801 (CK). After RNA sequencing and transcriptomic analysis, 2531 unique differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between the two hybrids (HY vs. CK). Our results showed that approximately 64% and 48% of DEGs exhibited additive expression in HY and CK, whereas the other genes displayed a non-additive expression pattern. The DEGs were significantly enriched in GO functional categories of multiple metabolic processes, plant organ morphogenesis, and hormone regulation. These essential processes are potentially associated with heterosis performance during the maize ear developmental stage. In particular, 125 and 100 DEGs from hybrids with allele-specific expression (ASE) were specifically identified in HY and CK, respectively. Comparison between the two hybrids suggested that ASE genes were involved in different development-related processes that may lead to the hybrid vigor phenotype during maize ear development. In addition, several critical genes involved in auxin metabolism and IM development were differentially expressed between the hybrids and showed various expression patterns (additive, non-additive, and ASE). Changes in the expression levels of these genes may lead to differences in auxin homeostasis in the IM, affecting the transcription of core genes such as WUS that control IM development. Conclusions Our research suggests that additive, non-additive, and allele-specific expression patterns may fine-tune the expression of crucial DEGs that modulate carbohydrate and protein metabolic processes, nitrogen assimilation, and auxin metabolism to optimal levels, and these transcriptional changes may play important roles in maize ear heterosis. The results provide new information that increases our understanding of the relationship between transcriptional variation and heterosis during maize ear development, which may be helpful for clarifying the genetic and molecular mechanisms of heterosis.

Abstract Background Hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a leading cereal crop worldwide. Understanding the mechanism of calcium (Ca) accumulation in wheat is important to reduce the risk of human micronutrient deficiencies. However, the mechanisms of Ca accumulation in wheat grain are only partly understood. Results Here, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed to dissect the genetic basis of Ca accumulation in wheat grain using an association population consisting of 207 varieties, with phenotypic data from three locations. In total, 11 non-redundant genetic loci associated with Ca concentration were identified and they explained, on average, 9.61–26.93% of the phenotypic variation. Cultivars containing more superior alleles had increased grain Ca concentrations. Notably, four non-redundant loci were mutually verified by different statistical models in at least two environments, indicating their stability across different environments. Four putative candidate genes linked to Ca accumulation were revealed from the stable genetic loci. Among them, two genes, associated with the stable genetic loci on chromosomes 4A (AX-108912427) and 3B (AX-110922471), encode the subunits of V-type Proton ATPase (TraesCS4A02G428900 and TraesCS3B02G241000), which annotated as the typical generators of a proton gradient that might be involved in Ca homeostasis in wheat grain. Conclusion To identify genetic loci associated with Ca accumulation, we conducted GWAS on Ca concentrations and detected 11 genetic loci; whereas four genetic loci were stable across different environments. A genetic loci hot spot exists at the end of chromosome 4A and associated with the putative candidate gene TraesCS4A02G428900. The candidate gene TraesCS4A02G428900 encodes V-type proton ATPase subunit e and highly expressed in wheat grains, and it possibly involved in Ca accumulation. This study increases our understanding of the genetic architecture of Ca accumulation in wheat grains, which is potentially helpful for wheat Ca biofortification pyramid breeding.

Introduction: Gliadins are the major components of gluten proteins with vital roles on properties of end-use wheat product and health-relate quality of wheat. However, the function and regulation mechanisms of γ-gliadin genes remain unclear. Objectives: Dissect the effect of DNA methylation in the promoter of γ-gliadin gene on its expression level and gluten strength of wheat. Methods: The prokaryotic expression and reduction–oxidation reactions were performed to identify the effect of TaGli-γ-2.1 on dough strength. Bisulfite analysis and 5-Aza-2′-deoxycytidine treatment were used to verify the regulation of TaGli-γ-2.1 expression by pTaGli-γ-2.1 methylation. The content of gluten proteins composition was measured by RP-HPLC, and the gluten strength was measured by Gluten Index and Farinograph. Results: TaGli-γ-2.1 was classified into a subgroup of γ-gliadin multigene family and was preferentially expressed in the later period of grain filling. Addition of TaGli-γ-2.1 protein fragment into strong gluten wheat flour significantly decreased the stability time. Hypermethylation of three CG loci of pTaGli-γ-2.1 conferred to lower TaGli-γ-2.1 expression. Treatment with 5-Aza-2′-deoxycytidine in seeds of strong gluten wheat varieties increased the expression levels of TaGli-γ-2.1. Furthermore, the accumulations of gliadin and γ-gliadin were significantly decreased in hypermethylated wheat varieties, corresponding with the increasing of gluten index and dough stability time. Conclusion: Epigenetic modification of pTaGli-γ-2.1 affected gluten strength by modulating the proportion of gluten proteins. Hypermethylation of pTaGli-γ-2.1 is a novel genetic resource for enhancing gluten strength in wheat quality breeding.

ObjectiveTo compare the diagnostic performance of laboratory assays on the ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy samples for diagnosis of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) in HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients.MethodsA total of 217 patients suspected to have EPTB underwent lesion biopsy from 2017 to 2020. Results of laboratory tests on the biopsy and non-biopsy samples were collected with clinical data for retrospective analysis of test utility. The calculated diagnostic accuracy of the tests was stratified according to the specimen types and HIV status.ResultsThe cohort contained 118 patients with a final positive diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB group, 54.4%) and 99 finally diagnosed as without TB (non-EPTB group, 45.6%). The risk factor for EPTB was HIV co-infection (OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.17-4.28, p = 0.014). In biopsy samples, GeneXpert (Xpert) showed higher sensitivity (96.6% [91.6-98.7], p < 0.0001) than culture (56.1% [47.0-64.9]). Regardless of HIV status, Xpert had the highest sensitivity (>95%) and specificity (nearly 100%) of any methods. In non-biopsy samples, only T-SPOT.TB (T-SPOT) showed higher sensitivity than culture (90.9% [62.3-99.5] vs 35.3% [17.3-58.7], p = 0.0037). Furthermore, the sensitivities of Xpert were lower in non-biopsy samples (60.0% [23.1-92.9], p = 0.022) than in biopsy samples (100% [86.7-100]). Even in smear-negative biopsy samples, Xpert still had higher sensitivity than culture and retained high specificity (100% [95.7-100]).ConclusionSuperior performance of Xpert in diagnosing EPTB was observed regardless of HIV status and specimen types. Nevertheless, the biopsy samples still substantially facilitated the accurate diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

Abstract Background Peroxidase (POD) activity plays an important role in flour-based product quality, which is mainly associated with browning and bleaching effects of flour. Here, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on POD activity using an association population consisted with 207 wheat world-wide collected varieties. Our study also provide basis for the genetic improvement of flour color-based quality in wheat. Results Twenty quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were detected associated with POD activity, explaining 5.59–12.67% of phenotypic variation. Superior alleles were positively correlated with POD activity. In addition, two SNPs were successfully developed to KASP (Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR) markers. Two POD genes, TraesCS2B02G615700 and TraesCS2D02G583000, were aligned near the QTLs flanking genomic regions, but only TraesCS2D02G583000 displayed significant divergent expression levels (P

When Ips bark beetles invade and colonize the host plants, their associated pathogenic fungal partners are carried into the phloem of the host trees. Host trees are lethally attacked by the beetle-fungus complex and the collective damage severely limits forestry production worldwide. It is of great importance to verify whether bark beetles and their associated fungi show concordant performance in terms of biology, physiology, and biochemistry on host trees. In this study, the two Ips bark beetles Ips typographus and Ips subelongatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), their respective associated pathogenic fungi Endoconidiophora polonica and Endoconidiophora fujiensis, and their respective host plants Picea jezoensis and Larix olgensis were selected as test material. Cross-inoculation experiments were conducted indoors and outdoors to investigate the differences in reproduction and development of two beetles and infectivity of two fungi on two plants, as well as the differences in physiological responses of two plants to two fungal infections. The results showed that I. typographus and E. polonica had excellent host performance on P. jezoensis; however, neither successfully colonized and infected L. olgensis. In contrast, I. subelongatus and E. fujiensis showed strong host suitability on L. olgensis and some degree of suitability on P. jezoensis, although the host suitability of P. jezoensis for E. polonica was significantly higher than that for E. fujiensis. In addition, we found that the absolute amount of ergosterol accumulated on the lesion was positively correlated with lesion area. The ergosterol amount and lesion area were both strongly correlated with the release of host monoterpenes, but had no obvious correlation with the concentration of fungi-induced phenols on the lesion area and the side-chain oxidation of lignin in the xylem of the infected sites. Based on these results, we confirmed that “I. typographus-E. polonica” and “I. subelongatus-E. fujiensis” complexes both showed the most suitable consistent performances on their own traditional hosts, establishing a stable species-specific association relationship in these two beetle-fungus complexes, with the “I. subelongatus-E. fujiensis” complex showing broader host suitability. From the perspective of physiological responses of plants to fungal infections, monoterpenes are an important indicator of host suitability.

Abstract Background Lung ultrasound (LUS) can be an important imaging tool for the diagnosis and assessment of lung involvement. Ultrasound sonograms have been confirmed to illustrate damage to a person’s lungs, which means that the correct classification and scoring of a patient’s sonogram can be used to assess lung involvement. Methods The purpose of this study was to establish a lung involvement assessment model based on deep learning. A novel multimodal channel and receptive field attention network combined with ResNeXt (MCRFNet) was proposed to classify sonograms, and the network can automatically fuse shallow features and determine the importance of different channels and respective fields. Finally, sonogram classes were transformed into scores to evaluate lung involvement from the initial diagnosis to rehabilitation. Results and conclusion Using multicenter and multimodal ultrasound data from 104 patients, the diagnostic model achieved 94.39% accuracy, 82.28% precision, 76.27% sensitivity, and 96.44% specificity. The lung involvement severity and the trend of COVID-19 pneumonia were evaluated quantitatively.

The development of breast cancer is closely linked to the estrogen receptor ERα, which is also considered to be an important target for the treatment of breast cancer. Therefore, compounds that can antagonize ERα activity may be drug candidates for the treatment of breast cancer. In drug development, to save manpower and resources, potential active compounds are often screened by establishing compound activity prediction model. For the 1974 compounds collected, the top 20 molecular descriptors that significantly affected the biological activity were screened using LASSO regression models combined with 10-fold cross-validation method. Further, a regression prediction model based on the MLP fully connected neural network was constructed to predict the bioactivity values of 50 new compounds. To measure the validity of the model, the model loss term was specified as the mean squared error (MSE). The results showed that the MLP-based regression prediction model had a loss value of 0.0146 on the validation set. This model is therefore well trained and the prediction strategy used is valid. The methods developed by this paper may provide a reference for the development of anti-breast cancer drugs.

Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient of the body. Low concentrations of bioavailable Fe in staple food result in micronutrient malnutrition. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the most important global food crop and thus has become an important source of iron for people. Breeding nutritious wheat with high grain-Fe content has become an effective means of alleviating malnutrition. Understanding the genetic basis of micronutrient concentration in wheat grains may provide useful information for breeding for high Fe varieties through marker-assisted selection (MAS). Hence, in the present study, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were conducted for grain Fe. An association panel of 207 accessions was genotyped using a 660K SNP array and phenotyped for grain Fe content at three locations. The genotypic and phenotypic data obtained thus were used for GWAS. A total of 911 SNPs were significantly associated with grain Fe concentrations. These SNPs were distributed on all 21 wheat chromosomes, and each SNP explained 5.79–25.31% of the phenotypic variations. Notably, the two significant SNPs (AX-108912427 and AX-94729264) not only have a more significant effect on grain Fe concentration but also have the reliability under the different environments. Furthermore, candidate genes potentially associated with grain Fe concentration were predicted, and 10 candidate genes were identified. These candidate genes were related to transport, translocation, remobilization, and accumulationof ironin wheat plants. These findings will not only help in better understanding the molecular basis of Fe accumulation in grains, but also provide elite wheat germplasms to develop Fe-rich wheat varieties through breeding.

Gliadin is a group of grain storage proteins that confers extensibility/viscosity to the dough and are vital to end-use quality in wheat. Moreover, gliadins are one of the important components for nutritional quality because they contain the nutritional unprofitable epitopes that cause chronic immune-mediated intestinal disorder in genetically susceptible individuals designated celiac disease (CD). The main genetic loci encoding the gliadins were revealed by previous studies; however, the genes related to the content of gliadins and their fractions were less elucidated. To illustrate the genetic basis of the content of gliadins and their fractions comprehensively, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population that consisted of 196 lines was constructed from the two parents, Luozhen No.1 and Zhengyumai 9987. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling the content of total gliadins and their fractions (ω-, α-, and γ-gliadin) were screened genome-widely under four environments across 2 years. Totally, thirty QTL which explained 1.97–12.83% of the phenotypic variation were detected to be distributed on 17 chromosomes and they were gathered into 12 clusters. One hundred and one pairs of epistatic QTL (E-QTL) were revealed, among which five were involved with the total gliadins and its fractions content QTL located on chromosome 1AS, 1DS, 4DS, 1DL, and 6AS. Three Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR (KASP) markers were developed from three major QTL clusters located on chromosomes 6A, 6D, and 7D, respectively. The present research not only dissects the genetic loci for improving the content of gliadins and their three fractions, but may also contribute to marker-assisted selection of varieties with appropriate gliadin fractions content for end-use quality and health benefit at the early developmental stages and early breeding generations.

Resistant starch (RS) is a special group of starches which are slowly degraded and rarely digested in the gastrointestinal tract. It was recognized as a new type of dietary fiber that improved cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and intestinal health. Breeding high-RS-content wheat is one of the most efficient and convenient approaches for providing an adequate amount of RS for a healthy diet. However, studies which aim to genetically illustrate RS content in wheat are still rare. In the present study, a panel of 207 wheat varieties were collected world-wide and planted under three locations. The RS content of each variety was measured, and 14 additive genetic loci were found to stably exist under more than two environments. Meanwhile, four genes were recognized as the putative candidates with annotated functions of β-amylase, α-1,4 glucan phosphorylase, sucrose transporter, and NAC domain protein. A kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) marker was developed from the SNP AX-94546744, representing the genetic locus of β-amylase located. The AX-94546744-T allele can significantly increase the RS content compared to the AX-94546744-C allele. The genetic loci and KASP marker associated with RS content may be useful for wheat germplasm cultivation and variety breeding with a high RS content, further helping to improve the nutritional quality in wheat.

Synchronization and rhythm transition in an excitatory-inhibitory balanced cortical neuronal network are investigated in this paper. A small-world neuronal network is performed to be the cortical region of cerebral cortex, which is composed of different types of Izhikevich neurons. The combination of regular spiking (RS) cells, chattering (CH) cells, or mixed RS and CH cells are imitated as excitatory neurons, whereas fast spiking (FS) cells mimic inhibitory neurons. We mainly focus on the effect of different types of neurons on synchronization and rhythm transition of the neuronal network. The simulation results illustrate that it is easier for the neuronal network with CH excitatory neurons to achieve synchronization, and it is also more susceptible to the parameters than the network with RS neurons. Together with the weight of the synaptic connection, the structure of the small-world network is also explored to identify its influence on the synchronization and the rhythm transition. Moreover, we found that the synchronization performance could be improved by increasing the degree of influence among neurons. Importantly, the synchronization states are associated with the rhythm transitions. Especially, the consistency of synchronization of the neuronal network and y band rhythm is illustrated. In addition, our results could have an important significance on further understanding brain rhythms and synchrony in neuroscience.

ObjectiveThe prognosis of patients with breast cancer liver metastasis (BCLM) was poor. We aimed at constructing a nomogram to predict overall survival (OS) for BCLM patients using the SEER (Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results) database, thus choosing an optimized therapeutic regimen to treat.MethodsWe identified 1173 patients with BCLM from the SEER database and randomly divided them into training (n=824) and testing (n=349) cohorts. The Cox proportional hazards model was applied to identify independent prognostic factors for BCLM, based on which a nomogram was constructed to predict 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS. Its discrimination and calibration were evaluated by the Concordance index (C-index) and calibration plots, while the accuracy and benefits were assessed by comparing it to AJCC-TNM staging system using the decision curve analysis (DCA). Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were applied to test the clinical utility of the risk stratification system.ResultsGrade, marital status, surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, CS tumor size, tumor subtypes, bone metastatic, brain metastatic, and lung metastatic were identified to be independent prognostic factors of OS. In comparison with the AJCC-TNM staging system, an improved C-index was obtained (training group: 0.701 vs. 0.557, validation group: 0.634 vs. 0.557). The calibration curves were consistent between nomogram-predicted survival probability and actual survival probability. Additionally, the DCA curves yielded larger net benefits than the AJCC-TNM staging system. Finally, the risk stratification system can significantly distinguish the ones with different survival risk based on the different molecular subtypes.ConclusionWe have successfully built an effective nomogram and risk stratification system to predict OS in BCLM patients, which can assist clinicians in choosing the appropriate treatment strategies for individual BCLM patients.

Low-frequency oscillatory activity (3-9 Hz) and increased synchrony in the basal ganglia (BG) are recognized to be crucial for Parkinsonian tremor. However, the dynamical mechanism underlying the tremor-related oscillations still remains unknown. In this paper, the roles of the indirect and hyperdirect pathways on synchronization and tremor-related oscillations are considered based on a modified Hodgkin-Huxley model. Firstly, the effects of indirect and hyperdirect pathways are analysed individually, which show that increased striatal activity to the globus pallidus external (GPe) or strong cortical gamma input to the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is sufficient to promote synchrony and tremor-related oscillations in the BG network. Then, the mutual effects of both pathways are analysed by adjusting the related currents simultaneously. Our results suggest that synchrony and tremor-related oscillations would be strengthened if the current of these two paths are in relative imbalance. And the network tends to be less synchronized and less tremulous when the frequency of cortical input is in the theta band. These findings may provide novel treatments in the cortex and striatum to alleviate symptoms of tremor in Parkinson’s disease.

Many bark beetles of the genus Ips are economically important insect pests that cause severe damage to conifer forests worldwide. In this study, sequencing the mitochondrial genome and restriction site-associated DNA of Ips bark beetles helps us understand their phylogenetic relationships, biogeographic history, and evolution of ecological traits (e.g., pheromones and host plants). Our results show that the same topology in phylogenetic trees constructed in different ways (ML/MP/BI) and with different data (mtDNA/SNP) helps us to clarify the phylogenetic relationships between Chinese Ips bark beetle populations and Euramerican species and their higher order clades; Ips bark beetles are polyphyletic. The structure of the mitochondrial genome of Ips bark beetles is similar and conserved to some extent, especially in the sibling species Ips typographus and Ips nitidus. Genetic differences among Ips species are mainly related to their geographic distribution and different hosts. The evolutionary pattern of aggregation pheromones of Ips species reflects their adaptations to the environment and differences among hosts in their evolutionary process. The evolution of Ips species is closely related to the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and host switching. Our study addresses the evolutionary trend and phylogenetic relationships of Ips bark beetles in China, and also provides a new perspective on the evolution of bark beetles and their relationships with host plants and pheromones.

Many bark beetles of the subfamily Scolytinae are the most economically important insect pests of coniferous forests worldwide. In this study, we sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of eight bark beetle species, including Dendroctonus micans, Orthotomicus erosus, Polygraphus poligraphus, Dryocoetes hectographus, Ips nitidus, Ips typographus, Ips subelongatus, and Ips hauseri, to examine their structural characteristics and determine their phylogenetic relationships. We also used previously published mitochondrial genome sequence data from other Scolytinae species to identify and localize the eight species studied within the bark beetle phylogeny. Their gene arrangement matched the presumed ancestral pattern of these bark beetles. Start and stop codon usage, amino acid abundance, and the relative codon usage frequencies were conserved among bark beetles. Genetic distances between species ranged from 0.037 to 0.418, and evolutionary rates of protein-coding genes ranged from 0.07 for COI to 0.69 for ND2. Our results shed light on the phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic status of several bark beetles in the subfamily Scolytinae and highlight the need for further sequencing analyses and taxonomic revisions in additional bark beetle species.

The cortisol awakening response (CAR), a rapid cortisol rise in the morning after awakening, has been proposed to provide energy to cope with daily demands and suggested to be associated with brain functions. Electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry studies have implicated asymmetric cortical activation, especially in frontal cortex, in approach-withdrawal motivation. In this study, we examined the relationship between the CAR and lateralized cortical activity under rest in 55 university male students. Saliva samples were collected at 0, 15, 30 and 60 min after awakening on the two consecutive workdays. The lateralized cortical activity at frontocentral sites was examined by alpha asymmetry score. The results showed that a higher CAR was positively associated with alpha asymmetry score, which indicated that the higher CAR is linked with more left-sided cortical activity at frontocentral sites under resting state. This association still existed even after controlling psychological and sleep quality variables. These results suggested that appropriately mobilizing energy resource storage after awakening revealed as CAR might be associated with goal-directed approach tendencies before any eventual stressful situation, characteristic of more left than right resting-state frontocentral cortical activity.

Statins, known for their lipid-lowering effects, also have immunomodulatory properties. This study aims to examine whether systematic simvastatin administration could decrease polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) infiltration into brain tissue, as well as alleviate neuroinflammation in a rat model of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The ICH model was induced in adult male Sprague–Dawley rats by an injection of autologous blood. Animals randomly received simvastatin (i.p. 2 mg/kg) or vehicle daily from 5 days before ICH until sacrificed. Routine blood counts, brain water content, neurological scoring, immunofluorescence and RT-PCR were conducted to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of simvastatin following ICH. Furthermore, flow cytometric and western blotting analysis were implemented for elucidating the mechanisms involved in simvastatin-induced reduction of neutrophil brain-invading. Elevated PMNs count and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in circulation were detected in rat model of ICH, which was reversed by using simvastatin. Simvastatin effectively alleviated PMNs infiltration and proinflammatory factors release in perihematomal area, as well as attenuated ICH-induced brain edema and neurological deficits. Simvastatin significantly downregulated the expression of antiapoptotic protein-Mcl-1 while increased the level of proapoptotic protein-Bax and cleaved caspase 3 in PMNs. Simvastatin treatment significantly alleviated PMNs brain-infiltrating and subsequent neuroinflammatory reaction after ICH, in part by accelerating peripheral PMNs apoptosis through disorganized the expression of apoptotic related proteins. Our data provided new evidence for simvastatin application on patients with ICH.

A clean process has been developed for the synthesis of 2-adamantylphenol derivatives through adamantylation of substituted phenols with adamantanols catalyzed by commercially available and recyclable ion-exchange sulfonic acid resin in acetic acid. The sole byproduct of the adamantylation reaction, namely water, could be converted into the solvent acetic acid by addition of a slight excess of acetic anhydride during the work-up procedure, making the process waste-free except for regeneration of the ion-exchange resin, and facilitating the recycling of the resin catalyst. The ion-exchange sulfonic acid resin catalyst could be readily recycled by filtration and directly reused at least ten times without a significant loss of activity. The key intermediate of adapalene, 2-(1-adamantyl)-4-bromophenol, could be produced by means of this waste-free process.

For current trajectory clustering algorithms,most of them group full trajectories as basic units,and lead the low efficient results.Aiming at this problem,a trajectory clustering algorithm based on structural similarity was proposed.By introducing a new concept of trajectory structure and presenting structural similarity function,the internal and external features of trajectories were analyzed.The algorithm first partitioned trajectories into trajectory segments according to corner;then computed the matching degree between every trajectory segment pairs by comparing their structure features;finally grouped trajectories into clusters.Experiment results on real data set demonstrate not only the efficiency and effectiveness of the algorithm,but also the flexibility that feature sensitivity can be adjusted by different parameters.

Grid was a kind of new-type network computing platform following World Wide Web;An infrastructure of sharing different resources including webpage in an all-round way was offered.In order to complete one task,many re-sources were often needed the participants to assort with,so single sign-on to simplify users’ operations was needed.The disadvantages of single sign-on were analyzed,and a solution based on SAML was proposed,the test and the perform-ance evaluation to it had been carried on.