Search

With the rapid development of the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), the demand for wireless spectrum resources has significantly increased. Dynamic spectrum sharing technology is regarded as a key solution to alleviate the shortage of spectrum resources. However, during the spectrum sharing process, security issues and a low utilization of the shared spectrum may arise. This study designs a consortium blockchain for trustworthy dynamic spectrum sharing in IoV environments. An improved asynchronous byzantine fault-tolerant algorithm is also designed to address the instability of signals in this scenario, and the allocation and management of spectrum resources between vehicles and base stations are further optimized using the Stackelberg game, ultimately deployed automatically through smart contracts. Simulation results show that our method not only significantly improves the system's response time but also ensures communication quality and can maintain efficient operation under high network delay and complex scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: The sustainable development of rural areas has become a critical factor in global economic and social transformation. As an essential part of China's rural ecological and cultural system, traditional villages are now facing a crisis of yearly decline, and sustainable development has become a meaningful way to solve the problem. This study utilized morphological indicator analysis and the SDGs as an evaluation framework to reveal the correlation and driving factors between traditional villages' spatial form and sustainability indicators. From the perspective of the spatial form, this approach has specific reference significance for improving the sustainability of traditional villages. (2) Methods: A framework for detecting the driving factors of rural sustainability based on four dimensions (morphology, environment, economy, and society) was constructed. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to analyze the geographic patterns and morphological indicator characteristics of traditional villages in Jiangsu Province, and GeoDetector was used to analyze the driving mechanisms of the spatial patterns of sustainability in traditional villages, providing the basis for spatial zoning and differentiated policy design for the construction, planning, and management of sustainable villages. (3) Results: ➀ The spatial patterns and morphological characteristics of traditional villages exhibit prominent geographical imbalances and significant cluster cores. ➁ The high-density and low-aspect-ratio rural form in the southern region (where rural industries are developed) promotes good economic sustainability in rural areas but also leads to poor environmental performance. The rural areas in the southwest and north (high-density forest areas) have medium density and a high aspect ratio, and the lack of agricultural space and external connections affects their social performance. The main focus is on poverty reduction and urban cooperation. The central and northern lakeside areas and the eastern coastal areas (important ecological protection areas) have low density and high aspect ratios, which have helped them to achieve excellent environmental performance but also led to contradictions in environmental, economic, and social performance. Maintaining low-density patterns, using clean energy, and protecting terrestrial and underwater biodiversity are essential to the sustainability of the rural environment. The agglomeration of spatial patterns promotes cooperation between rural and urban areas and improves industrial development, contributing to the sustainability of the rural economy. Improving social welfare and agricultural development contributes to the sustainability of rural societies. ➂ The impacts of various factors vary significantly; for example, Life below Water (SDG14), Climate Action (SDG13), and No Poverty (SDG1) are the most prominent, followed by Partnerships for the Goals (SDG17), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG7), and Recent Work and Economic Growth (SDG8). (4) Conclusions: It is recommended that the government, with the driving mechanisms, divide the spatial management zoning of traditional villages in Jiangsu into three types of policy areas: environmental-oriented, economic-oriented, and social-oriented. Differentiated and targeted suggestions should be proposed to provide a critical decision-making basis for protecting and utilizing traditional villages in Jiangsu and similar provinces, as well as to help promote rural revitalization and sustainable rural construction in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the fast development of city economy and environment, building heritage helps to preserve the cultural identity and history of a place and its people, providing a sense of connection to the past. Historic area renovation is a multifaceted endeavor, combining aspects of culture, architecture, economics, and community engagement. After the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020, three new challenges have been faced by historic area regeneration. First, if the renovation has not been implemented yet, how should building attribute types be classified at the very beginning? Second, if the renovation has stopped due to the epidemic, how should the process be restarted and how should accurate suggestions be given based on previous implementation? Third, when the historic area contains a variety of different styles of buildings, how should the stage of conservation renovation be judged and how should overall guidelines on area conservation be given? A dynamic methodological approach based on the management of three-dimensional information has been proposed by our research team to help monitor changes in building attributes during implementation. A case study was analyzed using the proposed model but paying attention to new aspects of model application. By comparing the buildings represented in three historic areas of Taizhou Old City, buildings before renovation often face problems more on a material level. During the process of renovation, it is necessary to pay more attention to the spiritual level of building problems. Renovation guided by a different subject would lead to different problems in the update process. It is also important to categorize guides based on the proportion of different building types and the prominent conflicts in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human Cytomegalovirus Capsid Assembly Protein Precursor (pAP, UL80.5) plays a key role in capsid assembly by forming an internal protein scaffold with Major Capsid Protein (MCP, UL86) and other capsid subunits. In this study, we revealed UL80.5 as a novel SUMOylated viral protein. We confirmed that UL80.5 interacted with the SUMO E2 ligase UBC9 (58-93aa) and could be covalently modified by SUMO1/SUMO2/SUMO3 proteins. 371Lysine located within a ψKxE consensus motif on UL80.5 carboxy-terminal was the major SUMOylation site. Interestingly, the SUMOylation of UL80.5 restrained its interaction with UL86 but had no effects on translocating UL86 into the nucleus. Furthermore, we showed that the removal of the 371lysine SUMOylation site of UL80.5 inhibited viral replication. In conclusion, our data demonstrates that SUMOylation plays an important role in regulating UL80.5 functions and viral replication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research is focused on decision-making problems with redundant and incomplete information under a fuzzy environment. Firstly, we present the definition of incomplete fuzzy soft sets and analyze their data structures. Based on that, binary relationships between each pair of objects and the "restricted/relaxed AND" operations in the incomplete fuzzy soft set are discussed. After that, the definition of incomplete fuzzy soft decision systems is proposed. To reduce the inconsistency caused by the redundant information in decision making, the significance of the attribute subset, the reduct attribute set, the optimal reduct attribute set and the core attribute in incomplete fuzzy soft decision systems is also discussed. These definitions can be applied in an incomplete fuzzy soft set directly, so there is no need to convert incomplete data into complete one in the process of reduction. Then a new decision-making algorithm based on the above definitions can be developed, which can deal with redundant information and incomplete information simultaneously, and is independent of some unreliable assumptions about the data generating mechanism to forecast the incomplete information. Lastly, the algorithm is applied in the problem of regional food safety evaluation in Chongqing, China, and the corresponding comparison analysis demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenza virus has the ability to circumvent host innate immune system through regulating certain host factors for its effective propagation. However, the detailed mechanism is still not fully understood. Here, we report that a host sphingolipid metabolism-related factor, sphingosine kinase 2 (SPHK2), upregulated during influenza A virus (IAV) infection, promotes IAV infection in an enzymatic independent manner. The enhancement of the virus replication is not abolished in the catalytic-incompetent SPHK2 (G212E) overexpressing cells. Intriguingly, the sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) related factor HDAC1 also plays a crucial role in SPHK2-mediated IAV infection. We found that SPHK2 cannot facilitate IAV infection in HDAC1 deficient cells. More importantly, SPHK2 overexpression diminishes the IFN-β promoter activity upon IAV infection, resulting in the suppression of type I IFN signaling. Furthermore, ChIP-qPCR assay revealed that SPHK2 interacts with IFN-β promoter through the binding of demethylase TET3, but not with the other promoters regulated by TET3, such as TGF-β1 and IL6 promoters. The specific regulation of SPHK2 on IFN-β promoter through TET3 can in turn recruit HDAC1 to the IFN-β promoter, enhancing the deacetylation of IFN-β promoter, therefore leading to the inhibition of IFN-β transcription. These findings reveal an enzymatic independent mechanism on host SPHK2, which associates with TET3 and HDAC1 to negatively regulate type I IFN expression and thus facilitates IAV propagation. Author summary: Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) metabolizing related proteins are important regulators in response to the infection and pathogenicity of influenza virus and may serve as potential anti-viral targets. Our previous study identifies SPHK2 as a positive regulator of IAV replication, the present study demonstrates that IAV can increase the expression of SPHK2 which in turn diminishes the type I IFN mediated antiviral responses through HDAC1 and TET3. The study highlights a subtle non-enzymatic mechanism of SPHK2 in inhibiting the transcription of type I interferon, and reveals how IAV evade host immunity and replicate in host cells with the help of SPHK2, giving us a novel insight into the interplay between IAV and host immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As important locations that carry the spirit and culture of the city, the conservation and regeneration of historic areas should be a sustainable process. However, in the current Chinese urban historical and cultural heritage conservation system, there is a certain degree of discontinuity in the management of the two-level division between historic districts and heritage protection units, resulting in a lack of control over the renewal of other buildings in the district. The fragmented conservation of historic districts eventually leads to the loss of the historical culture and urban spirit they are supposed to carry, which is not in line with the requirements of sustainable conservation. This study aims to combine sustainability theories with the essential properties of buildings to construct an assessment model to address this issue. Through integrating the discussion on the nature of building and the sustainability assessment dimensions, three aspects of common concern can be identified as economic, cultural, and social. As the ontology for transmitting and preserving culture for future generations, building should take on the three major responsibilities of presenting and inheriting regional culture, improving regional conservation and developing economic functions. Therefore, the three dimensions of sustainability-based building attributes are "Economy of construction, Cultural of form, and Social of benefit". A sustainable assessment model is constructed based on the three dimensions, which can help to dynamically monitor changes in building attributes during implementation. Finally, a case study was analyzed using the proposed model, and the feasibility and applicability of the assessment model were proved. The model provides effective guidance for comparative evaluation before and after the implementation of protecting plans, and corrects deviations to sustainable conservation goals in a timely manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lytic replication of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a member of β-herpesvirus, is a highly complicated and organized process that requires its DNA polymerase processivity factor, UL44, the first-reported HCMV replication protein subjected to SUMO post-translational modification (PTM). SUMOylation plays a pleiotropic role in protein functions of host cells and infecting viruses. Particularly, formation of herpesviral replication compartments (RCs) upon infection is induced in proximity to ND10 subnuclear domains, the host cell's intrinsic antiviral immune devices and hot SUMOylation spots, relying just on SUMOylation of their protein components to become mature and functional in restriction of the viral replication. In this study, to unveil the exact role of SUMO PTM on UL44 involved in HCMV replication, we screened and identified PIAS3, an annotated E3 SUMO ligase, as a novel UL44-interacting protein engaged in cellular SUMOylation pathway. Co-existence of PIAS3 could enhance the UBC9-based SUMO modification of UL44 specifically at its conserved 410lysine residue lying within the single canonical ψKxE SUMO Conjugation Motif (SCM). Intriguingly, we found this SCM-specific SUMOylation contributes to UL44 co-localization and interaction with subnuclear ND10 domains during infection, which in turn exerts an inhibitory effect on HCMV replication and growth. Together, these results highlight the importance of SUMOylation in regulating viral protein subnuclear localization, representing a novel way of utilizing ND10-based restriction to achieve the self-controlled slower replication and reproduction of herpesviruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3), a newly emerged immune regulator, is considered to be involved in type 2 diabetic periodontitis (T2DCP). However, the risk factors and genes with altered expression that influence the progression and severity of T2DCP remain unknown. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to elucidate the relationship between 25(OH)D3 deficiency and severity of T2DCP as well as the potential mechanisms. Material and Methods: A total of 182 subjects were divided into two groups: chronic periodontitis without diabetes (P group, n = 88) and type 2 diabetes mellitus with periodontitis (DM+P group, n = 94). Patients in both groups were further classified according to age as young (Y) and elderly (E) for a total of four groups: P/Y, P/E, DM+P/Y, and DM+P/E. Periodontal status was evaluated based on the probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL). The serum levels of human 25(OH)D3, interleukin (IL)‐1β, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays. Immunohistochemistry was used to measure the expression of protein tyrosine phosphatase non‐receptor type 2 (PTPN2), vitamin D receptor (VDR), and JAK/STAT proteins in the gingival tissue. Results: Serum 25(OH)D3 levels were lower in the DM+P group than those in the P group (P < 0.001). When the patients were subgrouped according to age, 25(OH)D3 deficiency was more commonly found in DM+P/E than in DM+P/Y (67% vs 51%), with a significant difference detected in the 25(OH)D3 quartile of 15‐20 ng/mL (P = 0.007). The 25(OH)D3 level showed a significant negative correlation with fasting blood glucose (FBG) (r = −0.623), serum IL‐1β (r = −0.392), serum TNF‐α (r = −0.218), PD (r = −0.269), and CAL (r = −0.305) in the DM+P group (all P < 0.05), but not with hemoglobin A1c (P = 0.123). Additionally, reduced VDR and PTPN2 expression levels were observed in DM+P patients, whereas JAK1 and p‐STAT5 protein levels were increased in this group. Conclusions: Vitamin D3 deficiency is strongly associated with T2DCP, and age mediates this relationship. Abnormal FBG and IL‐1β levels should be considered as important potential risk factors for the progression and severity of T2DCP. Moreover, 25(OH)D3 deficiency may be related to the immune function of T2DCP by weakening PTPN2 signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Metformin, a classical treatment for diabetes mellitus, has shown sound anti-inflammatory effects. Emerging studies have focused on the mechanism underlying inflammation-related diabetic complications, such as diabetic periodontitis. Herein, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of metformin on the NIMA-related kinase 7 (Nek7)/nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) pathway both in vivo and in vitro in experimental diabetic periodontitis.Methods: All procedures were conducted in Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg)-infected streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice and in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW 264.7 cells under high-glucose conditions. A range of techniques were performed in this study: microcomputed tomography, western blotting, and immunofluorescence were used to analyze periodontal tissues. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was for serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β) detection. Specific pharmacological inhibition was used to stimulate cells. Flow cytometry was implemented to analyze cell cycle.Results: We found that metformin treatment can robustly ameliorate periodontal infection and tissue destruction and reduce blood glucose and serum IL-1β levels in mice with diabetic periodontitis. Moreover, gingival tissue exhibited less macrophage infiltration and decreased expression of Nek7, NLRP3, caspase-1, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which were simultaneously observed in RAW 264.7 cell models stimulated with metformin. Metformin also affected the cell cycle in a dose-dependent way. Furthermore, after stimulation with the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin, additional metformin treatment could still downregulate Nek7/NLRP3.Conclusions: Our research indicated that metformin significantly attenuated experimental diabetic periodontitis both in vivo and in vitro. Metformin suppressed the inflammatory state by inhibiting Nek7 expression to decrease NLRP3 inflammasome activity. Interestingly, mTOR inhibition was not involved in metformin-induced Nek7 downregulation. The observed Nek7 reduction could be related to metformin-mediated cell cycle arrest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flexible reduced graphene oxide (rGO) films are prepared by treating the graphene oxide (GO) films assembled in the presence of urea and p-phenylenediamine (PPD) with hydroiodic acid firstly and then heating at 165 °C. The addition of urea can overcome the aggregation of GO sheets induced by the PPD, and the formed microcrystallines of urea and PPD can act as the templates to regulate the structure of GO films during the drying process. Compared with the rGO films obtained from pure GO films, measurements based on the two-electrode system reveal that the capacitive performance of the films can be dramatically improved when the GO films are assembled in the presence of urea and PPD. The selected flexible film exhibits a specific capacitance of about 430 F g−1 in 1.0 mol L−1 H2SO4 electrolyte, and the cells fabricated by the films exhibit a maximum energy density of 8.96 Wh kg−1 at the power density of 100.42 W kg−1, and maximum power density of 1.70 kW kg−1 at the energy density of 7.92 Wh kg−1 based on the active materials, and can retain about 85% of its initial capacitance after 10,000 cycles. This novel strategy may be developed as a route to prepare flexible N-doped rGO electrode materials with high-performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: DNA phosphorothioate (PT) modification was recently identified to occur naturally in diverse bacteria and to be governed by DndABCDE proteins. The nuclease resistance as well as the redox and nucleophilic properties of PT sulfur make PT modification a versatile player in restriction‐modification (R‐M) defense, epigenetic regulation, environmental fitness and the maintenance of cellular redox homeostasis. In this study, we discovered that tight control of PT levels is mediated by the ATPase activity of DndB. The ATP‐binding activity of DndB stimulates the dissociation of the DndB‐DNA complex, allowing transcriptional initiation, whereas its ATP hydrolysis activity promotes the conversion of DndB‐ATP to free DndB that is capable of rebinding to promoter DNA for transcriptional inhibition. Since sulfur incorporation is an ATP‐consuming process, these activities provide an economical way to fine‐tune PT modification in an ATP‐sensing manner. To our knowledge, this ATP‐mediated regulation is a rare example among DNA epigenetic modification systems; the features of autoregulation and the repeated usage of DndB allow the dedicated regulation of PT levels in response to cellular ATP concentrations, providing insight into PT function and its role in physiology. DNA phosphorothioate (PT) modification occurs naturally in the DNA sugar‐phosphate backbone by replacing the nonbridging oxygen by sulfur and is a versatile player in restriction‐modification defense, epigenetic regulation, environmental fitness and the maintenance of cellular redox homeostasis. Here, we discovered that cellular PT level is tightly regulated by the ATP‐modulated autoregulation and reusability of DndB, providing insights into PT functions and its role in physiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinispora arenicola CNS-205 was a first-isolated obligate marine actinomycete. A gene ( sare0357), annotated as ''amino acid adenylation domain'' located on the genome of Salinispora arenicola CNS-205, was cloned and characterized. The recombinant target protein Sare0357 was expressed in E. coli. Sare0357 specifically recognized and activated tryptophan (Trp) and phenylalanine (Phe). The basic kinetic parameters of Sare0357 for Trp were K = 0.04 mM, V = 2.1 μM/min, k = 14.2 min, and for Phe were K = 0.03 mM, V = 1.6 μM/min, k = 10.4 min. Our data elucidated Sare0357 biological role and biochemical properties as a Trp and Phe-activating adenylation domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptomyces antibiotic regulatory proteins (SARP) normally play positive regulatory roles during streptomyces antibiotics biosynthesis. sare4854, a gene in Salinispora arenicola CNH643 DSM 44819 was proposed to encode a SARP. Here, sare4854 was expressed in a heterolohous system for functional characterization. However, the antibiotic production in resultant strain was repressed significantly. Bioinfomatic analysis showed that sare4854 has an additional nucleoside triphosphate hydrolases (NTPase) domain at the C-terminus, besides a SARP-like domain (DBD: DNA binding domain and BTA: bacterial transcnptional activation domain) at the N-terminus conserved in all SARPs. The possible mechanism of sare4854 in antibiotic synthesis in this abnormal phenomenon was discussed here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction waste management is crucial to the sustainable development of the construction industry and environmental management, and China has the highest construction waste emission in the world, making it typical and representative globally. In this paper, we conducted an empirical study on the relationship between the change in construction waste and economic growth at the provincial level in China from 2009 to 2018 based on a decoupling model and spatial analysis methods, and we reached the findings as follows. (1) Most provinces in China are still in the stage of continuous growth of construction waste emissions, and about 30% have reached the peak (inverted U-shaped), prominently characterized by inter-provincial spatial heterogeneity and agglomeration. (2) The decoupling types between inter-provincial construction waste and construction economic growth in China are dominated by weak decoupling, expansive coupling, and recessive decoupling, and they are changing in general with positive signs but in a more diversified and complex trend. (3) Based on the analysis results, this paper classifies China into three types of policy zones, namely transformation, adjustment, and stabilization, and proposes differentiated and targeted recommendations to provide an important decision basis for the design of construction waste management policies in China and similar countries and to help achieve a "zero waste society" in early global development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]