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Feature enhancement plays a crucial role in improving the quality and discriminative power of features used in matching tasks. By enhancing the informative and invariant aspects of features, the matching process becomes more robust and reliable, enabling accurate predictions even in challenging scenarios, such as occlusion and reflection in stereo matching. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end dual-dimension feature modulation network called DFMNet to address the issue of mismatches in interference areas. DFMNet utilizes dual-dimension feature modulation (DFM) to capture spatial and channel information separately. This approach enables the adaptive combination of local features with more extensive contextual information, resulting in an enhanced feature representation that is more effective in dealing with challenging scenarios. Additionally, we introduce the concept of cost filter volume (CFV) by utilizing guide weights derived from group-wise correlation. CFV aids in filtering the concatenated volume adaptively, effectively discarding redundant information, and further improving matching accuracy. To enable real-time performance, we designed a fast version named Fast-GFM. Fast-GFM employs the global feature modulation (GFM) block to enhance the feature expression ability, improving the accuracy and stereo matching robustness. The accurate DFMNet and the real-time Fast-GFM achieve state-of-the-art performance across multiple benchmarks, including Scene Flow, KITTI, ETH3D, and Middlebury. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed methods in enhancing feature representation and significantly improving matching accuracy in various stereo matching scenarios.

Barley grain protein content (GPC) is an important quality factor that determines grain end-use value. The synthesis and accumulation of grain protein is highly dependent on the availability of nitrogen fertilizer, and it is important to understand the underlying control mechanisms of this. In the current study, the GPC and protein composition of mature grain seeds from Yangsimai 3 and Naso Nijo barley cultivars were analyzed. Grain storage subproteomes (albumin, glubulin, hordein and glutelin) were compared in the cultivars grown in both low and high nitrogen level conditions. The GPC of mature grain was significantly higher in Yangsimai 3 than Naso Nijo following nitrogen treatment. Albumin, hordein and glutelin content were increased in Yangsimai, while only hordein content was increased in Naso Nijo. Large-scale analysis of the grain storage subproteome revealed 152 differentially expressed protein spots on 2-DE gels with a pH range of 3-10. Among these, 42 and 66 protein spots were successfully identified by tandem mass spectrometry in Yangsimai 3 and Naso Nijo grown in low and high nitrogen conditions. The identified proteins were further grouped into thirteen categories according to their biological functions. This detailed analysis of grain subproteomes provides information on how barley GPC may be controlled by nitrogen supply.

Vps35 (vacuolar protein sorting 35) is a major component of retromer that selectively promotes endosome-to-Golgi retrieval of transmembrane proteins. Dysfunction of retromer is a risk factor for the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, Vps35/retromer's function in the eye or the contribution of Vps35-deficiency to eye degenerative disorders remains to be explored. Here we provide evidence for a critical role of Vps35 in mouse corneal dystrophy. Vps35 is expressed in mouse and human cornea. Mouse cornea from Vps35 heterozygotes (Vps35+/-) show features of dystrophy, such as loss of both endothelial and epithelial cell densities, disorganizations of endothelial, stroma, and epithelial cells, excrescences in the Descemet membrane, and corneal edema. Additionally, corneal epithelial cell proliferation was reduced in Vps35-deficient mice. Intriguingly, cell surface targeting of SLC4A11, a membrane transport protein (OH- /H+ /NH3 /H2O) of corneal endothelium, whose mutations have been identified in patients with corneal dystrophy, was impaired in Vps35-deficient cells and cornea. Taken together, these results suggest that SLC4A11 appears to be a Vps35/retromer cargo, and Vps35-regulation of SLC4A11 trafficking may underlie Vps35/retromer regulation of corneal dystrophy.

Intramuscular fat (IMF) content and fatty acid composition of longissimus dorsi muscle (LM) change with growth, which partially determines the flavor and nutritional value of goat (Capra hircus) meat. However, unlike cattle, little information is available on the transcriptome-wide changes during different postnatal stages in small ruminants, especially goats. In this study, the sequencing reads of goat LM tissues collected from kid, youth, and adult period were mapped to the goat genome. Results showed that out of total 24 689 Unigenes, 20 435 Unigenes were annotated. Based on expected number of fragments per kilobase of transcript sequence per million base pairs sequenced (FPKM), 111 annotated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified among different postnatal stages, which were subsequently assigned to 16 possible expression patterns by series-cluster analysis. Functional classification by Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was used for selecting the genes showing highest expression related to lipid metabolism. Finally, we identified the node genes for lipid metabolism regulation using co-expression analysis. In conclusion, these data may uncover candidate genes having functional roles in regulation of goat muscle development and lipid metabolism during the various growth stages in goats.

To investigate the effects of different nutrient management regimes on the soil chemical, eco-enzymatic stoichiometric and microbial characteristics, soil samples were collected from a 30-year, long-term field experiment with six plots growing rice. The results showed that as integrated fertilization increased, so did the concentrations of soil total or available nutrients and microbial biomass carbon (MBC). Our results also found enhanced soil basal respiration and cumulative carbon mineralization compared to chemical fertilization alone at the same nutrient doses. The activities of soil protease (Pro), β-glucosidase (βG), N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAG) and acid phosphatase (AP) from the integrated fertilization treatments were significantly higher than those of the treatments without organic manure, so did the activities of soil leucyl aminopeptidase (LAP) and urease (Ure) from the treatment with organic manure in addition to farmer practise fertilization (NPKM2). The stoichiometric ratios, expressed as lnβG/ln(NAG+LAP)/lnPro/lnUre/lnAP, ranged from 1:0.94:1.04:0.67:1.01 to 1:0.98:1.10:0.78:1.25, indicating that the acquisition of C, N and P changed consistently and synchronously under different nutrient management strategies. Integrated fertilization was more beneficial to the acquisition and utilization of soil organic carbon compared to low-molecular-weight organic nitrogen. We concluded that protease and urease should be considered in eco-enzymatic stoichiometric assessments for the hydrolysis of proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates and phosphomonoesters in soil, and integrated fertilization with chemical fertilizers and organic manure should be recommended as a preferable nutrient management system for intensive rice cultivation.

Environmental impacts can alter relationships between a coral and its symbiotic microbial community. Furthermore, changes in the microbial community associated with increased seawater temperatures can cause opportunistic infections, coral disease and death. Interactions between soft corals and their associated microbes are not well understood. The species Scleronephthya gracillimum is distributed in tropical to temperate zones in coral assemblages along the Kuroshio Current region. In this study we collected S. gracillimum from various sites at different latitudes, and compared composition of their bacterial communities using Next Generation Sequencing. Coral samples from six geographically distinct areas (two sites each in Taiwan, Japan, and Korea) had considerable variation in their associated bacterial communities and diversity. Endozoicimonaceae was the dominant group in corals from Korea and Japan, whereas Mycoplasma was dominant in corals from Taiwan corals. Interestingly, the latter corals had lower relative abundance of Endozoicimonaceae, but greater diversity. These biogeographic differences in bacterial composition may have been due to varying environmental conditions among study locations, or because of host responses to prevailing environmental conditions. This study provided a baseline for future studies of soft coral microbiomes, and assessment of functions of host metabolites and soft coral holobionts.

Meromictic lakes located in landlocked steppes of central Asia (~2500 km inland) have unique geophysiochemical characteristics compared to other meromictic lakes. To characterize their bacteria and elucidate relationships between those bacteria and surrounding environments, water samples were collected from three saline meromictic lakes (Lakes Shira, Shunet and Oigon) in the border between Siberia and the West Mongolia, near the center of Asia. Based on in-depth tag pyrosequencing, bacterial communities were highly variable and dissimilar among lakes and between oxic and anoxic layers within individual lakes. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were the most abundant phyla, whereas three genera of purple sulfur bacteria (a novel genus, Thiocapsa and Halochromatium) were predominant bacterial components in the anoxic layer of Lake Shira (~20.6% of relative abundance), Lake Shunet (~27.1%) and Lake Oigon (~9.25%), respectively. However, few known green sulfur bacteria were detected. Notably, 3.94% of all sequencing reads were classified into 19 candidate divisions, which was especially high (23.12%) in the anoxic layer of Lake Shunet. Furthermore, several hydro-parameters (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, H2S and salinity) were associated (P< 0.05) with variations in dominant bacterial groups. In conclusion, based on highly variable bacterial composition in water layers or lakes, we inferred that the meromictic ecosystem was characterized by high diversity and heterogenous niches.

Shallow-water hydrothermal vents off Kueishan Island (northeastern Taiwan) provide a unique, sulfur-rich, highly acidic (pH 1.75-4.6) and variable-temperature environment. In this species-poor habitat, the crab Xenograpsus testudinatus is dominant, as it mainly feeds on zooplankton killed by sulfurous plumes. In this study, 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon pyrosequencing was used to investigate diversity and composition of bacteria residing in digestive gland, gill, stomach, heart, and mid-gut of X. testudinatus, as well as in surrounding seawater. Dominant bacteria were Gamma- and Epsilonproteobacteria that might be capable of autotrophic growth by oxidizing reduced sulfur compounds and are usually resident in deep-sea hydrothermal systems. Dominant bacterial OTUs in X. testudinatus had both host and potential organ specificities, consistent with a potential trophic symbiotic relationship (nutrient transfer between host and bacteria). We inferred that versatile ways to obtain nutrients may provide an adaptive advantage for X. testudinatus in this demanding environment. To our knowledge, this is the first study of bacterial communities in various organs/tissues of a crustacean in a shallow-water hydrothermal system, and as such, may be a convenient animal model for studying these systems.

Alpha-momorcharin (α-MMC) and momordica anti-HIV protein (MAP30) from Momordica charantia L. have been confirmed to possess anti-tumor and anti-virus activities. Traditional purification methods of these two ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) were separate which was time consuming and cost effective as well as low efficient. In order to obtain sufficient samples for researches, a strategy combining ion-exchange and gel filtration chromatography was developed and optimized in this study. Using this novel purification method, averagely 1162 mg of α-MMC and 535 mg of MAP30 were obtained from 400 g of Momordica charantia L seeds. The homogeneities of them were assessed by electrophoresis analysis. Determination of molecular weights of α-MMC and MAP30 were 28.585 kDa and 29.094 kDa by MALDI-TOF/TOF and pI were 9.02 and 9.12, respectively. The single glycoproteins were identified by Periodate-Schiff's base (PAS) and the saccharide content was tested to be 1.25% and 1.1% by anthrone-sulfuric acid method. Biological activities were evidenced by their ability to inhibit proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma A549 cell and to convert supercoiled plasmid pUC18 into relaxed forms. Finally, we also found that both two RIPs exhibited no superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity.

As one of the non-classical major histocompatibility complex(MHC)-1 antigens, Human Leukocyte Antigen G (HLA-G), has been suggested as a prognostic marker to identify the embryo developmental potential. In the present study, we investigated the potential roles of HLA-G in human spermatogenesis and early embryonic development. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that HLA-G's expression was increased with increased Johnsen score in testicular tissues. There was no significant difference in HLA-G mRNA expression between testicular tissues with Johnsen score of 8-9 and normal sperm from ejaculated semen. HLA-G mRNA expression was detected in human zygotes, embryos and blastocysts but not in unfertilized oocytes. In testicular tissues where sperm was obtained by testicular sperm extraction (Johnsen score was 8 to 9), there were no correlations between HLA-G mRNA expression and fertilization, cleavage and high-quality embryo rates. At 48-72 h post-fertilization, HLA-G expression was higher in fast growing embryos. HLA-G specific siRNA injection into zygotes not only slowed down embryonic cleavage rate at 48 h post-fertilization, but also down-regulated the expression of embryo metabolism related gene (SLC2A1) and cell cycle-regulated gene (CCND2). Taken together, our findings suggested that HLA-G plays significant roles in human spermatogenesis and early embryonic development.

It has been reported that binding of STAT3 protein to the 5'-flanking region of the relaxin gene may result in downregulation of the relaxin expression. There is a Guanine(G)-rich segment located in about 3.8 Kb upstream of the relaxin gene and very close to the STAT3's binding site. In our study, NMR spectroscopy revealed the formation of G-quadruplex by this G-rich strand, and the result was confirmed by ESI mass spectrometry and CD spectroscopy. The theoretical structure of RLX G-quadruplex was constructed and refined by molecular modeling. When this relaxin G-quadruplex was stabilized by berberine(ΔTm = 10°C), a natural alkaloid from a Chinese herb, the gene expression could be up-regulated in a dose-dependent manner which was proved by luciferase assay. This result is different from the general G-quadruplex function that inhibiting the telomere replication or down-regulating many oncogenes expression. Therefore, our study reported a novel G-quadruplex in the relaxin gene and complemented the regulation mechanism about gene expression by G-quadruplexes.

As one of the non-classical major histocompatibility complex(MHC)-1 antigens, Human Leukocyte Antigen G (HLA-G), has been suggested as a prognostic marker to identify the embryo developmental potential. In the present study, we investigated the potential roles of HLA-G in human spermatogenesis and early embryonic development. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that HLA-G's expression was increased with increased Johnsen score in testicular tissues. There was no significant difference in HLA-G mRNA expression between testicular tissues with Johnsen score of 8–9 and normal sperm from ejaculated semen. HLA-G mRNA expression was detected in human zygotes, embryos and blastocysts but not in unfertilized oocytes. In testicular tissues where sperm was obtained by testicular sperm extraction (Johnsen score was 8 to 9), there were no correlations between HLA-G mRNA expression and fertilization, cleavage and high-quality embryo rates. At 48–72 h post-fertilization, HLA-G expression was higher in fast growing embryos. HLA-G specific siRNA injection into zygotes not only slowed down embryonic cleavage rate at 48 h post-fertilization, but also down-regulated the expression of embryo metabolism related gene (SLC2A1) and cell cycle-regulated gene (CCND2). Taken together, our findings suggested that HLA-G plays significant roles in human spermatogenesis and early embryonic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]