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Plant pathogens cause devastating diseases, leading to serious losses to agriculture. Mechanistic understanding of pathogenesis of plant pathogens lays the foundation for the development of fungicides for disease control. Mitophagy, a specific form of autophagy, is important for fungal virulence. The role of cardiolipin, mitochondrial signature phospholipid, in mitophagy and pathogenesis is largely unknown in plant pathogenic fungi. The functions of enzymes involved in cardiolipin biosynthesis and relevant inhibitors were assessed using a set of assays, including genetic deletion, plant infection, lipidomics, chemical‐protein interaction, chemical inhibition, and field trials. Our results showed that the cardiolipin biosynthesis‐related gene MoGEP4 of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae regulates growth, conidiation, cardiolipin biosynthesis, and virulence. Mechanistically, MoGep4 regulated mitophagy and Mps1‐MAPK phosphorylation, which are required for virulence. Chemical alexidine dihydrochloride (AXD) inhibited the enzyme activity of MoGep4, cardiolipin biosynthesis and mitophagy. Importantly, AXD efficiently inhibited the growth of 10 plant pathogens and controlled rice blast and Fusarium head blight in the field. Our study demonstrated that MoGep4 regulates mitophagy, Mps1 phosphorylation and pathogenesis in M. oryzae. In addition, we found that the MoGep4 inhibitor, AXD, displays broad‐spectrum antifungal activity and is a promising candidate for fungicide development. Summary Statement: This study demonstrated that MoGep4 regulates mitophagy, Mps1 activation and pathogenesis in Magnaporthe oryzae. Additionally, we found that the MoGep4 inhibitor, alexidine dihydrochloride, displays broad‐spectrum antifungal activity and is effective in disease control in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the commercialization of maglev trains continues to accelerate, effective improvement of maglev train operation has become a topic for researchers. The train headway of the maglev is the preparation basis for the train timetable and is also an essential factor affecting the line capacity utilization. This paper proposed an approach to estimate the train headway by considering the characteristics of partitioned control of maglev operations. First, we build the tracking model for maglev with the theory of blocking time, in which the train speed profile is the key input source. Then, a customized method is proposed to estimate the minimum headway of maglev trains. According to the experiment, we can effectively obtain the minimum train headway by the approach, and the result of improving the maglev line capacity utilization is verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A portable and wireless point-of-need detection system for microcystin-LR (MC-LR) quantitation was developed and validated. • The detection system consisted of three main parts: screen printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs), smartphone-controlled electrochemical analyzer (SCEA), and Android's smartphone. • A spatiotemporal mapping of MC-LR field detection was conducted to further validate the feasibility of the SCEA for on-site screening. The development of rapid and in situ detection method for microcystin-LR (MC-LR) with portable, reliable, and easy to use devices are highly demanded, but it is still deficient. In this study, a portable and wireless point-of-need detection system for microcystin-LR (MC-LR) quantitation was developed and validated. The whole system consisted of three main parts: screen printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs), smartphone-controlled electrochemical analyzer (SCEA), and Android's smartphone. The SCEA was a homemade ARM STM32 microcontroller-based electrochemical analyzer, which have similar performance compared with a commercially available electrochemical workstation. A smartphone installed with a user-friendly application was employed to control the analyzer, receive and analyze data, and display detection results in real-time. This system can accurately quantitate MC-LR in the range of 0.001–100 μg/L with a detection limit of 0.00011 μg/L, and the results were consistent with LC–MS/MS. In addition, a preliminary MC-LR contamination map was generated using this smartphone-based platform by measuring water samples at 6 reservoirs located in Pearl River Delta (Guangdong Province, China). The cost-effective, reliable and easy-to-use smartphone-based detection system reported here can facilitate active toxicant screening to guarantee the safety of the drinking water, particularly in resource-limited area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • A flexible microneedle electrode array-based biosensor (MEAB) was fabricated. • A homemade multi-channel portable electrochemical analyzer (MPEA) was developed. • Simultaneous detection of glucose, uric acid and cholesterol was achieved by using MPEA and MEAB. Abstract The development of versatile and low-cost biosensor system for rapid and simultaneous detection of multiple blood metabolites is highly demanded for home healthcare. We developed a flexible microneedle electrode array-based biosensor (MEAB) and a multi-channel portable electrochemical analyzer (MPEA) for the simultaneous detection of glucose, uric acid, and cholesterol. Microneedle electrode array (MEA) was fabricated on the flexible substrate using magnetorheological drawing lithography, followed by sputter coated with Au/Ti film. Then, through biofunctionalized with glucose oxidase, uricase and cholesterol oxidase, MEA was conditioned as a biosensor for simultaneous detection of glucose, uric acid and cholesterol. MEAB demonstrated excellent sensing performance with a wide linear range (glucose, 2–12 mM; uric acid, 0.1–1.2 mM; cholesterol, 1–12 mM), low detection limit (glucose, 260 μM; uric acid, 4 μM; cholesterol, 440 μM), and rapid response time (∼4 s). MPEA, a homemade ARM STM32 microcontroller-based electrochemical analyzer, was validated to be comparable to that of the commercial electrochemical workstation. MPEA integrated with flexible MEAB could accurately and simultaneously detect glucose, uric acid, and cholesterol levels in serum, and the results were consistent with the portable electrochemical device. The ease-of-use of the reported biosensor system will facilitate effective monitoring of blood metabolites at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One important type of question in statistical inference is how to interpret data as evidence. The law of likelihood provides a satisfactory answer in interpreting data as evidence for simple hypotheses, but remains silent for composite hypotheses. This article examines how the law of likelihood can be extended to composite hypotheses within the scope of the likelihood principle. From a system of axioms, we conclude that the strength of evidence for the composite hypotheses should be represented by an interval between lower and upper profiles likelihoods. This article is intended to reveal the connection between profile likelihoods and the law of likelihood under the likelihood principle rather than argue in favor of the use of profile likelihoods in addressing general questions of statistical inference. The interpretation of the result is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the growing interest in the use of biomarker data in environmental health research and considers some of the challenging statistical issues that arise. We specify a modeling framework that links environmental exposure, biomarkers and outcome, and discuss in conceptual terms how such a formulation could be used to inform dose response modeling for the purpose of quantitative risk assessment. We then analyse some biomarker data from a case-control study designed to elucidate the mechanisms of smoking induced lung cancer. Because of sample size limitations, we use a likelihood-based analysis which subsumes both cohort and case-control designs as special cases. Our analysis allows us to 1) investigate the extent to which the markers explain the pathway from exposure to outcome; 2) quantify the degree to which biomarker data can improve on predicting outcome over and above exposure; and 3) estimate the association among multiple markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We investigated the effects of clenbuterol, a β2-adrenoceptor agonist with known anabolic and neuroprotective properties, on G93A-SOD1 mice, a transgenic murine model of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Relative to saline-treated vehicle controls (0.2ml/kg/day; i.p.), early pathologic G93A-SOD1 mice treated with clenbuterol (1.5mg/kg/day; i.p.) demonstrated a delayed onset of hindlimb signs as measured by rotarod performance, slowed disease progression, as well as trends toward mitigated losses of lumbar motoneurons and body weight. Responses in female G93A-SOD1 mice were favorable to those of males, suggesting synergistic effects between clenbuterol and sex-specific factors. Overall, our data suggest that clenbuterol offers therapeutic effects on ALS-related neuromuscular degeneration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]