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The National Cancer Institute (NCI) K99/R00 award is intended to help postdoctoral scholars transition in a timely manner to research independence and to foster their development of an impactful cancer research program that is competitive for subsequent independent funding. Here we analyzed factors that impact peer review outcomes and evaluated whether NCI K99/R00 awardees have achieved the goals of the K99/R00 funding mechanism. Our analysis of the K99/R00 review criterion scores demonstrates that while all review criterion scores are positively correlated with the overall impact score, the Research Plan criterion is the strongest predictor of the overall impact score and funding outcomes. In addition, our analysis shows the NCI K99/R00 award facilitated the successful transition of postdoctoral scholars to research independence and enhanced the likelihood of K99/R00 awardees to secure subsequent R01-equivalent NIH grant support although not in an accelerated fashion as originally intended. An NCI K99/R00 award was not determined to be a prerequisite to obtain a faculty position, but for some awardees, it was an asset in that transition. Our results suggest that the NCI K99/R00 award is an important component for training and retention of the next generation of independent cancer researchers and to increasing the percentage of women and promoting the diversity of the cancer research workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The auxin response factor (ARF) is a plant-specific transcription factor that regulates the expression of auxin response genes by binding directly to their promoters. They play an important role in the regulation of plant growth and development, as well as in the response to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the identification and functional analysis of ARFs in Fagopyrum dibotrys are still unclear. In this study, a total of 26 FdARF genes were identified using bioinformatic methods. Their chromosomal location, gene structure, physical and chemical properties of their encoded protein, subcellular location, phylogenetic tree, conserved motifs and cis-acting elements in FdARF promoters were analyzed. The results showed that 26 FdARF genes were unevenly distributed on 8 chromosomes, with the largest distribution on chromosome 4 and the least distribution on chromosome 3. Most FdARF proteins are located in the nucleus, except for the proteins FdARF7 and FdARF21 located to the cytoplasm and nucleus, while FdARF14, FdARF16, and FdARF25 proteins are located outside the chloroplast and nucleus. According to phylogenetic analysis, 26 FdARF genes were divided into 6 subgroups. Duplication analysis indicates that the expansion of the FdARF gene family was derived from segmental duplication rather than tandem duplication. The prediction based on cis-elements of the promoter showed that 26 FdARF genes were rich in multiple stress response elements, suggesting that FdARFs may be involved in the response to abiotic stress. Expression profiling analysis showed that most of the FdARF genes were expressed in the roots, stems, leaves, and tubers of F. dibotrys, but their expression exhibits a certain degree of tissue specificity. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that most members of the FdARF gene were up- or down-regulated in response to abiotic stress. The results of this study expand our understanding of the functional role of FdARFs in response to abiotic stress and lay a theoretical foundation for further exploration of other functions of FdARF genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread use of energetic materials (EMs) has increased human exposure to these substances, and the potential toxicity of nano-sized EMs remains a largely unexplored area of research. This study investigates the cytotoxicity of three nano-sized energetic nanomaterials, namely nano-sized triaminotrinitrobenzene (nano-TATB), hexanitrostilbene (HNS-IV), and 2,6-diamino-3,5-dinitropyrazine-1-oxide (nano-LLM-105), using L929 fibroblasts for in vitro testing. The findings demonstrate a significant dose-dependent toxic effect on L929 cells. As the dose increases, cell density decreases, cell morphology becomes rounder, and cell gaps widen. The results of cell activity assays, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity measurements, and apoptosis detection suggest that the cytotoxicity is caused by cell membrane fragmentation and the excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to oxidative stress. Given the potential for EMs to cause toxic effects in various tissues and organs, including the liver and kidneys, and even teratogenic and mutagenic effects, this work provides valuable insights into the toxicological evaluation of energetic nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aimes: Vegetation restoration in post-mining land is one of the most important remediation strategies for rebuilding the soil carbon (C) pool and improving soil quality. We aimed to provide a global perspective on the effects of vegetation restoration on soil properties. Methods: By analyzing a database of 2799 observations extracted from 160 publications, we quantitatively assessed the effects of vegetation restoration on soil C, water holding capacity, electronic conductivity (EC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and soil structure in post-mining land across the globe. Results: The results showed that (1) vegetation restoration significantly increased soil organic C (SOC) stock (averagely + 112%), dissolved organic C (DOC) concentration (+ 141%), water content (SWC, + 40%), saturated water content (SSWC, + 40%), hairy tube holding water (HTHW, + 29%), CEC (+ 19%), and the concentrations of sand (+ 17%) and silt (+ 11%), while decreased the EC (-22%) and pH (-7.1%); (2) vegetation type could mediate the effects of vegetation restoration on HTHW, CEC, and sand and silt concentrations, while mineral type of metal mine influenced the effects of vegetation restoration on pH, CEC, bulk density, and sand and silt concentrations; and (3) plant diversity positively affected the effects of vegetation restoration on soil DOC concentration and pH, whilst the effects of soil depth, climate, and restoration year varied for different variables of soil properties. Conclusions: These results suggested a critical role of vegetation restoration in the remediation of post-mining land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let ∑ i = 1 ∞ A i A i ∗ and ∑ i = 1 ∞ A i ∗ A i converge in the strong operator topology. We study the map Φ A defined on the Banach space of all bounded linear operators B (H) by Φ A (X) = ∑ i = 1 ∞ A i X A i ∗ and its restriction Φ A | K (H) to the Banach space of all compact operators K (H). We first consider the relationship between the boundary eigenvalues of Φ A | K (H) and its fixed points. Also, we show that the spectra of Φ A and Φ A | K (H) are the same sets. In particular, the spectra of two completely positive maps involving the unilateral shift are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tankyrase inhibitors are increasingly considered for therapeutic use in malignancies that are characterized by high intrinsic β-catenin activity. However, how tankyrase inhibition affects the endothelium after systemic application remains poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate how the tankyrase inhibitor XAV939 affects endothelial cell function and the underlying mechanism involved. Endothelial cell function was analyzed using sprouting angiogenesis, endothelial cell migration, junctional dynamics, and permeability using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and explanted mouse retina. Underlying signaling was studied using western blot, immunofluorescence, and qPCR in HUVEC in addition to luciferase reporter gene assays in human embryonic kidney cells. XAV939 treatment leads to altered junctional dynamics and permeability as well as impaired endothelial migration. Mechanistically, XAV939 increased stability of the angiomotin-like proteins 1 and 2, which impedes the nuclear translocation of YAP1/TAZ and consequently suppresses TEAD-mediated transcription. Intriguingly, XAV939 disrupts adherens junctions by inducing RhoA-Rho dependent kinase (ROCK)-mediated F-actin bundling, whereas disruption of F-actin bundling through the ROCK inhibitor H1152 restores endothelial cell function. Unexpectedly, this was accompanied by an increase in nuclear TAZ and TEAD-mediated transcription, suggesting differential regulation of YAP1 and TAZ by the actin cytoskeleton in endothelial cells. In conclusion, our findings elucidate the complex relationship between the actin cytoskeleton, YAP1/TAZ signaling, and endothelial cell function and how tankyrase inhibition disturbs this well-balanced signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huperzia crispata is a traditional Chinese herb plant and has attracted special attention in recent years for its products Hup A can serve as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI). Although the chloroplast (cp) genome of H. crispata has been studied, there are no reports regarding the Huperzia mitochondrial (mt) genome since the previously reported H. squarrosa has been revised as Phlegmariurus squarrosus. The mt genome of H. crispata was sequenced using a combination of long-read nanopore and Illumina sequencing platforms. The entire H. crispata mt genome was assembled in a circular with a length of 412,594 bp and a total of 91 genes, including 45 tRNAs, 6 rRNAs, 37 protein-coding genes (PCGs), and 3 pseudogenes. Notably, the rps8 gene was present in P. squarrosus and a pseudogene rps8 was presented in H. crispata, which was lacking in most of Pteridophyta and Gymnospermae. Intron-encoded maturase (mat-atp9i85 and mat-cobi787) genes were present in H. crispata and P. squarrosus, but lost in other examined lycophytes, ferns, and Gymnospermae plants. Collinearity analysis showed that the mt genome of H. crispata and P. squarrossus is highly conservative compared to other ferns. Relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) analysis showed that the amino acids most frequently found were phenylalanine (Phe) (4.77%), isoleucine (Ile) (4.71%), lysine (Lys) (4.26%), while arginine (Arg) (0.32%), and histidine (His) (0.42%) were rarely found. Simple sequence repeats (SSR) analysis revealed that a total of 114 SSRs were identified in the mt genome of H. crispata and account for 0.35% of the whole mt genome. Monomer repeats were the majority types of SSRs and represent 91.89% of the total SSRs. In addition, a total of 1948 interspersed repeats (158 forward, 147 palindromic, and 5 reverse repeats) with a length ranging from 30 bp to 14,945 bp were identified in the H. crispata mt genome and the 30–39-bp repeats were the most abundant type. Gene transfer analysis indicated that a total of 12 homologous fragments were discovered between the cp and mt genomes of H. crispata, accounting for 0.93% and 2.48% of the total cp and mt genomes, respectively. The phylogenetic trees revealed that H. crispata was the sister of P. squarrosus. The Ka/Ks analysis results suggested that most PCGs, except atp6 gene, were subject to purification selection during evolution. Our study provides extensive information on the features of the H. crispata mt genome and will help unravel evolutionary relationships, and molecular identification within lycophytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Frontiers of Information Technology & Electronic Engineering is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The size of plant lateral organs is determined by well-coordinated cell proliferation and cell expansion. Here, we report that miR159, an evolutionarily conserved microRNA, plays an essential role in regulating cell division in rose (Rosa hybrida) petals by modulating cytokinin catabolism. We uncover that Cytokinin Oxidase/Dehydrogenase6 (CKX6) is a target of miR159 in petals. Knocking down miR159 levels results in the accumulation of CKX6 transcripts and earlier cytokinin clearance, leading to a shortened cell division period and smaller petals. Conversely, knocking down CKX6 causes cytokinin accumulation and a prolonged developmental cell division period, mimicking the effects of exogenous cytokinin application. MYB73, a R2R3-type MYB transcription repressor, recruits a co-repressor (TOPLESS) and a histone deacetylase (HDA19) to form a suppression complex, which regulates MIR159 expression by modulating histone H3 lysine 9 acetylation levels at the MIR159 promoter. Our work sheds light on mechanisms for ensuring the correct timing of the exit from the cell division phase and thus organ size regulation by controlling cytokinin catabolism. Expression of MIR159 is attenuated by a MYB73/TPL/HDA19 repression complex during rose petal development. Reduced MIR159 levels lead to accumulation of Cytokinin Oxidase 6, causing cytokinin clearance and subsequent arrest of cell division. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auxin response factor (ARF) is an important transcription factor that regulates the expression of auxin-responsive genes by direct binding to their promoters, which play a central role in plant growth, development, and response to abiotic stresses. The availability of the entire Coix (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) genome sequence provides an opportunity to investigate the characteristics and evolutionary history of the ARF gene family in this medicine and food homology plant for the first time. In this study, a total of 27 ClARF genes were identified based on the genome-wide sequence of Coix. Twenty-four of the 27 ClARF genes were unevenly distributed on 8 chromosomes except Chr 4 and 10, and the remaining three genes (ClARF25-27) were not assigned to any chromosome. Most of the ClARF proteins were predicted to be localized to the nucleus, except ClARF24, which was localized to both the plasma membrane and nucleus. Twenty-seven ClARFs were clustered into six subgroups based on the phylogenetic analysis. Duplication analysis showed that segmental duplication, rather than tandem duplications promoting the expansion of the ClARF gene family. Synteny analysis showed that purifying selection might have been a primary driving force in the development of the ARF gene family in Coix and other investigated cereal plants. The prediction of the cis element of the promoter showed that 27 ClARF genes contain several stress response elements, suggesting that ClARFs might be involved in the abiotic stress response. Expression profile analysis shows that 27 ClARF genes were all expressed in the root, shoot, leaf, kernel, glume, and male flower of Coix with varying expression levels. Furthermore, qRT-PCR analyses revealed that the majority of ClARFs members were upregulated or downregulated in response to hormone treatment and abiotic stress. The current study expands our understanding of the functional roles of ClARFs in stress responses and provides basic information for the ClARF genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High sensitivity and low detection limit are crucial parameters in evaluating the performance of gas sensors, particularly in detecting trace amounts of acetone gas in human respiration for diabetes monitoring purposes. In this study, a composite of YbFeO3–BiFeO3 (YFO–BFO) was prepared using a facile method involving the calcination of a mixture of Yb2O3 and BiFeO3, followed by acid treatment. It is revealed that the introduction of YbFeO3 significantly improves the acetone gas sensitivity and reduces the operating temperature. At an optimized operating temperature of 200 °C, the response of YFO–BFO to 10 ppm acetone reaches 32.6, which is 16.6 times higher than that of BiFeO3 at the optimized operating temperature of 280 °C. Moreover, the response to 400 ppb of acetone still has 7 even at the low temperature of 160 °C. YFO–BFO also exhibits a low limit of detection (25 ppb), good selectivity and stability. The excellent gas-sensing performance of YFO–BFO is mainly attributed to the formation of a p-p heterojunction and the increased Fe2+/Fe3+ redox pairs. This work offers a novel approach for enhancing the acetone sensing properties of BiFeO3-based gas sensors, which may lead to the advancement of acetone sensors for the diagnosis of diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Orbital lymphoma is one of the most common adult orbital malignancies, accounting for approximately 10% of all orbital tumors. This study aimed to analyze the effects of surgical resection and orbital iodine-125 brachytherapy implantation for orbital lymphoma. Patients and methods: This was a retrospective study. Clinical data of 10 patients were collected from October 2016 to November 2018 and followed up to March 2022. Patients underwent the primary surgery for maximal safe removal of the tumor. After a pathologic diagnosis of a primary orbital lymphoma was established, iodine-125 seed tubes were designed based on the tumor size and invasion range, and direct vision was placed into the nasolacrimal canal or/and under the orbital periosteum around the resection cavity during the secondary surgery. Then, follow-up data, including the general situation, ocular condition, and tumor recurrence, were recorded. Results: Of the 10 patients, the pathologic diagnoses included extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (6 cases), small lymphocytic lymphoma (1 case), mantle cell lymphoma (2 cases), and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (1 case). The number of seeds implanted ranged from 16 to 40. The follow-up period ranged between 40 and 65 months. All patients in this study were alive and well had tumors that were completely controlled. No tumor recurrences or metastases occurred. Three patients had dry eye syndrome and two patients had abnormal facial sensation. No patient had radiodermatitis involving the skin around the eye, and no patient had radiation-related ophthalmopathy. Conclusions: Based on preliminary observations, iodine-125 brachytherapy implantation appeared to be a reasonable alternative to external irradiation for orbital lymphoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Frontiers of Information Technology & Electronic Engineering is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Black carbon (BC) plays an important role in the climate system because of its strong warming effect, yet the magnitude of this effect is highly uncertain owing to the complex mixing state of aerosols. Here we build a unified theoretical framework to describe BC's mixing states, linking dynamic processes to BC coating thickness distribution, and show its self-similarity for sites in diverse environments. The size distribution of BC-containing particles is found to follow a universal law and is independent of BC core size. A new mixing state module is established based on this finding and successfully applied in global and regional models, which increases the accuracy of aerosol climate effect estimations. Our theoretical framework links observations with model simulations in both mixing state description and light absorption quantification. The authors build a unified theoretical framework of black carbon mixing state and find a universal law, applicable in most climate/atmospheric chemistry models, which can greatly increase accuracy of black carbon climate effect estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probiotics are widely used in the fields of food and medicine. Some of these beneficial bacteria carry various antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors, which have adverse effects on human health. Safety evaluation of probiotics is a unique challenge since the potential risks are related to multiple factors. This study constructed a Potential Risk Comprehensive Evaluation model of Probiotic Species (PRCE-PS), which could provide a quantitative risk evaluation of probiotics based on complete genome sequences. The model employed the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to determine the weight of risk factors and the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) method to form the comprehensive risk-decision process at the species level. The PRCE-PS model yielded four ranks (I, high-risk; II, medium-risk; III, low-risk; IV, safe) to represent the risk status of different probiotic species. By applying the PRCE-PS model to evaluate 32 popular beneficial species, most of them were relatively safe, but some species showed unsafe risks. Lactobacillus plantarum and B. animalis were evaluated as medium-risk, showing the greatest potential risk of antibiotic resistance genes transfer onto all the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Bacillus subtilis, E. faecalis, and E. faecium were assessed as high-risk species with great risks both on antibiotic resistance genes transferring and exotoxin-related virulence genes carrying. The PRCE-PS model provides a clear and comprehensive potential risk evaluation result to probiotic species, and helps to improve the understanding of the safety of these beneficial species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Huperzia crispata, belonging to the Huperziaceae family, is one of the most essential resources of huperzine A for candidate drugs to treat Alzheimer's diseases. However, there is very limited information about H. crispat, and its taxonomic status and interspecific relationships between Huperzia species are still unclear. To investigate the taxonomic classification of Huperzia species and identify species discrimination markers, the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of H. crispata was sequenced and characterized for the first time. Methods and Results: Total genomic DNA was isolated and sequenced using the next-generation Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform. The data were filtered, assembled and annotated by a series software and web service. The results were as follows: the cp genome of H. crispata was 154,320 bp long with a large single-copy (LSC) region of 104,023 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 19,671 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat (IRa and IRb) regions of 15,313 bp. A total of 131 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 36 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), and eight ribosome RNA genes (rRNAs), were annotated in the cp genome. The contraction and expansion of the inverted repeat (IR) regions were relatively conserved in the Huperzia genus. Codon usage bias analysis showed that the encoding rate at the 3-end of codon A/T (74.34%) was significantly higher than that of C/G (25.66%). A total of 8 hotspot loci with high Pi values (> 0.06) were identified in the four Huperzia species based on nucleic acid diversity analysis. Ka/Ks selective pressure analysis demonstrated that the cemA gene is the most common gene undergoing positive selection among Huperzia. In addition, a total of 261 simple sequence repeats and 179 interspersed repeats were identified in the cp genome. Phylogenetic tree analysis based on the complete protein sequences of 23 related species of H. crispata indicated that H. serrata f. longipetiolata is a sister of H. crispata, suggesting that H. serrata f. longipetiolata and H. crispata are more closely related than H. serrata and H. lucidula. Conclusions: The results strongly supported that H. crispata was more closely related to H. serrata f. longipetiolata than to H. serrata and H. lucidula within the Huperzia genus. The outcome provided important information for the phylogenetic analysis of the subsequent specific molecular species identification in Huperzia. The present results will provide valuable information for further research into the classification, phylogeny and species identification of Huperzia plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: We find that the R2R3 MYB transcription factor RhMYB123 has a novel function to regulate stamen–petal organ specification in rose. Rose is one of the ornamental plants with economic importance worldwide. Malformed flower seriously affects the ornamental value and fertility of rose. However, the regulatory mechanism is largely unknown. In this work, we identified a R2R3 MYB transcription factor RhMYB123 from rose, the expression of which significantly decreased from flower differentiation stage to floral organ development stage. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that it belongs to the same subgroup as MYB123 of Arabidopsis and located in nucleus. In addition, RhMYB123 was confirmed to have transcriptional activation function by dual luciferase assay. Silencing RhMYB123 using Virus-Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) in rose could increase the number of malformed petaloid stamen. Furthermore, we identified 549 differential expressed genes (DEGs) in TRV-RhMYB123 lines compared to TRV controls by RNA-seq of floral buds (flower differentiation stage). Among of those genes, expression of 3 MADS box family genes related to floral organ development reduced in TRV-RhMYB123 lines, including AGAMOUS (RhAG), AGAMOUS LIKE 15 (RhAGL15), and SHATTERPROOF 1 (RhSHP1). Given, previous studies have shown that auxin plays a crucial role in floral meristem initiation and stamen–petal organ specification. We also found 6 DEGs were involved in auxin signal transduction, of which five were reduced expression in TRV-RhMYB123. Taken together, our findings suggested that RhMYB123 may govern the development of malformed petaloid stamen by regulating the expressions of some MADS box family members and auxin signaling pathway elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rose is one of the most important ornamental plants, accounting for one-third of the world's fresh cut flower market. The vase life refers to the period of a cut flower retaining its appearance in a vase. During this period, the rose was subjected to a variety of abiotic and biotic stresses, resulting in a reduction in the life of cut flowers. Numerous studies have been carried out on cut rose, which proves the effects of various plant hormones on post-harvest dehydration, petal senescence and abscission, disease and vase life of cut rose flowers. In addition, the natural or synthetic hormones or its inhibitor have been successfully used in cut flower preservatives to extend the vase life of rose. However, there is still a lack of systematic and in-depth research on the expression of rose genes related to plant hormone response. Here we analyzed the gene expression changes of the rose flower under treatment of 11 different plant hormones or its inhibitors in order to provide reference for rose studies. Measurement(s) Transcripts expression profile Technology Type(s) Illumina HiSeq Factor Type(s) phytohormones Sample Characteristic - Organism Rosa hybrida [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic growth in the age of information is no longer a stage driven by unipolarity. It has entered to a multi-polar driving stage characterized by integration, fusion, and integrated development on a larger scale between regions, and the trend of group competition with urban agglomerations as carriers has become increasingly obvious. This paper improves the neural network algorithm based on the needs of industrial economic integration in the digital age and proposes an industry convergence analysis model based on the improved neural network algorithm. Moreover, this article combines industry models to analyze actual needs, constructs an industry convergence analysis model based on improved neural networks, and analyzes the integration of different industries. In addition, this article conducts experiments through multiple sets of data and combines the neural network model of this article to conduct research. Through experimental research, we know that the model constructed in this paper can play an important role in the analysis of industry convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To explore the epidemiological impact of depression on the occurrence of gastric cancer. Subject and methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted and the quality of involved studies were evaluated according to the Newcastle–Ottawa scale. The association between depression and the occurrence of gastric cancer is measured by calculating the combined odds ratio (OR) and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). The epidemiological effect of depression was estimated by attributable risk percentage (ARP) and population attributable risk percentage (PARP). Results: Combined with 24 eligible studies, the risk of gastric cancer in patients with depression is 1.84 times higher than that in normal people (95%CI:1.61–2.09). The corresponding results of ARP and PARP were 45.65% and 5.86% of total meta-analysis, respectively. Conclusion: There is a positive correlation between depression and the occurrence of gastric cancer, which may be a risk factor for gastric cancer occurrence. Our results indicated that the discovery and treatment of depression was important for the prevention of gastric cancer from an epidemiological perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-starch polysaccharides derived from natural resources play a significant role in the field of food science and human health due to their extensive distribution in nature and less toxicity. In this order, the immunostimulatory activity of a non-starch polysaccharide (CQNP) from Chenopodium quinoa was examined before and after deproteination in murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. The chemical composition of CQNP and deproteinated-CQNP (D-CQNP) were spectrometrically analysed that revealed the presence of carbohydrate (22.7 ± 0.8% and 39.5 ± 0.8%), protein (41.4 ± 0.5% and 20.8 ± 0.5%) and uronic acid (8.7 ± 0.3% and 6.7 ± 0.2%). The monosaccharide composition results exposed that CQNP possesses a high amount of arabinose (34.5 ± 0.3) followed by galactose (26.5 ± 0.2), glucose (21.9 ± 0.3), rhamnose (7.0 ± 0.1), mannose (6.0 ± 0.1) and xylose (4.2 ± 0.2). However, after deproteination, a difference was found in the order of the monosaccharide components, with galactose (41.1 ± 0.5) as a major unit followed by arabinose (34.7 ± 0.5), rhamnose (10.9 ± 0.2), glucose (6.6 ± 0.2), mannose (3.4 ± 0.2) and xylose (3.2 ± 0.2). Further, D-CQNP potentially stimulate the RAW 264.7 cells through the production of nitric oxide (NO), upregulating inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and various pro-inflammatory cytokines including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Moreover, stimulation of RAW 264.7 cells by D-CQNP takes place along the NF-κB and the MAPKs signaling pathways through the expression of cluster of differentiation 40 (CD40). This results demonstrate that RAW 264.7 cells are effectively stimulated after removal of the protein content in C. quinoa non-starch polysaccharides, which could be useful for develop a new immunostimulant agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The karst region in southwestern China is undergoing soil erosion and rocky desertification. The different silicon (Si) fractions along the hillslopes in this mountainous region could benefit plant growth and alleviate the ecological deterioration. However, extensive distribution of carbonate rocks may lead to limited plant available Si. The mountainous terrain in karst region also leads to more Si output, which seriously affects the biogeochemical cycle of Si in this area. Yet, the soil Si fractions in the karst region have not been fully evaluated. Methods: Soil profiles and their corresponding plants were sampled from two typical karst mountains in Guizhou, China. The different fractions of non-crystalline Si in soil, accounting for the most important pool for Si availability to plants, were analyzed by the improved sequential chemical extraction and Si concentrations in plants grown in this region were also measured. Results: The concentration and storage of non-crystalline Si were higher at lower slopes (storage was 2.44, 2.73, and 3.25 kg·m−2 for upper, middle, and lower slopes, respectively) than other slope positions. Grasses dominated at lower slopes and contained significantly higher Si (mean ± SD: 14.42 ± 6.63 mg·g−1) than trees and shrubs (1.94 ± 1.78 and 1.29 ± 1.00 mg·g−1, respectively), which were primarily distributed on upper slopes. However, Si concentrations of the same plant species in different slope positions had no significant correlation with soil acid Na acetate–Si, the Si regarded as directly available for plants. Conclusions: This study suggests that plant species and soil properties have a significant impact on the soil Si distribution of hillslopes in karst region. Soil erosion may decrease non-crystalline Si concentrations in soils and impair Si uptake in grasses, which need to be considered in ecosystem management in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil acidification has become a serious issue in protected production in northern China as a consequence of many years of continuous cropping. Besides affecting the growth and quality of vegetables, soil acidification also restricts the sustainable development of vegetables grown in protected environments. A single application of biochar or Trichoderma can repair the soil environment, optimize the microbial community structure, reduce plant diseases, and promote plant growth. However, it is not known whether biochar combined with Trichoderma has a synergistic effect on these parameters. In this study, long-term continuous cropping of cucumbers in a greenhouse was used to study the effect of biochar and Trichoderma on micro-ecological environmental changes in acidified soil using Illumina sequencing. The results showed that the combined application of biochar and Trichoderma promoted cucumber growth; significantly enhanced root vitality and superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase activities in leaves; and reduced malondialdehyde content. In addition, soil physical and chemical properties improved; cation exchange capacity, the activity of soil polyphenol oxidase and invertase, and the diversity of soil bacterial communities increased; and the structure and relative abundance of soil bacteria changed after the combined application of biochar and Trichoderma. Correlation analysis of environmental factors showed that total nitrogen and soil pH had the greatest impact on bacterial communities. The metabolic function of soil bacteria was improved, and the circulation of soil nutrients was increased as a consequence of the combined application of biochar and Trichoderma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are self-renewing and pluripotent cells that originate from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst. Mitosis is fundamental to organism survival and reproduction and is responsible for the equal distribution of duplicated chromosomes into daughter cells. Mitotic dysfunction is associated with a wide variety of human diseases, not least cancer. hESCs have a unique cell cycle distribution, but it is unclear exactly how the mitotic activity of hESCs is related to their proliferation and differentiation. Here, we established a cell line of hESCs stably expressing GFP-α-tubulin and mCherry-H2B by lentiviral infection to analyze and visualize mitosis in detail. During metaphase, the mitotic spindle was smaller and wider and contained a greater proportion of astral microtubules than normal cells. In addition, spindle microtubules were more stable, and chromosome alignment was faster in hESCs than in somatic cells. We also found that the spindle assembly checkpoint was functional in hESCs. These findings thus reveal a specialized mitotic behavior of hESCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment on the scattering of 23 MeV deuterons by 9 Be nucleus was carried out. Differential scattering cross sections are obtained for the following states: g.s., 1.68 MeV, 2.43 MeV, 2.78 MeV, 3.05 MeV, 3.82 MeV, 4.70 MeV, 5.59 MeV, 6.38 MeV, 6.76 MeV and 7.94 MeV. The obtained data were analyzed using the distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) and modified diffraction model (MDM). It was confirmed that the positive parity band K π = 1 2 + based on the 1.68 MeV, 1 2 + state is formed by the 3.05 MeV, 5 2 + ; 4.70 MeV, 3 2 + and 6.76 MeV, 9 2 + states. It was proposed that the 3rd band ( K π = 1 2 - ) based on the 2.78 MeV, 1 2 - state may be formed by the 5.59 MeV, 3 2 - and 7.94 MeV, 5 2 - states. The radii of these band states ( K π = 1 2 + and K π = 1 2 - ) are increased compared to the ground state. Besides, it is found that the 3.82 MeV state has J π = 3 2 - and does not belong to any of the rotational bands considered above. Possibly, it is formed as a one-particle state near the excited 8 Be core with the spin J c = 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toll-like receptor (TLR) can trigger an immune response against virus including SARS-CoV-2. TLR expression/distribution is varying in mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) depending on their culture environments. Here, to explore the effect of periodic thermomechanical cues on TLRs, thermally controlled shape-memory polymer sheets with programmable actuation capacity were created. The proportion of MSCs expressing SARS-CoV-2-associated TLRs was increased upon stimulation. The TLR4/7 colocalization was promoted and retained in the endoplasmic reticula. The TLR redistribution was driven by myosin-mediated F-actin assembly. These results highlight the potential of boosting the immunity for combating COVID-19 via thermomechanical preconditioning of MSCs. Periodic thermal and synchronous mechanical stimuli provided by polymer sheet actuators selectively promoted the expression of SARS-CoV-2-associated TLRs 4 and 7 in adipose-derived MSCs and recruited TLR4 to Endoplasmic reticulum region where TLR7 was located via controlling myosin-mediated F-actin cytoskeleton assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thoracoscopic ablation has emerged as an effective therapy for patients with long-standing persistent Atrial fibrillation (LsPAF). We aimed to investigate the immediate electrophysiological characteristics following modified ablation with 3 circular and 3 linear lesions in the thoracoscopic procedure via a unilateral approach. Methods: Between May 2015 and October 2018, 40 patients underwent the one-stage hybrid procedure for LsPAF. Isolation of the pulmonary veins (PV) and left atrium posterior wall (LAPW), excision of the left atrial appendage (LAA), and high-density endocardial mapping and individualized percutaneous catheter ablation for AF termination were performed. Results: The modified thoracoscopic procedure may enable successful PV and LAPW isolation and LAA removal. Endocardial electrophysiological examination showed 6 out of 40 (15%) patients with a right PV gap, 3 (7.5%) patients with incomplete roof lesions, and 8 (20%) patients with incomplete Dallas lesions. A total of 44 driving areas were mapped and ablated. Thirty-five patients achieved procedural AF termination. After a mean follow-up period of 26 months, the success rate of a single procedure was 85%. Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the failure of procedural AF termination may be a risk factor in atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence. Discussion: Endocardial electrophysiological examination is a necessary partner to thoracoscopic ablation. Our modified thoracoscopic ablation and driving areas-based ablation contribute to high rates of procedural AF termination, which may lead to reduced recurrence rate. The hybrid procedure may be an effective strategy for the management of LsPAF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The implementation of emission mitigation policies in Europe over the last two decades has generally improved the air quality, which resulted in lower aerosol particle mass, particle number, and black carbon mass concentration. However, little is known whether the decreasing particle concentrations at a lower-altitude level can be observed in the free troposphere (FT), an important layer of the atmosphere, where aerosol particles have a longer lifetime and may affect climate dynamics. In this study, we used data from two high-Alpine observatories, Zugspitze-Schneefernerhaus (ZSF) and Jungfraujoch (JFJ), to assess the long-term trends on size-resolved particle number concentrations (PNCs) and equivalent black carbon (eBC) mass concentration separated for undisturbed lower FT conditions and under the influence of air from the planetary boundary layer (PBL) from 2009 to 2018. Results: The FT and PBL-influenced conditions were segregated for both sites. We found that the FT conditions in cold months were more prevalent than in warm months, while the measured aerosol parameters showed different seasonal patterns for the FT and PBL-influenced conditions. The pollutants in the PBL-influenced condition have a higher chance to be transported to high-altitudes due to the mountainous topography, leading to a higher concentration and more distinct seasonal variation, and vice versa. The long-term trends of the measured aerosol parameters were evaluated and the decreased aerosol concentrations were observed for both FT and PBL-influenced conditions. The observed decreasing trends in eBC concentration in the PBL-influenced condition are well consistent with the reported trends in total BC emission in Germany and Switzerland. The decreased concentrations in the FT condition suggest that the background aerosol concentration in the lower FT over Central Europe has correspondingly decreased. The change of back trajectories in the FT condition at ZSF and JFJ was further evaluated to investigate the other possible drivers for the decreasing trends. Conclusions: The background aerosol concentration in the lower FT over Central Europe has significantly decreased during 2009–2018. The implementation of emission mitigation policies is the most decisive factor and the decrease of the regional airmass occurrence over Central Europe also has contributed to the decreasing trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) has been implicated in many tumors risk including gastric cancer. However, the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at NEAT1 with gastric cancer risk has not been studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between SNPs in NEAT1 and gastric cancer susceptibility. Methods: In this study, four SNPs in lncRNA NEAT1 were selected for genotyping in 484 gastric cancer patients and 484 controls in Chinese Han population. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was conducted to evaluate the potential function of rs3825071. Attributable risk percentage (ARP) and population attributable risk percentage (PARP) were used to assess the epidemiological effect. Results: In the dominant model (GG), the genotypes AG + AA of rs3825071 and rs7943779 were associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer (OR = 1.72, 95%CI = 1.27–2.32 and OR = 1.63, 95%CI = 1.19–2.22). Individuals harboring ≥ 3 risk alleles have higher risk of gastric cancer (OR = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.26–2.80, P = 0.002). ARP and PARP associated with gastric cancer were 42.53% and 10.88% for rs3825071, and were 33.78% and 6.26% for rs7943779, respectively. Furthermore, compared with the genotype GG of rs3825071, the genotypes AG and AA had higher expression of NEAT1. Conclusions: We found that the genetic variations in NEAT1 were significantly associated with risk of gastric cancer. The G > A variant of rs3825071 may confer gastric cancer susceptibility by changed biological effects to increase the expression of NEAT1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an urgent need to identify novel biomarkers that predict the prognosis of patients with NSCLC. In this study,we aim to find out mRNA signature closely related to the prognosis of NSCLC by new algorithm of bioinformatics. Identification of highly expressed mRNA in stage I/II patients with NSCLC was performed with the "Limma" package of R software. Survival analysis of patients with different mRNA expression levels was subsequently calculated by Cox regression analysis, and a multi-RNA signature was obtained by using the training set. Kaplan–Meier estimator, log-rank test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyse the predictive ability of the multi-RNA signature. RT-PCR used to verify the expression of the multi-RNA signature, and Westernblot used to verify the expression of proteins related to the multi-RNA signature. We identified fifteen survival-related mRNAs in the training set and classified the patients as high risk or low risk. NSCLC patients with low risk scores had longer disease-free survival than patients with high risk scores. The fifteen-mRNA signature was an independent prognostic factor, as shown by the ROC curve. ROC curve also showed that the combined model of the fifteen-mRNA signature and tumour stage had higher precision than stage alone. The expression of fifteen mRNAs and related proteins were higher in stage II NSCLC than in stage I NSCLC. Multi-gene expression profiles provide a moderate prognostic tool for NSCLC patients with stage I/II disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of sandstone contrasting layers is a key step in the depth calibration of sandstone horizons, whose errors can cause large deviations in positioning results, which in turn affect subsequent drilling and production of oil wells. The identification of a sandstone contrast layer is calculated based on distinct response characteristics of well logging curves in the depth range of the layer. The identification of features of a well logging curve is generally made using the axial geological signals centered on the depth, combined with a time series similarity analysis of the data. However, when the local morphological features indicated and described by the curves corresponding to the depth of the sandstone reservoir are distinctly different, there will be differences in the features to obtained. To improve the accuracy in extracting similar features from well logging curves, we propose a similarity measurement method based on morphological characteristics to comprehensively analyze three morphological features of the curve sequence: the segmentation trend, fluctuation amplitude, and depth span. The similarity of the subsequence is measured according to the weighted slope difference of the comparative sequences. The method treats the attributes of similar waveform characteristics as a whole, which can overcome the shortcomings of conventional time series methods in describing the degree of morphological changes of the curves. Results from processing experimental data show that compared with the conventional method, the proposed method can effectively improve the accuracy in extracting the features of well logging curves and identifying the sandstone contrast layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent deep learning-based methods for saliency detection have proved the effectiveness of integrating features with different scales. They usually design various complex architectures of network, e.g., multiple networks, to explore the multi-scale information of images, which is expensive in computation and memory. Feature maps produced with different subsampling convolutional layers have different spatial resolutions; therefore, they can be used as the multi-scale features to reduce the costs. In this paper, by exploiting the in-network feature hierarchy of convolutional networks, we propose a novel multi-scale network for saliency detection (MSNSD) consisting of three modules, i.e., bottom-up feature extraction, top-down feature connection and multi-scale saliency prediction. Moreover, to further boost the performance of MSNSD, an input image-aware saliency aggregation method is proposed based on the ridge regression, which combines MSNSD with some well-performed handcrafted shallow models. Extensive experiments on several benchmarks show that the proposed MSNSD outperforms the state-of-the-art saliency methods with less computational and memory complexity. Meanwhile, our aggregation method for saliency detection is effective and efficient to combine deep and shallow models and make them complementary to each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the important signs of the third wave of artificial intelligence, wheeled robots not only inherit knowledge but also learn independently, which brings about to learnable wheeled robots that use a driving brain to achieve data-driven control and learning. Presently, most existing technologies for self-driving vehicles can learn positively from the benchmark drivers to guarantee safe driving. However, in many unpredicted situations, such as rollover, human drivers often cause the behavior of irrational subconscious on account of human emotions like panic. In this paper, we propose a learnable wheeled robot using the driving brain by taking the rollover as an example, which is the most serious and dangerous situation in dynamic vehicle operations. Then, based on the analysis of rollover accidents, we utilize the driving brain reversely and conduct negative learning, materializing, and condensing the group intelligence of accident experts, to solve the problem of the lack of individual intelligence in emergencies and further promote real-time response to other dangerous conditions, such as puncture for self-driving vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Affinity chromatography, as one of the important tools for studying the binding affinity between ligands and receptors, plays a key role in the process of screening and analyzing active compounds. Cell membrane chromatography (CMC) utilizes cell membrane receptors as stationary phases to perform screening and binding affinity of compounds with specific receptors whose three-dimensional configurations and biological activities were largely retained. In this study, a highly vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) expressing CMC method was established to investigate the binding affinity between TPD7 and VEGFR2. Competitive binding study taking sunitinib malate as the marker was used to inspect the binding site of TPD7 on VEGFR2. Results showed that TPD7 shared the same binding site with sunitinib on VEGFR2, which was consistent with the results of molecular docking. The equilibrium dissociation constants (KD) of TPD7 was (0.29 ± 0.02) × 10−6 M. Furthermore, TPD7 could alter the VEGFR2 kinase and significantly decrease phosphorylation of VEGFR2 in a dose-dependent manner. The studies showed that TPD7 could bind to VEGFR2 and then down-regulate the phosphorylation of VEGFR2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mutation detection is an effective identification method of well logging curves, which can be utilized to detect mutations of the correlation time series by a sliding window technology. The computational complexity and accuracy of mutation detection are very important for detecting the series change points, however, some of the existing calculation methods take none of these into account. By sliding window technology, in the present paper we put forward a new method, the sliding t test for detecting a series of dynamic mutations. The principle is that mutation morphology of the spontaneous potential curve and microelectrode that are related to sandstone recognition contrast layers are described. In order to prove the performance of the method, the mutation analyses of time series are carried out by selecting different sliding windows. The test results are shown that the method can quickly and accurately detect the mutation change points and intervals. It has robust stability, and depends less on the sliding window length, which has some advantages in the large data processing. Finally, the method is utilized to detect the mutation of numerous experiments in well logging curves. The experimental results indicate that the mutation interval is consistent with the abrupt change, which further is verified the validity of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) remains a life-threatening complication in liver transplantation. We aim to investigate the risk factors of HAT in deceased donor pediatric liver transplantation.Methods: 104 recipients from 2014 to 2016 were enrolled; donor and recipient characteristics, surgical variables, graft and recipient survival rate were compared between recipients with or without HAT. Univariate and multivariate analysis were applied to identify the risk factors of HAT.Results: The recipient survival rate was 87.0% and 96.3% at 1 year, and 87.0% and 96.3% at 3 years in HAT and non-HAT groups without significant difference. The graft survival rate was 73.9% and 96.3% at 1 year, and 73.9% and 95.1% at 3 years in HAT and non-HAT groups; significant difference was observed between two groups at both 1 and 3 years. Donor age less than 8.5 months, graft weight less than 190 g and GRWR less than 2.2% were identified as independent risk factors for HAT. Recipients with HAT were associated with higher incidence of post-operative biliary complications.Conclusions: Young donor age and small liver graft are risk factors for HAT in deceased donor pediatric liver transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite significant developments in medical and surgical strategies, cardiac diseases remain the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Numerous studies involving preclinical and clinical trials have confirmed that stem cell transplantation can help improve cardiac function and regenerate damaged cardiac tissue, and stem cells isolated from bone marrow, heart tissue, adipose tissue and umbilical cord are the primary candidates for transplantation. During the past decade, menstrual blood-derived endometrial stem cells (MenSCs) have gradually become a promising alternative for stem cell-based therapy due to their comprehensive advantages, which include their ability to be periodically and non-invasively collected, their abundant source material, their ability to be regularly donated, their superior proliferative capacity and their ability to be used for autologous transplantation. MenSCs have shown positive therapeutic potential for the treatment of various diseases. Therefore, aside from a brief introduction of the biological characteristics of MenSCs, this review focuses on the progress being made in evaluating the functional improvement of damaged cardiac tissue after MenSC transplantation through preclinical and clinical studies. Based on published reports, we conclude that the paracrine effect, transdifferentiation and immunomodulation by MenSC promote both regeneration of damaged myocardium and improvement of cardiac function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ridge regression is a biased estimated regressive method, which is traditionally used in collinearity data analysis. It is actually a modified Least Square method, which gains more rational and reliable regression coefficient by giving up the unbiasedness of Least Squares Estimation, reducing partial information and decreasing accuracy to overcome the over-fitting problems. This article presents an improved ridge regression algorithm and utilizes it to predict the audience rating for TV ratings. It is tested by 10 - fold Cross Validation. TV rating is an important indication to measure the quality and user experience, as well as one of the vital standards to state the value of a TV channel. The improved ridge regression algorithm is used to learn the model of weight matrix, which is trained by the error algorithm to predict the TV ratings. The extensive experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cox-maze IV ablation by bipolar radiofrequency clamp was considered to be only performed through median sternotomy (MS), but impossible through right minithoracotomy (RM). Now, we developed a novel technique of performing Cox-maze IV ablation entirely by bipolar clamp through RM. To compare the outcomes of RM or MS for patients undergoing mitral valve surgery and concomitant Cox-maze IV ablation with entirely bipolar clamp. All 152 patients underwent mitral valve surgery and concomitant Cox-maze IV ablation with bipolar clamp through RM (n = 69) or MS (n = 83) were analyzed for outcome differences. The etiology of mitral valve disease was rheumatic (n = 97) and degenerative (n = 55). All patients had long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). Diameter of left atrium ranged from 42 to 60 mm. All patients successfully underwent Cox-maze IV ablation by bipolar clamp. RM group had longer cardiopulmonary bypass time (130.3 ± 17.7 vs 115.3 ± 14.4 min; P < 0.001) and aortic cross-clamp time (91.8 ± 12.7 vs 74.6 ± 9.3 min; P < 0.001). But mechanical ventilation time (14.2 ± 6.6 vs 21.3 ± 9.0 h; P < 0.001) and hospital length of stay (9.3 ± 2.6 vs 11.7 ± 3.0 days; P < 0.001) were shorter in RM group. At discharge, the maintenance of normal sinus rhythm (NSR) was 94.2% in RM group and 95.1% in MS group (P = 1.000). Cumulative maintenance of NSR at 2 years postoperatively was 85.1 ± 5.8% in RM group and 88.6 ± 3.6% in MS group (P = 0.767). RM can achieve similar therapeutic effect to MS for patients undergoing mitral valve surgery and concomitant Cox-maze IV ablation with entirely bipolar clamp. In addition, patients through RM had faster recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: We find that the DREB subfamily transcription factor, CmERF053, has a novel function to regulate the development of shoot branching and lateral root in addition to affecting abiotic stress.Abstract: Dehydration-responsive element binding proteins (DREBs) are important plant transcription factors that regulate various abiotic stresses. Here, we isolated an APETALA2/ethylene-responsive factor (AP2/ERF) transcription factor from chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium ‘Jinba’), CmERF053, the expression of which was rapidly up-regulated by main stem decapitation. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that it belongs to the A-6 group of the DREB subfamily, and the subcellular localization assay confirmed that CmERF053 was a nuclear protein. Overexpression of CmERF053 in Arabidopsis exhibited positive effects of plant lateral organs, which had more shoot branching and lateral roots than did the wild type. We also found that the expression of CmERF053 in axillary buds was induced by exogenous cytokinins. These results suggested that CmERF053 may be involved in cytokinins-related shoot branching pathway. In this study, an altered auxin distribution was observed during root elongation in the seedlings of the overexpression plants. Furthermore, overexpress CmERF053 gene could enhance drought tolerance. Together, these findings indicated that CmERF053 plays crucial roles in regulating shoot branching, lateral root, and drought stress in plant. Moreover, our study provides potential application value for improving plant productivity, ornamental traits, and drought tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]