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How can human resource management (HRM), as both a scholarly discourse and a corporate strategic function, advance the sustainability agenda? We endeavor to answer this question by drawing together insights gleamed from the emerging sustainable HRM literature. First, we synthesize various conceptualizations and theoretical perspectives on the topic, including frames of reference from strategic HRM, institutional theory and institutional logics, stakeholder theory, and sustainable careers/life cycle theory. Second, we unpack and contextualize the sustainable HRM literature through the lens of international HRM. Third, we consolidate the extant literature and present an agenda for future research, calling for further exploration of topics that are likely to hit the next high wave of generating new strategic HRM insights and sustainable HRM knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geopolitical conflicts, particularly economic ones, introduce significant uncertainties into the global supply chain. The impact of these conflicts on cross‐border buyer–supplier transactions remains underexplored, as does the capability of global suppliers to mitigate such risks by locking in their foreign buyers. Employing a combined perspective of resource dependence theory and transaction cost economics, we examine a natural experiment to investigate the effects of the 2018 U.S.–China trade war on the transactional relationships between Chinese suppliers and their U.S. buyers. Our study reveals that the trade war generally adversely affected these buyer–supplier transactional relationships, leading to a negative abnormal transaction value in the affected dyads, which amounted to 18.42% of their pre‐event level. However, we find that this adverse impact can be attenuated when Chinese suppliers demonstrate superior innovation capabilities, higher corporate social responsibility performance, or fewer local political ties. These findings yield insights for international suppliers and buyers on strategies to maintain buyer–supplier transactions and minimize the detrimental effects on global supply chain relationships during geopolitical conflicts. Highlights: The U.S.–China trade war slashed transactions between sampled U.S. buyers and Chinese suppliers by 18.42%.Innovative and socially responsible Chinese suppliers showed more resilient, effectively retaining U.S. buyers amid the trade war.U.S. buyers distanced themselves from Chinese suppliers with local political ties to navigate geopolitical uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In plant species, anthocyanin accumulation is specifically regulated by light signaling. Although the CONSTITUTIVELY PHOTOMORPHOGENIC1/SUPPRESSOR OF PHYA‐105 (COP1/SPA) complex is known to control anthocyanin biosynthesis in response to light, the precise mechanism underlying this process remains largely unknown.Here, we report that Increase in BONSAI Methylation 1 (IBM1), a JmjC domain‐containing histone demethylase, participates in the regulation of light‐induced anthocyanin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis.The expression of IBM1 was induced by high light (HL) stress, and loss‐of‐function mutations in IBM1 led to accelerated anthocyanin accumulation under HL conditions. We further identified that IBM1 is directly associated with SPA1/3/4 chromatin in vivo to establish a hypomethylation status on H3K9 and DNA non‐CG at these loci under HL, thereby releasing their expression. Genetic analysis showed that quadruple mutants of IBM1 and SPA1/3/4 resemble spa134 mutants. Overexpression of SPA1 in ibm1 mutants complements the mutant phenotype.Our results elucidate the significance and mechanism of IBM1 histone demethylase in the epigenetic regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis under HL conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracheal stenosis is commonly caused by injury, resulting in inflammation and fibrosis. Inhibiting inflammation and promoting epithelization can reduce recurrence after initial successful treatment of tracheal stenosis. Steroids play an important role in tracheal stenosis management. This study in vitro evaluated effectiveness of a polydopaminated polycaprolactone stent coated with dexamethasone‐eluting poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic) acid microparticles (μPLGA) for tracheal stenosis management. Polydopamination was characterized by Raman spectroscopy and promoted epithelialization while dexamethasone delivery reduced macrophage activity, assessed by individual cell area measurements and immunofluorescent staining for inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Dexamethasone release was quantified by high‐performance liquid chromatography over 30 days. Activation‐related increase in cell area and iNOS production by RAW 264.7 were both reduced significantly (p <.05) through dexamethasone release. Epithelial cell spreading was higher on polydopaminated polycaprolactone (PCL) than PCL‐alone (p <.05). Force required for stent migration was measured by pullout tests of PCL‐μPLGA stents from cadaveric rabbit and porcine tracheas (0.425 ± 0.068 N and 1.082 ± 0.064 N, respectively) were above forces estimated to occur during forced respiration. Biomechanical support provided by stents to prevent airway collapse was assessed by comparing compressive circumferential stiffness, and stiffness of the stent was about 1/10th of the rabbit trachea (0.156 ± 0.023 N/mm vs. 1.420 ± 0.194 N/mm, respectively). A dexamethasone‐loaded PCL‐μPLGA stent platform can deliver dexamethasone and exhibits sufficient mechanical properties to anchor within the trachea and polydopamination of PCL is conducive to epithelial layer formation. Therefore, a polydopaminated PCL‐μPLGA stent is a promising candidate for in vivo evaluation for treatment of tracheal restenosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological advancements in transportation and telecommunications in the 1980s enabled firms to leverage resources from other countries to produce and sell goods in the global market. Research questions arising from institutional distance in the global supply chain context include the effect of regulatory distance between a focal firm and its supply base on the formation of the supply-base structure: Do firms that source from countries with similar institutional systems have lower supply chain risk? Institutional distance Institutional theory addresses how the regulatory, normative, and cultural-cognitive environment in which a firm operates can predict the firm's behavior (Scott, [50]), and how the institutional environment can shape firm behaviors (Powell & DiMaggio, [44]). Firms employing a cost leadership strategy source materials and products globally from locations with lower labor and production costs, and firms employing differentiation strategies seek specialized knowledge and natural resources from other countries to develop products with unique features. [Extracted from the article]

Multinational corporations have benefited tremendously from free trade in the past few decades. However, the dynamism of international relations, paired with the global recession, has rekindled the debate over frictionless trade. In this study, we examine how trade friction, created by tariff trade barriers, affects the operational performance of domestic firms which source from the affected countries. We also investigate how various supply chain characteristics and strategies can moderate the impact of such trade friction. Motivated by the 2018 U.S.–China trade war, we conducted a difference‐in‐difference analysis to examine the impact of trade tariffs on performance indicators of U.S. firms with direct supplier connections in China. Specifically, we found that U.S. firms with direct supply partners (i.e., first‐tier suppliers) in China had a worse performance than the U.S. firms without direct supply partners in China in terms of inventory (i.e., days of supply) and profitability (return‐on‐assets). We further found that the negative impacts were more severe for firms with a higher degree of outsourcing, and horizontal and spatial supply base complexity. We discuss the implications for international operations management, supply chain networks, supply risk management, and provide suggestions to supply chain practitioners and trade policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic matter degradation and sequestration in marine sediments are important processes involved in carbon cycling in the ocean. Here, we present the results of carbon isotope (14C and 13C) and concentration measurements of sedimentary organic carbon (SOC), pore‐water dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in sediments collected from the East China Sea, Yellow/Bohai Sea, and South China Sea. Our results indicated that selective degradation and preservation of organic matter occurred in these sediments, and marine‐derived young organic carbon degraded preferentially and rapidly, resulting in high concentrations of pore‐water DOC and DIC with distinct carbon isotopic signatures. The average 14C age of pore‐water DOC was thousands of years younger than that of SOC in the sediment, suggesting that DOC was newly produced and cycled much faster than SOC. Aged SOC was refractory and preserved in sediments. Using a dual‐isotope three‐end‐member model, the contributions of potential sources to SOC, DOC, and DIC were estimated. Marine‐derived biomass organic carbon contributed the most to DOC, and dissolution of biogenic carbonate contributed the most to DIC. Riverine inputs of pre‐aged soil and fossil organic carbon dominated the SOC pool. Our study demonstrated that marginal sea sediments are important sites of young DOC and DIC fluxes into the water column, thus acting as a major pathway for carbon and nutrient cycling in the ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Internet age, information security is threatened anytime and anywhere and the copyright protection of audio and video as well as the need for matching detection is increasingly strong. In view of this need, this paper proposes a zero-watermarking algorithm for audio and video matching based on NSCT. The algorithm uses NSCT, DCT, SVD, and Schur decomposition to extract video features and audio features and generates zero-watermark stream through synthesis, which is stored in a third-party organization for detection and identification. The detection algorithm can obtain zero watermark from the audio and video to be tested and judge and locate tampering by comparing with the zero watermark of the third party. From the experimental results, this algorithm can not only detect whether the audio and video are mismatched due to tampering attacks but also locate the mismatched audio and video segments and protect the copyright. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of ceramic technology, prosthodontic ceramics are becoming a useful option for improving esthetic outcomes in dentistry. In this paper, various ceramic materials were reviewed and evaluated, and their advantages and disadvantages and indications in oral prosthodontics were analyzed objectively. The properties of resin-based ceramics, polycrystalline ceramics, and silicate ceramics were compared and analyzed. Resin-based ceramics may replace other ceramic materials in the CAD/CAM field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How can innovative cities be cultivated and fertilized? Embracing and reframing insights from multidisciplinary academic discourse, we conceptualize three paired tensional dimensions, namely, the human‐society, the market‐government and the global–local tensions, to form a six‐I city innovation framework. Also termed a CELL framework, the six I‐related key elements are: human intelligence, societal incentives, government involvement, market inclination, global integration, and local interconnection. Taking a holistic view, the set of collective and interdependent institutional elements can serve to analyze the development of city innovation. The key assertion of the study is that a city's innovative ecosystem can be built up, and, more importantly, via configuring key institutional arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Zero watermark has no intervention on the carrier image, which is invisible in nature, and completely solves the problem of mutual constraint between robustness and invisibility in the traditional digital watermark technology. In order to improve the robustness of the zero watermark, a zero watermark algorithm based on Gabor transform and discrete cosine transform (DCT) is proposed in this paper. The algorithm performs Gabor transformation on the carrier image to obtain the directional characteristics of the image. Then it performs DCT and blocks, and performs singular value decomposition (SVD) on each subblock. The feature matrix is constructed using the largest eigenvalue of the subblock, and then XORed with the encrypted watermark to form a zero watermark. The algorithm utilizes the advantages of Gabor transform in the adjustment of scale and direction and selects the optimized parameters to extract image features. At the same time, the information concentration and decorrelation of DCT and SVD are utilized to improve the robustness and antiattack capability of the algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is robust to filtering, JPEG compression, noise, shearing, rotation, and other attacks, especially effective in antishear attack and rotation attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problem that the dark channel prior algorithm is not ideal in removing fog at the distant view and the sudden change of depth, this paper proposes an adaptive bright and dark channel combined with defogging algorithm based on the depth of field. The algorithm divides the image into a distant area and a near area based on the depth of field. The near area uses the dark channel to remove the fog, and the distant area uses the bright channel to remove the fog, combined with the use of adaptive superpixel segmentation to give the content-based local area division and defogging control factor based on depth of field. It better solves the problem of large transmittance deviation and defogging distortion under content changes and sudden depth of field changes. From the subjective and objective indicators, the algorithm in this paper has achieved a good defogging effect, and the main indicators and comprehensive defogging quality are better than common algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Journal of Management Reviews (IJMR) is proud to offer a special section for articles that address methods and methodologies associated with undertaking literature reviews. In this editorial, we share our goals and aspirations for this special section. Drawing upon the motivations and objectives set out in 2020 and 2021 IJMR editorials, this editorial first discusses what potential benefits such an ongoing special section can bring to management and organization research in the longer term. In the next two sections, we detail what editors expect to see in the submissions we receive, and we also elaborate on some general and specific publication criteria as to how editors and reviewers will assess submissions related to methodology discussion. We hope this editorial will help authors avoid the disappointment of a rejection and encourage them to develop rigorous, innovative and impactful methodological advances and discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After several years of research and development, it has been reported that magnesium alloys can be used as degradable metals in some medical device applications. Over the years, fluoride coatings have received increasing research attention for improving the corrosion resistance of magnesium. In this paper, different methods for preparing fluoride coatings and the characteristics of these coatings are reported for the first time. The influence of the preparation conditions of fluoride coatings, including the magnesium substrate, voltage, and electrolyte, on the coatings is discussed. Various properties of magnesium fluoride coatings are also summarized, with an emphasis on corrosion resistance, mechanical properties, and biocompatibility. We screened experiments and papers that planned the application of magnesium fluoride coatings in living organisms. We have selected the literature with the aim of enhancing the performance of in vivo implants for reading and further detailed classification. The authors searched PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and other databases for 688 relevant papers published between 2005 and 2021, citing 105 of them. The selected time range is the last 16 years. Furthermore, this paper systematically discusses future prospects and challenges related to the application of magnesium fluoride coatings to medical products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

R&D plays a crucial role in developing new products, the commercialisation of which can drive corporate growth. Over three decades, research has focused the new product development (NPD) process and it is known that developing new products is a knowledge‐intensive, risky activity. Since industry surveys show that many NPD projects, particularly software‐based ones, fail to meet their schedules and objectives. Consequently, today's R&D managers still need ways to plan and conduct NPD more effectively. Project‐based Learning (PBL) – the generation of specific technical and process knowledge during and after a project – is a potential way to improve NPD. Therefore, this paper investigated the research question: Does PBL enhance the quality of planning in subsequent software development projects? The study used a sample of 47 software development projects at three multinational organisations. Significantly, the findings show that PBL does enhance the quality of planning of subsequent software development projects. In particular, the quality of planning is increased in projects with high levels of uncertainty; where team members work in a project‐based structure with strong collaboration; and when the pressure to deliver projects is high. The contribution of the research at a theoretical level is that it identified an important link between learning and the quality of planning in subsequent NPD projects. At a practical level, the study identifies specific steps R&D managers can take to improve the performance of software development projects, with all their associated challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on attribution theory, this study explores the relationship between team‐level human resource attributions (HRAs) and team performance, and explains how transformational leadership moderates this relationship. The data were collected from leaders and subordinates across 77 work teams, for a total of 708 participants employed in seven manufacturing and service organizations in China. The study finds that the relationship between commitment‐focused team‐level HRAs and team performance is mediated by team engagement, and that self‐awareness of transformational leadership significantly strengthens the positive relationship between these variables. However, parallel moderated mediation relationships are not evident between control‐focused team‐level HRAs and team performance. The study is among the first to explore team‐level HRAs and contributes to the scholarly debates on the role of attributions in explaining the so‐called 'black box' between HRM and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TMEM173 has been reported to participate in endoplasmic reticulum stress, inflammation and immunology, all of which closely involved with cardiac hypertrophy. But its role in autophagy is not fully figured out. In our research, Tmem173 global knockout (KO) mice manifested more deteriorated hypertrophy, fibrosis, inflammatory infiltration and cardiac malfunction compared with wild type C57BL/6 mice after 6 weeks of transverse aortic constriction. And KO mice showed inhibited autophagosome degradation in myocardium observed under transmission electron microscope and in protein level. In in vitro experiments conducted in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes under phenylephrine treatment, the abundance of Tmem173 gene was negatively related to the abundance of LC3‐Ⅱ and the number of red and yellow fluorescent dots, of which reflected the capacity of autophagosome degradation. These results indicated that TMEM173 might be a promoter of autophagic flux and protected against pressure overload‐induced cardiac hypertrophy. It may serve as a potential therapeutic target for cardiac hypertrophy in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: For woody plants, clonal propagation efficiency is largely determined by adventitious root (AR) formation at the bases of stem cuttings. However, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms contributing to AR morphogenesis in trees remains limited, despite the importance of vegetative propagation, currently the most common practice for tree breeding and commercialization.Here, we identified Populus‐specific miR476a as a regulator of wound‐induced adventitious rooting that acts by orchestrating mitochondrial homeostasis.MiR476a exhibited inducible expression during AR formation and directly targeted several Restorer of Fertility like (RFL) genes encoding mitochondrion‐localized pentatricopeptide repeat proteins. Genetic modification of miR476a‐RFL expression revealed that miR476a/RFL‐mediated dynamic regulation of mitochondrial homeostasis influences AR formation in poplar. Mitochondrial perturbation via exogenous application of a chemical inhibitor indicated that miR476a/RFL‐directed AR formation depends on mitochondrial regulation that acts via auxin signaling.Our results thus establish a microRNA‐directed mitochondrion–auxin signaling cascade required for AR development, providing insights into the role of mitochondrial regulation in the developmental plasticity of plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, person reidentification based on attention mechanism has attracted many scholars' interests. Although attention module can improve the representation ability and reidentification accuracy of Re-ID model to a certain extent, it depends on the coupling of attention module and original network. In this paper, a person reidentification model that combines multiple attentions and multiscale residuals is proposed. The model introduces combined attention fusion module and multiscale residual fusion module in the backbone network ResNet 50 to enhance the feature flow between residual blocks and better fuse multiscale features. Furthermore, a global branch and a local branch are designed and applied to enhance the channel aggregation and position perception ability of the network by utilizing the dual ensemble attention module, as along as the fine-grained feature expression is obtained by using multiproportion block and reorganization. Thus, the global and local features are enhanced. The experimental results on Market-1501 dataset and DukeMTMC-reID dataset show that the indexes of the presented model, especially Rank-1 accuracy, reach 96.20% and 89.59%, respectively, which can be considered as a progress in Re-ID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport of terrigenous carbon by rivers has been affected extensively by climate change and anthropogenic activities in China over the last few decades. Here, we present results on carbon isotopes (13C, 14C) of dissolved and particulate inorganic carbon (DIC and PIC) and combined with major lithologic ions measured in the four largest rivers in China, namely, the Yangtze, Yellow, Pearl, and Heilongjiang rivers, to reveal the sources and transport of terrigenous inorganic carbon in the rivers. The DIC concentrations showed large variations in the four rivers and ranged from 253 to 3,122 μM. The Yangtze, Yellow and Pearl rivers transported high DIC contents that had low Δ14C values of millennium‐aged DIC and very old PIC; however, the Heilongjiang River presented a lower DIC concentration with much younger 14C ages than the global average (1,100 μM). The strong correlations between the DIC isotope values and major lithological ions (Ca2+ and Mg2+) suggest that chemical weathering played important but variable roles in controlling the production and fate of DIC in the rivers. Using dual isotopes and the MixSIAR model, we calculated that the chemical weathering of carbonate rocks contributed 95 ± 5% of the riverine DIC to the headwater of the Yangtze River while silicate rock weathering and riverine organic matter respiration contributed 62 ± 25% and 5 ± 5% of the DIC in the middle and lower reaches of the river, respectively. In contrast, chemical weathering of silicate rocks contributed the dominant fraction of DIC in the Yellow (55 ± 17%), Pearl (61 ± 20%) and Heilongjiang (83 ± 29%) rivers. Key Points: The concentration and isotope signatures of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) varied considerably in four large rivers with different drainage basins in ChinaThe three largest Chinese rivers, the Yangtze, Yellow, and Pearl rivers, transport high amounts of millennium‐aged DIC to the coastal seasThe contributions of the different sources to riverine DIC were quantitatively calculated using dual isotopes and the MixSIAR model [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study assessed whether ultrasonic speckle‐tracking imaging (STI) could help evaluate right ventricular systolic function in repaired Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) with different pulmonary artery branch angles. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 64 patients who underwent surgery for TOF and 60 normal children. The angle between the left pulmonary artery and main pulmonary artery was measured using echocardiography and computed tomography angiography (CTA). Furthermore, STI was used to record the global longitudinal strain of the four‐chamber view (GLS4), the global longitudinal strain of the two‐chamber view (GLS2), and the global longitudinal strain of the right ventricle (RVGLS). Results: The GLS4, GLS2, and RVGLS values in the TOF groups with different pulmonary artery branch angles were significantly lower than those in the control group. Furthermore, the GLS2 and RVGLS values were significantly lower for angles of 90‐100° and <90° (vs >100°). Multivariate linear regression analyses revealed that pulmonary regurgitation and the angle between the left and main pulmonary arteries were two important factors affecting RVGLS. The Bland‐Altman consistency test revealed good agreement regarding the pulmonary artery branch angles measured using echocardiography and CTA. Conclusion: In patients with TOF, the RVGLS was lower for acute left pulmonary artery angulation than for round and blunt left pulmonary artery angulation. The angle of the pulmonary artery branches was an important factor affecting RVGLS. Echocardiography can be used to measure the angle of the pulmonary artery branches, which provides valuable information for surgical correction of pulmonary artery morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Secondary growth is a key characteristic of trees, which requires the coordination of multiple regulatory mechanisms including transcriptional regulators and microRNAs (miRNAs). However, the roles of microRNAs in the regulation of secondary growth need to be explored in depth.Here, the role of miR319a and its target, PtoTCP20, in the secondary growth of Populus tomentosa stem was investigated using genetic and molecular analyses.The expression level of miR319a gradually decreased from primary to secondary growth in P. tomentosa, while that of PtoTCP20 gradually increased. MiR319a overexpression in seedlings resulted in delayed secondary growth and decreased xylem production, while miR319a knockdown and PtoTCP20 overexpression promoted secondary growth and increased xylem production. Further analysis showed that PtoTCP20 interacted with PtoWOX4a and activated PtoWND6 transcription in vitro and in vivo.Our data show that PtoTCP20 controls vascular cambium proliferation by binding to PtoWOX4a, and promotes secondary xylem differentiation by activating PtoWND6 transcription, thereby regulating secondary growth in P. tomentosa. Our findings provide insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying secondary growth in trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doxorubicin is a commonly used anthracycline chemotherapeutic drug. Its application for treatment has been impeded by its cardiotoxicity as it is detrimental and fatal. DNA damage, cardiac inflammation, oxidative stress and cell death are the critical links in DOX‐induced myocardial injury. Previous studies found that TLR9‐related signalling pathways are associated with the inflammatory response of cardiac myocytes, mitochondrial dysfunction and cardiomyocyte death, but it remains unclear whether TLR9 could influence DOX‐induced heart injury. Our current data imply that DOX‐induced cardiotoxicity is ameliorated by TLR9 deficiency both in vivo and in vitro, manifested as improved cardiac function and reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and oxidative stress. Furthermore, the deletion of TLR9 rescued DOX‐induced abnormal autophagy flux in vivo and in vitro. However, the inhibition of autophagy by 3‐MA abolished the protective effects of TLR9 deletion on DOX‐induced cardiotoxicity. Moreover, TLR9 ablation suppressed the activation of p38 MAPK during DOX administration and may promote autophagy via the TLR9‐p38 MAPK signalling pathway. Our study suggests that the deletion of TLR9 exhibits a protective effect on doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity by enhancing p38‐dependent autophagy. This finding could be used as a basis for the development of a prospective therapy against DOX‐induced cardiotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Trichomes are specialized epidermal cells that contribute to plant resistance against herbivores. Their formation is controlled precisely by multiple genetic and environmental signals. Previous studies have shown that microRNA319 (miR319) and gibberellin (GA) signaling are involved in trichome development in Arabidopsis, but little is known about their interaction between these factors.Here we reported that the miR319a/TEOSINTE BRANCHED/CYCLOIDEA/PCF (TCP) module participates in trichome initiation synergistically with GA signaling in Populus tomentosa. We demonstrated that overexpression of miR319a decreased transcription levels of its targeted TCPs and significantly elevated leaf trichome density in transgenic poplar, resulting in decreasing insect herbivory. Conversely, repressing miR319a by short tandem target mimics (STTM) elevated TCP expression levels and decreased trichome density in transgenic plants.The trichome phenotype of 35S:miR319a plants could be abolished by introducing a miR319a‐resistant form of TCP19. Furthermore, the miR319a‐targeted TCP19 interacted directly with REPRESSOR OF ga1‐3 (RGA), a downstream repressor of GA signaling. TCP19 and RGA synergistically inhibited the GLABROUS1 (GL1)‐induced expression of trichome marker gene GLABRA2 (GL2), thereby repressing leaf trichome initiation.Our results provide an insight into the molecular mechanism by which miR319/TCP19 module and GA signaling coordinated regulating trichome initiation in P. tomentosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemoresistance is a main obstacle in ovarian cancer therapy and new treatment strategies and further information regarding the mechanism of the medication cisplatin are urgently needed. Nitric oxide has a critical role in modulating the activity of chemotherapeutic drugs. Our previous work showed that connexin32 contributed to cisplatin resistance. However, whether nitric oxide is involved in connexin32‐mediated cisplatin resistance remains unknown. In this study, using A2780 and A2780 cisplatin‐resistant cells, we found that S‐nitroso‐N‐acetyl‐penicillamine, a nitric oxide donor, attenuated cisplatin toxicity by decreasing gap junctions in A2780 cells. Enhancement of gap junctions using retinoic acid reversed the effects of S‐nitroso‐N‐acetyl‐penicillamine on cisplatin toxicity. In A2780 cisplatin‐resistant cells, however, S‐nitroso‐N‐acetyl‐penicillamine enhanced cisplatin toxicity by decreasing connexin32 expression. Downregulation of connexin32 expression by small interfering RNA exacerbated the effects of S‐nitroso‐N‐acetyl‐penicillamine on cisplatin cytotoxicity and upregulation of connexin32 expression by pcDNA transfection reversed the effects of S‐nitroso‐N‐acetyl‐penicillamine on cisplatin cytotoxicity. Our study suggests for the first time that combining cisplatin with nitric oxide in clinical therapies for ovarian cancer should be avoided before cisplatin resistance emerges. The present study provides a productive area of further study for increasing the efficacy of cisplatin by combining cisplatin with the specific inhibitors or enhancers of nitric oxide in clinical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problems of low contrast and low definition of fog degraded image, this paper proposes an image defogging algorithm based on sparse representation. Firstly, the algorithm transforms image from RGB space to HSI space and uses two-level wavelet transform extract features of image brightness components. Then, it uses the K-SVD algorithm training dictionary and learns the sparse features of the fog-free image to reconstructed I-components of the fog image. Using the nonlinear stretching approach for saturation component improves the brightness of the image. Finally, convert from HSI space to RGB color space to get the defog image. Experimental results show that the algorithm can effectively improve the contrast and visual effect of the image. Compared with several common defog algorithms, the percentage of image saturation pixels is better than the comparison algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyropheophorbide‐a (Pyro) is a promising multifunctional molecule for multimodal tumour imaging and photodynamic therapy, but its clinical applications are seriously restricted by the limited tumour accumulation capability. Here, we designed and synthesized a small‐molecule probe that achieved specific dual‐modal tumour imaging based on Pyro. Briefly, a novel molecule combining Pyro, an RGD dimer peptide (3PRGD2) and 64Cu, was designed and synthesized, and the obtained molecule, 64Cu‐Pyro‐3PRGD2, exhibited high tumour specificity in both positron emission tomography and optical imaging in vivo. c (RGDfk) peptide blocking significantly reduced the efficacy of the probe, which confirmed the integrin αVβ3 targeting of this molecular probe. 64Cu‐Pyro‐3PRGD2 had very low accumulation in normal organs and could be rapidly cleared through kidney metabolism, which prevented the potential damage to adjacent normal tissues. Overall, combining tumour targeting, dual‐modal imaging, and biosafety, 64Cu‐Pyro‐3PRGD2 has the potential for clinical use as a molecular imaging probe for tumour diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Ferulate 5‐hydroxylase (F5H) is a limiting enzyme involved in biosynthesizing sinapyl (S) monolignol in angiosperms. Genetic regulation of F5H can influence S monolignol synthesis and therefore improve saccharification efficiency and biofuel production. To date, little is known about whether F5H is post‐transcriptionally regulated by endogenous microRNAs (miRNAs) in woody plants.Here, we report that a microRNA, miR6443, specifically regulates S lignin biosynthesis during stem development in Populus tomentosa.In situ hybridization showed that miR6443 is preferentially expressed in vascular tissues. We further identified that F5H2 is the direct target of miR6443. Overexpression of miR6443 decreased the transcript level of F5H2 in transgenic plants, resulting in a significant reduction in S lignin content. Conversely, reduced miR6443 expression by short tandem target mimics (STTM) elevated F5H2 transcripts, therefore increasing S lignin composition. Introduction of a miR6443‐resistant form of F5H2 into miR6443‐overexpression plants restored lignin ectopic composition, supporting that miR6443 specifically regulated S lignin biosynthesis by repressing F5H2 in P. tomentosa. Furthermore, saccharification assays revealed decreased hexose yields by 7.5–24.5% in miR6443‐overexpression plants compared with the wild‐type control, and increased hexoses yields by 13.2–14.6% in STTM6443‐overexpression plants.Collectively, we demonstrate that miR6443 modulates S lignin biosynthesis by specially regulating F5H2 in P. tomentosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although research on Chinese human resource management (HRM) has attracted considerable scholarly attention in recent decades, such research has mainly been confined within the economic domain of for‐profit companies. There is a dearth of research in the English‐language literature examining how people are managed in the Chinese public sector, especially in higher education institutions. Based on a multiple case study, this paper explores how Chinese universities have reformed their traditional personnel management system, and investigates whether the 'iron rice bowl' system has been entirely replaced after three decades of HRM reform. Our findings reveal that employee management in Chinese universities has only partially broken away from its traditional 'iron rice bowl' system. China still has a long way to go to establish a modern HRM system in its public sector. Key points There is a dearth of research in the English‐language literature examining how people are managed in Chinese higher education institutions.This study investigates whether the 'iron rice bowl' system has been completely replaced after three decades of HRM reform in Chinese universities.Research findings reveal that the core pillars of traditional 'iron rice bowl' system have not been abolished in Chinese universities.There remains a long way to go for Chinese universities to establish an effective modern HRM system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report quantitative carbon isotope evidence showing that porewater dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is produced from different sources in Arctic Ocean sediments, resulting in dramatic changes in both δ13C and Δ14C values of DOC. The very low δ13C (−42.7‰) and Δ14C (−947‰) values measured for porewater DOC indicate that bacteria consume methane hydrate‐derived OC and convert a significant fraction of this δ13C depleted and old OC (44–97%) into DOC in the sediments of the Arctic Ocean. We suggest that the production of extremely old, methane‐derived porewater DOC (5,430–23,600 years) in Arctic Ocean sediment is an important pathway for carbon cycling that provides not only a necessary energy source for microbial communities in this extreme environment but also an ancient DOC source that could flux and contribute to the old and biologically recalcitrant DOC found in the deep ocean. Plain Language Summary: Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) produced in sediment porewater is a crucial intermediary during the early diagenesis of organic matter in marine sediments, and DOC production is also an important pathway of carbon cycling in the ocean. In this study, we present radiocarbon and stable carbon isotope results measured for porewater DOC and sedimentary solid phase total organic carbon in sediment cores collected from the Arctic Ocean. We find that the carbon isotopic signatures of porewater DOC differed dramatically between samples produced from mostly marine‐derived organic matter (δ13C = −22.9‰, Δ14C = −80‰) in the Chukchi Sea shelf and samples produced from methane hydrate‐derived organic matter (δ13C = −42.7‰, Δ14C = −947‰) on the Arctic slope. We estimate that in the slope region, 44–97% of the extremely old DOC preserved in the sediment was produced from methane hydrate. The production of this ancient, methane‐bearing porewater DOC could be an important but insufficiently studied pathway for carbon cycling that provides not only a necessary energy source for microbial communities in the Arctic sediment but also an ancient DOC source that could contribute to the old and biologically recalcitrant DOC found in the deep ocean. Key Points: Large shifts in both δ13C and Δ14C values of porewater DOC were found in Arctic Ocean sedimentPorewater DOC has a very low δ13C value (−42.7‰) and old 14C age (23,000 years), consistent with being produced from methane hydrate OCThe extremely old DOC produced in Arctic Ocean sediment could be an important source of old DOC in the deep ocean [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "Galangin ameliorates cardiac remodeling via the MEK1/2–ERK1/2 and PI3K–AKT pathways" in the Journal of Cellular Physiology discusses a correction made to the original version of the article. The authors mistakenly presented identical images for Figure 6B and 7B, but have now provided the accurate Figure 6B and the correct Figure 7B. Additionally, it was observed that editing of the T‐GSK3β blot in Figure 6B had been carried out to ensure clear display of the bands, and the original uncropped blot is now provided for transparency. The correction does not affect the results and conclusions of the study. [Extracted from the article]

The relationship between sustainable operations and a firm's financial performance has been an ongoing focus of operations management scholars. Previous literature has extensively explored the impact of acting responsibly on financial performance. This article applies the behavioral theory of the firm and prospect theory to assess the much‐neglected reverse relationship, exploring whether a firm's relative aspirational financial performance impacts its likelihood of acting irresponsibly. Furthermore, we explore whether operational slack in the form of capacity, productivity, and inventory attenuates a firm's likelihood of acting irresponsibly when its actual financial performance deviates from its aspirational level. We use a matched pair design with privately held manufacturing firms in the United Kingdom who acted irresponsibly matched with similar firms who did not act irresponsibly. While most firms do not act irresponsibly, we find that the further a firm moves (positively or negatively) from its aspirational level of financial performance, the more likely it is to act irresponsibly. The results also indicate that slack generally does not prevent managers from acting irresponsibly, especially when performing relatively well. This study contributes to the sustainable operations literature and provides important theoretical, managerial, and policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac remodeling is associated with inflammation and apoptosis. Galangin, as a natural flavonol, has the potent function of regulating inflammation and apoptosis, which are factors related to cardiac remodeling. Beginning 3 days after aortic banding (AB) or Sham surgery, mice were treated with galangin for 4 weeks. Cardiac remodeling was assessed according to echocardiographic parameters, histological analyses, and hypertrophy and fibrosis markers. Our results showed that galangin administration attenuated cardiac hypertrophy, dysfunction, and fibrosis response in AB mice and angiotensin II‐treated H9c2 cells. The inhibitory action of galangin in cardiac remodeling was mediated by MEK1/2–extracellular‐regulated protein kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2)–GATA4 and phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K)–protein kinase B (AKT)–glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) activation. Furthermore, we found that galangin inhibited inflammatory response and apoptosis. Our findings suggest that galangin protects against cardiac remodeling through decreasing inflammatory responses and apoptosis, which are associated with inhibition of the MEK1/2–ERK1/2–GATA4 and PI3K–AKT–GSK3β signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The secondary cell wall is an important carbon sink in higher plants and its biosynthesis requires coordination of metabolic fluxes in the phenylpropanoid pathway. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), MYB75 and the KNOX transcription factor KNAT7 form functional complexes to regulate secondary cell wall formation in the inflorescence stem. However, the molecular mechanism by which these transcription factors control different branches of the phenylpropanoid pathway remains poorly understood in woody species. We isolated an R2R3‐MYB transcription factor MYB6 from Populus tomentosa and determined that it was expressed predominately in young leaves. Overexpression of MYB6 in transgenic poplar upregulated flavonoid biosynthetic gene expression, resulting in significantly increased accumulation of anthocyanin and proanthocyanidins. MYB6‐overexpression plants showed reduced secondary cell wall deposition, accompanied by repressed expression of secondary cell wall biosynthetic genes. We further showed that MYB6 interacted physically with KNAT7 and formed functional complexes that acted to repress secondary cell wall development in poplar and Arabidopsis. The results provide an insight into the transcriptional mechanisms involved in the regulation of the metabolic fluxes between the flavonoid and lignin biosynthetic pathways in poplar. Significance Statement: The poplar MYB6 transcription factor is involved in the positive regulation of anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin biosynthesis but the inhibition of secondary cell wall formation with KNAT7 repressor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using an experimental design, this research examines the extent to which managers and employees perceive management behaviours differently. Eight simulated employment scenarios were presented to an aggregated sample of managers and non‐managerial employees (n = 435), and the respondents were asked to evaluate the extent to which the behaviours depicted are seen as bullying. It was found that employees are more likely than managers to perceive 'legitimate performance management' as bullying but also that managers are more likely than employees to perceive more overt bullying as bullying per se. This divergence in perceptions suggests that what constitutes bullying, ontologically speaking, depends on one's point of view and implies that reality is socially constructed. The research has important implications for organisations and trade unions in the development of bullying policies and procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has established a link between the debt component of capital structure and managers making risky decisions. Literature in finance and strategy has explored the role of debt and concluded that increases in debt focus managerial decision making on short‐term financial goals, suggesting that increases in debt might also lead to managers making decisions that put operational workers and the firm at long‐term risk. Therefore this research explores if the strategic choice of a firm's level of debt predicts the firm's likelihood of breaching safety regulations. Furthermore, this study explores the short‐ and long‐term financial implications of breaching safety regulations. Secondary safety and financial data collected in the United Kingdom is used to answer the research questions using logistic models and an event study. The results show that decisions on debt are a significant predictor of a firm's likelihood of breaching safety regulation and that breaching safety regulation harms long‐term financial performance. Strategic decisions on debt levels lead to further decisions that place the workforce and profitability of the firm at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Wood development is strictly regulated by various phytohormones and auxin plays a central regulatory role in this process. However, how the auxin signaling is transducted in developing secondary xylem during wood formation in tree species remains unclear.Here, we identified an Aux/INDOLE‐3‐ACETIC ACID 9 (IAA9)‐AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 5 (ARF5) module in Populus tomentosa as a key mediator of auxin signaling to control early developing xylem development.PtoIAA9, a canonical Aux/IAA gene, is predominantly expressed in vascular cambium and developing secondary xylem and induced by exogenous auxin. Overexpression of PtoIAA9m encoding a stabilized IAA9 protein significantly represses secondary xylem development in transgenic poplar. We further showed that PtoIAA9 interacts with PtoARF5 homologs via the C‐terminal III/IV domains. The truncated PtoARF5.1 protein without the III/IV domains rescued defective phenotypes caused by PtoIAA9m. Expression analysis showed that the PtoIAA9‐PtoARF5 module regulated the expression of genes associated with secondary vascular development in PtoIAA9m‐ and PtoARF5.1‐overexpressing plants. Furthermore, PtoARF5.1 could bind to the promoters of two Class III homeodomain‐leucine zipper (HD‐ZIP III) genes, PtoHB7 and PtoHB8, to modulate secondary xylem formation.Taken together, our results suggest that the Aux/IAA9‐ARF5 module is required for auxin signaling to regulate wood formation via orchestrating the expression of HD‐ZIP III transcription factors in poplar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Anthocyanins are involved in several aspects of development and defence in poplar (Populus spp.). Although, over the past decades, significant progress has been made in uncovering these anthocyanin biosynthetic and regulatory mechanisms, the fundamental understanding of the epigenetic regulation in this pathway is still largely unclear. Here, we isolated a histone H3K9 demethylase gene JMJ25 from Populus and characterized its role in anthocyanin biosynthesis by genetic and biochemical approaches. JMJ25 was induced by continuous dark treatment. Overexpression of JMJ25 led to downregulated expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes in transgenic poplar, resulting in a significant reduction in anthocyanin content. ChIP‐qPCR assays showed that JMJ25 could directly associate with MYB182 chromatin and dynamically demethylate at H3K9me2. Furthermore, JMJ25 also affected the DNA methylation levels of MYB182. By contrast, knockout of JMJ25 by CRISPR/Cas9 resulted in ectopic anthocyanin accumulation under dark condition and increased expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes. Our results support a model in which JMJ25 directly affects MYB182 expression by altering the histone methylation status of its chromatin and DNA methylation, resulting in repression of anthocyanin accumulation. This study uncovered an epigenetic mechanism that modulates anthocyanin biosynthesis in poplar. Significance Statement: This study showed that poplar JMJ25 is involved in the regulation of MYB182 by directly altering the histone methylation status of chromatin and DNA methylation, resulting in repression of anthocyanin accumulation. Our findings provide insight into an epigenetic regulatory mechanism that controls anthocyanin biosynthesis in poplar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variations in treatment modalities for skin growths contribute substantially to overall healthcare spending within dermatology. However, little is known regarding factors impacting patient decision-making when choosing a treatment modality. In this survey-based, cross-sectional study (n = 375, 81.9% response rate), we asked patients to rate the importance of different treatment parameters for a nonfacial skin growth, further classified into five domains: efficacy, appearance, financial impact, visit duration, and productivity. Although patients generally prioritized treatment efficacy when selecting a treatment modality, they emphasized different aspects of the treatment experience as a function of age, gender, race, insurance status, and history of malignancy. Patients over age 50 were less likely to consider treatment impact on finances as being “important”, but more so efficacy and visit duration. Women were more likely to value efficacy and appearance. Patients without private insurance were more likely to cite efficacy and impact on productivity as being “important”. While the underlying reasons for these variations differ across patients, these findings help explain variations in treatment selection among patients choosing between treatments for skin growths and may ultimately lead to improved shared decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A systematic research about the liquefaction of alkali lignin in supercritical ethanol using ZSM‐5 zeolite catalysts is reported, which includes the synergistic effect of temperature, catalytic content, and reaction time on product yield and distribution. Fourier transform infrared and gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry analysis were carried out to evaluate the compositions of bio‐oil and solid residue. Under moderate condition, maximum conversion and yield of bio‐oil were satisfactorily high. With the help of ZSM‐5 catalyst, lignin could be successfully converted into aromatic compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children with short bowel syndrome (SBS) can vary significantly in their growth trajectory. Recent data have shown that children with SBS possess a unique gut microbiota signature compared with healthy controls. We hypothesized that children with SBS and poor growth would exhibit more severe gut microbiota dysbiosis compared with those with SBS who are growing adequately, despite similar intestinal anatomy.Materials and Methods: Stool samples were collected from children with SBS (n = 8) and healthy controls (n = 3) over 3 months. Gut microbiota populations (16S ribosomal RNA sequencing and metagenomic shotgun sequencing) were compared, including a more in-depth analysis of SBS children exhibiting poor and good growth. Statistical analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and χ2 tests as appropriate.Results: Children with SBS had a significant deficiency of the commensal Firmicutes order Clostridiales ( P = .025, Kruskal-Wallis) compared with healthy children. Furthermore, children with SBS and poor growth were deficient in beneficial bacteria known to produce short-chain fatty acids and had expansion of proinflammatory Enterobacteriaceae ( P = .038, Kruskal-Wallis) compared with children with SBS who were growing adequately. Using metabolic function analyses, SBS/poor growth microbiomes were deficient in genes needed for gluconeogenesis but enriched in branched and aromatic amino acid synthesis and citrate cycle pathway genes.Conclusions: Patients with SBS, particularly those with suboptimal growth, have a marked gut dysbiosis characterized by a paucity of beneficial commensal anaerobes, resulting in a deficiency of key metabolic enzymes found in the gut microbiomes of healthy children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proanthocyanidins ( PAs) are major defense phenolic compounds in the leaves of poplar ( Populus spp.) in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. Transcriptional regulation of PA biosynthetic genes by the MYB-basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH)-WD40 complexes in poplar is not still fully understood., Here, an Arabidopsis TT2-like gene MYB115 was isolated from Populus tomentosa and characterized by various molecular, genetic and biochemical approaches., MYB115 restored PA productions in the seed coat of the Arabidopsis tt2 mutant. Overexpression of MYB115 in poplar activated expression of PA biosynthetic genes, resulting in a significant increase in PA concentrations. By contrast, the CRISPR/Cas9-generated myb115 mutant exhibited reduced PA content and decreased expression of PA biosynthetic genes. MYB115 directly activated the promoters of PA-specific structural genes. MYB115 interacted with poplar TT8. Coexpression of MYB115, TT8 and poplar TTG1 significantly enhanced the expression of ANR1 and LAR3. Additionally, transgenic plants overexpressing MYB115 had increased resistance to the fungal pathogen Dothiorella gregaria, whereas myb115 mutant exhibited greater sensitivity compared with wild-type plants., Our data provide insight into the regulatory mechanisms controlling PA biosynthesis by MYB115 in poplar, which could be effectively employed for metabolic engineering of PAs to improve resistance to fungal pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Puerarin is a kind of flavonoids and is extracted from Chinese herb Kudzu root. Puerarin is widely used as an adjuvant therapy in Chinese clinics. But little is known about its effects on regulating cardiac fibrosis. Methods. Mice were subjected to transverse aorta constriction (TAC) for 8 weeks; meanwhile puerarin was given 1 week after TAC. Cardiac fibrosis was assessed by pathological staining. The mRNA and protein changes of CD31 and vimentin in both animal and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) models were detected. Immunofluorescence colocalization of CD31 and vimentin and scratch test were carried out to examine TGF-β1-induced changes in HUVECs. The agonist and antagonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) were used to explore the underlying mechanism. Results. Puerarin mitigated TAC-induced cardiac fibrosis, accompanied with suppressed endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT). The consistent results were achieved in HUVECs model. TGF-β1/Smad2 signaling pathway was blunted and PPAR-γ expression was upregulated in puerarin-treated mice and HUVECs. Pioglitazone could reproduce the protective effect in HUVECs, while GW9662 reversed this effect imposed by puerarin. Conclusion. Puerarin protected against TAC-induced cardiac fibrosis, and this protective effect may be attributed to the upregulation of PPAR-γ and the inhibition of TGF-β1/Smad2-mediated EndMT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operations management scholars have long debated the right level of slack resources required to optimize a production system. Recent research suggests that the right level of operational slack, typically in the form of inventory, is very little but not none. However, this conclusion was reached without considering the role of slack resources in occupational safety, which is a critical oversight since the safety literature predicts that the reduction of operational slack harms workers. To address this gap, secondary data from 3945 publically listed U.S. firms is used to explore the role of operational and financial slack as well as market factors in occupational safety. The results show that decreasing operational slack harms workers and that this effect is mitigated when firms hold higher levels of financial slack. Furthermore, the external market environment also plays a crucial role in the operational slack – safety relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinocerebellar ataxia-3 (SCA3) is the most common dominant inherited ataxia worldwide and is caused by an unstable CAG trinucleotide expansion mutation within the ATXN3 gene, resulting in an expanded polyglutamine tract within the ATXN3 protein. Many in vitro studies have examined the role of autophagy in neurodegenerative disorders, including SCA3, using transfection models with expression of pathogenic proteins in normal cells. In the current study, we aimed to develop an improved model for studying SCA3 in vitro using patient-derived cells. The patient-derived iPS cells presented a phenotype similar to that of human embryonic stem cells and could be differentiated into neurons. Additionally, these cells expressed abnormal ATXN3 protein without changes in the CAG repeat length during culture for at least 35 passages as iPS cells, up to 3 passages as neural stem cells, and after 4 weeks of neural differentiation. Furthermore, we demonstrated that neural differentiation in these iPS cells was accompanied by autophagy and that rapamycin promoted autophagy through degradation of mutant ATXN3 proteins in neurally differentiated spinocerebellar ataxia-3 human induced pluripotent stem cells (p<0.05). In conclusion, patient-derived iPS cells are a good model for studying the mechanisms of SCA3 and may provide a tool for drug discovery in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]