Search

This article is concerned with the existence of multiple normalized solutions for a class of Choquard equations with a parametric perturbation −ε2Δu+V(x)u=λu+ε−α(Iα*F(u))f(u),x∈RN,∫RN∣u∣2dx=a2εN,\left\{\begin{array}{ll}-{\varepsilon }^{2}\Delta u+V\left(x)u=\lambda u+{\varepsilon }^{-\alpha }\left({I}_{\alpha }* F\left(u))f\left(u),\hspace{1.0em}& x\in {{\mathbb{R}}}^{N},\\ \mathop{\displaystyle \int }\limits_{{{\mathbb{R}}}^{N}}{| u| }^{2}{\rm{d}}x={a}^{2}{\varepsilon }^{N},\hspace{1.0em}& \end{array}\right. where a>0a\gt 0 is a constant, ε>0\varepsilon \gt 0 is a parameter, N≥3N\ge 3, α∈(0,N)\alpha \in \left(0,N), λ∈R\lambda \in {\mathbb{R}} is unknown and appears as a Lagrange multiplier, ff is a continuous function with L2{L}^{2}-subcritical growth, and V:RN→[0,∞)V:{{\mathbb{R}}}^{N}\to \left[0,\infty ) is a continuous function, satisfying del Pino and Felmer’s local conditions. With the help of the penalization method, and Lusternik-Schnirelmann theory, we investigate the relationship between the number of positive normalized solutions and the topology of the set, where the potential VV attains its minimum value if the parameter ε>0\varepsilon \gt 0 is small.

Doxorubicin (Dox) is a highly effective anti‐neoplastic agent. Still, its utility in the clinic has been hindered by toxicities, including vomiting, hematopoietic suppression and nausea, with cardiotoxicity being the most serious side effect. Genistein (Gen) is a natural product with extensive biological effects, including anti‐oxidation, anti‐tumor, and cardiovascular protection. This study evaluated whether Gen protected the heart from Dox‐induced cardiotoxicity and explored the underlying mechanisms. Male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were categorized into control (Ctrl), genistein (Gen), doxorubicin (Dox), genistein 20 mg/kg/day + doxorubicin (Gen20 + Dox) and genistein 40 mg/kg/day + doxorubicin (Gen40 + Dox) groups. Six weeks after injection, immunohistochemistry (IHC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and clinical cardiac function analyses were performed to evaluate the effects of Dox on cardiac function and structural alterations. Furthermore, each heart histopathological lesions were given a score of 0–3 in compliance with the articles for statistical analysis. In addition, molecular and cellular response of H9c2 cells toward Dox were evaluated through western blotting, Cell Counting Kit‐8 (CCK8), AO staining and calcein AM/PI assay. Dox (5 μM in vitro and 18 mg/kg in vivo) was used in this study. In vivo, low‐dose Gen pretreatment protected the rat against Dox‐induced cardiac dysfunction and pathological remodeling. Gen inhibited extracellular signal‐regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2)'s phosphorylation, increased the protein levels of STAT3 and c‐Myc, and decreased the autophagy and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes. U0126, a MEK1/2 inhibitor, can mimic the effect of Gen in protecting against Dox‐induced cytotoxicity both in vivo and in vitro. Molecular docking analysis showed that Gen forms a stable complex with ERK1/2. Gen protected the heart against Dox‐induced cardiomyocyte autophagy and apoptosis through the ERK/STAT3/c‐Myc signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores the synchronization issue of leader–follower systems with multiple nonlinear agents, which operate under input saturation constraints. Each follower operates under a spectrum of unknown dynamic nonlinear systems with non-strict feedback. Additionally, due to the fact that the agents may be geographically dispersed or have different communication capabilities, only a subset of followers has direct communication with the leader. Compared to linear systems, nonlinear systems can provide a more detailed description of real-world physical models. However, input saturation is present in most real systems, due to various factors such as limited system energy and the physical constraints of the actuators. An auxiliary system of Nth order is introduced to counteract the impact of input saturation, which is then employed to create a collaborative controller. Due to the powerful capability of fuzzy logic systems in simulating complex nonlinear relationships, they are deployed to approximate the enigmatic nonlinear functions intrinsic to the systems. A distributed adaptive fuzzy state feedback controller is designed by approximating the derivative of the virtual controller by filters. The proposed controller ensures the synchronization of all follower outputs with the leader output in the communication graph. It is shown that all signals in the closed-loop system are semi-globally uniformly ultimately bounded, and the tracking errors converge to a small neighborhood around the origin. Finally, a numerical example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and idiopathic short stature (ISS) are the most common types of short stature (SS), but little is known about their pathogenesis, and even less is known about the study of adolescent SS. In this study, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomic analysis combined with least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) were performed to identify the biomarkers of different types of SS (including 94 preadolescent GHD (PAG), 61 preadolescent ISS (PAI), 43 adolescent GHD (ADG), and 19 adolescent ISS (ADI)), and the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was further used to evaluate the predictive power of potential biomarkers. The results showed that fourteen, eleven, nine, and fifteen metabolites were identified as the potential biomarkers of PAG, PAI, ADG, and ADI compared with their corresponding controls, respectively. The disturbed metabolic pathways in preadolescent SS were mainly carbohydrate metabolism and lipid metabolism, while disorders of amino acid metabolism played an important role in adolescent SS. The combination of aspartate, ethanolamine, phosphocholine, and trimethylamine was screened out to identify PAI from PAG, and alanine, histidine, isobutyrate, methanol, and phosphocholine gave a high classification accuracy for ADI and ADC. The differences in metabolic characteristics between GHD and ISS in preadolescents and adolescents will contribute to the development of individualized clinical treatments in short stature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastid terminal oxidases (PTOXs) are essential for maintaining photosynthetic efficiency and cellular redox homeostasis. Astaxanthin, a carotenoid pigment with antioxidant properties, is synthesized and accumulates in response to oxidative stress induced by high-light intensity or nutrient limitation. It suggests that PTOX may impact astaxanthin biosynthesis under environmental stress conditions due to its involvement in ROS regulation. The ptox1 gene is thought to have a conserved role in safeguarding the photosynthetic apparatus from over-reduction and participating in energy dissipation. On the other hand, the ptox2 gene seems to be involved in the evolution of astaxanthin synthesis and adaptive responses to diverse environmental stressors. Efficient gene silencing strains were developed in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii CC849 for ptox1 and ptox2. The study found that the ptox2 gene correlates highly with resistance to intense light stress. Furthermore, the ptox2 gene showed increased activity under high salt stress conditions, indicating its importance in stress coping mechanisms. The quantification of astaxanthin in the gene-silenced strains revealed that ptox1 acts as a positive regulator, while ptox2 functions as a negative regulator of astaxanthin accumulation. Understanding the coordination between ptox1 and ptox2 could clarify the synergistic actions of these genes in maintaining photosynthetic performance and redox balance under fluctuating environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The octoploid-cultivated strawberry variety Benihope (Fragaria × ananassa Duch cv. Benihope) is an important commercial plant. It is highly susceptible to different diseases, which ultimately leads to a reduction in yield. Gene-editing methods, such as CRISPR/Cas9, demonstrate potential for improving disease resistance in the strawberry cv. Benihope. Establishing a plant regeneration system suitable for CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing is crucial for obtaining transgenic plants on a large scale. This research established a callus induction and plant regeneration system for Agrobacterium-mediated CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in strawberry cv. Benihope by evaluating multiple types of explants and various plant growth regulators throughout the entire tissue culture process. The results showed that the efficiency of callus induction is strongly influenced by the type of explant and is highly sensitive to the combination of plant growth regulators. Among the different plant growth regulators employed, thidiazuron (TDZ), in combination with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), effectively induced callus formation and plant regeneration from explants derived from nutrient tissues such as runner tips and crowns. In addition, the regeneration experiment demonstrated that the addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVPP) to the shoot regeneration medium could inhibit tissue browning. The gene-edited plants in which some or all of the Fvb7-1, Fvb7-2, Fvb7-3, and Fvb7-4 genes in the MLO (Mildew resistance Locus O) gene family were knocked out by CRISPR/Cas9 system were obtained by applying the plant regeneration system developed in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the differential metabolic characteristics of children with overweight and obesity and understand their potential mechanism in different age stratifications. Methods: Four hundred seventy‐three children were recruited and divided into two age stratifications: >4 years (older children) and ≤4 years (younger children), and overweight and obesity were defined according to their BMI percentile. A one dimensional proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H‐NMR)–based metabolomics strategy combined with pattern recognition methods was used to identify the metabolic characteristics of childhood overweight and obesity. Results: Four and sixteen potential biomarkers related to overweight and two and twenty potential biomarkers related to obesity were identified from younger and older children, respectively. Fluctuations in phenylalanine, tyrosine, glutamine, leucine, histidine, and ascorbate co‐occurred in children with obesity at two age stratifications. The disturbances in biosynthesis and metabolism of amino acids, lipid metabolism, and galactose metabolism disturbance were mainly involved in children with overweight and obesity. Conclusions: The metabolic disturbances show a significant progression from overweight to obesity in children, and different metabolic characteristics were demonstrated in age stratifications. The changes in the levels of phenylalanine, tyrosine, glutamine, leucine, histidine, and ascorbate were tracked with the persistence of childhood obesity. These findings will promote the mechanistic understanding of childhood overweight and obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Child malnutrition is a global public health problem, but the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms with severity remain poorly understood, and the potential biomarkers served to the clinical diagnosis are still not available. This study aimed to identify the serum metabolic characteristics of malnourished children with severity. Methods: Fasted overnight serum samples were collected following clinical standard procedures among 275 malnourished and 199 healthy children from the Women and Children's Hospital, Xiamen University Child Health Department from July 2020 to May 2022. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics strategy was applied to identify the potential serum biomarkers of malnutrition from 275 malnourished children aged 4 to 84 months with mild (Mil, 199 cases), moderate (Mod, 101 cases), and severe (Sev, 7 cases) malnutrition. Results: Ten, fifteen, and fifteen differential metabolites were identified from the Mil, Mod, and Sev malnutrition groups, respectively. Eight common metabolites, including increased acetoacetate, acetone, ethanol, succinate, 3-hydroxybutyrate, and decreased alanine, methionine, and N-acetyl-glycoprotein, could be the potential biomarkers for malnourished children. The altered metabolic pathways were mainly related to energy metabolism and amino acid metabolism via the network-based pathway enrichment. Conclusion: Eight potential biomarkers, including acetoacetate, acetone, ethanol, succinate, 3-hydroxybutyrate, alanine, methionine, and N-acetyl-glycoprotein, could characterize the child malnutrition. Child malnutrition-induced abnormal energy metabolism, impaired nutrition utilization and the reduced nutrient availability, and more metabolic disturbance will appear with the severity. Our results are valuable for further studies on the etiology and pathogenesis of malnutrition for clinical intervention and improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Modifications of plant architecture can increase planting density, regulate photosynthesis, and improve crop yields. Many basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factors participate in the brassinosteroid (BR) signaling pathway and are critical for plant architecture morphogenesis in rice. However, the number of identified bHLH genes suitable for improving production value is still limited.In this study, we cloned Lam1, encoding the typical bHLH transcription factor OsbHLH92. OsbHLH92 knockout (KO) lines exhibit erect leaves. Decreases in the number and size of parenchyma cell layers on the adaxial side of the lamina joint in KO lines were the main reason for the decreased leaf angle. Genetic experiments verify that OsBU1 and its homologs are downstream of OsbHLH92, which is involved in the noncanonical RGA1‐mediated BR signaling pathway.OsbHLH91, an OsbHLH92 homolog, plays both conserved and differentiated roles relative to OsbHLH92. Notably, OsbHLH92‐KO lines show erect leaves without the acquisition of adverse agronomic traits. Moreover, by driving a specific panicle promoter, OsbHLH92 can greatly increase productivity by at least 10%.This study identifies new components of the BR signaling pathway, demonstrates the importance of OsbHLH92 in improving planting density and crop productivity, and broadens our knowledge of typical and atypical bHLH family members in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies robust stabilization problem and state feedback controller design problem for a class of complex production process systems by pattern class variable instead of state variable or output variable. Firstly, the maximum entropy clustering method is introduced and modeling method based on multi-dimensional moving pattern is given. Nonlinear state space models of systems with input-delay are established by using the trajectories of pattern class variable. Then sufficient conditions for robust stabilization of the system are obtained by Linear Matrix Inequality. In addition, a state feedback controller is designed based on this condition. Finally, the effectiveness of the methods is illustrated by taking the actual working conditions data as an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Panax notoginseng (P. notoginseng) has excellent medicinal and food dual-use characteristics. However, P. notoginseng with a unique origin label has become the target of fraud because of people confusing or hiding its origin. In this study, an untargeted nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics approach was used to discriminate the geographical origins of P. notoginseng from four major producing areas in China. Fifty-two components, including various saccharides, amino acids, saponins, organic acids, and alcohols, were identified and quantified through the NMR spectrum, and the area-specific geographical identification components were further screened. P. notoginseng from Yunnan had strong hypoglycemic and cardiovascular protective effects due to its high acetic acid, dopamine, and serine content, while P. notoginseng from Sichuan was more beneficial for diseases of the nervous system because of its high content of fumarate. P. notoginseng from Guizhou and Tibet had high contents of malic acid, notoginsenoside R1, and amino acids. Our results can help to distinguish the geographical origin of P. notoginseng and are readily available for nutritional recommendations in human consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The event‐triggered output feedback fault‐tolerant control problem is studied in this paper for interval type‐2 Takagi–Sugeno (IT2 T‐S) fuzzy large‐scale systems with time delays. First, a fuzzy state observer is designed to address the immeasurable states problem. Then, by introducing a discrete event‐triggered mechanism, an observer‐based event‐triggered fuzzy decentralized controller with dynamic parameters is synthesized in the presence of actuator faults based on the nonparallel distribution compensation (PDC) design principle. The sufficient conditions of asymptotic stability for the closed‐loop systems are derived by constructing an appropriate dynamic parameter based Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional candidate. Finally, a simulation example is provided to verify the feasibility of the developed fuzzy control method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]