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Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to perform a biomechanical analysis to compare different medial column fixation patterns for valgus pilon fractures in a case-based model. Methods Based on the fracture mapping, 48 valgus pilon fracture models were produced and assigned into four groups with different medial column fixation patterns: no fixation (NF), K-wires (KW), intramedullary screws (IS), and locking compression plate (LCP). Each group contained wedge-in and wedge-out subgroups. After fixing each specimen on the machine, gradually increased axial compressive loads were applied with a load speed of one millimeter per minute. The maximum peak force was set at 1500 N. Load-displacement curves were generated and the axial stiffness was calculated. Five different loads of 200 N, 400 N, 600 N, 800 N, 1000 N were selected for analysis. The specimen failure was defined as resultant loading displacement over 3 mm. Results For the wedge-out models, Group-IS showed less displacement (p

The magnetic coupling wireless charging system may experience changes in mutual inductance and load due to the impact of actual underwater environment, which would lower the system’s transmission efficiency. In response to the circumstance, firstly, this paper proposes the circuit structure of the dynamic autonomous underwater vehicle wireless charging system with LCC-S-Buck-Boost, and a dynamic parameter identification method based on the multi-strategy nonlinear Rime algorithm. Secondly, it is proposed that the difference between the actual input current value of the primary side of the system and the current value calculated by the identification method, and the difference between the actual coil current value of the secondary side of the system and the coil current value calculated by the identification method are used as the adaptability function of the identification method, and the construction of the actual model of the system and the identification algorithm has been completed, and the results of the identification of the system’s mutual inductance and the equivalent load have been obtained. Finally, based on the identification results, it is confirmed that the proposed identification method is efficient and accurate in identifying system mutual inductance and equivalent loads in complex underwater environments by comparing with other algorithms under different values of mutual inductance and equivalent loads.

Abstract Background Panax notoginseng (Burk) F. H. Chen is one of the most famous Chinese traditional medicinal plants. The taproot is the main organ producing triterpenoid saponins, and its development is directly linked to the quality and yield of the harvested P. notoginseng. However, the mechanisms underlying the dynamic metabolic changes occurring during taproot development of P. notoginseng are unknown. Results We carried out metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses to investigate metabolites and gene expression during the development of P. notoginseng taproots. The differentially accumulated metabolites included amino acids and derivatives, nucleotides and derivatives, and lipids in 1-year-old taproots, flavonoids and terpenoids in 2- and 3-year-old taproots, and phenolic acids in 3-year-old taproots. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are related to phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, metabolic pathway and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites at all three developmental stages. Integrative analysis revealed that the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway was involved in not only the development of but also metabolic changes in P. notoginseng taproots. Moreover, significant accumulation of triterpenoid saponins in 2- and 3-year-old taproots was highly correlated with the up-regulated expression of cytochrome P450s and uridine diphosphate-dependent glycosyltransferases genes. Additionally, a gene encoding RNase-like major storage protein was identified to play a dual role in the development of P. notoginseng taproots and their triterpenoid saponins synthesis. Conclusions These results elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the accumulation of and change relationship between primary and secondary metabolites in P. notoginseng taproots, and provide a basis for the quality control and genetic improvement of P. notoginseng.

Due to software and hardware differentiation, the problem of false positives mistakenly identified as network attack behavior caused by inconsistent mimic decision results frequently occurs.Therefore, a mimic decision method based on deep learning was proposed.By constructing an unsupervised autoencoder-decoder deep learning model, the deep semantic features of diverse normal response data were explored from different executions and its statistical rules were analyzed and summarized.Additionally, the offline learning-online decision-making mechanism and the feedback optimization mechanism were designed to solve false positive problem, thereby accurately detecting network attacks and improving target system security resilience.Since statistical rules of normal response data was understood and mastered by deep learning model, the mimic decision results among different executions could remain consistent, indicating that the target system was in a secure state.However, once the target system was subjected to a network attacks, the response data outputted by the different executions was deviated from statistical distribution of deep learning model.Therefore, inconsistent mimic decision results were presented, indicating that the affected execution was under attack and the target system was exposed to potential security threats.The experiments show that the performance of the proposed method is significantly superior to the popular mimic decision methods, and the average prediction accuracy is improved by 14.89%, which is conducive to integrating the method into the mimic transformation of real application to enhance the system’s defensive capability.

The transcription factors of WRKY genes play essential roles in plant growth, stress responses, and metabolite biosynthesis. Erigeron breviscapus, a traditional Chinese herb, is abundant in flavonoids and has been used for centuries to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. However, the WRKY transcription factors that regulate flavonoid biosynthesis in E. breviscapus remain unknown. In this study, a total of 75 EbWRKY transcription factors were predicted through comprehensive genome-wide characterization of E. breviscapus and the chromosomal localization of each EbWRKY gene was investigated. RNA sequencing revealed transient responses of 74 predicted EbWRKY genes to exogenous abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), and gibberellin 3 (GA3) after 4 h of treatment. In contrast, the expression of key structural genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis increased after 4 h in GA3 treatment. However, the content of flavonoid metabolites in leaves significantly increased at 12 h. The qRT-PCR results showed that the expression patterns of EbWRKY11, EbWRKY30, EbWRKY31, EbWRKY36, and EbWRKY44 transcription factors exhibited a high degree of similarity to the 11 structural genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis. Protein-DNA interactions were performed between the key genes involved in scutellarin biosynthesis and candidate WRKYs. The result showed that F7GAT interacts with EbWRKY11, EbWRKY36, and EbWRKY44, while EbF6H has a self-activation function. This study provides comprehensive information on the regulatory control network of flavonoid accumulation mechanisms, offering valuable insights for breeding E. breviscapus varieties with enhanced scutellarin content.

Abstract Purpose The biomechanical capacity of “Barrel Hoop Plate (BHP)” in the treatment of the posterolateral tibial plateau (PL) depression fractures remains unknown. In this study, two kinds of posterolateral tibial plateau depression models involving mild slope-type depression fracture (MSDF) and local sink hole-type depression fracture (LSDF) were created to test and compare the biomechanical capacities of BHP with the other two conventional fixations (Anterolateral Plate and Posterolateral Plate, ALP and PLP) by finite element analysis. Methods The 3D models of three kinds of plate-screw systems and the two kinds of PL-depression models (MSDF and LSDF) were created. An axial force of 400N was applied from the distal femur to the tibial plateau. The maximal displacements of the posterolateral fractures (PLFs), the distribution on the PLFs articular surface and key points displacements were measured. Stresses in the fixation complex including the maximal Equivalent (von-Mises) Stress of implants, the max shear stress of PLFs and stiffness of the fixation were calculated. Results The maximal displacement of MSDF was least in Group BHP. The maximal displacement of LSDF was least in Group ALP. In MSDF, BHP showed the best rim fix effect in MSDF, but unsatisfactory results in LSDF. In both MSDF and LSDF, the greatest max Equivalent Stress of the plate and the screw occurred in the PLP system. ALP and BHP showed a comparable stiffness in MSDF and ALP had the strongest stiffness in the fixation of LSDF. Conclusions In MSDF, the BHP has the best biomechanical capacity, especially in displacements of key points such as the PL rim, fracture line, and depression center. In LSDF, the ALP system shows the best biomechanical effect. Although the PLP has the best fixation effect on the posterior wall, it is not suitable for PL-depression fracture fixation.

Various genetic and biochemical characteristics exist in tea plant cultivars, and they largely determine production suitability and tea quality. Here, we performed transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses of young shoots of seven tea cultivars and identified major regulatory transcription factors (TFs) for the characteristic metabolites in different cultivars based on weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Phenotypically, we found that ‘Tieguanyin’ (TGY) and ‘Fujian Shuixian’ (FJSX), which are suitable for oolong tea, had higher catechin contents. The metabolites of ‘Jinxuan’ (JX) were more prominent, especially the contents of phenolic acids, flavonoids, terpenes, and tannins, which were higher than those of the other six cultivars. Moreover, ‘Fudingdabai’ (FDDB), which is suitable for white tea, was rich in amino acids, linolenic acid, and saccharides. At the molecular level, hydroxycinnamoyl CoA quinate hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (HCT) (CsTGY12G0001876, and CsTGY06G0003042) led to the accumulation of chlorogenic acid in TGY. The main reason for the higher l-ascorbic acid content in FJSX was the high expression levels of L-galactono-1,4-lactone hydrogenase (GalLDH) (CsTGY13G0000389) and Myo-inositol oxygenase (MIOX) (CsTGY14G0001769, and CsTGY14G0001770), which were regulated by WRKY (CsTGY11G0001197). Furthermore, FDDB, ‘Longjing 43’ (LJ43), ‘Shuchazao’ (SCZ) and ‘Baihaozao’ (BHZ) had higher free fatty acid contents, among which MYB (CsTGY14G0002344) may be a hub gene for the regulation of palmitoleic acid accumulation. More importantly, we found that the shoots of TGY were green with purple, mainly due to the accumulation of anthocyanins and the downregulation of the Mg-protoporphyrin IX nonomethyl ester cyclase (MPEC) (CsTGY10G0001989) gene that affects chlorophyll synthesis. These results will provide a theoretical reference for tea cultivar breeding and suitability.

Summary: N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-mediated glutamate excitotoxicity significantly contributes to ischemic neuronal death and post-recanalization infarction expansion. Despite tremendous efforts, targeting NMDARs has proven unsuccessful in clinical trials for mitigating brain injury. Here, we show the discovery of an interaction motif for transient receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2) and protein kinase Cγ (PKCγ) association and demonstrate that TRPM2-PKCγ uncoupling is an effective therapeutic strategy for attenuating NMDAR-mediated excitotoxicity in ischemic stroke. We demonstrate that the TRPM2-PKCγ interaction allows TRPM2-mediated Ca2+ influx to promote PKCγ activation, which subsequently enhances TRPM2-induced potentiation of extrasynaptic NMDAR (esNMDAR) activity. By identifying the PKCγ binding motif on TRPM2 (M2PBM), which directly associates with the C2 domain of PKCγ, an interfering peptide (TAT-M2PBM) is developed to disrupt TRPM2-PKCγ interaction without compromising PKCγ function. M2PBM deletion or TRPM2-PKCγ dissociation abolishes both TRPM2-PKCγ and TRPM2-esNMDAR couplings, resulting in reduced excitotoxic neuronal death and attenuated ischemic brain injury.

Bergenin is a typical carbon glycoside and the primary active ingredient in antitussive drugs widely prescribed for central cough inhibition in China. The bergenin extraction industry relies on the medicinal plant species Bergenia purpurascens and Ardisia japonica as their resources. However, the bergenin biosynthetic pathway in plants remains elusive. In this study, we functionally characterized a shikimate dehydrogenase (SDH), two O-methyltransferases (OMTs), and a C-glycosyltransferase (CGT) involved in bergenin synthesis through bioinformatics analysis, heterologous expression, and enzymatic characterization. We found that BpSDH2 catalyzes the two-step dehydrogenation process of shikimic acid to form gallic acid (GA). BpOMT1 and AjOMT1 facilitate the methylation reaction at the 4-OH position of GA, resulting in the formation of 4-O-methyl gallic acid (4-O-Me-GA). AjCGT1 transfers a glucose moiety to C-2 to generate 2-Glucosyl-4-O-methyl gallic acid (2-Glucosyl-4-O-Me-GA). Bergenin production ultimately occurs in acidic conditions or via dehydration catalyzed by plant dehydratases following a ring-closure reaction. This study for the first time uncovered the biosynthetic pathway of bergenin, paving the way to rational production of bergenin in cell factories via synthetic biology strategies.

Abstract Replication of the coronavirus genome starts with the formation of viral RNA-containing double-membrane vesicles (DMV) following viral entry into the host cell. The multi-domain nonstructural protein 3 (nsp3) is the largest protein encoded by the known coronavirus genome and serves as a central component of the viral replication and transcription machinery. Previous studies demonstrated that the highly-conserved C-terminal region of nsp3 is essential for subcellular membrane rearrangement, yet the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here we report the crystal structure of the CoV-Y domain, the most C-terminal domain of the SARS-CoV-2 nsp3, at 2.4 Å-resolution. CoV-Y adopts a previously uncharacterized V-shaped fold featuring three distinct subdomains. Sequence alignment and structure prediction suggest that this fold is likely shared by the CoV-Y domains from closely related nsp3 homologs. NMR-based fragment screening combined with molecular docking identifies surface cavities in CoV-Y for interaction with potential ligands and other nsps. These studies provide the first structural view on a complete nsp3 CoV-Y domain, and the molecular framework for understanding the architecture, assembly and function of the nsp3 C-terminal domains in coronavirus replication. Our work illuminates nsp3 as a potential target for therapeutic interventions to aid in the on-going battle against the COVID-19 pandemic and diseases caused by other coronaviruses.

A subset of Sec14 domain proteins use their gated hydrophobic pocket to bind and transport lipids. Here the authors provide structural and biochemical data revealing how the Sec14-fold of a Rho-GEF forms a surface groove that interacts with lysolipids.

Based on the drilling data of six typical sites in Longtoushan town and the test data of dynamic nonlinear characteristics of soil, the seismic response analysis models of the corresponding sites were established respectively. Under the action of ground motion acceleration in east-west direction obtained by Longtoushan town strong observation station (053LLT) during Ludian earthquake with half-amplitude, the equivalent linearization method of one-dimensional soil layer seismic response analysis was used to calculate the seismic response of each site and the effect of near-surface overburden soil layer on peak acceleration. Response spectrum of ground motion was also discussed, and the relationship between site effect and earthquake damage was analyzed.

Panax notoginseng is one of the most valuable traditional Chinese herbs. The main active ingredients, dammarane-type ginsenosides, show multiple pharmacological activities. Recently, the key UDP-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs) involved in the biosynthesis of common ginsenosides have been widely studied. However, only a few UGTs that catalyze ginsenoside formation have been reported. This study further investigated the new catalytic function of 10 characterized UGTs from the public database. PnUGT31(PnUGT94B2) and PnUGT53 (PnUGT71B8)exhibited promiscuous sugar-donor specificity of UDP-glucose and UDP-xylose, which could catalyze the glycosylation of C20-OH sites and elongation of the sugar chain at the C3 and/or C20 sites. We further analyzed the expression patterns in P. notoginseng and predicted the catalytic mechanisms of PnUGT31 and PnUGT53 using molecular docking simulations. Moreover, different gene modules were built to increase the yield of ginsenosides in engineered yeast. The metabolic flow of the proginsenediol (PPD) synthetic pathway was enhanced by LPPDS gene modules based on the engineered strain. The resulting yeast was constructed to produce 1.72 g/L PPD in a shaking flask, but cell growth was significantly inhibited. EGH and LKG gene modules were constructed to achieve high-level production of dammarane-type ginsenosides. The production of G-Rg3 controlled by LKG modules increased 3.84 times (254.07 mg/ L), whereas the G-Rd titer reached 56.68 mg/L after 96 h in shaking flask culture under the control of all modules, both of which yielded the highest values for known microbes.

ObjectiveTo explore the correlation between ultrasound images and molecular typing of invasive breast cancer, so as to analyze the predictive value of preoperative ultrasound for invasive breast cancer.Methods302 invasive breast cancer patients were enrolled in Heping Hospital affiliated to Changzhi Medical College in Shanxi, China during 2020 to 2022. All patients accepted ultrasonic and pathological examination, and all pathological tissues received molecular typing with immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. The relevance between different molecular typings and ultrasonic image, pathology were evaluated.ResultsUnivariate analysis: among the four molecular typings, there were significant differences in tumor size, shape, margin, lymph node and histological grade (P0.05). Multivariate analysis: Basal-like breast cancer mostly showed regular shape, circumscribed margin and abnormal lymph nodes (P

2Duf, named after the presence of a transmembrane (TM) Duf421 domain and a small Duf1657 domain in its sequence, is likely located in the inner membrane (IM) of spores in some Bacillus species carrying a transposon with an operon termed spoVA2mob. These spores are known for their extreme resistance to wet heat, and 2Duf is believed to be the primary contributor to this trait. In this study, we found that the absence of YetF or YdfS, both Duf421 domain-containing proteins and found only in wild-type (wt) B. subtilis spores with YetF more abundant, leads to decreased resistance to wet heat and agents that can damage spore core components. The IM phospholipid compositions and core water and calcium-dipicolinic acid levels of YetF-deficient spores are similar to those of wt spores, but the deficiency could be restored by ectopic insertion of yetF, and overexpression of YetF increased wt spore resistance to wet heat. In addition, yetF and ydfS spores have decreased germination rates as individuals and populations with germinant receptor-dependent germinants and increased sensitivity to wet heat during germination, potentially due to damage to IM proteins. These data are consistent with a model in which YetF, YdfS and their homologs modify IM structure to reduce IM permeability and stabilize IM proteins against wet heat damage. Multiple yetF homologs are also present in other spore forming Bacilli and Clostridia, and even some asporogenous Firmicutes, but fewer in asporogenous species. The crystal structure of a YetF tetramer lacking the TM helices has been reported and features two distinct globular subdomains in each monomer. Sequence alignment and structure prediction suggest this fold is likely shared by other Duf421-containing proteins, including 2Duf. We have also identified naturally occurring 2duf homologs in some Bacilli and Clostridia species and in wt Bacillus cereus spores, but not in wt B. subtilis. Notably, the genomic organization around the 2duf gene in most of these species is similar to that in spoVA2mob, suggesting that one of these species was the source of the genes on this operon in the extremely wet heat resistant spore formers.

With the rise of image manipulation techniques, an increasing number of individuals find it easy to manipulate image content. Undoubtedly, this presents a significant challenge to the integrity of multimedia data, thereby fueling the advancement of image forgery detection research. A majority of current methods employ convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for image manipulation localization, yielding promising outcomes. Nevertheless, CNN-based approaches possess limitations in establishing explicit long-range relationships. Consequently, addressing the image manipulation localization task necessitates a solution that adeptly builds global context while preserving a robust grasp of low-level details. In this paper, we propose GPNet to address this challenge. GPNet combines Transformer and CNN in parallel which can build global dependency and capture low-level details efficiently. Additionally, we devise an effective fusion module referred to as TcFusion, which proficiently amalgamates feature maps generated by both branches. Thorough extensive experiments conducted on diverse datasets showcase that our network outperforms prevailing state-of-the-art manipulation detection and localization approaches.

Fabric inspection is critical in fabric manufacturing. Automatic detection of fabric defects in the textile industry has always been an important research field. Previously, manual visual inspection was commonly used; however, there were drawbacks such as high labor costs, slow detection speed, and high error rates. Recently, many defect detection methods based on deep learning have been proposed. However, problems need to be solved in the existing methods, such as detection accuracy and interference of complex background textures. In this paper, we propose an efficient segmentation algorithm that combines traditional operators with deep learning networks to alleviate the existing problems. Specifically, we introduce a Gabor filter into the model, which provides the unique advantage of extracting low-level texture features to solve the problem of texture interference and enable the algorithm to converge quickly in the early stages of training. Furthermore, we design a U-shaped architecture that is not completely symmetrical, making model training easier. Meanwhile, multi-stage result fusion is proposed for precise location of defects. The design of this framework significantly improves the detection accuracy and effectively breaks through the limitations of transformer-based models. Experimental results show that on a dataset with one class, a small amount of data, and complex sample background texture, our method achieved 90.03% and 33.70% in ACC and IoU, respectively, which is almost 10% higher than other previous state of the art models. Experimental results based on three different fabric datasets consistently show that the proposed model has excellent performance and great application potential in the industrial field.

AIM: To explore the effects of different intensity aerobic exercises on macular retinal vascular density in patients with primary open angle glaucoma(POAG). METHODS: Prospective case-control study, 88 eyes of 48 patients with POAG diagnosed in our hospital from January 2019 to April 2021 were included(POAG group), 43 cases(86 eyes)were included in the normal control group(control group). The fundus photographic examination without mydriasis was performed with a mydriatic fundus camera, and the operation and film reading were carried out by a special ophthalmologist. Macular vascular density was measured by macular vascular segmentation method. According to macular vascular density, 48 patients with POAG were divided into low vascular density group and high vascular density group, with 24 cases in each group. 48 patients with POAG were instructed to perform treadmill load exercise to compare the vascular density levels in macular area of patients with high intensity(76%-87% HRmax), moderate intensity(64%-75% HRmax)and low intensity(52%-63% HRmax).RESULTS: The vascular density in macular area of control group was significantly higher than that of POAG group; Compared with the high vascular density group, the age and systolic blood pressure were significantly higher in the low vascular density group, and the body weight was significantly lower; In both low and high vascular density groups, the retinal vascular density of macular area under moderate intensity aerobic exercise was significantly higher than that of low intensity and high intensity aerobic exercise; Systolic blood pressure and aerobic exercise were the influencing factors of vascular density in macular area; the above results showed statistically significant differences(P

Search algorithm plays an important role in the motion planning of the robot, it determines whether the mobile robot complete the task. To solve the search task in complex environments, a fusion algorithm based on the Flower Pollination algorithm and Q-learning is proposed. To improve the accuracy, an improved grid map is used in the section of environment modeling to change the original static grid to a combination of static and dynamic grids. Secondly, a combination of Q-learning and Flower Pollination algorithm is used to complete the initialization of the Q-table and accelerate the efficiency of the search and rescue robot path search. A combination of static and dynamic reward function is proposed for the different situations encountered by the search and rescue robot during the search process, as a way to allow the search and rescue robot to get better different feedback results in each specific situation. The experiments are divided into two parts: typical and improved grid map path planning. Experiments show that the improved grid map can increase the success rate and the FIQL can be used by the search and rescue robot to accomplish the task in a complex environment. Compared with other algorithms, FIQL can reduce the number of iterations, improve the adaptability of the search and rescue robot to complex environments, and have the advantages of short convergence time and small computational effort.