Search

The soil freeze/thaw (FT) state has emerged as a critical role in the ecosystem, hydrological, and biogeochemical processes, but obtaining representative soil FT state datasets with a long time sequence, fine spatial resolution, and high accuracy remains challenging. Therefore, we propose a decision-level spatiotemporal data fusion algorithm based on Convolutional Long Short-Term Memory networks (ConvLSTM) to expand the SMAP-enhanced L3 landscape freeze/thaw product (SMAP_E_FT) temporally. In the algorithm, the Freeze/Thaw Earth System Data Record product (ESDR_FT) is sucked in the ConvLSTM and fused with SMAP_E_FT at the decision level. Eight predictor datasets, i.e., soil temperature, snow depth, soil moisture, precipitation, terrain complexity index, area of open water data, latitude and longitude, are used to train the ConvLSTM. Direct validation using six dense observation networks located in the Genhe, Maqu, Naqu, Pali, Saihanba, and Shandian river shows that the fusion product (ConvLSTM_FT) effectively absorbs the high accuracy characteristics of ESDR_FT and expands SMAP_E_FT with an overall average improvement of 2.44% relative to SMAP_E_FT, especially in frozen seasons (averagely improved by 7.03%). The result from indirect validation based on categorical triple collocation also shows that ConvLSTM_FT performs stable regardless of land cover types, climate types, and terrain complexity. The findings, drawn from preliminary analyses on ConvLSTM_FT from 1980 to 2020 over China, suggest that with global warming, most parts of China suffer from different degrees of shortening of the frozen period. Moreover, in the Qinghai–Tibet region, the higher the permafrost thermal stability, the faster the degradation rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, several fluorescent probes modified by a single targeting agent have been explored. However, studies on the preparation of dual-function quantum dot (QD) fluorescent probes with dual-targeting action and a therapeutic effect are rare. Here, a dual-targeting CdTe/CdS QD fluorescent probe with a bovine serum albumin-glycyrrhetinic acid conjugate and arginine-glycine-aspartic acid was successfully prepared that could induce the apoptosis of liver cancer cells and showed enhanced targeting in in vitro cell imaging. Therefore, the as-prepared fluorescent probe in this work is an efficient diagnostic tool for the simultaneous detection of liver cancer and breast cancer cells. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic infection with Schistosoma japonicum is an important cause of hepatic fibrosis (HF). Human 9q33.3 is one of the most important loci for stress-related diseases. We examined the potential associations of 43 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with S. japonicum infection and HF in epidemic region in China. We identified a SNP (rs10118570 GG in mitogen-activated protein kinase associated protein 1, MAPKAP1) contributes to anti-infection (adjusted OR = 0.35) and anti-fibrogenesis (adjusted RR = 0.44) in the discovery study. Replicative and combined studies showed consistent protective quality for this genotype (replicative: adjusted OR = 0.37 for anti-infection, and adjusted RR = 0.40 for anti-fibrogenesis; Combined: adjusted OR = 0.45 for anti-infection, and adjusted RR = 0.42 for anti-fibrogenesis). Univariate and multivariate analysis in the discovery, replicative and combined studies, suggested that durations (years), splenomegaly, serum ALB and rs10118570 were independent predictors influencing the fibrogenesis. The analysis of gene-gene interaction showed rs10118570 functions independently. We conclude that MAPKAP1 may represent a novel anti-infection and anti-fibrogenesis genomic locus in chronic schistosomiasis japonica. And rs10118570 may be a potential biomarker and target for the treatment of this life-threatening ancient disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy is pivotal in maintaining intracellular homeostasis, which involves various biological processes, including cellular senescence and lifespan modulation. Being an important member of the protein O-mannosyltransferase (PMT) family of enzymes, Pmt1p deficiency can significantly extend the replicative lifespan (RLS) of yeast cells through an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway, which is participated in protein homeostasis. Nevertheless, the mechanisms that Pmt1p regulates the lifespan of yeast cells still need to be explored. In this study, we found that the long-lived PMT1 deficiency strain (pmt1Δ) elevated the expression levels of most autophagy-related genes, the expression levels of total GFP-Atg8 fusion protein and free GFP protein compared with wild-type yeast strain (BY4742). Moreover, the long-lived pmt1Δ strain showed the greater dot-signal accumulation from GFP-Atg8 fusion protein in the vacuole lumen through a confocal microscope. However, deficiency of SAC1 or ATG8, two essential components of the autophagy process, decreased the cell proliferation ability of the long-lived pmt1Δ yeast cells, and prevented the lifespan extension. In addition, our findings demonstrated that overexpression of ATG8 had no potential effect on the RLS of the pmt1Δ yeast cells, and the maintained incubation of minimal synthetic medium lacking nitrogen (SD-N medium as starvation-induced autophagy) inhibited the cell proliferation ability of the pmt1Δ yeast cells with the culture time, and blocked the lifespan extension, especially in the SD-N medium cultured for 15 days. Our results suggest that the long-lived pmt1Δ strain enhances the basal autophagy activity, while deficiency of SAC1 or ATG8 decreases the cell proliferation ability and shortens the RLS of the long-lived pmt1Δ yeast cells. Moreover, the maintained starvation-induced autophagy impairs extension of the long-lived pmt1Δ yeast cells, and even leads to the cell death., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of FEMS.)

To date, several fluorescent probes modified by a single targeting agent have been explored. However, studies on the preparation of dual-function quantum dot (QD) fluorescent probes with dual-targeting action and a therapeutic effect are rare. Here, a dual-targeting CdTe/CdS QD fluorescent probe with a bovine serum albumin-glycyrrhetinic acid conjugate and arginine-glycine-aspartic acid was successfully prepared that could induce the apoptosis of liver cancer cells and showed enhanced targeting in in vitro cell imaging. Therefore, the as-prepared fluorescent probe in this work is an efficient diagnostic tool for the simultaneous detection of liver cancer and breast cancer cells., (Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)