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Interrupted Sampling Repeater Jamming (ISRJ) is a type of intrapulse coherent jamming that can form multiple realistic false targets that lead or lag behind the actual target, severely affecting radar detection. It is one of the hotspots of current research on electronic counter-countermeasures. To address this problem, an anti-ISRJ method based on an intrapulse frequency-coded joint Frequency Modulation (FM) slope agile waveform is proposed in this paper. In this method, the radar first transmits an intrapulse frequency-coded joint FM slope agile signal to improve the mutual coverability of subpulses by manipulating subpulse center frequency and FM slope agility. Next, the echo signal is divided into several slices according to the subpulse timing of the transmitted signal. Then, the Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) algorithm is used to classify the echo slices. Finally, the interference is suppressed via fractional-domain joint time domain filtering. Simulation results show that the FCM-based method can identify 100% of the interfered echo slices in a jammer synchronous sampling scenario when the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) is greater than −2.5 dB, and the Jamming-to-Signal Ratio (JSR) is greater than 5 dB. For high JSRs and low SNRs, the proposed method can effectively reduce the target energy loss and suppress the range sidelobes generated via residual interference. Moreover, the target detection probability after interference suppression exceeds 90% when JSR = 50 dB.

BackgroundLung cancer associated with cystic airspaces is a rare disease, and a rare imaging performance of non-small cell lung cancer. Due to the lack of conventional diagnosis methods, it is difficult to rely on imaging diagnosis. Therefore, the definitive diagnosis of these neoplastic lesions remains challenging.Case presentationWe summarize the follow-up and diagnosis of a rare cystic airspaces lung metastatic carcinoma in an elderly man with annular density shadow in the right inferior lobe 2 years after surgery for squamous cell carcinoma in the left inferior lobe.ResultsDuring the follow-up of the patient, after the lesion of the lower lobe of the right lung was enlarged, the structural and imaging characteristics were identified, and a special method was selected, namely biopsy of the lesion under the electromagnetic navigation bronchoscope, for clear diagnosis and subsequent treatment.ConclusionFor pulmonary cystic airspaces, it is important to correctly identify their imaging features. Because of the possibility of malignancy, it is essential to stop the radiological study in time and to acquire the pathological diagnosis by an appropriate method.

Abstract Background DNA methylation is an important epigenetic mode of genomic DNA modification and plays a vital role in maintaining epigenetic content and regulating gene expression. Cytosine-5 DNA methyltransferase (C5-MTase) are the key enzymes in the process of DNA methylation. However, there is no systematic analysis of the C5-MTase in cotton so far, and the function of DNMT2 genes has not been studied. Methods In this study, the whole genome of cotton C5-MTase coding genes was identified and analyzed using a bioinformatics method based on information from the cotton genome, and the function of GhDMT6 was further validated by VIGS experiments and subcellular localization analysis. Results 33 C5-MTases were identified from three cotton genomes, and were divided into four subfamilies by systematic evolutionary analysis. After the protein domain alignment of C5-MTases in cotton, 6 highly conserved motifs were found in the C-terminus of 33 proteins involved in methylation modification, which indicated that C5-MTases had a basic catalytic methylation function. These proteins were divided into four classes based on the N-terminal difference, of which DNMT2 lacks the N-terminal regulatory domain. The expression of C5-MTases in different parts of cotton was different under different stress treatments, which indicated the functional diversity of cotton C5-MTase gene family. Among the C5-MTases, the GhDMT6 had a obvious up-regulated expression. After silencing GhDMT6 with VIGS, the phenotype of cotton seedlings under different stress treatments showed a significant difference. Compared with cotton seedlings that did not silence GhDMT6, cotton seedlings silencing GhDMT6 showed significant stress resistance. Conclusion The results show that C5-MTases plays an important role in cotton stress response, which is beneficial to further explore the function of DNMT2 subfamily genes.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a disturbance of peripheral and central nerve conduction that causes disability in sensory and motor function. Currently, there is no effective treatment for SCI. Mitophagy plays a vital role in mitochondrial quality control during various physiological and pathological processes. The study aimed to elucidate the role of mitophagy and identify potential mitophagy-related hub genes in SCI pathophysiology. Two datasets (GSE15878 and GSE138637) were analyzed. Firstly, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and mitophagy-related genes were obtained from GeneCards, then the intersection between SCI and mitophagy-related genes was determined. Next, we performed gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), protein-protein interaction network (PPI network), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and cluster analysis to identify and define the hub genes in SCI. Finally, the link between hub genes and infiltrating immune cells was investigated and the potential transcriptional regulation/small molecular compounds to target hub genes were predicted. In total, SKP1 and BAP1 were identified as hub genes of mitophagy-related DEGs during SCI development and regulatory T cells (Tregs)/resting NK cells/activated mast cells may play an essential role in the progression of SCI. LINC00324 and SNHG16 may regulate SKP1 and BAP1, respectively, through miRNAs. Eleven and eight transcriptional factors (TFs) regulate SKP1 and BAP1, respectively, and six small molecular compounds target BAP1. Then, the mRNA expression levels of BAP1 and SKP1 were detected in the injured sites of spinal cord of SD rats at 6 h and 72 h after injury using RT-qPCR, and found that the level were decreased. Therefore, the pathways of mitophagy are downregulated during the pathophysiology of SCI, and SKP1 and BAP1 could be accessible targets for diagnosing and treating SCI.

The measurement of mixing time in a water model of soft-stirring steelmaking ladles is practically facing a problem of bad repeatability. This uncertainty severely affects both the understandings of transport phenomenon in ladles and the measurement accuracy. Scaled down by a ratio of 1:4, a water model based on an industrial 260-ton ladle is used. This paper studies the transport process paths and mixing time of salt solution tracers in the water model of eccentric gas-stirred ladles with a low gas flow rate. After a large number of repeated experiments, the different transport paths of the tracer and the error of the mixing time in each transport path are discussed and compared with the numerical simulation results. The results of a large number of repeated experiments on the water model show that there are five transport paths for the tracer in the ladle. The tracer of the first path is mainly transported by the left-side main circulation flow, which is identical to the numerical simulation results. The tracer of the second and third paths are also mainly transported by the left-side circulation flow, but bifurcations occur when the tracer in the middle area is transported downward. In the third path, the portion and intensity of the tracer transferring to the right side from the central region is higher than in the second path. The fourth path is that the tracer is transported downward from the left, middle, and right sides with a similar intensity at the same time. While the tracer in the fifth path is mainly transported on the right side, and the tracer forms a clockwise circulation flow on the right side. The mixing times from the first transport path to the fifth transport path are 158.3 s, 149.7 s, 171.7 s, 134 s and 95.7 s, respectively, among which the third transport path and the fifth transport path are the maximum and minimum values among all transport paths. The error between the mixing time and the averaged mixing time at each monitoring point in the five transport paths of the tracer is between −34.7% and 40.9%. Furthermore, the error of the averaged mixing time of each path and the path-based average value is between 5.5% and 32.6%.

The porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) belongs to the Arteriviridae family and is a single-stranded, positively stranded RNA virus. The currently available PRRSV vaccines are mainly inactivated and attenuated vaccines, yet none of the commercial vaccines can provide comprehensive, long-lasting, and effective protection against PRRSV. SR717 is a pyridazine-3-carboxamide compound, which is commonly used as a non-nucleoside STING agonist with antitumor and antiviral activities. Nevertheless, there is no evidence that SR717 has any antiviral effects against PRRSV. In this study, a dose-dependent inhibitory effect of SR717 was observed against numerous strains of PRRSV using qRT-PCR, IFA, and WB methods. Furthermore, SR717 was found to stimulate the production of anti-viral molecules and trigger the activation of the signaling cascade known as the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway, which contributed to hindering the reproduction of viruses by a certain margin. Collectively, these results indicate that SR717 is capable of inhibiting PRRSV infection in vitro and may have potential as an antiviral drug against PRRSV.

Interrupted-sampling repeater jamming (ISRJ) is widely used in the field of electronic countermeasures, and can severely affect radar detection. Therefore, the problem of ISRJ suppression is a compelling task. In this paper, we propose an ISRJ suppression method based on an intrapulse frequency-coded joint frequency modulation (FM) slope agile waveform. The intrapulse frequency-coded joint FM slope agile waveform is first designed. The delay inserted between subpulses makes the waveform easy to implement in engineering, and the ambiguity function diagram of the waveform approximates the ideal thumbtack type. Next, the echo slices are classified in the fractional domain utilizing the discontinuity of ISRJ and the focusing property of fractional Fourier transform for chirp signals. Then, the target and interference in the interfered echo slices are reconstructed by compressed sensing, and a time-domain filter is constructed based on interference-free echo slices. Finally, the echo signal after interference suppression is further filtered in the time domain to degrade range sidelobes. Simulation results show that the proposed method can effectively suppress three typical types of ISRJ. Moreover, the probability of target detection after interference suppression exceeds 90% when the jamming-to-signal ratio equals 50 dB.

Abstract Background Abelson tyrosine kinase (c‐Abl) is frequently mutated and highly expressed, and promotes non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) survival, metastasis and tumorigenesis. c‐Abl could also be modified through ubiquitination, but the underlying mechanism is not well understood. Methods Mass spectrometry assays were performed to search c‐Abl deubiquitination enzymes. The molecular mechanism was determined using Co‐IP assays, pull‐down assays, Western blotting upon gene knockdown or overexpression. Cell lines and animal models were used to investigate the role of c‐Abl and USP7 in NSCLC. EdU staining assay and Transwell assay were performed to evaluate the proliferation and migration ability of NSCLC cells, respectively. Results Ubiquitin‐specific protease 7 (USP7) is found to upregulate c‐Abl via the deubiquitinase screen. USP7 interacts with c‐Abl and decreases its K48‐linked polyubiquitination, thereby increasing the stability of c‐Abl. In addition to the wild‐type one, c‐Abl mutants can also be deubiquitinated and stabilized by USP7. Moreover, USP7 promotes c‐Abl accumulation in cytoplasm by increasing its binding to 14‐3‐3α/β and activates the oncogenic c‐Abl signalling pathway. Furthermore, the USP7/c‐Abl axis promotes NSCLC cell glycolysis by direct phosphorylating and stabilizing hexokinase‐2 (HK2). Knockdown of USP7 or c‐Abl suppresses NSCLC cell glycolysis and reduces lactate production. Further studies revealed that overexpression of USP7 facilitates NSCLC cell growth and metastasis as well as xenograft growth in nude mice, while these activities are suppressed with USP7 or c‐Abl being knocked down. Conclusions USP7 is a deubiquitinase of c‐Abl and upregulates its oncogenic activity. USP7 promotes NSCLC cell metabolism by activating c‐Abl and HK2. Targeting the USP7/c‐Abl/HK2 axis might be a potential strategy to the precision therapy of NSCLC.

With the development of Internet technology, secure storage and secure sharing of data have become increasingly important. Traditional data sharing schemes exist a series of problems including lack of security and low efficiency. In this paper, we construct a secure and efficient data sharing scheme based on threshold Paillier algorithm and blockchain technology, which achieves secure data storage and sharing without a third-party institution. Firstly, we propose a (t,l)threshold Paillier blockchain data sharing scheme, which effectively prevents decryption failures caused by the loss of a single node’s private key. Secondly, we propose a combined on-chain and off-chain data storage scheme, we store the ciphertext on the cloud server and the ciphertext hash value on the blockchain, which not only ensures the integrity of the data but also solves the storage limitation problem on the blockchain. Finally, we use the simulation paradigm to prove the security of the scheme in the semi-honest model. The discussion results of the comparison and the analysis of performance show that the blockchain data security sharing scheme proposed in this paper has lower computational overhead and higher security than other similar schemes.

Polar format algorithm (PFA) is a widely used high-resolution SAR imaging algorithm that can be implemented in advanced widefield staring synthetic aperture radar (WFS-SAR). However, existing algorithms have limited analysis in wavefront curvature error (WCE) and are challenging to apply to WFS-SAR with high-resolution and large-swath scenes. This paper proposes an extended polar format algorithm for joint envelope and phase error correction in WFS-SAR imaging with maneuvering trajectory. The impact of the WCE and residual acceleration error (RAE) are analyzed in detail by deriving the specific wavenumber domain signal based on the mapping relationship between the geometry space and wavenumber space. Subsequently, this paper improves the traditional WCE compensation function and introduces a new range cell migration (RCM) recalibration function for joint envelope and phase error correction. The 2D precisely focused SAR image is acquired based on the spatially variant inverse filtering in the final. Simulation experiments validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Objective: In this article, the author aims to discuss and review the relationship between gut microbiota and Tourette syndrome, and whether the change in gut microbiota can affect the severity of Tourette syndrome. Sources: Literature from PubMed, Google Scholar, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure was mainly reviewed. Both original studies and review articles were discussed. The articles were required to be published as of May 2022. Summary of the findings: Current studies on the gut microbiome have found that the gut microbiome and brain seem to interact. It is named the brain-gut-axis. The relationship between the brain-gut axis and neurological and psychiatric disorders has been a topic of intense interest. Tourette syndrome is a chronic neurological disease that seriously affects the quality of life of children, and there appears to be an increase in Ruminococcaceae and Bacteroides in the gut of patients with Tourette syndrome. After clinical observation and animal experiments, there appear to be particular gut microbiota changes in Tourette syndrome. It provides a new possible idea for the treatment of Tourette syndrome. Probiotics and fecal microbial transplantation have been tried to treat Tourette syndrome, especially Tourette syndrome which is not sensitive to drugs, and some results have been achieved. Conclusions: The relationship between gut microbiota and Tourette syndrome and how to alleviate Tourette syndrome by improving gut microbiota are new topics, more in-depth and larger sample size research is still needed.

Abstract Background Previous studies have revealed that sodium-restricted diet intervention significantly decreased apnea frequency among patients with sleep apnea. However, the longitudinal association between the habit of adding salt to foods and sleep apnea in general populations is uncertain. Methods The UK Biobank cohort study includes more than 500,000 participants aged 40 to 69 across the United Kingdom from 2006 to 2010. The frequency of adding salt to foods was collected through a touch screen questionnaire. Incident sleep apnea was ascertained by hospital inpatient records, death registries, primary care, and self-reported diagnosis. The association between the habit of adding salt to foods and incident sleep apnea was estimated using Cox proportional hazard regression models. Results Among the 488,196 participants (mean age 56.5 years; 55.0% female) in this study. During a median follow-up of 12.3 years, 6394 sleep apnea events occurred. Compared to participants who never/rarely added salt to foods, those who sometimes, usually, and always added salt to foods had an 11% (hazard ratio [HR] 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04 to 1.17), 15% (HR 1.15, 95% CI: 1.07 to 1.24), and 24% (HR 1.24, 95% CI: 1.12 to 1.37) higher risk for incident sleep apnea, respectively. Conclusions In this large prospective study, the habit of adding salt to foods was associated with a higher risk of incident sleep apnea. The findings support the benefits of a salt reduction program in preventing sleep apnea.

Strain engineering is effective to improve the carrier mobility of semiconductor materials. Here, the authors demonstrate lattice strain-induced mobility enhancement of an azobenzene compound under photoisomerization and its application in large-scale flexible organic field-effect transistors.

The subtilisin-like proteases (SBTs) are a large family of serine peptidases that are unique to plants. Previous studies have shown that SBTs are associated with developmental processes and environmental responses. However, comprehensive identification and systematic analysis of the SBT family have not been conducted in cotton. We used bioinformatics methods to analyze the structural characteristics, phylogenetic relationships, gene structures, expression modes, evolutionary relationships, selection pressures and stress responses of SBT gene family members in upland cotton. In this study, we identified 120 and 112 SBTs in the tetraploid cotton species G. hirsutum and G. barbadense, while 67 and 69 SBTs were identified in the diploid species G. arboreum and G. raimondii, respectively; these SBTs were divided into five distinct subfamilies. We identified the SBT gene GhSBT27A, and explore its function through virus-induced gene silencing and transmission electron microscopy. These results suggested that the GhSBT27A gene was involved in the response to drought stress. These results lay a foundation for further study on the drought stress mechanism of cotton.

As a complex neuropsychiatric disease, tic disorder has a more and more significant impact on children's quality of life. Currently, the existing treatment methods mainly include non-drug and drug treatment, and good results have been achieved in clinic. However, limited to the patient's age and adverse events, other effective and safe treatment methods still need to be sought. Existing studies have shown that Chinese patent medicine have a good curative effect and high safety, which may become a new choice for the treatment of tic disorder.

Abstract Background The Raffinose synthetase (RAFS) genes superfamily is critical for the synthesis of raffinose, which accumulates in plant leaves under abiotic stress. However, it remains unclear whether RAFS contributes to resistance to abiotic stress in plants, specifically in the Gossypium species. Results In this study, we identified 74 RAFS genes from G. hirsutum, G. barbadense, G. arboreum and G. raimondii by using a series of bioinformatic methods. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the RAFS gene family in the four Gossypium species could be divided into four major clades; the relatively uniform distribution of the gene number in each species ranged from 12 to 25 based on species ploidy, most likely resulting from an ancient whole-genome polyploidization. Gene motif analysis showed that the RAFS gene structure was relatively conservative. Promoter analysis for cis-regulatory elements showed that some RAFS genes might be regulated by gibberellins and abscisic acid, which might influence their expression levels. Moreover, we further examined the functions of RAFS under cold, heat, salt and drought stress conditions, based on the expression profile and co-expression network of RAFS genes in Gossypium species. Transcriptome analysis suggested that RAFS genes in clade III are highly expressed in organs such as seed, root, cotyledon, ovule and fiber, and under abiotic stress in particular, indicating the involvement of genes belonging to clade III in resistance to abiotic stress. Gene co-expressed network analysis showed that GhRFS2A-GhRFS6A, GhRFS6D, GhRFS7D and GhRFS8A-GhRFS11A were key genes, with high expression levels under salt, drought, cold and heat stress. Conclusion The findings may provide insights into the evolutionary relationships and expression patterns of RAFS genes in Gossypium species and a theoretical basis for the identification of stress resistance materials in cotton.

Abstract Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a clonal malignancy of hematopoietic stem cells featured with the fusion protein kinase BCR-ABL. To elicit the mechanism underlying BCR-ABL stability, we perform a screen against a panel of deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) and find that the ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (USP7) drastically stabilizes the BCR-ABL fusion protein. Further studies show that USP7 interacts with BCR-ABL and blocks its polyubiquitination and degradation. Moreover, USP7 knockdown triggers BCR-ABL degradation and suppresses its downstream signaling transduction. In line with this finding, genetic or chemical inhibition of USP7 leads to BCR-ABL protein degradation, suppresses BCR/ABL signaling, and induces CML cell apoptosis. Furthermore, we find the antimalarial artesunate (ART) significantly inhibits USP7/BCR-ABL interaction, thereby promoting BCR-ABL degradation and inducing CML cell death. This study thus identifies USP7 as a putative Dub of BCR-ABL and provides a rationale in targeting USP7/BCR-ABL for the treatment of CML.

Crystal size effects are of vital importance to understand various properties and functions of a material but have not been reported for Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs). Here, the authors report a crystal-size-controlled synthesis of two COFs and look into different crystal size effects.

Abstract Background Urban residents from the developing world have increasingly adopted a sedentary lifestyle and spend less time on physical activities (PA). Previous studies on the association between PA facilities and individuals’ PA levels are based on the assumption that individuals have opportunities to use PA facilities within neighborhoods all day long, ignoring the fact that their willingness and opportunities to use nearby facilities depend on how much discretionary time (any time when people have a choice what to do) they have. Further, scant attention has been paid to the influence of PA facilities within both residential and workplace neighborhoods in the dense urban context. To address the above research gaps, this study investigated the links between the spatial access to PA facilities within home/workplace neighborhoods and time spent on PA among working adults, focusing on whether results were different when different measures of accessibility were used and whether participants’ discretionary time over a week affected their time spent on PA. Method This study used data from a questionnaire survey (n = 1002) in Guangzhou between June and July 2017 and point of interest (POI) data from online mapping resources. Outcome variables included the amount of time spent on physical activity/moderate and vigorous intensity physical activity (PA/MVPA) over the past week. Home/workplace neighborhoods were measured as different distance buffers (500 m circular buffers, 1000 m circular buffers, and 1080 m network buffers) around each respondent’s home/workplace. Spatial access to PA facilities was measured using two indicators: the counts of PA facilities and proximity to PA facilities within home/workplace neighborhoods. The amount of discretionary time was calculated based on activity log data of working day/weekend day from the Guangzhou questionnaire survey, and regression models were used to examine relationships between the spatial access of PA facilities, the time spent on PA/MVPA, and the amount of discretionary time, adjusted for covariates. Associations were stratified by gender, age, education, and income. Results Using different measures of accessibility (the counts of and proximity to PA facilities) generated different results. Specifically, participants spent more time on PA/MVPA when they lived in neighborhoods with more PA facilities and spent more time on MVPA when worked in closer proximity to PA facilities. A larger amount of discretionary time was associated with more time spent on PA/MVPA, but it did not strengthen the relationship between access to PA facilities and PA/MVPA time. In addition, relationships between access to PA facilities and PA levels varied by gender, age, education, and income. Conclusion This study contributes to the knowledge of PA-promoting environments by considering both the home and workplace contexts and by taking into account the temporal attributes of contextual influences. Policymakers and urban planners are advised to take into account the workplace context and the temporal variability of neighborhood influences when allocating public PA facilities and public spaces.

A multifunctional and biocompatible hybrid microgel (poly(VPBA-AAm)-CD) using N, S-doped carbon dots (CDs) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as cross-linking agents, and 4-vinylbenzene boronic acid (VPBA) and acrylamide (AAm) as monomers, was designed in this work. This microgel can be easily prepared by a simple one-pot radical dispersion polymerization of the reactants using a rationally designed hydrogen-bonded complex method. The hybrid microgels were spherical particles with a smooth surface and an average particle size of 234 ± 8 nm. The poly(VPBA-AAm)-CD microgel displayed the glucose-responsive swelling within a clinically concerned range at a physiological pH and could realize the controllable release of insulin. In addition, the release rate of insulin in the hybrid microgel (poly(VPBA-AAm)-CD) could be triggered by glucose concentrations in the solution, and the increasing glucose concentrations can accelerate the insulin release. Further in vitro cytotoxicity studies showed that the microgel had good biocompatibility and no obvious toxicity to the cells. These indicate that the prepared microgel (poly(VPBA-AAm)-CD) may supply a new pattern for the self-regulating therapy of insulin deficiency in diabetes.

A novel hydrogel (DOP/PEI-PBA) based on the “three-component” reaction of 2-formylphenylboric acid (2-FPBA), the primary amine group of polyethyleneimine (PEI) and the cis-o-dihydroxy groups of Dioscorea opposita Thunb polysaccharide (DOP) was designed in this work. The hydrogel can be easily prepared by simply mixing the three reactants at room temperature. The hydrogel had dual responsiveness to glucose and pH, and can realize the controllable release of insulin. Moreover, the hydrogel combining insulin and DOP can inhibit the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and promote glucose consumption as well as the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD), in high-glucose-induced injury in HL-7702 cells, which reflects the synergistic effect of insulin and DOP to protect hepatocytes from oxidative stress at the same time. Further in vitro cytotoxicity studies showed that the hydrogel had good biocompatibility and no obvious toxicity to cells. These indicate that the prepared hydrogel (DOP/PEI-PBA) can be expected to be applied in the clinical treatment of insulin deficiency in diabetes.

Abstract Background DNA methylation is an important epigenetic factor that maintains and regulates gene expression. The mode and level of DNA methylation depend on the roles of DNA methyltransferase and demethylase, while DNA demethylase plays a key role in the process of DNA demethylation. The results showed that the plant’s DNA demethylase all contained conserved DNA glycosidase domain. This study identified the cotton DNA demethylase gene family and analyzed it using bioinformatics methods to lay the foundation for further study of cotton demethylase gene function. Results This study used genomic information from diploid Gossypium raimondii JGI (D), Gossypium arboreum L. CRI (A), Gossypium hirsutum L. JGI (AD1) and Gossypium barbadebse L. NAU (AD2) to Arabidopsis thaliana. Using DNA demethylase genes sequence of Arabidopsis as reference, 25 DNA demethylase genes were identified in cotton by BLAST analysis. There are 4 genes in the genome D, 5 genes in the genome A, 10 genes in the genome AD1, and 6 genes in the genome AD2. The gene structure and evolution were analyzed by bioinformatics, and the expression patterns of DNA demethylase gene family in Gossypium hirsutum L. were analyzed. From the phylogenetic tree analysis, the DNA demethylase gene family of cotton can be divided into four subfamilies: REPRESSOR of SILENCING 1 (ROS1), DEMETER (DME), DEMETER-LIKE 2 (DML2), and DEMETER-LIKE3 (DML3). The sequence similarity of DNA demethylase genes in the same species was higher, and the genetic relationship was also relatively close. Analysis of the gene structure revealed that the DNA demethylase gene family members of the four subfamilies varied greatly. Among them, the number of introns of ROS1 and DME subfamily was larger, and the gene structure was more complex. For the analysis of the conserved domain, it was known that the DNA demethylase family gene member has an endonuclease III (ENDO3c) domain. Conclusion The genes of the DNA demethylase family are distributed differently in different cotton species, and the gene structure is very different. High expression of ROS1 genes in cotton were under abiotic stress. The expression levels of ROS1 genes were higher during the formation of cotton ovule. The transcription levels of ROS1 family genes were higher during cotton fiber development.

Little attention has been paid to the fundamental mechanism of molecular self-assembly into crystallised films or wires on surfaces. Here the authors use real time in-situ scanning probe microscopy to monitor the growth trajectories of organic semiconducting films as they crystallize from an amorphous solid state under ambient conditions.

With the rapid development of the Internet, the amount of data increases sharply. In this network age, data have been generated, such as multimedia, social networks, and search records. Due to the generation of data, complex system discrete model technology is also widely used in all walks of life. Multimedia learning is a popular teaching mode in the world. Through the discrete model technology of the complex system, this paper deeply studies the impact of multimedia input on college students’ English ability. Because the modeling and sampling of complex systems are abstract and not fixed, approximation and control methods are adopted in discrete time, which greatly improves the reliability of the final research results. Compared with the original discrete modeling technology, this paper adds data sampling compression and assimilation technology on the basis of the original discrete modeling technology of the complex system. The results show that, by adding the technical application of controllable and observable systems, the discrete model of the whole complex system can reduce the error of the final output data. At the same time, this paper compresses and simplifies the data nodes at the microlevel. Macroscopically, it reduces the scale, especially the number of node data compression. The final result also realizes the data scale and greatly shortens the calculation time. This study has greatly improved the accuracy of the impact of multimedia on Chinese college students’ English ability in practical application.

Metal organic frameworks are promising catalysts due to their porous structure and the possible incorporation of multiple active sites. Here, the authors show that interpenetrated metal-organic frameworks containing both a photocatalyst and an organocatalyst catalyse the β-alkylation of carbonyl compounds.

Abstract Background DNA methylation, with a cryptic role in genome stability, gene transcription and expression, is involved in the drought response process in plants, but the complex regulatory mechanism is still largely unknown. Results Here, we performed whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) and identified long non-coding RNAs on cotton leaves under drought stress and re-watering treatments. We obtained 31,223 and 30,997 differentially methylated regions (representing 2.48% of the genome) after drought stress and re-watering treatments, respectively. Our data also showed that three sequence contexts, including mCpG, mCHG, mCHH, all presented a hyper-methylation pattern under drought stress and were nearly restored to normal levels after the re-watering treatment. Among all the methylation variations, asymmetric CHH methylation was the most consistent with external environments, suggesting that methylation/demethylation in a CHH context may constitute a novel epigenetic modification in response to drought stress. Combined with the targets of long non-coding RNAs, we found that long non-coding RNAs may mediate variations in methylation patterns by splicing into microRNAs. Furthermore, the many hormone-related genes with methylation variations suggested that plant hormones might be a potential mechanism in the drought response. Conclusions Future crop-improvement strategies may benefit by taking into account not only the DNA genetic variations in cotton varieties but also the epigenetic modifications of the genome.

The production of cereals, including rice, wheat, and maize has increased in China over the past 20 years. However, variations in the production and cultivated area of cereals remains unclear. In this study, we collected and analyzed the cereal production and cultivated area in China from 1998 to 2016. An 85% increase in cereal production was recorded from 1998 to 2016, due to an increase in the maize production along with the increase in the cultivated area. Meanwhile, rice and wheat production have been stable since 2000. No change occurred in the rice cultivated area through 2016, and a 19% decrease in the wheat cultivated area was observed in 2016 relative to 1998. In addition, a significant positive relationship was observed among cereal production, maize production, and cultivated area (p < 0.0001). Together, the increase in cereal production in China over the past two decades has resulted from the increase in maize cultivated area and the consequent increase in maize production.

High concentrations of heavy metals in the soil should be removed for environmental safety. Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that pollutes the soil when its concentration exceeds 3.4 mg/kg. Although the potential use of cotton to remediate heavy Cd-polluted soils is known, little is understood about the molecular mechanisms of Cd tolerance. In this study, transcriptome analysis was used to identify Cd tolerance genes and their potential mechanisms in cotton. We exposed cotton plants to excess Cd and identified 4627 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the root, 3022 DEGs in the stem and 3854 DEGs in the leaves through RNA-Seq analysis. Among these genes were heavy metal transporter coding genes (ABC, CDF, HMA, etc.), annexin genes and heat shock genes (HSP), amongst others. Gene ontology (GO) analysis showed that the DEGs were mainly involved in the oxidation–reduction process and metal ion binding. The DEGs were mainly enriched in two pathways, the influenza A and pyruvate pathway. GhHMAD5, a protein containing a heavy-metal binding domain, was identified in the pathway to transport or to detoxify heavy metal ions. We constructed a GhHMAD5 overexpression system in Arabidopsis thaliana that showed longer roots compared to control plants. GhHMAD5-silenced cotton plants showed more sensitivity to Cd stress. The results indicate that GhHMAD5 is involved in Cd tolerance, which gives a preliminary understanding of the Cd tolerance mechanism in upland cotton. Overall, this study provides valuable information for the use of cotton to remediate soils polluted with Cd and potentially other heavy metals.

Salinity stress is a major abiotic factor that affects crop output, and as a pioneer crop in saline and alkaline land, salt tolerance study of cotton is particularly important. In our experiment, four salt-tolerance varieties with different salt tolerance indexes including CRI35 (65.04%), Kanghuanwei164 (56.19%), Zhong9807 (55.20%) and CRI44 (50.50%), as well as four salt-sensitive cotton varieties including Hengmian3 (48.21%), GK50 (40.20%), Xinyan96-48 (34.90%), ZhongS9612 (24.80%) were used as the materials. These materials were divided into salt-tolerant group (ST) and salt-sensitive group (SS). Illumina Cotton SNP 70K Chip was used to detect SNP in different cotton varieties. SNPv (SNP variation of the same seedling pre- and after- salt stress) in different varieties were screened; polymorphic SNP and SNPr (SNP related to salt tolerance) were obtained. Annotation and analysis of these SNPs showed that (1) the induction efficiency of salinity stress on SNPv of cotton materials with different salt tolerance index was different, in which the induction efficiency on salt-sensitive materials was significantly higher than that on salt-tolerant materials. The induction of salt stress on SNPv was obviously biased. (2) SNPv induced by salt stress may be related to the methylation changes under salt stress. (3) SNPr may influence salt tolerance of plants by affecting the expression of salt-tolerance related genes.

Recent researches on long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have expanded our horizon of gene regulation and the cellular complexity. However, the number, characteristics and expression patterns of lncRNAs remain poorly characterized and how these lncRNAs biogenesis are regulated in response to drought stress in cotton are still largely unclear. In the study, using a reproducibility-based RNA-sequencing and bioinformatics strategy to analyze the lncRNAs of 9 samples under three different environment stresses (control, drought stress and re-watering, three replications), we totally identified 10,820 lncRNAs of high-confidence through five strict steps filtration, of which 9,989 were lincRNAs, 153 were inronic lncRNAs, 678 were anti-sense lncRNAs. Coding function analysis showed 6,470 lncRNAs may have the ability to code proteins. Small RNAs precursor analysis revealed that 196 lncRNAs may be the precursors to small RNAs, most of which (35.7%, 70) were miRNAs. Expression patterns analysis showed that most of lncRNAs were expressed at a low level and most inronic lncRNAs (75.95%) had a consistent expression pattern with their adjacent protein-coding genes. Further analysis of transcriptome data uncovered that lncRNAs XLOC_063105 and XLOC_115463 probably function in regulating two adjacent coding genes CotAD_37096 and CotAD_12502, respectively. Investigations of the content of plant hormones and proteomics analysis under drought stress also complemented the prediction. We analyzed the characteristics and the expression patterns of lncRNAs under drought stress and re-watering treatment, and found lncRNAs may be likely to involve in regulating plant hormones pathway in response to drought stress.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has seriously impacted the health of individuals and populations. In this study, proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR)-based metabonomics combined with multivariate pattern recognition analysis was applied to investigate the metabolic signatures of patients with COPD. Serum and urine samples were collected from COPD patients (n = 32) and healthy controls (n = 21), respectively. Samples were analyzed by high resolution (1)H NMR (600 MHz), and the obtained spectral profiles were then subjected to multivariate data analysis. Consistent metabolic differences have been found in serum as well as in urine samples from COPD patients and healthy controls. Compared to healthy controls, COPD patients displayed decreased lipoprotein and amino acids, including branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), and increased glycerolphosphocholine in serum. Moreover, metabolic differences in urine were more significant than in serum. Decreased urinary 1-methylnicotinamide, creatinine and lactate have been discovered in COPD patients in comparison with healthy controls. Conversely, acetate, ketone bodies, carnosine, m-hydroxyphenylacetate, phenylacetyglycine, pyruvate and α-ketoglutarate exhibited enhanced expression levels in COPD patients relative to healthy subjects. Our results illustrate the potential application of NMR-based metabonomics in early diagnosis and understanding the mechanisms of COPD.