Search

The rapid growth of the Chinese economy has fueled the expansion of power grids. Power transformers are key equipment in power grid projects, and their price changes have a significant impact on cost control. However, the prices of power transformer materials manifest as nonsmooth and nonlinear sequences. Hence, estimating the acquisition costs of power grid projects is difficult, hindering the normal operation of power engineering construction. To more accurately predict the price of power transformer materials, this study proposes a method based on complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition (CEEMD) and gated recurrent unit (GRU) network. First, the CEEMD decomposed the price series into multiple intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Multiple IMFs were clustered to obtain several aggregated sequences based on the sample entropy of each IMF. Then, an empirical wavelet transform (EWT) was applied to the aggregation sequence with a large sample entropy, and the multiple subsequences obtained from the decomposition were predicted by the GRU model. The GRU model was used to directly predict the aggregation sequences with a small sample entropy. In this study, we used authentic historical pricing data for power transformer materials to validate the proposed approach. The empirical findings demonstrated the efficacy of our method across both datasets, with mean absolute percentage errors (MAPEs) of less than 1% and 3%. This approach holds a significant reference value for future research in the field of power transformer material price prediction.

A production technique with the high yield and environmentally friendly process need be developed for ε-Caprolactam (CPL) in the chemical industry. This technology is highly desired to design and synthesize high−performance catalysts for liquid phase Beckmann rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime (CHO) to CPL. In this work, 3-methyl-1-(propyl-4-sulfonyl) imidazolium methanesulfonate ([PHSO3MIM][MSA]) with highly efficient and excellent yield is synthesized successfully. When the optimum molar ratio of ZnCl2 over [PHSO3MIM][MSA] was 0.02, it exhibits the high selectivity (94%) of CPL at 90 °C for 1 h. Interestingly, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) investigations show that the functional Brønsted−Lewis acidic types of ionic liquids (ILs) are formed by the uniformly distributed ZnCl2 and [PHSO3MIM][MSA]. In addition, the hydrogen bond (H-bond) is formed between CHO and ILs. After ten reaction cycles, no significant structure changes are observed in the recovered [PHSO3MIM][MSA]·ZnCl2. The solubilities of ILs are predicted by using COSMO-RS model, the results show that [PHSO3MIM][MSA] is a promising candidate for the liquid phase Beckmann rearrangement of CHO into CPL. Finally, a theoretical model of the H-bond interactions between ILs and CHO is further confirmed to support the advance of reaction mechanism. A feasible way is provided for the CPL production technique in the liquid phase Beckmann rearrangement reaction.

Finding ways to improve regional energy efficiency is important for the Chinese government to achieve its dual carbon target. This paper aims to explore ways to improve regional energy efficiency by studying the spatial–temporal dynamic evolution of energy efficiency. To scientifically study the evolution trend in regional energy efficiency in China, this study uses convergence analysis, a spatial Gini coefficient decomposition model (no spatial consideration), and a spatial Markov chain model and spatial measurement model (spatial consideration). The results show the following: from 2008 to 2019, the mean value of regional single-factor energy efficiency (RS) showed an obvious trend of continuous increase, while the mean value of regional green total-factor energy efficiency (RT) changed from a trend of continuous decline to a relatively stable trend. The overall Gini coefficient of RS showed a trend of “steady–rising–steady”, and the overall Gini coefficient of RT showed a trend of “steady–small increase–sharp increase–fall”. There was club convergence in the two types of regional energy efficiency, and both of them achieved certain “leapfrog” changes. The factors that had a significant impact on RS include human capital, industrialization, openness, urbanization, financial development, and innovation environment. The significant factors for RT included governance structure, industrialization, openness, policy support, and financial development. The limitation of this paper is that only provincial data were used. In the future, city-level data can be mined and more detailed policy suggestions can be put forward for city-level differences. The research method used in this paper to study regional energy efficiency evolution trends is also applicable to other countries.

The effects of yeast culture (YC) on dairy goat milk yield and potential effects of rumen microbial population changes on rumen fermentation are poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of YC on milk yield and rumen fermentation in dairy goats and explore the potential microbial mechanisms. Forty Laoshan dairy goats with a weight of 51.23 ± 2.23 kg and daily milk yield of 1.41 ± 0.26 kg were randomly divided into 4 groups: control (no YC), YC1 (10 g/day per goat), YC2 (25 g/day per goat), and YC3 (40 g/day per goat). The pre-feeding period was 15 days, and the official period was 60 days. Laoshan dairy goats were milked twice daily, and the individual milk yield was recorded. On the last day of the official period, rumen fluid was collected to measure rumen fermentation, perform quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and detect metabolites. Compared to the control group, the YC group had greater milk yield; higher acetic acid, butyric acid, and total volatile fatty acid contents; and lower ammonia-N (NH3-N) content in the rumen (p

China has significantly increased its foreign direct investment (FDI). Although these investments help to boost global development, their impacts on the environment are still controversial and deserve careful investigation. This paper uses the super-efficiency SBM model to measure the green total factor productivity (GTFP) of 123 host countries of China’s FDI. On this basis, we adopt the two-step system GMM and dynamic panel threshold effect model to analyze the impact of China’s FDI on the GTFP of host countries. The research results show that: 1) The impact of China’s FDI on the GTFP of host countries is mainly through green technology efficiency. Its impact is inhibitory, followed by a promotional one, with the latter being significantly larger than the former. 2) There is no evidence of the “pollution haven effect” associated with China’s FDI. In fact, for countries with lower environmental regulations, China’s FDI promotes the growth of GTFP more effectively. 3) The innovation level of host countries moderates the relationship between China’s FDI and GTFP growth. For host countries with stronger innovation level, their GTFP growth can be enhanced to a greater extent by China’s FDI.

Abstract Background The functional roles of the Wall Associated Kinase (WAK) and Wall Associated Kinase Like (WAKL) families in cellular expansion and developmental processes have been well-established. However, the molecular regulation of these kinases in maize development is limited due to the absence of comprehensive genome-wide studies. Results Through an in-depth analysis, we identified 58 maize WAKL genes, and classified them into three distinct phylogenetic clusters. Moreover, structural prediction analysis showed functional conservation among WAKLs across maize. Promoter analysis uncovered the existence of cis-acting elements associated with the transcriptional regulation of ZmWAKL genes by Gibberellic acid (GA). To further elucidate the role of WAKL genes in maize kernels, we focused on three highly expressed genes, viz ZmWAKL38, ZmWAKL42 and ZmWAKL52. Co-expression analyses revealed that their expression patterns exhibited a remarkable correlation with GA-responsive transcription factors (TF) TF5, TF6, and TF8, which displayed preferential expression in kernels. RT-qPCR analysis validated the upregulation of ZmWAKL38, ZmWAKL42, ZmWAKL52, TF5, TF6, and TF8 following GA treatment. Additionally, ZmWAKL52 showed significant increase of transcription in the present of TF8, with ZmWAKL52 localizing in both the plasma membrane and cell wall. TF5 positively regulated ZmWAKL38, while TF6 positively regulated ZmWAKL42. Conclusions Collectively, these findings provide novel insights into the characterization and regulatory mechanisms of specific ZmWAKL genes involved in maize kernel development, offering prospects for their utilization in maize breeding programs.

Sea level monitoring is of great significance to the life safety and daily production activities of coastal residents. In recent years, GNSS interferometric reflectometry (GNSS-IR) has gradually developed into a powerful complementary technique for sea level monitoring, with the advantages of wide signal spatial coverage and lower maintenance cost. However, GNSS-IR-retrieved sea level estimates suffer from a prominent error source, referred to as the dynamic height error due to the nonstationary sea level. In this study, the tidal analysis method, least squares method and cubic spline fitting method are used to correct the dynamic height error, and their performances are analyzed. These three methods are applied to multi-system and multi-frequency data from three coastal GNSS stations, MAYG, SC02 and TPW2, for three years, and the retrievals are compared and analyzed with the in situ measurements from co-located tide gauges to explore the applicability of the three methods. The results show that the three correction methods can effectively correct the sea level dynamic height error and improve the accuracy and reliability of the GNSS-IR sea level retrievals. The tidal analysis method shows the best correction performance, with an average reduction of 39.3% (10.7 cm) and 37.6% (6.7 cm) in RMSE at the MAYG and TPW2 stations, respectively. At station SC02, the cubic spline fitting method performs the best, with the RMSE reduced by an average of 39.3% (5.5 cm) after correction. Furthermore, the iterative process of the tidal analysis method is analyzed for the first time. We found the tidal analysis method could significantly remove the outliers and correct the dynamic height error through iterations, generally superior to the other two correction methods. With the dense preliminary GNSS-IR sea level retrievals, the smaller window length of the least squares method can yield more corrected retrievals and better correction performance. The least squares method and cubic spline fitting method, especially the former, are highly dependent on the amount of daily GNSS-IR sea level retrievals, but they are more suitable for dynamic height correction in storm events than the tidal analysis method.

Abstract Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disorder worldwide. Recent studies show that innate immunity-related signaling pathways fuel NAFLD progression. This study aims to identify potent regulators of innate immunity during NAFLD progression. To this end, a phenotype-based high-content screening is performed, and RING finger protein 13 (RNF13) is identified as an effective inhibitor of lipid accumulation in vitro. In vivo gain- and loss-of-function assays are conducted to investigate the role of RNF13 in NAFLD. Transcriptome sequencing and immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry are performed to explore the underlying mechanisms. We reveal that RNF13 protein is upregulated in the liver of individuals with NASH. Rnf13 knockout in hepatocytes exacerbate insulin resistance, steatosis, inflammation, cell injury and fibrosis in the liver of diet-induced mice, which can be alleviated by Rnf13 overexpression. Mechanically, RNF13 facilitates the proteasomal degradation of stimulator of interferon genes protein (STING) in a ubiquitination-dependent way. This study provides a promising innate immunity-related target for NAFLD treatment.

Abstract Background The purpose of our study was to study the composition and content of the feline plasma metabolome revealing the critical metabolites and metabolic pathways associated with age during growth and development. Methods Blood samples were collected from juvenile and adult groups for blood routine tests and serum biochemistry tests. Non‐targeted metabolomics analyses of plasma were also performed to investigate changes in metabolites and metabolic pathways. Results In this study, we found that the red blood cell counts, liver function indexes (albumin and gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase), and the concentration of triglyceride and glucose changed significant with growth and development. The metabolomics results revealed that 1427 metabolites were identified in the plasma of young and adult cats. Most of these metabolites belong to major classes of lipids and lipid‐like molecules. The most obvious age‐related metabolites include reduced levels of chenodeoxycholate, taurocholate, cholate, and taurochenodeoxycholate but increased levels of L‐cysteine and taurocyamine in the adult cat's serum. These metabolites are mainly involved in the primary bile acid biosynthesis pathway, the bile secretion pathway, and the taurine and hypotaurine metabolism pathway. Conclusion This study revealed many age‐related metabolite alterations in the feline plasma. These age‐varying metabolites, especially in the bile acid biosynthesis and secretion metabolism pathways, indicate that the regulation of these pathways is involved in the growth and development of cats. This study promotes our understanding of the mechanism of feline growth and provides new insights into nutrition and medicine for cats of different ages.

Deep sowing is an efficient strategy for maize to ensure the seedling emergence rate under adverse conditions such as drought or low temperatures. However, the genetic basis of deep-sowing tolerance-related traits in maize remains largely unknown. In this study, we performed a genome-wide association study on traits related to deep-sowing tolerance, including mesocotyl length (ML), coleoptile length (CL), plumule length (PL), shoot length (SL), and primary root length (PRL), using 255 maize inbred lines grown in three different environments. We identified 23, 6, 4, and 4 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with ML, CL, PL, and SL, respectively. By analyzing candidate genes within these QTLs, we found a γ-tubulin-containing complex protein, ZmGCP2, which was significantly associated with ML, PL, and SL. Loss of function of ZmGCP2 resulted in decreased PL, possibly by affecting the cell elongation, thus affecting SL. Additionally, we identified superior haplotypes and allelic variations of ZmGCP2 with a longer PL and SL, which may be useful for breeding varieties with deep-sowing tolerance to improve maize cultivation.

The kernel length is a crucial determinant of maize (Zea mays L.) yield; however, only a limited number of genes regulating kernel length have been validated, thus leaving our understanding of the mechanisms governing kernel length incomplete. We previously identified a maize kernel mutant, defective kernel219 (dek219), which encodes the DICER-LIKE1 protein that is essential for miRNA biogenesis. The present study revealed that dek219 consistently exhibits a stable phenotype characterized by a reduced kernel length. Further analysis indicated that dek219 may reduce the kernel length by inhibiting the expression of genes involved in regulating kernel length. By employing miRNA-target gene prediction, expression analysis, and correlation analysis, we successfully identified nine transcription factors that potentially participate in the regulation of kernel length under the control of DEK219. Among them, the upregulation fold change of HEAT SHOCK TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR17 (HSF17) expression was the highest, and the difference was most significant. The results of transient expression analysis and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) indicated that HSF17 can inhibit the expression of DEFECTIVE ENDOSPERM18 (DE18), a gene involved in regulating kernel length. Furthermore, the hsf17 mutant exhibited a significant increase in kernel length, suggesting that HSF17 functions as a negative regulator of kernel length. The results of this study provide crucial evidence for further elucidating the molecular regulatory mechanism underlying maize kernel length and also offer valuable genetic resources for breeding high-yielding maize varieties.

Abstract Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) and its related metabolic syndrome have become major threats to human health, but there is still a need for effective and safe drugs to treat these conditions. Here we aimed to identify potential drug candidates for NAFLD and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods A drug repositioning strategy was used to screen an FDA-approved drug library with approximately 3000 compounds in an in vitro hepatocyte model of lipid accumulation, with honokiol identified as an effective anti-NAFLD candidate. We systematically examined the therapeutic effect of honokiol in NAFLD and metabolic syndrome in multiple in vitro and in vivo models. Transcriptomic examination and biotin-streptavidin binding assays were used to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms, confirmed by rescue experiments. Results Honokiol significantly inhibited metabolic syndrome and NAFLD progression as evidenced by improved hepatic steatosis, liver fibrosis, adipose inflammation, and insulin resistance. Mechanistically, the beneficial effects of honokiol were largely through AMPK activation. Rather than acting on the classical upstream regulators of AMPK, honokiol directly bound to the AMPKγ1 subunit to robustly activate AMPK signaling. Mutation of honokiol-binding sites of AMPKγ1 largely abolished the protective capacity of honokiol against NAFLD. Conclusion These findings clearly demonstrate the beneficial effects of honokiol in multiple models and reveal a previously unappreciated signaling mechanism of honokiol in NAFLD and metabolic syndrome. This study also provides new insights into metabolic disease treatment by targeting AMPKγ1 subunit-mediated signaling activation.

Abstract The electrolyte serves as a key component in organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) and allows for the modulation of the conductivity of the polymer channel by applying a voltage to the gate electrode. Different from liquid electrolytes in OECTs, the solid electrolyte is beneficial for the integration in the circuit and shows great stability. And considering the fabrication of the device, developing a new solution‐processed solid electrolyte for OECTs is a critical area of research. In this work, the organic–inorganic perovskite is used as the electrolyte to fabricate polymer electrochemical transistors due to its solid‐phase ion migration kinetics. To realize this goal, a separate polyethylene oxide (PEO) layer on top of the poly[2‐methoxy‐5‐(2‐ethylhexyloxy)‐1,4‐phenylenevinylene] (MEH‐PPV) layer plays a crucial role since it can affect the electric field and the ion motion. More importantly, based on this device structure, both a polymer light‐emitting electrochemical transistor and the polymer electrochemical phototransistor are realized. The solution‐processed solid organic–inorganic perovskite electrolytes can enable the development of integration in OECTs, which have significant potential for multifunctional applications.

According to the transaction cost theory for carbon mitigation, green technology innovation must achieve energy conservation and emission reduction through appropriate low-carbon regulation. As a consequence, this study compared the punishment effect of the carbon tax and the reward effect of carbon subsidy on the performance of green technology innovation in China’s provincial industries from 2006 to 2017. We also elucidated that the enterprises’ green technology innovation restricts and stimulates the role of low-carbon regulation on green efficiency in the case of the double threshold effect of carbon dioxide emission. Based on this framework, the integrated tax-subsidy policy for carbon mitigation has a significant differential effect on green efficiency, which changed from an inhibition effect in the high-carbon stage to a promotion effect in the low-carbon stage. And the validity of low-carbon regulations increases with the reduction degree of carbon dioxide emission. But it all depends on whether low-carbon regulations stimulate the enterprises’ willingness to green technology innovation, and whether innovations generate incentives that both increase carbon dioxide emissions and compensate for their innovation cost. Otherwise, enterprise performance should adopt follow strategy more than green technology innovation. Therefore, we further suggested that offsetting the costs of green technology innovation through carbon subsidies would improve the willingness of enterprises to make technological progress and increase the likelihood of carbon reductions which can help the peak in China’s carbon emissions.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most prevalent chronic liver disease worldwide, without any Food and Drug Administration-approved pharmacological intervention in clinic. Trim38, as an important member of the TRIM (tripartite motif-containing) family, was largely reported to be involved in the regulation of innate immune and inflammatory responses. However, the functional roles of TRIM38 in NAFLD remain largely unknown. Here, the expression of TRIM38 was first detected in liver samples of both NAFLD mice model and patients diagnosed with NAFLD. We found that TRIM38 expression was downregulated in NAFLD liver tissues compared with normal liver tissues. Genetic Trim38-KO in vivo showed that TRIM38 depletion deteriorated the high-fat diet and high fat and high cholesterol diet-induced hepatic steatosis and high fat and high cholesterol diet-induced liver inflammation and fibrosis. In particular, we found that the effects of hepatocellular lipid accumulation and inflammation induced by palmitic acid and oleic acid were aggravated by TRIM38 depletion but mitigated by TRIM38 overexpression in vitro. Mechanically, RNA-Seq analysis demonstrated that TRIM38 ameliorated nonalcoholic steatohepatitis progression by attenuating the activation of MAPK signaling pathway. We further found that TRIM38 interacted with transforming growth factor-β-activated kinase 1 binding protein 2 and promoted its protein degradation, thus inhibiting the transforming growth factor-β-activated kinase 1-MAPK signal cascades. In summary, our study revealed that TRIM38 could suppress hepatic steatosis, inflammatory, and fibrosis in NAFLD via promoting transforming growth factor-β-activated kinase 1 binding protein 2 degradation. TRIM38 could be a potential target for NAFLD treatment.

Objective: To investigate the mastery status of standard diagnosis and treatment of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection among general practitioners in Pudong New Area of Shanghai and its influencing factors. Methods: From January to May in 2021, 348 general practitioners from 24 community health service centers in Pudong New Area were selected by using stratified random sampling method. A self-made questionnaire (full score of 30) was used to investigate the general practitioners′ mastery of Hp infection diagnosis, treatment and prevention. According to the scores, they were divided into poor mastery group (0-10 points), moderate mastery group (11-20 points) and good mastery group (21-30 points), and the differences among the groups were compared. Results: A total of 320 valid questionnaires were collected in this survey, and the general practitioners′ mastery of standard diagnosis and treatment of Hp infection was at a high level, with an average score of 21.69. There were 116 people in the moderate mastery group, accounting for 36.25%, with an average score of 17.53 points. There were 204 people in the good mastery group, accounting for 63.75%, with an average score of 24.05 points, and 0 people in the poor mastery group. For diagnosis of current Hp infection, only 50.0% of general practitioners knew that fecal Hp antigen positive was one of diagnostic criteria, while 66.6% of general practi-tioners mistakenly believed that serum Hp antibody positive could be used for diagnosing Hp infection. In terms of indications for eradication treatment of Hp infection, only 41.9% of general practitioners believed that "confirmation of Hp infection" was the indication of eradication treatment. There were significant differences in educational background and working years between the moderate mastery group and the good mastery group. In terms of standardized treatment, fol-lowup and prevention of Hp infection, there were significant differences in other options between the two groups except for the choice of antibiotics (P

BackgroundPathological cardiac hypertrophy is commonly resulted from sustained pressure overload and/or metabolic disorder and eventually leads to heart failure, lacking specific drugs in clinic. Here, we aimed to identify promising anti-hypertrophic drug(s) for heart failure and related metabolic disorders by using a luciferase reporter-based high-throughput screening.MethodsA screen of the FDA-approved compounds based on luciferase reporter was performed, with identified luteolin as a promising anti-hypertrophic drug. We systematically examined the therapeutic efficacy of luteolin on cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure in vitro and in vivo models. Transcriptome examination was performed to probe the molecular mechanisms of luteolin.ResultsAmong 2,570 compounds in the library, luteolin emerged as the most robust candidate against cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Luteolin dose-dependently blocked phenylephrine-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and showed extensive cardioprotective roles in cardiomyocytes as evidenced by transcriptomics. More importantly, gastric administration of luteolin effectively ameliorated pathological cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, metabolic disorder, and heart failure in mice. Cross analysis of large-scale transcriptomics and drug-target interacting investigations indicated that peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPARγ) was the direct target of luteolin in the setting of pathological cardiac hypertrophy and metabolic disorders. Luteolin can directly interact with PPARγ to inhibit its ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation. Furthermore, PPARγ inhibitor and PPARγ knockdown both prevented the protective effect of luteolin against phenylephrine-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in vitro.ConclusionOur data clearly supported that luteolin is a promising therapeutic compound for pathological cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure by directly targeting ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation of PPARγ and the related metabolic homeostasis.

Background and aimsThe metabolomic profile of a biofluid can be affected by age, and thus provides detailed information about the metabolic alterations in biological processes and reflects the in trinsic rule regulating the growth and developmental processes.MethodsTo systemically investigate the characteristics of multiple metabolic profiles associated with canine growth, we analyzed the metabolomics in the plasma and urine samples from 15 young and 15 adult beagle dogs via UHPLC-Q-TOFMS-based metabolomics. Blood routine and serum biochemical analyses were also performed on fasting blood samples.ResultsThe metabolomics results showed remarkable differences in metabolite fingerprints both in plasma and urine between the young and adult groups. The most obvious age-related metabolite alterations include decreased serumlevels of oxoglutaric acid and essential amino acids and derivatives but increased levels of urine levels of O-acetylserine. These changes primarily involved in amino acid metabolism and bile secretion pathways. We also found that the levels of glutamine were consistently higher in both serum and urine of adults, while N-acetylhistamine and uracil concentrations were much lower in the adult group compared to younger ones.ConclusionOur study provides a whole metabolic profile of serum and urine characteristics of young and adult canines, identifying several metabolites that were significantly associated with age change, which provides theoretical support for the nutrition-related research and age-related homeostasis maintenance in dogs.

The MOR (Morphogenesis-related NDR kinase) signaling network, initially identified in yeast, exhibits evolutionary conservation across eukaryotes and plays indispensable roles in the normal growth and development of these organisms. However, the functional role of this network and its associated genes in maize (Zea mays) has remained elusive until now. In this study, we identified a total of 19 maize MOR signaling network genes, and subsequent co-expression analysis revealed that 12 of these genes exhibited stronger associations with each other, suggesting their potential collective regulation of maize growth and development. Further analysis revealed significant co-expression between genes involved in the MOR signaling network and several genes related to cold tolerance. All MOR signaling network genes exhibited significant co-expression with COLD1 (Chilling tolerance divergence1), a pivotal gene involved in the perception of cold stimuli, suggesting that COLD1 may directly transmit cold stress signals to MOR signaling network genes subsequent to the detection of a cold stimulus. The findings indicated that the MOR signaling network may play a crucial role in modulating cold tolerance in maize by establishing an intricate relationship with key cold tolerance genes, such as COLD1. Under low-temperature stress, the expression levels of certain MOR signaling network genes were influenced, with a significant up-regulation observed in Zm00001d010720 and a notable down-regulation observed in Zm00001d049496, indicating that cold stress regulated the MOR signaling network. We identified and analyzed a mutant of Zm00001d010720, which showed a higher sensitivity to cold stress, thereby implicating its involvement in the regulation of cold stress in maize. These findings suggested that the relevant components of the MOR signaling network are also conserved in maize and this signaling network plays a vital role in modulating the cold tolerance of maize. This study offered valuable genetic resources for enhancing the cold tolerance of maize.

With the implementation of the carbon-neutral goal, an evolutionary game of carbon decision behavior was derived from the difference between government carbon mitigation and enterprises’ performance growth. This paper constructed a double-performance (DP) objective function of environmental performance and corporate performance. Four carbon decision factors, namely, carbon emission rights, carbon tax, green innovation, and green subsidy, were added separately into the DP model to search for the equilibrium point using the Stackelberg game. The research shows the following: (ⅰ) the price effect of carbon emission rights can restrain excess carbon emission of enterprises to a certain extent; (ⅱ) the reverse effect of a carbon tax can force enterprises to achieve the carbon mitigation goal through green innovation; (ⅲ) the reinforcement effect of green innovation can strengthen the promotion of environmental performance but accelerate the decline of corporate performance; and (ⅳ) the incentive effect of green subsidy can make corporate performance reach the inflection point ahead of time and realize DP synergistic growth. The evolutionary game between the government and enterprises results in the fluctuation change that causes DP to rise first, then decrease, and finally increase. Also, DP can be developed in a synergistic way under collaborative governance for its consistency of carbon decision behavior.

Background and aimsOverweight or obesity is one of the most prevalent health burdens in companion pets and predisposes subjects to multiple comorbidities and reduced longevity. Dietary management and sufficient exercise are effective options for weight loss but challenged by modern lifestyle and calorie control-triggered malnutrition. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a formulated obesity control diet characterized by protein- and fiber-rich diet and supplemented with astaxanthin. We systemically evaluated global influences of the designed weight-loss diet on metabolic homeostasis in an obese beagle model.Materials and methodsBeagles were induced for obesity by a 24-week HFD treatment and then included into weight-loss programs. Briefly, obese beagles were randomly assigned to two groups that were fed with a formulated weight-loss diet or control diet, respectively. Body weight and body condition scoring (BCS) were analyzed biweekly. Computed tomography (CT), nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements, and blood and adipose tissue biopsies were collected at 0 and 8 weeks. Plasma lipids and adipocyte size were also measured after 8 weeks of weight-loss diet feeding. The global influence of the formulated diet on the whole spectrum of gene panels were examined by adipose RNA assays.ResultsTwenty-four weeks of continuous HFD feeding significantly induced obesity in beagles, as evidenced by increased body weight, BCS, abdominal fat mass, and serum lipid levels. The obese and metabolic condition of the modeled canine were effectively improved by an 8-week weight-loss diet administration. Importantly, we did not observe any side effects during the weight loss duration. Transcriptional analysis of adipose tissues further supported that a weight-loss diet significantly increased energy metabolism-related pathways and decreased lipid synthesis-related pathways.ConclusionThe prescribed weight-loss diet exhibited profound benefits in canine weight management with well safety and palatability. These findings support effective strategies of nutritional management and supplementation approaches for weight control in companion animals.

Abstract Background Phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) is involved in the regulation of a wide range of biological processes. In Arabidopsis, it has been well-known that SnRK2s are the central components of the ABA signaling pathway that control the balance between plant growth and stress response, but the functions of ZmSnRK2 in maize are rarely reported. Therefore, the study of ZmSnRK2 is of great importance to understand the ABA signaling pathways in maize. Results In this study, 14 ZmSnRK2 genes were identified in the latest version of maize genome database. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that ZmSnRK2s are divided into three subclasses based on their diversity of C-terminal domains. The exon-intron structures, phylogenetic, synteny and collinearity analysis indicated that SnRK2s, especially the subclass III of SnRK2, are evolutionally conserved in maize, rice and Arabidopsis. Subcellular localization showed that ZmSnRK2 proteins are localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm. The RNA-Seq datasets and qRT-PCR analysis showed that ZmSnRK2 genes exhibit spatial and temporal expression patterns during the growth and development of different maize tissues, and the transcript levels of some ZmSnRK2 genes in kernel are significantly induced by ABA and sucrose treatment. In addition, we found that ZmSnRK2.10, which belongs to subclass III, is highly expressed in kernel and activated by ABA. Overexpression of ZmSnRK2.10 partially rescued the ABA-insensitive phenotype of snrk2.2/2.3 double and snrk2.2/2.3/2.6 triple mutants and led to delaying plant flowering in Arabidopsis. Conclusion The SnRK2 gene family exhibits a high evolutionary conservation and has expanded with whole-genome duplication events in plants. The ZmSnRK2s expanded in maize with whole-genome and segmental duplication, not tandem duplication. The expression pattern analysis of ZmSnRK2s in maize offers important information to study their functions. Study of the functions of ZmSnRK.10 in Arabidopsis suggests that the ABA-dependent members of SnRK2s are evolutionarily conserved in plants. Our study elucidated the structure and evolution of SnRK2 genes in plants and provided a basis for the functional study of ZmSnRK2s protein in maize.

In order to investigate the crucial role of ZmBT1 in starch accumulation during maize grain development and analyze the expression and distribution of ZmBT1 in various maize tissues, we prepared a polyclonal antibody. Specifically, we successfully expressed the recombinant plasmid pGEX-6p-ZmBT1-C (382-437aa) and purified Gst-ZmBT1-C as the antigen for antibody preparation. Our results confirmed that the ZmBT1 protein in maize tissues can be specifically recognized by the ZmBT1 antibody. Through Western blotting, we observed that the expression protein of ZmBT1 varied by tissues, with the highest content in the grain and endosperm. Furthermore, we employed a combination of Western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR to show that the expression level of ZmBT1 can be influenced by plant hormones. This finding suggests that ZmBT1 plays a critical role in the accumulation of starch and opens up new avenues for functional studies of this protein.

BACKGROUND: Trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) due to serious injuries significantly leads to increased mortality and morbidity among elderly patients. However, the risk factors of TIC are not well elucidated. This study aimed to explore the risk factors of TIC in elderly patients who have major trauma. METHODS: In this retrospective study, the risk factors for TIC in elderly trauma patients at a single trauma center were investigated between January 2015 and September 2020. The demographic information including gender, age, trauma parts, injury severity, use of blood products, use of vasopressors, need of emergency surgery, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital, and clinical outcomes were extracted from electric medical records. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to differentiate risk factors, and the performance of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves. RESULTS: Among the 371 elderly trauma patients, 248 (66.8%) were male, with the age of 72.5 ± 6.8 years, median injury severity score (ISS) of 24 (IQR: 17-29), and Glasgow coma score (GCS) of 14 (IQR: 7-15). Of these patients, 129 (34.8%) were diagnosed with TIC, whereas 242 (65.2%) were diagnosed with non-TIC. The severity scores such as ISS (25 [20-34] vs. 21 [16-29], P<0.001) and shock index (SI), (0.90±0.66 vs. 0.58 ± 0.18, P<0.001) was significantly higher in the TIC group than in the non-TIC group. Serum calcium levels (1.97±0.19 mmol/L vs. 2.15±0.16 mmol/L, P<0.001), fibrinogen levels (1.7±0.8 g/L vs. 2.8±0.9 g/L, P<0.001), and base excess (BE, -4.9±4.6 mmol/L vs. -1.2 ± 3.1 mmol/L, P<0.001) were significantly lower in the TIC group than in the non-TIC group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that ISS>16 (OR: 3.404, 95%CI: 1.471-7.880; P=0.004), SI>1 (OR: 5.641, 95%CI: 1.700-18.719; P=0.005), low BE (OR: 0.868, 95%CI: 0.760-0.991; P=0.037), hypocalcemia (OR: 0.060, 95%CI: 0.009-0.392; P=0.003), and hypofibrinogenemia (OR: 0.266, 95%CI: 0.168-0.419; P<0.001) were independent risk factors for TIC in elderly trauma patients. The AUC of the prediction model included all these risk factors was 0.887 (95%CI: 0.851-0.923) with a sensitivity and specificity of 83.6% and 82.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Higher ISS (more than 16), higher SI (more than 1), acidosis, hypocalcemia, and hypofibrinogenemia emerged as independent risk factors for TIC in elderly trauma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This collaborative statement from the International Society for Holter and Noninvasive Electrocardiology/Heart Rhythm Society/European Heart Rhythm Association/Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society describes the current status of mobile health (“mHealth”) technologies in arrhythmia management. The range of digital medical tools and heart rhythm disorders that they may be applied to and clinical decisions that may be enabled are discussed. The facilitation of comorbidity and lifestyle management (increasingly recognized to play a role in heart rhythm disorders) and patient self‐management are novel aspects of mHealth. The promises of predictive analytics but also operational challenges in embedding mHealth into routine clinical care are explored.

The process of starch biosynthesis is a major developmental event that affects the final grain yield and quality in maize (Zea mays L.), and transcriptional regulation plays a key role in modulating the expression of the main players in the pathway. ZmBt2, which encodes the small subunits of AGPase, is a rate-controlling gene of the pathway; however, much remains unknown about its transcriptional regulation. Our earlier study identifies a short functional fragment of ZmBt2 promoter (394-bp), and further shows it contains multiple putative cis-acting regulatory elements, demonstrating that several transcription factors may govern ZmBt2 expression. Here, we identified a novel TCP transcription factor (TF), ZmTCP7, that interacted with the functional fragment of the ZmBt2 promoter in a yeast one hybrid screening system. We further showed that ZmTCP7 is a non-autonomous TF targeted to the nucleus and predominantly expressed in maize endosperm. Using promoter deletion analyzes by transient expression in maize endosperm protoplasts combined with electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we found that ZmTCP7 bound to GAACCCCAC elements on the ZmBt2 promoter to suppress its expression. Transgenic overexpression of ZmTCP7 in maize caused a significant repression of ZmBt2 transcription by ~77.58%, resulting in a 21.51% decrease in AGPase activity and a 9.58% reduction in the endosperm starch content of transgenic maize. Moreover, the expressions of ZmBt1, ZmSSI, ZmSSIIa, and ZmSSIIIa were increased, while those of ZmSh2 and ZmSSIV reduced significantly in the endosperm of the transgenic maize. Overall, this study shows that ZmTCP7 functions as a transcriptional repressor of ZmBt2 and a negative regulator of endosperm starch accumulation, providing new insights into the regulatory networks that govern ZmBt2 expression and starch biosynthesis pathway in maize.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important food crops in the world, and starch is the main component of its endosperm. Transcriptional regulation plays a vital role in starch biosynthesis. However, it is not well understood in maize. We report the identification of the transcription factor ZmNAC126 and its role in regulation of starch synthesis in maize. Transcriptional expression of ZmNAC126 was higher in maize endosperm and kernels than in roots or stems. ZmNAC126 shared a similar expression pattern with starch synthesis genes during seed development, and its expression pattern was also consistent with the accumulation of starch. ZmNAC126 is a typical transcription factor with a transactivation domain between positions 201 and 227 of the amino acid sequence, is located in the nucleus, and binds to CACG repeats in vitro. Yeast one-hybrid assay revealed that ZmNAC126 bound the promoters of ZmGBSSI, ZmSSIIa, ZmSSIV, ZmISA1, and ZmISA2. Transient overexpression of ZmNAC126 in maize endosperm increased the activities of promoters pZmSh2, pZmBt2, pZmGBSSI, pZmSSIIIa, and pZmBT1 but inhibited the activities of pZmISA1 and pZmISA2. ZmNAC126 thus acts in starch synthesis by transcriptionally regulating targeted starch synthesis-related genes in maize kernels.

Abstract Background Endosperm-trait related genes are associated with grain yield or quality in maize. There are vast numbers of these genes whose functions and regulations are still unknown. The biolistic system, which is often used for transient gene expression, is expensive and involves complex protocol. Besides, it cannot be used for simultaneous analysis of multiple genes. Moreover, the biolistic system has little physiological relevance when compared to cell-specific based system. Plant protoplasts are efficient cell-based systems which allow quick and simultaneous transient analysis of multiple genes. Typically, PEG-calcium mediated transfection of protoplast is simple and cost-effective. Notably, starch granules in cereal endosperm may diminish protoplast yield and integrity, if the isolation and transfection conditions are not accurately measured. Prior to this study, no PEG-calcium mediated endosperm protoplast system has been reported for cereal crop, perhaps, because endosperm cells accumulate starch grains. Results Here, we showed the uniqueness of maize endosperm-protoplast system (EPS) in conducting endosperm cell-based experiments. By using response surface designs, we established optimized conditions for the isolation and PEG-calcium mediated transfection of maize endosperm protoplasts. The optimized conditions of 1% cellulase, 0.75% macerozyme and 0.4 M mannitol enzymolysis solution for 6 h showed that more than 80% protoplasts remained viable after re-suspension in 1 ml MMG. The EPS was used to express GFP protein, analyze the subcellular location of ZmBT1, characterize the interaction of O2 and PBF1 by bimolecular fluorescent complementation (BiFC), and simultaneously analyze the regulation of ZmBt1 expression by ZmMYB14. Conclusions The described optimized conditions proved efficient for reasonable yield of viable protoplasts from maize endosperm, and utility of the protoplast in rapid analysis of endosperm-trait related genes. The development of the optimized protoplast isolation and transfection conditions, allow the exploitation of the functional advantages of protoplast system over biolistic system in conducting endosperm-based studies (particularly, in transient analysis of genes and gene regulation networks, associated with the accumulation of endosperm storage products). Such analyses will be invaluable in characterizing endosperm-trait related genes whose functions have not been identified. Thus, the EPS will benefit the research of cereal grain yield and quality improvement.

Abstract Background Accumulation of iron is associated with oxidative stress, inflammation, and regulated cell death processes that contribute to the development of acute kidney injury (AKI). We aimed to investigate the association between serum iron levels and prognosis in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with AKI. Methods A total of 483 patients with AKI defined as per the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Guidelines were included in this retrospective study. The data was extracted from the single-centre Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III database. AKI patients with serum iron parameters measured upon ICU admission were included and divided into two groups (low group and high group). The prognostic value of serum iron was analysed using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Results The optimal cut-off value for serum iron was calculated to be 60 μg/dl. Univariable Cox regression analysis showed that serum iron levels were significantly correlated with prognosis of AKI patients. After adjusting for possible confounding variables, serum iron levels higher than 60 μg/dl were associated with increases in 28-day (hazard [HR] 1.832; P

Abstract Background Sepsis is an infection-induced aggressive and life-threatening organ dysfunction with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Infection-associated inflammation and coagulation promote the progression of adverse outcomes in sepsis. Here, we report that phospho-Tyr705 of STAT3 (pY-STAT3), not total STAT3, contributes to systemic inflammation and coagulopathy in sepsis. Methods Cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced septic mice were treated with BP-1-102, Napabucasin, or vehicle control respectively and then assessed for systemic inflammation, coagulation response, lung function and survival. Human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs) and Raw264.7 cells were exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) with pharmacological or genetic inhibition of pY-STAT3. Cells were assessed for inflammatory and coagulant factor expression, cell function and signaling. Results Pharmacological inhibition of pY-STAT3 expression by BP-1-102 reduced the proinflammatory factors, suppressed coagulation activation, attenuated lung injury, alleviated vascular leakage and improved the survival rate in septic mice. Pharmacological or genetic inhibition of pY-STAT3 diminished LPS-induced cytokine production in macrophages and protected pulmonary endothelial cells via the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3, NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. Moreover, the increase in procoagulant indicators induced by sepsis such as tissue factor (TF), the thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT) and D-Dimer were down-regulated by pY-STAT3 inhibition. Conclusions Our results revealed a therapeutic role of pY-STAT3 in modulating the inflammatory response and defective coagulation during sepsis. Video Abstract

Canine models are increasingly being used in metabolic studies due to their physiological similarity with humans. The present study aimed to identify changes in metabolic pathways and biomarkers with potential clinical utility in a canine model of obesity and metabolic disorders induced by a high-fat diet (HFD). Eighteen male beagles were included in this study, 9 of which were fed a HFD for 24 weeks, and the remaining 9 were fed normal chow (NC) during the same period. Plasma and urine samples were collected at weeks 12 and 24 for untargeted metabolomic analysis. Dogs fed a HFD showed a gradual body weight increase during the feeding period and had hyperlipidemia, increased leukocyte counts, and impaired insulin sensitivity at week 24. Plasma and urine metabonomics analysis displayed clear separations between the HFD-fed and NC-fed dogs. A total of 263 plasma metabolites varied between the two groups, including stearidonic acid, linolenic acid, carnitine, long-chain ceramide, 3-methylxanthine, and theophylline, which are mainly engaged in fatty acid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, and caffeine metabolism. A total of 132 urine metabolites related to HFD-induced obesity and metabolic disorders were identified, including 3-methylxanthine, theophylline, pyridoxal 5’-phosphate, and harmine, which participate in pathways such as caffeine metabolism and vitamin digestion and absorption. Eight metabolites with increased abundance (e.g., 3-methylxanthine, theophylline, and harmine) and 4 metabolites with decreased abundance (e.g., trigonelline) in both the plasma and urine of the HFD-fed dogs were identified. In conclusion, the metabolomic analysis revealed molecular events underlying a canine HFD model and identified several metabolites as potential targets for the prevention and treatment of obesity-related metabolic disorders.

To obtain fused images with excellent contrast, distinct target edges, and well-preserved details, we propose an adaptive image fusion network called the adjacent feature shuffle-fusion network (AFSFusion). The proposed network adopts a UNet-like architecture and incorporates key refinements to enhance network architecture and loss functions. Regarding the network architecture, the proposed two-branch adjacent feature fusion module, called AFSF, expands the number of channels to fuse the feature channels of several adjacent convolutional layers in the first half of the AFSFusion, enhancing its ability to extract, transmit, and modulate feature information. We replace the original rectified linear unit (ReLU) with leaky ReLU to alleviate the problem of gradient disappearance and add a channel shuffling operation at the end of AFSF to facilitate information interaction capability between features. Concerning loss functions, we propose an adaptive weight adjustment (AWA) strategy to assign weight values to the corresponding pixels of the infrared (IR) and visible images in the fused images, according to the VGG16 gradient feature response of the IR and visible images. This strategy efficiently handles different scene contents. After normalization, the weight values are used as weighting coefficients for the two sets of images. The weighting coefficients are applied to three loss items simultaneously: mean square error (MSE), structural similarity (SSIM), and total variation (TV), resulting in clearer objects and richer texture detail in the fused images. We conducted a series of experiments on several benchmark databases, and the results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed network architecture and the superiority of the proposed network compared to other state-of-the-art fusion methods. It ranks first in several objective metrics, showing the best performance and exhibiting sharper and richer edges of specific targets, which is more in line with human visual perception. The remarkable enhancement in performance is ascribed to the proposed AFSF module and AWA strategy, enabling balanced feature extraction, fusion, and modulation of image features throughout the process.

Image denoising poses a significant challenge in computer vision due to the high-level visual task’s dependency on image quality. Several advanced denoising models have been proposed in recent decades. Recently, deep image prior (DIP), using a particular network structure and a noisy image to achieve denoising, has provided a novel image denoising method. However, the denoising performance of the DIP model still lags behind that of mainstream denoising models. To improve the performance of the DIP denoising model, we propose a TripleDIP model with internal and external mixed images priors for image denoising. The TripleDIP comprises of three branches: one for content learning and two for independent noise learning. We firstly use a Transformer-based supervised model (i.e., Restormer) to obtain a pre-denoised image (used as external prior) from a given noisy image, and then take the noisy image and the pre-denoised image as the first and second target image, respectively, to perform the denoising process under the designed loss function. We add constraints between two-branch noise learning and content learning, allowing the TripleDIP to employ external prior while enhancing independent noise learning stability. Moreover, the automatic stop criterion we proposed prevents the model from overfitting the noisy image and improves the execution efficiency. The experimental results demonstrate that TripleDIP outperforms the original DIP by an average of 2.79 dB and outperforms classical unsupervised methods such as N2V by an average of 2.68 dB and the latest supervised models such as SwinIR and Restormer by an average of 0.63 dB and 0.59 dB on the Set12 dataset. This can mainly be attributed to the fact that two-branch noise learning can obtain more stable noise while constraining the content learning branch’s optimization process. Our proposed TripleDIP significantly enhances DIP denoising performance and has broad application potential in scenarios with insufficient training datasets.

The question of whether appropriate decentralization can solve Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) misplacement caused by Entrepreneurial Characteristics (EC) is an interesting ethical puzzle. Because corporate behavior depends on the decision-making choices of executives whose personality characteristics affect the choice tendency, power distribution undoubtedly becomes a big boost for most businesses to work out the adverse externality problems. Based on Upper Echelons Theory, this study developed a comparative impact model linking the effects of entrepreneurial intrinsic nature and experience characteristics on CSR performance. We tested the effective mechanism with the mediator role of the Corporate Power Distribution Index (CPDI) through a sample of listed Chinese companies from 2009 to 2017. The results provide that EC, such as female Gender, Degree, and Salary, have positive effects on CSR; CPDI plays a mediator role in the relationship between EC and CSR; and is moderated by Age, Academy, and Shares. The conclusion shows that EC can improve CSR performance to optimize CPDI to reduce corporate misplacement behavior.