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The grain protein content (GPC) is the key parameter for wheat grain nutritional quality. This study conducted a resampling GWAS analysis using 406 wheat accessions across eight environments, and identified four previously reported GPC QTLs. An analysis of 87 landraces and 259 modern cultivars revealed the loss of superior GPC haplotypes, especially in Chinese cultivars. These haplotypes were preferentially adopted in different agroecological zones and had broad effects on wheat yield and agronomic traits. Most GPC QTLs did not significantly reduce yield, suggesting that high GPC can be achieved without a yield penalty. The results of this study provide a reference for future GPC breeding in wheat using the four identified QTLs.

Abstract Background Studies examining whether diet sugar intake increases the risk of depression have produced inconsistent results. Therefore, we investigated this relationship, using the US’ National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. Methods This cross-sectional study included 18,439 adults (aged ≥ 20 years) from NHANES (2011–2018). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the nine-item version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Covariates, including age, sex, race/ethnicity, poverty-income ratio, education, marital status, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, alcohol intake, smoking status, physical activity, and dietary energy intake, were adjusted in multivariate logistic regression models. Subgroup and threshold saturation effect analyses were performed. Results After adjusting for potential confounders, we found that a 100 g/day increase in dietary sugar intake correlated with a 28% higher prevalence of depression (odds ratio = 1.28, 95% confidence interval = 1.17–1.40, P

As a new type of agricultural waste block substrate utilization, the initial wet base state of the substrate culture block needs to be dried. Therefore, studying the drying mechanism of substrate culture block is critical. In this study, the substrate culture block in a dry state was taken as the research object. Based on physical and chemical properties, the internal section of the substrate culture block was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and the pore condition of the particles was quantified. The results showed that the internal pore structure was uniform and favorable for plant root growth. Based on the pore structure, pore channel modeling was constructed to investigate the distribution of the internal multiphase medium and to distinguish between channels and pore-blind channels. The applicability of the modeling was verified and discussed. By measuring the drying rate of the substrate culture block and classifying its drying stages as fast speed, constant speed, and slow speed, it is clarified that the forms of moisture existence are bound-state water and free-state water, and the moisture migration is prioritized as surface adsorption water, interparticle water, particle attached water, and capillary water. Innovate a method to quantify the change of pore space in the drying process by pore coefficient ratio to evaluate the drying quality. The results show that when the pore coefficient ratio is about 40 %, its moisture content is 20 %∼30 %, and the drying effect is best at this time. The physical drying test further confirmed the correctness of the conclusion of the drying stage division and water loss law. This study can provide a theoretical reference for the modeling study of the pore structure of the block matrix and the exploration of its drying mechanism.

Drought-induced stress poses a significant challenge to wheat throughout its growth, underscoring the importance of identifying drought-stable quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for enhancing grain yield. Here, we evaluated 18 yield-related agronomic and physiological traits, along with their drought tolerance indices, in a recombinant inbred line population derived from the XC7 × XC21 cross. These evaluations were conducted under both non-stress and drought-stress conditions. Drought stress significantly reduced grain weight per spike and grain yield per plot. Genotyping the recombinant inbred line population using the wheat 90K single nucleotide polymorphism array resulted in the identification of 131 QTLs associated with the 18 traits. Drought stress also exerted negative impacts on grain formation and filling, directly leading to reductions in grain weight per spike and grain yield per plot. Among the identified QTLs, 43 were specifically associated with drought tolerance across the 18 traits, with 6 showing direct linkages to drought tolerance in wheat. These results provide valuable insights into the genetic mechanisms governing wheat growth and development, as well as the traits contributing to the drought tolerance index. Moreover, they serve as a theoretical foundation for the development of new wheat cultivars having exceptional drought tolerance and high yield potentials under both drought-prone and drought-free conditions.

Abstract Background To assess the accuracy of contrast sensitivity function (CSF) in detecting dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON) at an early stage in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) patients and to examine potential factors that may be linked to early visual impairments in these individuals. Methods A total of 81 TAO patients (50 non-DON and 31 DON), and 24 control subjects participated in the study. CSF was measured with the quick CSF (qCSF) method. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) images of the ganglion cell complex layer (GCCL), superficial and deep retinal capillary plexuses (SRCP and DRCP) in a 3 mm diameter area around the macula were evaluated. Results Compared with the controls, the area under the log contrast sensitivity function (AULCSF) and SRCP density were significantly reduced in non-DON and DON patients (all P

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is a reliability analysis method that analysis all possible failure modes for each product in a system and all possible effects of failure modes on the system, to classify each failure mode and to propose solutions and preventative measures. It is undeniable that the traditional FMEA method has been widely criticized for its simple scoring and single algorithm. To improve the usability of FMEA, hesitation fuzzy preference relation sets (HFPRs) based on hesitant fuzzy sets have been introduced into FMEA research because of their good fuzziness and uncertainty properties. Most existing consistency-based algorithms for HFPR processing, however, do not consider the possible coherence deviation of the reluctant fuzzy set itself, which includes multiplicative consistency (MC) theory, which will result in the reduced accuracy of results from such algorithms, in addition to not supporting group decision-making well in heterogeneous environments. At the same time, when building a group consensus, constantly adjusting HFPRs through group decision feedback can easily lead to conservative or radical scoring by experts. Therefore, an excellent hybrid FMEA assessment method is studied in this paper. In this approach, an extended multiplicative consistency equation is constructed by extending the applicability of MC in the treatment of HFPR, and on this basis, a mathematical model with the ability to deal with sets of heterogeneous fuzzy preference relations (H-HFPRs) is constructed. Lastly, based on the predictability principle of the occurrence level (O), a scoring correction algorithm is constructed based on group consensus theory to reduce the conservative or aggressive bias of the expert group in the results. The new method was used in the risk assessment of Change oilfield subsea pipeline engineering, and the results were compared with several existing methods to verify the effectiveness and advancement of the proposed method.

Seed vigor is a crucial indicator comprehensively assessing the quality of seeds, reflecting the growth advantage and production potential of seeds, and has a significant effect on seeds’ stress resistance. Identifying and controlling loci related to wheat seed vigor is essential for accelerating genetic trait gains. Here, we performed a large genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify several significant quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with seed vigor-related traits. A total of 404 wheat samples with diverse genetic backgrounds were used as experimental materials. Twenty-eight loci significantly associated with seed vigor-related traits in wheat were identified, distributed on chromosomes 3A, 4A, 5B, 7A, and 7B. Two potential novel loci controlling wheat seed vigor were discovered, with a total of 80 candidate genes associated with seed vigor located on these loci. Among them, TraesCS4A01G020000.1 encodes a late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) protein gene, and TraesCS5B01G298500.1 encodes a helicase gene, both showing specific expression in seeds and highly correlated with seed vigor. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights for the future application of these genes in wheat breeding.

Drought stress can seriously affect the yield and quality of wheat (Triticum aestivum). So far, although few wheat heat shock transcription factors (Hsfs) have been found to be involved in the stress response, the biological functions of them, especially the members of the HsfC (heat shock transcription factor C) subclass, remain largely unknown. Here, we identified a class C encoding gene, TaHsfC3-4, based on our previous omics data and analyzed its biological function in transgenic plants. TaHsfC3-4 encodes a protein containing 274 amino acids and shows the basic characteristics of the HsfC class. Gene expression profiles revealed that TaHsfC3-4 was constitutively expressed in many tissues of wheat and was induced during seed maturation. TaHsfC3-4 could be upregulated by PEG and abscisic acid (ABA), suggesting that this Hsf may be involved in the regulation pathway depending on ABA in drought resistance. Further results represented that TaHsfC3-4 was localized in the nucleus but had no transcriptional activation activity. Notably, overexpression of TaHsfC3-4 in Arabidopsis thaliana pyr1pyl1pyl2pyl4 (pyr1pyl124) quadruple mutant plants complemented the ABA-hyposensitive phenotypes of the quadruple mutant including cotyledon greening, root elongation, seedling growth, and increased tolerance to drought, indicating positive roles of TaHsfC3-4 in the ABA signaling pathway and drought tolerance. Furthermore, we identified TaHsfA2-11 as a TaHsfC3-4-interacting protein by yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) screening. The experimental data show that TaHsfC3-4 can indeed interact with TaHsfA2-11 in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, transgenic Arabidopsis TaHsfA2-11 overexpression lines exhibited enhanced drought tolerance, too. In summary, our study confirmed the role of TaHsfC3-4 in response to drought stress and provided a target locus for marker-assisted selection breeding to improve drought tolerance in wheat.

Hybridization is a widely used breeding technique in fish species that enhances desirable traits in cultured species through heterosis. However, the mechanism by which hybrids alter gene expression to form heterosis remains unclear. In this study, a group of hybrid tilapia was used to elucidate heterosis through interspecies crossing. Specifically, p38 was analyzed to describe the regulation of gene expression variation in hybrid tilapia. Transcripts from the Nile tilapia allele were found to be significantly higher than those from the blue tilapia allele in hybrid individuals, indicating that the expression of p38 was dominated by Nile tilapia sub-genomic alleles. The study also found a compensatory interaction of cis- and trans-acting elements of the Nile tilapia and blue tilapia sub-genomes, inducing a non-additive expression of p38 in hybrids. Eight specific SNPs were identified in the p38 promoter regions of Nile tilapia and blue tilapia, and were found to be promoter differences leading to differences in gene expression efficiencies between parental alleles using a dual-luciferase reporter system. This study provides insights into the non-additive expression patterns of key functional genes in fish hybrids related to growth and immunity response.

Abstract Merocyanine dyes are of great interest amongst researchers due to their nonlinear optical (NLO) properties and solvatochromism. Molecular structure of these dyes constitutes conjugated pathway between the donor and acceptor substituents, with lowest energy transition of $$\mathrm \pi$$ π – $$\mathrm \pi$$ π * character. To rationalize the design of these dyes and deduce structure-property relationship, it is eminent to unravel the excited state dynamics in these complex molecular structures in different solvents. Here we have studied excited state dynamics of a merocyanine dye known as HB194, which has shown commendable efficiency in small molecule based bulk heterojuction solar cells. We have employed femtosecond transient absorption in combination with the quantum chemistry calculations to unravel the solvent dependent charge transfer dynamics of HB194. The excited state decays of the HB194 in different solvents show multi-exponential components. The analysis of the time-resolved data reveals that the polar solvents induce conformationally relaxed intramolecular charge transfer state. In non-polar solvent cyclohexane, only solvent-stabilized ICT state is observed. Additionally, we observe an anomalously red-shifted emission in ethylene glycol centred at $$\sim$$ ∼ 750 nm. Our computational calculations suggest the presence of molecular dimers resulting into observed red-shifted emission band. Our work therefore underscores the importance of gathering molecular-level insight into the system-bath interactions for designing next generation merocynanine-based solvatochromic dyes.

Spike traits play an important role in improving wheat yield. However, the application of reported spike-related loci remains unclear. Here, we assessed six spike-related traits across seven different environments using 406 wheat accessions. A negative correlation was observed between two components of wheat yield: thousand kernel weight (TKW) and grain number per spike (GN). Nonetheless, TKW and GN were significantly higher in modern cultivars compared to landraces. Two reliable quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to GN, QGN.nwafu-4A and QGN.nwafu-7A, were identified through genome-wide associate analysis. QGN.nwafu-4A showed pleiotropy on GN, kernel number per spikelet and spike length. Both elite haplotypes of QGN.nwafu-7A were prominently present in Chinese modern cultivars, particularly those released after the year 2000. Elite haplotype A of QGN.nwafu-7A was significantly prevalent in Chinese Yellow and Huai wheat zone, while elite haplotype D of QGN.nwafu-7A was concentrated in other wheat-growing regions of China. This observation suggests distinct preferences in wheat cultivation across various agro-ecological regions. Conversely, elite haplotype A of QGN.nwafu-4A was more common in introduced cultivars from abroad. This divergence may be attributed to the reduced TKW of haplotype A. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights into the application of these two QTLs in high-yield wheat breeding.

In the last decade and a half, the world has experienced outbreaks of a range of viruses such as COVID-19, H1N1, flu, Ebola, Zika virus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), measles, and West Nile virus, just to name a few. During these virus outbreaks, the usage and effectiveness of social media platforms increased significantly, as such platforms served as virtual communities, enabling their users to share and exchange information, news, perspectives, opinions, ideas, and comments related to the outbreaks. Analysis of this Big Data of conversations related to virus outbreaks using concepts of Natural Language Processing such as Topic Modeling has attracted the attention of researchers from different disciplines such as Healthcare, Epidemiology, Data Science, Medicine, and Computer Science. The recent outbreak of the MPox virus has resulted in a tremendous increase in the usage of Twitter. Prior works in this area of research have primarily focused on the sentiment analysis and content analysis of these Tweets, and the few works that have focused on topic modeling have multiple limitations. This paper aims to address this research gap and makes two scientific contributions to this field. First, it presents the results of performing Topic Modeling on 601,432 Tweets about the 2022 Mpox outbreak that were posted on Twitter between 7 May 2022 and 3 March 2023. The results indicate that the conversations on Twitter related to Mpox during this time range may be broadly categorized into four distinct themes—Views and Perspectives about Mpox, Updates on Cases and Investigations about Mpox, Mpox and the LGBTQIA+ Community, and Mpox and COVID-19. Second, the paper presents the findings from the analysis of these Tweets. The results show that the theme that was most popular on Twitter (in terms of the number of Tweets posted) during this time range was Views and Perspectives about Mpox. This was followed by the theme of Mpox and the LGBTQIA+ Community, which was followed by the themes of Mpox and COVID-19 and Updates on Cases and Investigations about Mpox, respectively. Finally, a comparison with related studies in this area of research is also presented to highlight the novelty and significance of this research work.

Currently, the deep integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing has improved the computing capability of the IoT perception layer. Existing offloading techniques for edge computing suffer from the single problem of solidifying offloading policies. Based on this, combined with the characteristics of deep reinforcement learning, this paper investigates a computation offloading optimization scheme for the perception layer. The algorithm can adaptively adjust the computational task offloading policy of IoT terminals according to the network changes in the perception layer. Experiments show that the algorithm effectively improves the operational efficiency of the IoT perceptual layer and reduces the average task delay compared with other offloading algorithms.

PurposeTo quantify the retinal vessel density in thyroid-associated ophthalmology (TAO) patients with visual field (VF) defect and examine its associations with mechanical and system vascular risk factors for underlying pathogenesis of VF defect in TAO.MethodsThe cohort was composed of 62 TAO eyes (39 with VF defect and 23 without VF defect). The pulse pressure (PP), intraocular pressure (IOP), ophthalmic rectus muscular index (MI), superficial retinal capillary plexus (SRCP), radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) density, and other related parameters were measured. The associations among these factors and VF mean deviation (MD) were analyzed.ResultsIn TAO patients with VF defect, reduced RPC density, higher PP, and larger horizontal and vertical MI were found (all P < 0.03) when compared to TAO patients without VF defect. The RPC density was correlated with VF MD value (r = 0.242, P = 0.029), while SRCP density was not (P = 0.419). In univariable general estimating equation (GEE) analysis with RPC density as the outcome, PP and its fluctuation showed a significant association (both P < 0.04). In the final RPC model with multivariable GEE analysis, only PP (β = -0.082, P = 0.029) showed significance while PP fluctuation (P = 0.080) did not.ConclusionsThe elevated PP was correlated with reduced retinal peripapillary perfusion in TAO resulting in VF defect. These data suggested that the system vascular factor may be important in the pathogenesis of reduced retinal perfusion resulting in visual impairment in TAO.

PurposeTo investigate changes in local spontaneous brain activity in patients with active thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) and explore the relationship between such alterations and microvascular indices.MethodsThirty-six active TAO patients with active phase and 39 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in this study. All participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), neuropsychological tests, and ophthalmological examinations. The rs-fMRI-based fractional low-frequency fluctuation amplitude (fALFF) analysis methods were used to assess spontaneous brain activity in both groups. The structure (peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer, pRNFL) and microvascular indices (the optic nerve head (ONH) whole image vessel density, ONH-wiVD, and peripapillary vessel density) were analyzed through optical coherence tomographic angiography imaging. The relationship between abnormal spontaneous brain activity and ophthalmological indices was analyzed using the Spearman’s rank correlation analysis.ResultsCompared with HCs, active TAO patients had increased fALFF in the right inferior temporal gyrus (R.ITG) and left posterior cingulate gyrus (L.PCC), but decreased fALFF in the right calcarine (R.CAL). The fALFF values in L.PCC were positively correlated with peripapillary vessel density, whereas fALFF values in R.CAL were negatively related to peripapillary vessel density.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that changes in spontaneous brain activity of active TAO are accompanied by peripapillary microvascular variations. These results provide insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of active TAO. In addition, the combination of fALFF values and peripapillary vessel density may be served as important references for better clinical decision making.

In order to enhance the performance of the epoxy resin-prepared materials, straw fiber was used as the reinforcing base in this study. The principle of this study is to use the cellulose component exposed after the defibrillation of straw fiber can be further combined with the epoxy group. Firstly, the degree of defibrillation of straw fiber under three different pretreatment methods of acid, alkali and moist heat treatment was explored, and a control test was conducted with untreated straw fiber, which showed that the defibrillation of the straw fiber after alkali treatment was better than the other two methods. Secondly, to prove the comprehensive effect of the pretreatment method and straw fiber filling amount on the composite material performance, this paper carried out a tensile, bending, density and water absorption test. The results showed that when the straw fiber filling was 15%, the best performance of the composites was achieved by the alkali treatment, with tensile strength and tensile modulus reaching 1.89 KN and 3.92 MPa, bending strength and bending modulus reaching 2.00 KN and 81.65 MPa, average water absorption reaching 2.77%, and density reaching 0.957 g/cm3. Finally, the results were verified using Image J software was used for verification. After comparison, the material meets the basic requirements of high-density fiberboard material and provides a reference for preparing straw epoxy resin composites.

High temperature has severely affected plant growth and development, resulting in reduced production of crops worldwide, especially wheat. Alternative splicing (AS), a crucial post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism, is involved in the growth and development of eukaryotes and the adaptation to environmental changes. Previous transcriptome data suggested that heat shock transcription factor (Hsf) TaHsfA2-7 may form different transcripts by AS. However, it remains unclear whether this post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism of TaHsfA2-7 is related to thermotolerance in wheat (Triticum aestivum). Here, we identified a novel splice variant, TaHsfA2-7-AS, which was induced by high temperature and played a positive role in thermotolerance regulation in wheat. Moreover, TaHsfA2-7-AS is predicted to encode a small truncated TaHsfA2-7 isoform, retaining only part of the DNA-binding domain (DBD). TaHsfA2-7-AS is constitutively expressed in various tissues of wheat. Notably, the expression level of TaHsfA2-7-AS is significantly up-regulated by heat shock (HS) during flowering and grain-filling stages in wheat. Further studies showed that TaHsfA2-7-AS was localized in the nucleus but lacked transcriptional activation activity. Ectopic expression of TaHsfA2-7-AS in yeast exhibited improved thermotolerance. Compared to non-transgenic plants, overexpression of TaHsfA2-7-AS in Arabidopsis results in enhanced tolerance to heat stress. Simultaneously, we also found that TaHsfA1 is directly involved in the transcriptional regulation of TaHsfA2-7 and TaHsfA2-7-AS. In summary, our findings demonstrate the function of TaHsfA2-7-AS splicing variant in response to heat stress and establish a link between regulatory mechanisms of AS and the improvement of thermotolerance in wheat.

Purpose. The aim of the study is to compare a non-contact tonometer (NCT) and goldmann applannation tonometer (GAT) in the evaluation of intraocular pressure (IOP) and mean ocular perfusion pressure (MOPP) in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). Methods. In this study, a total of 30 patients (16 females and 14 males) were recruited. All patients underwent a routine ophthalmic assessment and their medical history was acquired. Clinical assessment included the 24-hour measurement of intraocular pressure and blood pressure, an orbital computed tomography (CT) scan, and a visual field (VF）test. Patients were divided into two groups according to their visual field test results: a defect group with mean deviation (MD) of visual field −2 dB or lower and a normal group with MD over −2 dB. Results. Bland–Altman’s analysis showed similar results of IOP at every time point and revealed an agreement of mean IOP between the two tonometers (the deviation in the mean IOP between the two tonometers was 1 mmHg, with 95% limits of agreement of 8.8 to −6.8 mmHg). The 24-hour MOPP SD value in NCT (2.28) and GAT (1.77) showed that the two instruments had the same diagnostic efficacy (100% sensitivity, 95.8% specificity). The areas under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve of the 24-hour mean ocular perfusion pressure (MOPP) SD (GAT: 0.778, NCT: 0.713; z = 0.669, P=0.504), 24-hour MOPP fluctuation (GAT:0.683, NCT:0.757; z = 0.963, P=0.336) measured by GAT and NCT had no significant difference between the two tonometers. Conclusions. The measurement of IOPs, MOPPs, and their diagnostic efficacy of visual field defect showed consistency between NCT and GAT. The study highlights the importance of monitoring the 24-hour MOPP and IOP in TAO patients. Furthermore, it suggests that the less invasive NCT can replace GAT as a long-term monitoring device in TAO patients.

Ensuring the shear capacity of concrete structures is crucial. The vertical prestressed steel bar (VPSB) strengthening method is effective for improving the shear behaviour of concrete structures. Four concrete beams are investigated to reveal the effect of VPSBs on the shear capacity of concrete beams without web reinforcement. Test results indicate that the shear capacity of the test beam strengthened by VPSBs in the beam is significantly increased by more than 95%, and the failure mode of the test beam changes from diagonal tension failure to shear compression failure. Additionally, the results provide insights into the strengthening mechanism of VPSBs, i.e., the shear contribution of the VPSBs can be categorised into two stages. The vertical compressive stress provides shear contribution in the first stage and provides control in terms of crack development; meanwhile, in the second stage, the stirrup action by VPSBs contributes to shear.

Abstract Background Development of wheat cultivars with multiple disease resistance and high quality are major objectives in modern wheat breeding programs. Gene stacking is an efficient approach to achieve this target. In this study, we pyramided yellow rust resistance gene (Yr26), powdery mildew resistance gene (ML91260) and high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits Dx5 + Dy10 into the dwarf mutant of an elite wheat cultivar, Xiaoyan22. Results Six pyramided wheat lines were obtained by molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS) and field evaluation of disease resistance. The desirable agronomic traits of pyramided lines, their identity with the original cultivar Xiaoyan22 except for plant height, tiller number and disease resistance, was achieved in this study. Meanwhile, the yield of pyramided lines is higher than Xiaoyan22 in the field test. In addition, analysis of flour quality indicated that the dough stability time of pyramided lines was longer than that of Xiaoyan22. Conclusions Six pyramided wheat lines with two disease resistance and high quality were achieved in this study. It is feasible to improve multiple agronomic traits simultaneously by rational application of MAS.

Background: Browning of white adipose tissues (WAT) is recognized as a novel way to combat obesity and its related comorbidities. Thus, a lot of dietary agents contributing to browning of WAT have been identified. Objective: In this study, we try to explore the mechanism of the browning of WAT induced by resveratrol (Res) in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Methods: The levels of cell viability and lipid accumulation were evaluated under different concentrations of Res. Cell signaling pathway analysis was performed to investigate the possible mechanisms of the WAT browning effect of Res in 3T3-L1 cells. Results: We found that Res induced the brown fat-like phenotype by activating protein expressions of brown adipocyte-specific markers, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1α), and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). Besides, Res reduced lipid accumulation, as shown by Oil Red O staining. The increased small lipid droplets implied that Res-treated 3T3-L1 adipocytes had some features of brown adipocytes. The brown fat-like phenotype in 3T3-L1 adipocytes induced by Res was possibly mediated by activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), as brown adipocyte-specific markers were decreased by rapamycin, an inhibitor of mTOR and the MHY1485 treatment, an activator of mTOR, showed the similar effect of Res on browning markers. Conclusions: Res induced brown-like adipocyte phenotype in 3T3-L1 adipocytes partly via mTOR pathway, which provided new insights into the utilization of Res to prevent obesity and related comorbidities.

The ZIP (Zn-regulated, iron-regulated transporter-like protein) transporter plays an important role in regulating the uptake, transport, and accumulation of microelements in plants. Although some studies have identified ZIP genes in wheat, the significance of this family is not well understood, particularly its involvement under Fe and Zn stresses. In this study, we comprehensively characterized the wheat ZIP family at the genomic level and performed functional verification of three TaZIP genes by yeast complementary analysis and of TaZIP13-B by transgenic Arabidopsis. Totally, 58 TaZIP genes were identified based on the genome-wide search against the latest wheat reference (IWGSC_V1.1). They were then classified into three groups, based on phylogenetic analysis, and the members within the same group shared the similar exon-intron structures and conserved motif compositions. Expression pattern analysis revealed that the most of TaZIP genes were highly expressed in the roots, and nine TaZIP genes displayed high expression at grain filling stage. When exposed to ZnSO4 and FeCl3 solutions, the TaZIP genes showed differential expression patterns. Additionally, six ZIP genes responded to zinc-iron deficiency. A total of 57 miRNA-TaZIP interactions were constructed based on the target relationship, and three miRNAs were downregulated when exposed to the ZnSO4 and FeCl3 stresses. Yeast complementation analysis proved that TaZIP14-B, TaZIP13-B, and TaIRT2-A could transport Zn and Fe. Finally, overexpression of TaZIP13-B in Arabidopsis showed that the transgenic plants displayed better tolerance to Fe/Zn stresses and could enrich more metallic elements in their seeds than wild-type Arabidopsis. This study systematically analyzed the genomic organization, gene structure, expression profiles, regulatory network, and the biological function of the ZIP family in wheat, providing better understanding of the regulatory roles of TaZIPs and contributing to improve nutrient quality in wheat crops.

PAL (phenylalanine ammonia lyase) is important for secondary metabolite production in plants and microorganisms. There is broad interest in engineering PAL for its biocatalytic applications in industry, agriculture, and medicine. The production of quantities of high-activity enzymes has been explored by gene cloning and heterogeneous expression of the corresponding protein. Here, we cloned the cDNA of Rhodotorula glutinis PAL (RgPAL) and introduced codon optimization to improve protein expression in Escherichia coli and enzyme activities in vitro. The RgPAL gene was cloned by reverse transcription and named pal-wt. It had a full-length of 2,121 bp and encoded a 706-amino-acid protein. The pal-wt was inefficiently expressed in E. coli, even when the expression host and physical conditions were optimized. Therefore, codon optimization was used to obtain the corresponding gene sequence, named pal-opt, in order to encode the same amino acid for the RgPAL protein. The recombinant protein encoded by pal-opt, named PAL-opt, was successfully expressed in E. coli and then purified to detect its enzymatic activity in vitro. Consequently, 55.33 ± 0.88 mg/L of PAL-opt protein with a specific activity of 1,219 ± 147 U/mg and Km value of 609 μM for substrate L-phenylalanine was easily obtained. The enzyme protein also displayed tyrosine ammonia lyase (TAL)–specific activity of 80 ± 2 U/mg and Km value of 13.3 μM for substrate L-tyrosine. The bifunctional enzyme RgPAL/TAL (PAL-opt) and its easy expression advantage will provide an important basis for further applications.

To investigate whether resveratrol could ameliorate the hepatic steatosis in high-fat diet (HFD) fed mice by modulating gut microbiota composition, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was utilized in this study. Our results showed that resveratrol significantly ameliorated hepatic steatosis in HFD mice, increased the gene expression of fasting-induced adipose factor, and decreased the expression of lipogenesis-related genes and proteins (SREBP-1, FAS and ACC). In addition, resveratrol reversed HFD-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis, with an increase in the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and a decrease in that of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. Subsequent results showed the gut microbiota compositions of FMT recipient groups were similar to those of corresponding donor groups. And the changes of state of hepatic steatosis and expression of SREBP-1, ACC and FAS were coordinated with the results of gut microbiota. In conclusion, these results provided evidence to support the resveratrol could ameliorate the hepatic steatosis by modulating the gut microbiota.

Permafrost has been thawing faster due to climate change which would release greenhouse gases, change the hydrological regimes, affect buildings above, and so on. It is necessary to study the thawing process of frozen soil. A water-heat coupling model for frozen soil thawing is established on Darcy’s law and Heat Transfer in Porous Media interfaces in Comsol Multiphysics 5.5. Three curves of total liquid water volume, minimum temperature, and total heat flux in the thawing process are obtained from a numerical simulation. The distributions of liquid water, temperature, and pressure based on time are simulated too. The liquid water distribution is consistent with the total liquid water volume curve. The temperature distribution is confirmed by the minimum temperature and total heat flux curve. The pressure distribution represents ice in the frozen soil that generates negative pressure during the melting process. The numerical simulation research in this article deepens the understanding of the internal evolution in the process of frozen soil thawing and has a certain reference value for subsequent experimental research and related applications.

Scientific and effective operation control of the Middle Route of South-to-North Water Diversion Project (MRP) is crucial to ensure water conveyance safety. As the longest water transfer project in China, its operation is confronted with unprecedented difficulties since it is controlled by a large number of check gates and diversion gates, subject to multiple constraints, and has no online regulation reservoirs. No automatic control models have been successfully put into use yet. This paper firstly introduced an expanded downstream depth operation method, and then scheduled the delivery using the volume balance principle and chartography according to the possible combination of flow change of the check gate, water volume change of the pool and flow change of diversions. Next, an improved real-time control model was established on the basis of PI controller, and the models were integrated into an automatic system for daily operation. Finally, a case study was carried out. Results showed that water level variations could be controlled within the target interval (0.25 m), and users’ demands could be met five times more rapidly. In addition, the total times of check gate operation could be reduced almost two times. The findings could promote the intelligent operation of the MRP.

This paper presents improved digital shearing speckle pattern interferometry based on Rochon Prism. The advantage of this method is that it avoids the shadow noise caused by transmission light, which improves the shearography accuracy. By reducing the angle of divergence and coordinating the measuring distance and the precision coordinate, the beam-splitting path of the interference optical path is improved. Experimental results prove that the improved method contributes to the practical and instrumental application of shearography.

Promoting the browning of white fat may be a potential means of combating obesity. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of resveratrol (RES) on the body weight and browning of white fat in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice and the potential associated mechanism in vivo. Eight-week-old male mice were randomized to receive different treatments: (1), chow without any additional treatment (chow); (2), chow plus 0.4% resveratrol (chow-RES); (3), HFD without any additional treatment (HFD); and (4), HFD plus 0.4% resveratrol (HFD-RES). After 4 weeks of feeding, additional 8-week-old male recipient mice were randomly allocated to the following 4 treatments: (5), HFD and received feces from chow-fed mice; (6), HFD and received feces from chow-RES-fed mice; (7), HFD and received feces from HFD-fed mice; and (8), HFD and received feces from HFD-RES-fed mice. RES treatment significantly inhibited increases in fat accumulation, promoted the browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) and alleviated gut microbiota dysbiosis in HFD-fed mice. Subsequent analyses showed that the gut microbiota remodeling induced by resveratrol had a positive role in WAT browning, and sirtuin-1 (Sirt1) signaling appears to be a key component of this process. Overall, the results show that RES may serve as a potential intervention to reduce obesity by alleviating dysbiosis of the gut microbiota.

The objective of the current study was to determine the clinical significance of junctional adhesion molecule A (JAM-A) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the biological function of JAM-A in NSCLC cell lines. We showed that JAM-A is predominantly expressed in cell membranes and high expression of JAM-A occurred in 37% of lung tumor specimens compared to corresponding normal tissues. High expression of JAM-A was significantly correlated with TNM stage (P = 0.021), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.007), and decreased overall survival (P = 0.02), In addition, we observed that silencing JAM-A by small interfering RNA inhibited tumor cell proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest at the G1/S boundary. Western blotting analysis revealed that knockdown of JAM-A decreased the protein levels of cyclin D1, CDK4, 6, and P-Rb. Thus, JAM-A plays an important role in NSCLC progression.

Previously, we confirmed that C-C chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7) promotes cell proliferation via the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway, but its role in apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines remains unknown. A549 and H460 cells of NSCLC were used to examine the effect of CCL21/CCR7 on apoptosis using flow cytometry. The results showed that activation of CCR7 by its specific ligand, exogenous chemokine ligand 21 (CCL21), was associated with a significant decline in the percent of apoptosis. Western blot and real-time PCR assays indicated that activation of CCR7 significantly caused upregulation of anti-apoptotic bcl-2 and downregulation of pro-apoptotic bax and caspase-3, but not p53, at both protein and mRNA levels. CCR7 small interfering RNA significantly attenuated these effects of exogenous CCL21. Besides, PD98059, a selective inhibitor of MEK that disrupts the activation of downstream ERK, significantly abolished these effects of CCL21/CCR7. Coimmunoprecipitation further confirmed that there was an interaction between p-ERK and bcl-2, bax, or caspase-3, particularly in the presence of CCL21. These results strongly suggest that CCL21/CCR7 prevents apoptosis by upregulating the expression of bcl-2 and by downregulating the expression of bax and caspase-3 potentially via the ERK pathway in A549 and H460 cells of NSCLC.