FXYD proteins are novel regulators of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase (NKA). In fish subjected to salinity challenges, NKA activity in osmoregulatory organs (e.g., gills) is a primary driving force for the many ...ion transport systems that act in concert to maintain a stable internal environment. Although teleostean FXYD proteins have been identified and investigated, previous studies focused on only a limited group of species. The purposes of the present study were to establish the brackish medaka (Oryzias dancena) as a potential saltwater fish model for osmoregulatory studies and to investigate the diversity of teleostean FXYD expression profiles by comparing two closely related euryhaline model teleosts, brackish medaka and Japanese medaka (O. latipes), upon exposure to salinity changes. Seven members of the FXYD protein family were identified in each medaka species, and the expression of most branchial fxyd genes was salinity-dependent. Among the cloned genes, fxyd11 was expressed specifically in the gills and at a significantly higher level than the other fxyd genes. In the brackish medaka, branchial fxyd11 expression was localized to the NKA-immunoreactive cells in gill epithelia. Furthermore, the FXYD11 protein interacted with the NKA α-subunit and was expressed at a higher level in freshwater-acclimated individuals relative to fish in other salinity groups. The protein sequences and tissue distributions of the FXYD proteins were very similar between the two medaka species, but different expression profiles were observed upon salinity challenge for most branchial fxyd genes. Salinity changes produced different effects on the FXYD11 and NKA α-subunit expression patterns in the gills of the brackish medaka. To our knowledge, this report is the first to focus on FXYD expression in the gills of closely related euryhaline teleosts. Given the advantages conferred by the well-developed Japanese medaka system, we propose the brackish medaka as a saltwater fish model for osmoregulatory studies.
This article presents a single-conversion self-injection-locked (SIL) (SCSIL) hybrid mode radar with a novel frequency estimation algorithm, which improves the range resolution in a ...frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) mode and simultaneously detects the vital signs of multiple subjects in the CW mode. The system architecture includes an SIL oscillator (SILO), a frequency converter, two antennas, and a noncoherent frequency demodulator. Due to the frequency-phase relationship in the spectrum of the beat signal in the FMCW mode, the distance to the closely spaced subjects can be determined. Moreover, the algorithm will identify the most dominant component and remove it from the input signal, and the steps are repeated until the residual-to-input energy ratio is less than the threshold value. This iterative method can thus distinguish multiple signals whose frequencies are close to each other and can support a superresolution analysis in both FMCW and CW modes. In an experiment, the radar with a 150-MHz bandwidth and a sensing period of 20 s can simultaneously provide accurate range and vital sign information of two adjacent subjects with radial and azimuth spacings of 60 cm and 5°, respectively.
Milkfish (Chanos chanos), an important marine aquaculture species in southern Taiwan, show considerable euryhalinity but have low tolerance to sudden drops in water temperatures in winter. Here, we ...used high throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) to identify molecular and biological processes involved in the responses to environmental changes. Preliminary tests revealed that seawater (SW)-acclimated milkfish tolerated lower temperatures than the fresh water (FW)-acclimated group. Although FW- and SW-acclimated milkfish have different levels of tolerance for hypothermal stress, to date, the molecular physiological basis of this difference has not been elucidated. Here, we performed a next-generation sequence analysis of mRNAs from four groups of milkfish. We obtained 29669 unigenes with an average length of approximately 1936 base pairs. Gene ontology (GO) analysis was performed after gene annotation. A large number of genes for molecular regulation were identified through a transcriptomic comparison in a KEGG analysis. Basal metabolic pathways involved in hypothermal tolerance, such as glycolysis, fatty acid metabolism, amino acid catabolism and oxidative phosphorylation, were analyzed using PathVisio and Cytoscape software. Our results indicate that in response to hypothermal stress, genes for oxidative phosphorylation, e.g., succinate dehydrogenase, were more highly up-regulated in SW than FW fish. Moreover, SW and FW milkfish used different strategies when exposed to hypothermal stress: SW milkfish up-regulated oxidative phosphorylation and catabolism genes to produce more energy budget, whereas FW milkfish down-regulated genes related to basal metabolism to reduce energy loss.
Future wireless networks require the ability to actively adjust the wireless environment to meet strict performance indicators. Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) technology is gaining ...attention for its advantages of low power consumption, cost-effectiveness, and ease of deployment. However, existing channel models for RIS often ignore important properties, such as the impairment in the RIS's switch component and the polarization efficiency among antennas, limiting their practical use. In this article, we propose a new channel model for RIS that considers these ignored properties, including the reflected field, scattered field, and antenna resonant mode. We verify the proposed model through practical implementation of a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">4\times4 </tex-math></inline-formula> RIS array with patch antennas in the 3.5-GHz band, using a phase shifter as the switch component of an RIS element. The equivalent model of the phase shifter is also formulated and incorporated into the channel model. We propose a blind controlling algorithm to discuss the properties of our channel model and emphasize the importance of considering polarization and tracking mechanisms for the controlling algorithm. Our channel model is an improvement over existing models and can be used in the practical design of RIS technology. The proposed algorithm provides a practical approach to controlling the wireless environment, suitable for various wireless applications.
Noninvasive monitoring is an important Internet-of-Things application, which is made possible with the advances in radio-frequency based detection technologies. Existing techniques however rely on ...the use of antenna array and/or frequency modulated continuous wave radar to detect vital signs of multiple adjacent objects. Antenna size and limited bandwidth greatly limit the applicability. In this paper, we propose our system termed 'DeepMining' which is a single-antenna, narrowband Doppler radar system that can simultaneously track the respiration and heartbeat rates of multiple persons with high accuracy. DeepMining uses a number of signal observations over a period of time as input and returns the trajectory of the respiration and heartbeat rates of each person. The extraction is based on frequency separation algorithms using successive signal cancellation. The proposed system is implemented using the self-injection locking radar architecture and tested in a series of experiments, showing accuracies of 90% and 85% for two and three objects, respectively, even for closely located persons.
FXYD proteins are the regulators of sodium-potassium ATPase (Na+/K+-ATPase, NKA). In teleosts, NKA is a primary driving force for the operation of many ion transport systems in the osmoregulatory ...organs (e.g. intestines). Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine the expression of FXYD proteins and NKA α-subunit in the intestines of two closely related medakas (Oryzias dancena and O. latipes), which came from different salinity habitats and have diverse osmoregulatory capabilities, to illustrate the association between NKA and FXYD proteins of two medaka species in response to salinity changes. The results showed that the fxyd12 mRNA was the most predominant in the intestines of both medakas. The association of FXYD12 and NKA in the intestines of the two medaka species was demonstrated via double immunofluorescent staining and co-immunoprecipitation. Upon salinity challenge, the localization of FXYD12 and NKA was similar in the intestines of the two medaka species. However, the expression profiles of intestinal FXYD12 and NKA (mRNA and protein levels), as well as NKA activity differed between the medakas. These results showed that FXYD12 may play a role in modulating NKA activity in the intestines of the two medakas following salinity changes in the maintenance of internal homeostasis. These findings contributed to knowledge of the expression and potential role of vertebrate FXYD12, the regulators of NKA, upon salinity challenge.
This article presents the combination of a self-injection-locked (SIL) radar with frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) and switched phased-array (SPA) techniques to locate multiple people and ...detect their vital signs with high resolution and high sensitivity. The proposed system utilizes a subharmonic upconverter/downconverter with a 1.675-2.175-GHz chirp local oscillator (LO) signal to convert between a 2.45-GHz SIL IF signal and a 5.8-6.8-GHz FMCW RF signal. It transmits the FMCW RF signal and receives the echo signal using a transmit (Tx) antenna and a switched receive (Rx) antenna array, respectively, and processes the SIL IF signal to produce a range-azimuth map (RAM) that displays the positions of all people, their respiration rates (RRs), and their heart rates (HRs) in the monitoring region. The key advantage of combining the FMCW and SPA techniques is the provision of higher spatial resolution than obtained using each technique alone. This article also proposes a Doppler-weighted RAM to improve the identifiability of the images that are generated by two persons close to each other. Finally, the presented system was experimentally validated by measuring the locations and vital signs of up to five seated persons at a range of more than 1.5 m, of which two persons were seated almost shoulder by shoulder.
Milkfish is an important aquaculture species in Taiwan, and its high mortality during cold snaps in winter usually causes huge economic losses. To understand the effect of hypothermal stress and the ...corresponding compensatory stress response in milkfish, this study aimed to compare liver and gill protein levels between milkfish exposed to nonlethal (18°C), lethal (16°C), and control (28°C) temperatures. Using a proteomics approach based on two-dimensional electrophoresis and nano-LC-MS/MS analysis, this study identified thirty unique protein spots from milkfish livers and gills for which protein abundance was significantly different between nonlethal, lethal, and control temperature groups. Proteins identified in the liver were classified into three different categories according to their cellular function: (1) anti-oxidative stress, (2) apoptotic pathway, and (3) cytoskeleton. Similarly, proteins identified in the gill were sorted in five different functional categories: (1) cytoskeleton, (2) immune response, (3) protein quality control, (4) energy production, and (5) intracellular homeostasis. Based on functional information derived from the identified proteins, we assumed that different levels of hypothermal stress had a different effect and induced a different cellular response. Upon nonlethal hypothermal stress, the identified proteins were involved in anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammation pathways, suggesting that milkfish had high levels of oxidative stress in the liver and exhibited inflammation response in the gill. Upon lethal hypothermal stress, however, identified proteins were associated with apoptosis in the liver and regulation of intracellular homeostasis in the gill. The present study provided evidence to illustrate different multi-physiological responses to nonlethal and lethal hypothermal stress in milkfish livers and gills.
The introduction of non-indigenous aquatic species (NIASs) was identified as one of the major threats to aquatic ecosystems. Shipping is one of the potential invasive pathways for the introduction of ...marine NIASs, mainly via ballast water, sediments, and ship fouling. In addition, The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) aims to mitigate the introduction risk of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens (HAOPs) via ships’ ballast water and sediment. Some of these species can be very harmful and cause loss of biodiversity, adverse environmental consequences, and economic and social impacts. In this study, an empirical model based on the environmental similarity and the vessel characteristics was used to assess the risk associated with the ballast water, for the incoming vessels to the port of Kaohsiung and port of Riga. The priority for port state control (PSC) inspection was established and recommended for better ballast water management.
Pancreatic ribonuclease (RNase) is a secreted enzyme critical for host defense. We discover an intrinsic RNase function, serving as a ligand for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a member of ...receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The closely related bovine RNase A and human RNase 5 (angiogenin ANG) can trigger oncogenic transformation independently of their catalytic activities via direct association with EGFR. Notably, high plasma ANG level in PDAC patients is positively associated with response to EGFR inhibitor erlotinib treatment. These results identify a role of ANG as a serum biomarker that may be used to stratify patients for EGFR-targeted therapies, and offer insights into the ligand-receptor relationship between RNase and RTK families.
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•ANG acts as an EGFR ligand in an RNase catalytic-independent manner•Depletion of ANG highlights an oncogenic role of the ANG-EGFR axis in PDAC•High ANG level serves as a serum biomarker to predict erlotinib response•New insight into ligand-receptor relationship between RTK and RNase families
Wang et al. identify angiogenin (ANG) as a ligand for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). ANG-mediated EGFR activation can trigger oncogenic transformation, and high ANG in the plasma of pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients positively correlates with response to the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib.
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