Reliability of information can directly affect the accuracy of decision-making. Compared with classical fuzzy sets, Z-number takes into account the uncertainty in information generation process and ...reliability of information. Z-number can also be an intuitive and effective description form of decision information. Existing research on the distance measure of Z-number is rare, and most of the research works cannot reflect well the advantages of Z-information and the characteristics of Z-number. Given this research gap, this paper simultaneously considered the randomness and fuzziness of Z-number and defined the comprehensive weighted distance measure of Z-number. To extend classic VlseKriterijum-ska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method to the Z-information environment, we suggested the Z-VIKOR method based on the proposed distance measure. This method is convenient and effective for the direct computation of Z-numbers. We also provided an example of multicriteria decision-making for selecting regional circular economy development plan to illustrate the feasibility and validity of our proposed method. We then verified the applicability and superiority of our method through comparative analyses with other existing methods.
The scavenger receptor, class B type 1 (SR-B1), is a multiligand membrane receptor protein that functions as a physiologically relevant high-density lipoprotein (HDL) receptor whose primary role is ...to mediate selective uptake or influx of HDL-derived cholesteryl esters into cells and tissues. SR-B1 also facilitates the efflux of cholesterol from peripheral tissues, including macrophages, back to liver. As a regulator of plasma membrane cholesterol content, SR-B1 promotes the uptake of lipid soluble vitamins as well as viral entry into host cells. These collective functions of SR-B1 ultimately affect programmed cell death, female fertility, platelet function, vasculature inflammation, and diet-induced atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. SR-B1 has also been identified as a potential marker for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Finally, the SR-B1-linked selective HDL-cholesteryl ester uptake pathway is now being evaluated as a gateway for the delivery of therapeutic and diagnostic agents. In this review, we focus on the regulation and functional significance of SR-B1 in mediating cholesterol movement into and out of cells.
•Non-uniform wind farm’s design includes number, types and locations of turbines.•The mixed-integer-discrete-continuous optimization is solved by random search.•The extended random search outperforms ...the mixed-discrete PSO algorithm.•Whether non-uniform designs better depends on the capital costs comparison.•Better treat wind farms as non-uniform and consider multiple types of turbines.
Most studies on offshore wind farm design assume a uniform wind farm, which consists of an identical type of wind turbines. In order to further reduce the cost of energy, we investigate the design of non-uniform offshore wind farms, i.e., wind farms with multiple types of wind turbines and hub-heights. Given a set of different types of wind turbines with a different default hub height for each type, we can specify the design of a wind farm by the types of turbines, number of turbines for each type, and turbine locations. We consider the optimization of such design to minimize the levelized cost of energy, which is calculated using a capital cost model that covers the turbine cost and the balance of plant cost. An empirical wind turbine design cost and scaling model is utilized to model the cost of turbines with different sizes. Constraints on wind farm boundary, wind turbine proximity and total capacity are also included. We solve the problem with a newly developed extended random search algorithm and tested it in a realistic design optimization problem based on the Horns Rev 1 offshore wind farm in Denmark. The optimized non-uniform designs are compared with their uniform counterparts. We find that a non-uniform design can achieve a lower levelized cost of energy than its uniform counterparts, when the capital cost per MW is slightly lower for the smaller size turbine. Comparison with the mixed-discrete particle swarm optimization algorithm is also carried out for a non-uniform wind farm design problem with a fixed number of turbines, which shows the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed algorithm. Finally, the advantages and possible disadvantages of non-uniform design are also identified and discussed.
Chromatin-based epigenetic information plays an important role in developmental gene regulation, in response to environment, and in natural variation of gene expression levels. Histone H3 lysine 4 ...di/trimethylation (H3K4me2/3) is abundant in euchromatin and is generally associated with transcriptional activation. Strikingly, however, enzymes catalyzing H3K4me2/3 remain poorly characterized in crops so far.
Here, we investigated the function of the rice SET DOMAIN GROUP 701 (SDG701) gene by molecular and biochemical characterization of the gene product, and by studying effects of its loss or gain of function on plant growth and development.
We demonstrated that SDG701 encodes a methytransferase specifically catalyzing H3K4 methylation. Overexpression and knockdown experiments showed that SDG701 is crucial for proper sporophytic plant development as well as for gametophytic transmission that directly impacts rice grain production. In-depth analysis of plant flowering time revealed that SDG701 promotes rice flowering under either long-day or short-day photoperiods. Consistently, the SDG701 protein was found to bind chromatin to promote H3K4me3 and to enhance expression of the rice Hd3a and RFT1 florigens.
Collectively, our results establish SDG701 as a major rice H3K4-specific methyltransferase and provide important insights into function of H3K4me3 deposition in transcription activation of florigens in promoting plant flowering.
In recent years, Pickering emulsions have emerged as a new method and have attracted much attention in the fields of food sciences. Unlike conventional emulsions, Pickering emulsions are stabilized ...by solid particles, which can irreversibly adsorb on the oil-water interface to form a dense film to prevent the aggregation of droplets. The research and development of food-grade solid particles are increasingly favored by scientific researchers. Compared with conventional emulsions, Pickering emulsions have many advantages, such as fewer using amounts of emulsifiers, biocompatibility and higher safety, which may offer feasibility to have broad application prospects in a wide range of fields. In this article, we review the preparation methods, stabilization mechanism, degradation of Pickering emulsions. We also summarize its applications in food sciences in recent years and discuss its future prospects and challenges in this work.
For shade‐intolerant plants, changes in light quality through competition from neighbors trigger shade avoidance syndrome (SAS): a series of morphological and physiological adaptations that are ...ultimately detrimental to plant health and crop yield. Phytochrome‐interacting factor 7 (PIF7) is a major transcriptional regulator of SAS in Arabidopsis; however, how it regulates gene expression is not fully understood. Here, we show that PIF7 directly interacts with the histone chaperone anti‐silencing factor 1 (ASF1). The ASF1‐deprived asf1ab mutant showed defective shade‐induced hypocotyl elongation. Histone regulator homolog A (HIRA), which mediates deposition of the H3.3 variant into chromatin, is also involved in SAS. RNA/ChIP‐sequencing analyses identified the role of ASF1 in the direct regulation of a subset of PIF7 target genes. Furthermore, shade‐elicited gene activation is accompanied by H3.3 enrichment, which is mediated by the PIF7‐ASF1‐HIRA regulatory module. Collectively, our data reveal that PIF7 recruits ASF1‐HIRA to increase H3.3 incorporation into chromatin to promote gene transcription, thus enabling plants to effectively respond to environmental shade.
Synopsis
In Arabidopsis, the transcription factor PIF7 plays a dominant role in ameliorating the impact shade conditions have on fitness. In this study, a PIF7‐ASF1‐HIRA regulatory module is found to mediate H3.3 incorporation at a subset of shade‐responsive loci, leading to shade‐induced gene expression and morphological adaptation.
PIF7 recruits the ASF1‐HIRA complex under shade conditions
ASF1 and HIRA positively regulate shade‐induced hypocotyl elongation and define changes in gene expression
Shade increases ASF1 and H3.3 enrichment in the chromatin of a subset of PIF7 target genes
A PIF7‐ASF1‐HIRA regulatory module is responsible for H3.3 incorporation in the shade
When an Arabidopsis plant grows in shade, the transcription factor PIF7 triggers the adaptive growth response by guiding H3.3 deposition via the histone chaperone ASF1.
Designing highly conducting metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is currently a subject of great interest for their potential applications in diverse areas encompassing energy storage and generation. ...Herein, a strategic design in which a metal-sulfur plane is integrated within a MOF to achieve high electrical conductivity, is successfully demonstrated. The MOF {Cu
(6-Hmna)(6-mn)·NH
}
(1, 6-Hmna = 6-mercaptonicotinic acid, 6-mn = 6-mercaptonicotinate), consisting of a two dimensional (-Cu-S-)
plane, is synthesized from the reaction of Cu(NO
)
, and 6,6'-dithiodinicotinic acid via the in situ cleavage of an S-S bond under hydrothermal conditions. A single crystal of the MOF is found to have a low activation energy (6 meV), small bandgap (1.34 eV) and a highest electrical conductivity (10.96 S cm
) among MOFs for single crystal measurements. This approach provides an ideal roadmap for producing highly conductive MOFs with great potential for applications in batteries, thermoelectric, supercapacitors and related areas.
Background
Increasing evidence suggests that human gut microbiome plays an important role in variation of skeletal muscle mass (SMM). However, specific causal mechanistic relationship of human gut ...microbiome with SMM remains largely unresolved. Understanding the causal mechanistic relationship may provide a basis for novel interventions for loss of SMM. This study investigated whether human gut microbiome has a causal effect on SMM among Chinese community‐dwelling healthy menopausal women.
Methods
Estimated SMM was derived from whole‐body dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry. We performed integrated analyses on whole‐genome sequencing, shotgun metagenomic sequencing, and serum short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs), as well as available host SMM measurements among community‐dwelling healthy menopausal women (N = 482). We combined the results with summary statistics from genome‐wide association analyses for human gut microbiome (N = 952) and SMM traits (N = 28 330). As a prerequisite for causality, we used a computational protocol that was proposed to measure correlations among gut metagenome, metabolome, and the host trait to investigate the relationship between human gut microbiome and SMM. Causal inference methods were applied to assess the potential causal effects of gut microbial features on SMM, through one‐sample and two‐sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses, respectively.
Results
In metagenomic association analyses, the increased capacity for gut microbial synthesis of the SCFA butyrate was significantly associated with serum butyrate levels Spearman correlation coefficient (SCC) = 0.13, P = 0.02 and skeletal muscle index (SCC = 0.084, P = 0.002). Of interest was the finding that two main butyrate‐producing bacterial species were both positively associated with the increased capacity for gut microbial synthesis of butyrate Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (SCC = 0.25, P = 6.6 × 10−7) and Butyricimonas virosa (SCC = 0.15, P = 0.001) and for skeletal muscle index F. prausnitzii (SCC = 0.16, P = 6.2 × 10−4) and B. virosa (SCC = 0.17, P = 2.4 × 10−4). One‐sample MR results showed a causal effect between gut microbial synthesis of the SCFA butyrate and appendicular lean mass (β = 0.04, 95% confidence interval 0.029 to 0.051, P = 0.003). Two‐sample MR results further confirmed the causal effect between gut microbial synthesis of the SCFA butyrate and appendicular lean mass (β = 0.06, 95% confidence interval 0 to 0.13, P = 0.06).
Conclusions
Our results may help the future development of novel intervention approaches for preventing or alleviating loss of SMM.
Platinum‐catalyzed formal 5+2 and 4+2 annulations of isoxazoles with heterosubstituted alkynes enabled the atom‐economical synthesis of valuable 1,3‐oxazepines and 2,5‐dihydropyridines, respectively. ...Importantly, this Pt catalysis not only led to unique reactivity dramatically divergent from that observed under Au catalysis, but also proceeded via unprecedented α‐imino platinum carbene intermediates.
Gold's deviant relative: Platinum‐catalyzed formal 5+2 and 4+2 annulations of isoxazoles and heterosubstituted alkynes provided valuable 1,3‐oxazepines and 2,5‐dihydropyridines (see scheme). This reactivity deviates dramatically from that observed under gold catalysis and involves the generation of an α‐imino platinum carbene. A computational study provided evidence for the proposed mechanism of this unusual tandem sequence.
Summary
Chromatin modifications play important roles in plant adaptation to abiotic stresses, but the precise function of histone H3 lysine 36 (H3K36) methylation in drought tolerance remains poorly ...evaluated.
Here, we report that SDG708, a specific H3K36 methyltransferase, functions as a positive regulator of drought tolerance in rice. SDG708 promoted abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis by directly targeting and activating the crucial ABA biosynthesis genes NINE‐CIS‐EPOXYCAROTENOID DIOXYGENASE 3 (OsNCED3) and NINE‐CIS‐EPOXYCAROTENOID DIOXYGENASE 5 (OsNCED5).
Additionally, SDG708 induced hydrogen peroxide accumulation in the guard cells and promoted stomatal closure to reduce water loss. Overexpression of SDG708 concomitantly enhanced rice drought tolerance and increased grain yield under normal and drought stress conditions.
Thus, SDG708 is potentially useful as an epigenetic regulator in breeding for grain yield improvement.
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