Very recently, two hidden-charmed resonances Pc(4380) and Pc(4450) consistent with pentaquark states were observed at the LHCb detector. The two Pc states locate just below the D¯Σc⁎ and D¯⁎Σc ...thresholds with mass of gaps about 5 and 15 MeV, respectively. Inspired by this fact we perform a dynamical investigation about the D¯Σc⁎(2520) and D¯⁎Σc(2455) interactions which are described by the meson exchanges. A bound state which carries spin-parity JP=3/2− is produced from the D¯Σc⁎(2520) interaction, which is consistent with the Pc(4380) observed at the LHCb detector. From the D⁎Σc(2455) interaction, a bound state with 5/2+ is produced, which can be related to the Pc(4450). The results suggest that the Pc(4380) and Pc(4450) are good candidates of D¯Σc⁎(2520) and D¯⁎Σc(2455) molecular states, respectively.
Through combining a network-based pedestrian dynamics simulation model, simplified probabilistic structural damage assessment, and structural random vibration analysis, a fully random evacuation ...model is proposed for simulating and analyzing earthquake evacuation processes of multi-story buildings during earthquakes. The model simplifies the simulation of three-dimensional pedestrian dynamics, couples the emergency evacuation processes and damage processes of structures, and takes into account the randomness of pedestrian dynamics, structural damage, and earthquake excitation. The model can be used for the fast pre-evaluation or evaluation of the earthquake evacuation capabilities of multi-story buildings. The simulation and analysis of the earthquake evacuation process of a three-story office building, in which a total of 60 persons work in the first and second stories, illustrates the effectiveness and implementation of the proposed model.
Recent studies indicate that the ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR VII (ERF-VII) transcription factor is an important regulator of osmotic and hypoxic stress responses in plants. However, the molecular ...mechanism of ERF-VII-mediated transcriptional regulation remains unclear.
Here, we investigated the role of ERF74 (a member of the ERF-VII protein family) by examining the abiotic stress tolerance of an ERF74 overexpression line and a T-DNA insertion mutant using flow cytometry, transactivation and electrophoretic mobility shift assays.
35S::ERF74 showed enhanced tolerance to drought, high light, heat and aluminum stresses, whereas the T-DNA insertion mutant erf74 and the erf74;erf75 double mutant displayed higher sensitivity. Using flow cytometry analysis, we found that erf74 and erf74;erf75 lines lack the reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst in the early stages of various stresses, as a result of the lower expression level of RESPIRATORY BURST OXIDASE HOMOLOG D (RbohD). Furthermore, ERF74 directly binds to the promoter of RbohD and activates its expression under different abiotic stresses. Moreover, induction of stress marker genes and ROS-scavenging enzyme genes under various stress conditions is dependent on the ERF74–RbohD–ROS signal pathway.
We propose a pathway that involves ERF74 acting as an on–off switch controlling an RbohD-dependent mechanism in response to different stresses, subsequently maintaining hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) homeostasis in Arabidopsis.
To experimentally evaluate and numerically simulate seismic performance of 220 kV transformer-bushing systems, especially the bushings of the system, this study conducts a shake table test of a 1:2.5 ...reduced-scale 220 kV transformer-bushing system model and develops a three-dimensional finite element model for the system model based on the experimental results. The test shows that the bending flexibility of the cover plate of the transformer tank significantly influences the seismic responses of the bushings mounted on the tank and the ground motion amplification factors related to the bushings. In addition, the test also reveals that seismic performance in the x and y directions of the bushings are distinct from each other. The numerical simulation of the seismic responses of the system model shows that the developed finite element model is reasonable enough considering complexity of the system model and, moreover, can be extended to simulate seismic performance of the high-voltage transformer-bushing systems, including the 220 kV transformer-bushing systems.
Toxoplasma gondii remains a global public health problem. However, its pathophysiology is still not-completely understood particularly the impact of infection on host liver metabolism. We performed ...iTRAQ-based proteomic analysis to evaluate early liver protein responses in BALB/c mice following infection with T. gondii PYS strain (genotype ToxoDB#9) infection. Our data revealed modification of protein expression in key metabolic pathways, as indicated by the upregulation of immune response and downregulation of mitochondrial respiratory chain, and the metabolism of fatty acids, lipids and xenobiotics. T. gondii seems to hijack host PPAR signaling pathway to downregulate the metabolism of fatty acids, lipids and energy in the liver. The metabolism of over 400 substances was affected by the downregulation of genes involved in xenobiotic metabolism. The top 10 transcription factors used by upregulated genes were Stat2, Stat1, Irf2, Irf1, Sp2, Egr1, Stat3, Klf4, Elf1 and Gabpa, while the top 10 transcription factors of downregulated genes were Hnf4A, Ewsr1, Fli1, Hnf4g, Nr2f1, Pparg, Rxra, Hnf1A, Foxa1 and Foxo1. These findings indicate global reprogramming of the metabolism of the mouse liver after acute T. gondii infection. Functional characterization of the altered proteins may enhance understanding of the host responses to T. gondii infection and lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets.
Currently, social justice for the management of ecosystem services is promoted widely in international communities. Efforts have increased to develop indicators for justice assessment, but these are ...relatively static forms of results-oriented analysis without much understanding of the dynamics and pluralities of local justice in the management of ecosystem services. This research uses a novel perspective of everyday environmental justice (EEJ) to examine local practices of environmental justice in two protected areas in China where two different payments for ecosystem services (PES) schemes have been implemented. It demonstrates EEJ as a useful, process-oriented analysis that provides a deeper understanding of peoples’ everyday lives and their environmental management practices within the varied contexts of local justice. Everyday practices of EEJ highlight the spatiotemporal dynamics and plurality of justice, thereby offering a broader and more explicit conception of the distributive, procedural and recognition dimensions of environmental justice in local contexts. The research calls on policymakers and researchers to consider the everyday practices of EEJ with a heightened understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics of multidimensional justice.
Gastric cancer (GC) is a common malignancy and frequent cause of cancer-related death. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as important regulators and tissue-specific biomarkers of multiple ...cancers, including GC. Recent evidence has indicated that the novel lncRNA LINC01133 plays an important role in cancer progression and metastasis. However, its function and molecular mechanism in GC remain largely unknown.
LINC01133 expression was detected in 200 GC and matched non-cancerous tissues by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments were conducted to investigate the biological functions of LINC01133 both in vitro and in vivo. Insights into the underlying mechanisms of competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) were determined by bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assays, quantitative PCR arrays, TOPFlash/FOPFlash reporter assay, luciferase assay, and rescue experiments.
LINC01133 was downregulated in GC tissues and cell lines, and its low expression positively correlated with GC progression and metastasis. Functionally, LINC01133 depletion promoted cell proliferation, migration, and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in GC cells, whereas LINC01133 overexpression resulted in the opposite effects both in vitro and in vivo. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase assays revealed that miR-106a-3p was a direct target of LINC01133, which functioned as a ceRNA in regulating GC metastasis. Mechanistic analysis demonstrated that miR-106a-3p specifically targeted the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene, and LINC01133/miR-106a-3p suppressed the EMT and metastasis by inactivating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in an APC-dependent manner.
Our findings suggest that reduced expression of LINC01133 is associated with aggressive tumor phenotypes and poor patient outcomes in GC. LINC01133 inhibits GC progression and metastasis by acting as a ceRNA for miR-106a-3p to regulate APC expression and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, suggesting that LINC01133 may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker and anti-metastatic therapeutic target for GC.
As one of the most common human helminths, hookworm is a leading cause of maternal and child morbidity, which seriously threatens human health. Recently, wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) has been ...applied to automatic hookworm detection. Unfortunately, it remains a challenging task. In recent years, deep convolutional neural network (CNN) has demonstrated impressive performance in various image and video analysis tasks. In this paper, a novel deep hookworm detection framework is proposed for WCE images, which simultaneously models visual appearances and tubular patterns of hookworms. This is the first deep learning framework specifically designed for hookworm detection in WCE images. Two CNN networks, namely edge extraction network and hookworm classification network, are seamlessly integrated in the proposed framework, which avoid the edge feature caching and speed up the classification. Two edge pooling layers are introduced to integrate the tubular regions induced from edge extraction network and the feature maps from hookworm classification network, leading to enhanced feature maps emphasizing the tubular regions. Experiments have been conducted on one of the largest WCE datasets with 440K WCE images, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed hookworm detection framework. It significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches. The high sensitivity and accuracy of the proposed method in detecting hookworms shows its potential for clinical application.
Important progress has been made in understanding how immunity is elicited against Toxoplasma gondii – a complex pathogen with multiple mechanisms of immune evasion. Many vaccine candidates have been ...tested using various strategies in animal models. However, none of these strategies has delivered as yet, and important challenges remain in the development of vaccines that can eliminate the tissue cysts and/or fully block vertical transmission. In this review, we provide an overview of the current understanding of the host immune response to T. gondii infection and summarize the key limitations for the development of an effective, safe, and durable toxoplasmosis vaccine. We also discuss how the successes and failures in developing and testing vaccine candidates have provided a roadmap for future vaccine development.
There is a compelling need to develop a safe and effective toxoplasmosis vaccine.
Successful vaccination of domestic cats is the key step in reducing T. gondii transmission to humans and food-producing animals.
An effective toxoplasmosis vaccine must be able to induce both humoral and cellular immune responses, directed against multiple different proteins, at different stages of the parasite life cycle.
Live attenuated T. gondii strains offer good protection against toxoplasmosis, but the possibility of reversion to the virulent type remains possible.
There is a need to identify more immunogenic antigens, adjuvants, and antigen-delivery systems together with defining robust immunocorrelates of protection.
Having a standardized protocol for assessment of vaccine efficacy can facilitate the synergy between the results obtained by various research groups.
‘Omics’ technologies have revolutionized our understanding of the pathophysiology of toxoplasmosis, paving the way for development of a safe and effective vaccine.
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