Lysine succinylation is a novel dynamic and evolutionarily conserved post-translational modification (PTM) that regulates various biological processes. 'Anji Baicha' is an albino tea variety that ...exhibits temperature-based variability of leaf colour and amino acid concentrations. However, the mechanism underlying albinism in 'Anji Baicha' has not been investigated at the level of succinylation. Here, we identify 3530 lysine succinylation sites mapped to 2132 proteins in 'Anji Baicha', representing the first extensive data on the lysine succinylome in the tea plant. Eleven conserved succinylation motifs were enriched among the identified succinylated peptides. The protein-protein interaction maps were visualized using Cytoscape software. Comparison across three typical developmental stages of 'Anji Baicha' revealed that proteins exhibiting differential succinylation levels were primarily involved in photosynthesis, carbon fixation, biosynthesis of amino acids and porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, suggesting that these succinylated proteins are involved in 'Anji Baicha' leaf colour variability. These results not only deepen our understanding of the mechanism underlying 'Anji Baicha' albinism and the regulatory role of succinylation in the tea plant but also provide new insight into molecular breeding for leaf colour variety.
•PBDD/Fs, the emerging persistent organic pollutants, are focused.•PBDD/F analysis, toxicities and environmental occurrences are reviewed.•Potential sources and formation mechanisms of PBDD/Fs are ...critically discussed.•Current knowledge gaps and future directions for PBDD/F research are highlighted.
Polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PBDD/Fs) are emerging persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that have similar or higher toxicities than the notorious dioxins. Toxicities, formation mechanisms, and environmental fates of PBDD/Fs are lacking because accurate quantification, especially of higher brominated congeners, is challenging. PBDD/F analysis is difficult because of photolysis and thermal degradation and interference from polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Here, literatures on PBDD/F analysis and environmental occurrences are reviewed to improve our understanding of PBDD/F environmental pollution and human exposure levels. Although PBDD/Fs behave similarly to dioxins, different congener profiles between PBDD/Fs and dioxins in the environment indicates their different sources and formation mechanisms. Herein, potential sources and formation mechanisms of PBDD/Fs were critically discussed, and current knowledge gaps and future directions for PBDD/F research are highlighted. An understanding of PBDD/F formation pathways will allow for development of synergistic control strategies for PBDD/Fs, dioxins, and other dioxin-like POPs.
Public health studies indicate that artificial light is a high-risk factor for metabolic disorders. However, the neural mechanism underlying metabolic modulation by light remains elusive. Here, we ...found that light can acutely decrease glucose tolerance (GT) in mice by activation of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) innervating the hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus (SON). Vasopressin neurons in the SON project to the paraventricular nucleus, then to the GABAergic neurons in the solitary tract nucleus, and eventually to brown adipose tissue (BAT). Light activation of this neural circuit directly blocks adaptive thermogenesis in BAT, thereby decreasing GT. In humans, light also modulates GT at the temperature where BAT is active. Thus, our work unveils a retina-SON-BAT axis that mediates the effect of light on glucose metabolism, which may explain the connection between artificial light and metabolic dysregulation, suggesting a potential prevention and treatment strategy for managing glucose metabolic disorders.
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•Photoreception of ipRGCs mediates light modulation of glucose tolerance (GT) in mice•Hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus is essential for light modulation of GT in mice•Light modulates GT via a neuro circuit that alters adaptive thermogenesis in mice•Light modulates human GT at the temperature where brown adipose tissue is active
Identification of the neuro circuit connecting photoreception to adaptive thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue maps out the biological path mediating the effect of light on glucose metabolism, suggesting potential avenues for managing unintended consequences on metabolic homeostasis by light exposure.
Background
Dynamic in vivo changes in melanin in melasma lesions after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation have not been described.
Objectives
To determine whether melasma lesions and nearby ...perilesions demonstrated different adaptive responses to UV irradiation and whether the tanning responses were different among different locations on face.
Methods
We collected sequential images from real‐time cellular resolution full‐field optical coherence tomography (CRFF‐OCT) at melasma lesions and perilesions among 20 Asian patients. Quantitative and layer distribution analyses for melanin were performed using a computer‐aided detection (CADe) system that utilizes spatial compounding‐based denoising convolutional neural networks.
Results
The detected melanin (D) is melanin with a diameter >0.5 µm, among which confetti melanin (C) has a diameter of >3.3 µm and corresponds to a melanosome‐rich package. The calculated C/D ratio is proportional to active melanin transportation. Before UV exposure, melasma lesions had more detected melanin (p = 0.0271), confetti melanin (p = 0.0163), and increased C/D ratio (p = 0.0152) in the basal layer compared to those of perilesions. After exposure to UV irradiation, perilesions have both increased confetti melanin (p = 0.0452) and the C/D ratio (p = 0.0369) in basal layer, and this effect was most prominent in right cheek (p = 0.030). There were however no significant differences in the detected, confetti, or granular melanin areas before and after exposure to UV irradiation in melasma lesions in all the skin layers.
Conclusions
Hyperactive melanocytes with a higher baseline C/D ratio were noted in the melasma lesions. They were “fixed” on the plateau and were not responsive to UV irradiation regardless of the location on face. Perilesions retained adaptability with a dynamic response to UV irradiation, in which more confetti melanin was shed, mainly in the basal layer. Therefore, aggravating effect of UV on melasma was mainly due to UV‐responsive perilesions rather than lesions.
The neuroprotective properties of ginsenosides have been found to reverse the neurological damage caused by oxidation in many neurodegenerative diseases. However, the distribution of ginsenosides in ...different tissues of the main root, which was regarded as the primary medicinal portion in clinical practice was different, the specific parts and specific components against neural oxidative damage were not clear. The present study aims to screen and determine the potential compounds in different parts of the main root in ginseng. Comparison of the protective effects in the main root, phloem and xylem of ginseng on hydrogen peroxide-induced cell death of SH-SY5Y neurons was investigated. UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS was used to quickly and comprehensively characterize the chemical compositions of the active parts. Network pharmacology combined with a molecular docking approach was employed to virtually screen for disease-related targets and potential active compounds. By comparing the changes before and after Content-Effect weighting, the compounds with stronger anti-nerve oxidative damage activity were screened out more accurately. Finally, the activity of the selected monomer components was verified. The results suggested that the phloem of ginseng was the most effective part. There were 19 effective compounds and 14 core targets, and enriched signaling pathway and biological functions were predicted. After Content-Effect weighting, compounds Ginsenosides F1, Ginsenosides Rf, Ginsenosides Rg
and Ginsenosides Rd were screened out as potential active compounds against neural oxidative damage. The activity verification study indicated that all four predicted ginsenosides were effective in protecting SH-SY5Y cells from oxidative injury. The four compounds can be further investigated as potential lead compounds for neurodegenerative diseases. This also provides a combined virtual and practical method for the simple and rapid screening of active ingredients in natural products.
Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) generate intrinsic fluorescence and improve the aqueous stability of graphene oxide (GO) while maintaining wide chemical adaptability and high adsorption capacity. ...Despite GO's remarkable advantages in bio-imaging, bio-sensing, and other biomedical applications, many experiments and simulations have focused on the biosafety of GQDs. Here, we review the findings on the biosafety of GQDs from experiments; then, we review the results from simulated interactions with biological membranes, DNA molecules, and proteins; finally, we examine the intersection between experiments and simulations. The biosafety results from simulations are explained in detail. Based on the literature and our experiments, we also discuss the trends toward GQDs with better biosafety.
Schemetic diagram of the mechanism of GQD-induced cytotoxicity.
The thermal coupled equivalent circuit model provides a vital role not only in accurate and reliable state monitoring, but also in effective thermal management of lithium-ion batteries. However, it ...lacks appropriate modeling strategies for including both the temperature and state of charge effects into the thermal coupled equivalent circuit model. In this study, a unified artificial neural network based thermal coupled equivalent circuit model approach is proposed to accurately and reliably capture the electrical and thermal dynamics of lithium-ion batteries. Both reversible and irreversible heat generation mechanisms are introduced in the thermal model. The quantitative relationship between circuit parameters and temperature/state of charge in equivalent circuit model is modeled by artificial neural network. Both electrical and thermal related parameters are simultaneously identified by means of least square strategy with l1-norm penalty on output weights in artificial neural network and positive constraints on circuit parameters. The effectiveness of the proposed artificial neural network based thermal coupled equivalent circuit model approach is validated by the experimental constant current discharge, pulse current discharge test and hybrid pulse power characterization test of a commercial large-format pouch-type lithium-ion battery. It implies that the proposed hybrid modeling strategy can provide a general framework for the inclusion of other effects such as health state and current into battery models and can be easily extended to more complicated models such as first-principle electrochemical-thermal model.
•A thermal coupled equivalent circuit model is proposed.•The circuit parameters are modeled by artificial neural network.•The l1-norm penalty approach is proposed to reduce the model complexity.•The effectiveness of proposed approach is validated by different battery tests.
Wound management remains a great challenge for clinicians due to the complex physiological process of wound healing. Porous silicon (PSi) with controlled pore morphology, abundant surface chemistry, ...unique photonic properties, good biocompatibility, easy biodegradation and potential bioactivity represent an exciting class of materials for various biomedical applications. In this review, we focus on the recent progress of PSi in the design of advanced sensing and delivery systems for wound management applications. Firstly, we comprehensively introduce the common type, normal healing process, delaying factors and therapeutic drugs of wound healing. Subsequently, the typical fabrication, functionalization and key characteristics of PSi have been summarized because they provide the basis for further use as biosensing and delivery materials in wound management. Depending on these properties, the rise of PSi materials is evidenced by the examples in literature in recent years, which has emphasized the robust potential of PSi for wound monitoring, treatment and theranostics. Finally, challenges and opportunities for the future development of PSi-based sensors and delivery systems for wound management applications are proposed and summarized. We hope that this review will help readers to better understand current achievements and future prospects on PSi-based sensing and delivery systems for advanced wound management.
Porous silicon-based sensing and delivery systems show great potential in wound management applications including monitoring, treatment and theranostics. Display omitted
In this paper, warpage of fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP) throughout the manufacturing process is investigated to minimize the warpage. FOWLP technology has the advantages of low cost, small ...form factor, efficient electrical performance, and increased input-output counts. The main benefit of fan-out packaging is that it utilizes the redistribution layer to interconnect the die and solder joints instead of using the substrate. However, warpage control is still a critical issue in the wafer molding process. Warpage is induced by the coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between the die and the molding compound. Throughout the manufacturing process, the warpage of each step was recorded by utilizing the continuity simulation. The debonding process, grinding process, and annealing process at room temperature were analyzed via the simulation results and the experimental results. To simulate the wafer molding process in a continuous manner, the element birth and death technique was employed using finite-element modeling. This method can be used to reactive and deactivate elements when the material is added to or removed from the system. The results of the measurement and simulation were highly similar, with a difference of less than 10%. However, the results differed considerably when the wafer thickness was small. The results revealed a gap between the experimental testing and simulation modeling. Because of the wafer stiffness, the wafer is too thin to support the gravity force in the experimental testing process. Therefore, it is important to determine the calibration factor to decrease the gap between experimental testing and simulation modeling. In addition, it is crucial to determine the key factor controlling the warpage behavior and to minimize the warpage by evaluating the die arrangement and the die size in this paper. Overall, the simulation modeling represents a feasible approach for predicting the warpage during the manufacturing process.
Accurate and reliable prediction of photovoltaic (PV) cell operating temperature is vital for performing accurate output power prediction. Although numerous mathematical models have been developed to ...capture the effect of environmental variables on PV cell temperature, the prediction accuracy needs to be further improved and a relatively general modeling framework needs to be developed to enhance adaptability for different PV cell types. In this study, a novel radial basis function (RBF) neural network assisted hybrid modeling strategy is proposed to predict the PV cell temperature. The hybrid model is designed as an explicit mathematical formulation combined with an RBF neural network assisted correcting factor. The known function formulation is induced from prior knowledge and the unknown correcting factor is modeled by the RBF neural network. The hybrid cell temperature model is combined with the equivalent circuit model and the effectiveness of cell temperature and output power prediction is evaluated. The results illustrate that the proposed method can perform accurately cell temperature and output power prediction for both laboratory and commercial plants. It is thus indicated that the proposed hybrid modeling strategy could provide a potential general solution framework of cell temperature and output power prediction for different PV cells.
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•An RBF network based hybrid model is proposed to predict PV cell temperature.•A parameter identification method with regularization strategy is developed.•The model prediction performance is evaluated by laboratory and commercial plants.
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