Realizing imaging detection of water and nitrogen content in different regions of plant leaves in-site and real-time can provide an efficient new technology for determining crop drought resistance ...and nutrient regulation mechanisms, or for use in precision agriculture. Near-infrared imaging is the preferred technology for in-situ real-time detection owing to its non-destructive nature; moreover, it provides rich information. However, the use of hyperspectral imaging technology is limited as it is difficult to use it in field because of its high weight and power. We developed a smart imaging device using a near-infrared camera and an interference filter; it has a low weight, requires low power, and has a multi-wavelength resolution. The characteristic wavelengths of the filter that realize leaf moisture measurement are 1150 and 1400 nm, respectively, the characteristic wavelength of the filter that realizes nitrogen measurement is 1500 nm, and all filter bandwidths are 25 nm. The prediction result of the average leaf water content model obtained with the device was R.sup.2 = 0.930, RMSE = 1.030%; the prediction result of the average nitrogen content model was R.sup.2 = 0.750, RMSE = 0.263 g. Using the average water and nitrogen content model, an image of distribution of water and nitrogen in different areas of corn leaf was obtained, and its distribution characteristics were consistent with the actual leaf conditions. The experimental materials used in this research were fresh leaves in the field, and the test was completed indoors. Further verification of applying the device and model to the field is underway.
Osteoporosis develops because of impaired bone formation and/or excessive bone resorption. Several pharmacological treatment of osteoporosis has been developed; however, new treatments are still ...necessary. Cholesterol and estrogen receptor-related receptor alpha (ERRα) promote osteoclasts formation, survival, and cellular fusion and thus become high risk factors of osteoporosis. In this study, we identified that carnosic acid (CA) suppressed bone loss by dual-targeting of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 (SREBP2, a major regulator that regulates cholesterol synthesis) and ERRα. Mechanistically, CA reduced nuclear localization of mature SREBP2 and suppressed de novo biogenesis of cholesterol. CA subsequently decreased the interaction between ERRα and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-beta (PGC1β), resulting in decreased the transcription activity of ERRα and its target genes expression. Meanwhile, CA directly bound to the ligand-binding domain of ERRα and significantly promoted its ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Subsequently, STUB1 was identified as the E3 ligase of ERRα. The lysine residues (K51 and K68) are essential for ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of ERRα by CA. In conclusion, CA dually targets SREBP2 and ERRα, thus inhibits the RANKL-induced osteoclast formation and improves OVX-induced bone loss. CA may serve as a lead compound for pharmacological control of osteoporosis.
Bovine bone is rich in collagen and is a good material for collagen peptide preparation. Although thermolysin-like proteases (TLPs) have been applied in different fields, the potential of TLPs in ...preparing bioactive collagen peptides has rarely been evaluated. Here, we characterized a thermophilic TLP, A69, from a hydrothermal bacterium
1A02591, and evaluated its potential in preparing bioactive collagen peptides. A69 showed the highest activity at 60 °C and pH 7.0. We optimized the conditions for bovine bone collagen hydrolysis and set up a process with high hydrolysis efficiency (99.4%) to prepare bovine bone collagen peptides, in which bovine bone collagen was hydrolyzed at 60 °C for 2 h with an enzyme-substrate ratio of 25 U/g. The hydrolysate contained 96.5% peptides that have a broad molecular weight distribution below 10000 Da. The hydrolysate showed good moisture-retention ability and a high hydroxyl radical (•OH) scavenging ratio of 73.2%, suggesting that the prepared collagen peptides have good antioxidative activity. Altogether, these results indicate that the thermophilic TLP A69 has promising potential in the preparation of bioactive collagen peptides, which may have potentials in cosmetics, food and pharmaceutical industries. This study lays a foundation for the high-valued utilization of bovine bone collagen.
Understanding the dynamics and underlying mechanism of carbon exchange between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere is one of the key issues in global change research. In this study, we ...quantified the carbon fluxes in different terrestrial ecosystems in China, and analyzed their spatial variation and environmental drivers based on the long‐term observation data of ChinaFLUX sites and the published data from other flux sites in China. The results indicate that gross ecosystem productivity (GEP), ecosystem respiration (ER), and net ecosystem productivity (NEP) of terrestrial ecosystems in China showed a significantly latitudinal pattern, declining linearly with the increase of latitude. However, GEP, ER, and NEP did not present a clear longitudinal pattern. The carbon sink functional areas of terrestrial ecosystems in China were mainly located in the subtropical and temperate forests, coastal wetlands in eastern China, the temperate meadow steppe in the northeast China, and the alpine meadow in eastern edge of Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau. The forest ecosystems had stronger carbon sink than grassland ecosystems. The spatial patterns of GEP and ER in China were mainly determined by mean annual precipitation (MAP) and mean annual temperature (MAT), whereas the spatial variation in NEP was largely explained by MAT. The combined effects of MAT and MAP explained 79%, 62%, and 66% of the spatial variations in GEP, ER, and NEP, respectively. The GEP, ER, and NEP in different ecosystems in China exhibited ‘positive coupling correlation’ in their spatial patterns. Both ER and NEP were significantly correlated with GEP, with 68% of the per‐unit GEP contributed to ER and 29% to NEP. MAT and MAP affected the spatial patterns of ER and NEP mainly by their direct effects on the spatial pattern of GEP.
Recurrence and metastasis remain the major obstacles to successful treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Chromatin remodeling factor ARID2 is commonly mutated in HCC, indicating its important ...role in cancer development. However, its role in HCC metastasis is largely elusive. In this study, we find that ARID2 expression is significantly decreased in metastatic HCC tissues, showing negative correlation with pathological grade, organ metastasis and positive association with survival of HCC patients. ARID2 inhibits migration and invasion of HCC cells in vitro and metastasis in vivo. Moreover, ARID2 knockout promotes pulmonary metastasis in different HCC mouse models. Mechanistic study reveals that ARID2 represses epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of HCC cells by recruiting DNMT1 to Snail promoter, which increases promoter methylation and inhibits Snail transcription. In addition, we discover that ARID2 mutants with disrupted C2H2 domain lose the metastasis suppressor function, exhibiting a positive association with HCC metastasis and poor prognosis. In conclusion, our study reveals the metastasis suppressor role as well as the underlying mechanism of ARID2 in HCC and provides a potential therapeutic target for ARID2-deficient HCC.
Tree peonies are great ornamental plants associated with a rich ethnobotanical history in Chinese culture and have recently been used as an evolutionary model. The Qinling Mountains represent a ...significant geographic barrier in Asia, dividing mainland China into northern (temperate) and southern (semi-tropical) regions; however, their flora has not been well analyzed. In this study, the genetic differentiation and genetic structure of Paeonia rockii and the role of the Qinling Mountains as a barrier that has driven intraspecific fragmentation were evaluated using 14 microsatellite markers.
Twenty wild populations were sampled from the distributional range of P. rockii. Significant population differentiation was suggested (F(ST) value of 0.302). Moderate genetic diversity at the population level (H(S) of 0.516) and high population diversity at the species level (H(T) of 0.749) were detected. Significant excess homozygosity (F(IS) of 0.076) and recent population bottlenecks were detected in three populations. Bayesian clusters, population genetic trees and principal coordinate analysis all classified the P. rockii populations into three genetic groups and one admixed Wenxian population. An isolation-by-distance model for P. rockii was suggested by Mantel tests (r = 0.6074, P<0.001) and supported by AMOVA (P<0.001), revealing a significant molecular variance among the groups (11.32%) and their populations (21.22%). These data support the five geographic boundaries surrounding the Qinling Mountains and adjacent areas that were detected with Monmonier's maximum-difference algorithm.
Our data suggest that the current genetic structure of P. rockii has resulted from the fragmentation of a formerly continuously distributed large population following the restriction of gene flow between populations of this species by the Qinling Mountains. This study provides a fundamental genetic profile for the conservation and responsible exploitation of the extant germplasm of this species and for improving the genetic basis for breeding its cultivars.
Strontium titanite (SrTiO3), which is an experimentally-friendly thermoelectric material, could be a promising candidate for thermoelectric power generation applications. The theorectical study ...indicates the co-doping of La and Nb could enhance the thermoelectric performance, however, the thermoelectric figure of merits (ZTs) of SrTiO3 are still low because the co-doping process at nano-scale is experimentally difficult to control. Here we report a high performance SrTiO3 with La-Nb co-doping, which are prepared by a combination of hydrothermal method and high-efficiency sintering. Nano-scale co-doping is successfully modulated by hydrothermal method, and nano-inclusions precipitate during sintering process, to form complex microstructures. In this case, the electrical and thermal transport properties are optimized simultaneously by doping concentration and dopants type, resulting in a record-high ZT >0.6 at 1000−1100K in the 10mol% La and 10mol% Nb doped SrTiO3 bulk materials. The nano-scale modulation doping and microstructure controlling approach validated in the present study should be also applicable for other thermoelectric materials.
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•Nb-La-doped SrTiO3 nano powders were successfully synthesized by the hydrothermal method.•The nano-inclusions and second phases precipitated from matrix to form a complex micro and electron structure.•Record-high ZTs >0.6 at 1000–1100K were obtained in La-Nb-doped SrTiO3 bulks.
Objective
The impact of selenium (Se) on human thyroid function remains unclear, with inconsistent results from recent epidemiological studies. Moreover, the observed associations are prone to bias ...due to potential confounding and reverse causation. Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis facilitates the large minimization of biases produced by environmental and lifestyle influences, providing unconfounded estimates of causal effects using instrumental variables. We aim to examine the association between Se concentrations and human thyroid function using a two‐sample MR analysis.
Design and Methods
Genetic instruments for Se concentrations, including toenail and blood (TAB) and blood Se concentrations, were identified from a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) of blood Se (n = 5477) and toenail Se levels (n = 4162). GWAS summary statistics on thyroid phenotypes were downloaded from the ThyroidOmics consortium, including thyroid‐stimulating hormone (TSH) (n = 54,288), free thyroxin (FT4) (n = 49,269), hypo (n = 53,423), and hyperthyroidism (n = 51,823). The MR study was conducted using the inverse‐variance weighted (IVW) method, supplemented with the weighted median and the mode‐based method.
Results
Genetically determined TAB Se was negatively associated with FT4 (β = −.067; 95% confidence interval CI = −0.106, −0.028; p = 0.001) using the IVW analyses, as well in the additional analyses using the weighted median and weighted‐mode methods. No evidence in heterogeneity, pleiotropy or outlier single‐nucleotide polymorphisms was detected (all p > 0.05). Suggestive casual association between increased genetically determined TAB Se concentrations and decreased hypothyroidism risk was found by the IVW method (odds ratio OR = 0.847; 95% CI = 0.728, 0.985; p = 0.031). The causal effect of TAB Se on FT4 was observed in women (β = −.076; 95% CI = −0.129, −0.024; p = 0.004). However, the influence of genetically determined higher Se concentrations on TSH levels and hyperthyroidism revealed insignificance in the primary and sensitivity analyses.
Conclusions
The present MR study indicated that high Se concentration enable the decreasing of FT4 levels, and the effects of Se concentrations on FT4 remain sex‐specific.
Objectives
Vitamin D deficiency is widespread in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Our aim was to determine whether serum vitamin D levels correlated with bone mineral density (BMD) and ...non‐motor symptoms in patients with PD.
Materials & Methods
A consecutive series of 182 patients with PD and 185 healthy controls were included. Serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels were measured by immunoassay, while BMD of the lumbar spine and femoral neck was measured by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry. Associations between serum vitamin D levels and clinical data were evaluated using partial correlation analysis.
Results
Patients with PD had significantly lower serum 25(OH)D levels relative to healthy controls (49.75 ± 14.11 vs 43.40 ± 16.51, P < 0.001). Furthermore, PD patients with lower vitamin D levels had a significantly higher frequency of falls (P = 0.033) and insomnia (P = 0.015). They also had significantly higher scores for the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI; P = 0.014), depression (P = 0.020), and anxiety (P = 0.009). Finally, patients with PD also had a significantly lower mean BMD of the lumbar spine (P = 0.011) and femoral neck (P < 0.001). After adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index, vitamin D levels significantly correlated with falls, insomnia, and scores for the PSQI, depression, and anxiety.
Conclusions
In patients with PD, vitamin D levels significantly correlated with falls and some non‐motor symptoms. However, no associations were found between BMD and the serum 25(OH)D levels in patients with PD. Thus, vitamin D supplementation is a potential therapeutic for non‐motor PD symptoms.
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