This paper presents a new impulsive synchronization criterion of two identical reaction-diffusion neural networks with discrete and unbounded distributed delays. The new criterion is established by ...applying an impulse-time-dependent Lyapunov functional combined with the use of a new type of integral inequality for treating the reaction-diffusion terms. The impulse-time-dependent feature of the proposed Lyapunov functional can capture more hybrid dynamical behaviors of the impulsive reaction-diffusion neural networks than the conventional impulse-time-independent Lyapunov functions/functionals, while the new integral inequality, which is derived from Wirtinger's inequality, overcomes the conservatism introduced by the integral inequality used in the previous results. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Later, the developed impulsive synchronization method is applied to build a spatiotemporal chaotic cryptosystem that can transmit an encrypted image. The experimental results verify that the proposed image-encrypting cryptosystem has the advantages of large key space and high security against some traditional attacks.
Nitrogen (N), potassium (K), and phosphorus (P) are essential macronutrients for plant growth and development, and their availability affects crop yield. Compared with N, the relatively low ...availability of K and P in soils limits crop production and thus threatens food security and agricultural sustainability. Improvement of plant nutrient utilization efficiency provides a potential route to overcome the effects of K and P deficiencies. Investigation of the molecular mechanisms underlying how plants sense, absorb, transport, and use K and P is an important prerequisite to improve crop nutrient utilization efficiency. In this review, we summarize current understanding of K and P transport and signaling in plants, mainly taking Arabidopsis thaliana and rice (Oryza sativa) as examples. We also discuss the mechanisms coordinating transport of N and K, as well as P and N.
Potassium (K) and phosphorus (P) are essential macronutrients for plant growth, development, and crop yield. This review summarizes the current understanding of K and P transport and signaling in plants and discusses the mechanisms coordinating N (nitrogen), K, and P.
Interactions between lakes and the atmosphere at high altitudes are still poorly understood due to difficulty in accessibility of direct measurements. This is particularly true for the Qinghai‐Tibet ...Plateau (QTP), where approximately 50% of the lakes in China are located. Continuous direct measurements of the water flux and surface energy budget were made over the largest high‐altitude saline lake in China, Qinghai Lake on the northeastern QTP, using the eddy covariance method from 11 May 2013 to 10 May 2015. Results indicated that annual evaporation of Qinghai Lake was 832.5 mm for 2013/2014 and 823.6 mm for 2014/2015, respectively. The surface energy budget and evaporation showed a strong seasonal pattern, with peaks in the latent and sensible heat flux observed in autumn and early winter. There was a 2–3 month delay between the maximum net radiation and maximum latent and sensible heat fluxes. Intraseasonal and seasonal variations in latent and sensible heat flux were strongly affected by different air masses. Westerly cold and dry air masses increased evaporation while southeast moist air mass suppressed evaporation, suggesting that the lakes might serve as an “air conditioner” to modify the temporal heat and water flux in the QTP.
Key Points
First long‐term eddy covariance measurements over the high‐altitude saline lake on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau
Warm and cold air mass had contrasting effects on the surface energy flux and evaporation over the lake
Nighttime evaporative water losses were substantial, contributing to 47.7% of the total evaporative water loss
As one of the most important mineral nutrient elements, potassium (K(+)) participates in many plant physiological processes and determines the yield and quality of crop production. In this review, we ...summarize K(+) signaling processes and K(+) transport regulation in higher plants, especially in plant responses to K(+)-deficiency stress. Plants perceive external K(+) fluctuations and generate the initial K(+) signal in root cells. This signal is transduced into the cytoplasm and encoded as Ca(2+) and reactive oxygen species signaling. K(+)-deficiency-induced signals are subsequently decoded by cytoplasmic sensors, which regulate the downstream transcriptional and posttranslational responses. Eventually, plants produce a series of adaptive events in both physiological and morphological alterations that help them survive K(+) deficiency.
•K+ channels and transporters are involved in diverse physiological processes.•Plants can sense external K+ deficiency and generate low-K+ signals in plant cells.•The transcription of many K+ ...transporter genes are induced by low-K+ stress.•Phosphorylation is crucial for the regulation of both K+ channels and transporters.•Coordination of K+/NO3− absorption and translocation is necessary for plants.
As an essential macronutrient, potassium (K+) plays crucial roles in diverse physiological processes during plant growth and development. The K+ concentration in soils is relatively low and fluctuating. Plants are able to perceive external K+ changes and generate chemical and physical signals in plant cells. The signals can be transducted across the plasma membrane and into the cytosol, and eventually regulates the downstream targets, particularly K+ channels and transporters. As a result, K+ homeostasis in plant cells is modulated, which facilitates plant adaptation to K+ deficient conditions. This minireview focuses on the latest research progress in the diverse functions of K+ channels and transporters as well as their regulatory mechanisms in plant response to low-K+ stress.
Thousands of genes have been well demonstrated to play important roles in cancer progression. As genes do not function in isolation, they can be grouped into "networks" based on their interactions. ...In this study, we discover a network regulating Claudin-4 in gastric cancer. We observe that Claudin-4 is up-regulated in gastric cancer and is associated with poor prognosis. Claudin-4 reinforce proliferation, invasion, and EMT in AGS, HGC-27, and SGC-7901 cells, which could be reversed by miR-596 and miR-3620-3p. In addition, lncRNA-KRTAP5-AS1 and lncRNA-TUBB2A could act as competing endogenous RNAs to affect the function of Claudin-4. Our results suggest that non-coding RNAs play important roles in the regulatory network of Claudin-4. As such, non-coding RNAs should be considered as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets against gastric cancer.Non-coding RNAs can modify the expression of proteins in cancer networks. Here the authors reveal a regulatory network in gastric cancer whereby claudin-4 expression is reduced by specific miRNAs, which are in turn bound by specific lncRNAs acting as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs), resulting in increased claudin-4 expression.
We present a set of statistical methods for the analysis of DNA methylation microarray data, which account for tumor purity. These methods are an extension of our previously developed method for ...purity estimation; our updated method is flexible, efficient, and does not require data from reference samples or matched normal controls. We also present a method for incorporating purity information for differential methylation analysis. In addition, we propose a control-free differential methylation calling method when normal controls are not available. Extensive analyses of TCGA data demonstrate that our methods provide accurate results. All methods are implemented in InfiniumPurify.
This article addresses the problem of sliding-mode control (SMC) of linear uncertain systems with impulse effects. The difficulty in solving such problem lies in that the continuity property of the ...well-used linear sliding function is lost under the intermittent impulsive action. In order to overcome this difficulty, a piecewise linear sliding function considering the dynamics properties of impulses is introduced, which turns out to be continuous along the trajectories of the impulsive system. Then, a suitable integral SMC law with switching feedback gains is constructed to guarantee the reachability of the designed sliding surface in a finite time. The resulting sliding-mode dynamics is modeled by an impulsive switched system whose stability is analyzed by applying a piecewise discontinuous Lyapunov function. Next, a sufficient condition for the existence of integral SMC law is derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, a numerical example with several different types of impulses is provided to validate the theoretical results, which shows that the switching gain-based design contributes to the robustness of the sliding-mode controller.
Lactobacillus plantarum (LP) has been shown to exhibit protective effects on intestinal barrier function in septic rats, although the regulatory mechanism has not been established. We determined ...whether LP imparts such protective effects in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced Caco2 cell monolayer model and whether cAMP-PKA signaling is the underlying mechanism of action. The cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) agonist, forskolin (FSK), and the protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor, HT89, were used to study the protective effect of LP on the destruction of the tight junction (TJ) structure of cells treated with LPS and the corresponding changes in cAMP-PKA signaling. Our experimental results demonstrated that LP promoted the expression of TJ proteins between Caco2 cells after LPS treatment, and increased the electrical barrier detection (TEER) between Caco2 cells. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the TJ structural integrity of cells treated with LPS + LP was improved compared to cells treated with LPS alone. In addition, our findings were consistent between the FSK and LP intervention group, while HT89 inhibited LP influence. Taken together, our results indicate that LP has an improved protective effect on LPS-induced damage to the monolayer membrane barrier function of Caco2 cells and is regulated by the cAMP-PKA pathway.
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