Algal biofuel is regarded as one of the ultimate solutions for renewable energy, but its commercialization is hindered by growth limitations caused by mutual shading and high harvest costs. We ...overcome these challenges by advancing machine learning to inform the design of a semi-continuous algal cultivation (SAC) to sustain optimal cell growth and minimize mutual shading. An aggregation-based sedimentation (ABS) strategy is then designed to achieve low-cost biomass harvesting and economical SAC. The ABS is achieved by engineering a fast-growing strain, Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973, to produce limonene, which increases cyanobacterial cell surface hydrophobicity and enables efficient cell aggregation and sedimentation. SAC unleashes cyanobacterial growth potential with 0.1 g/L/hour biomass productivity and 0.2 mg/L/hour limonene productivity over a sustained period in photobioreactors. Scaling-up the SAC with an outdoor pond system achieves a biomass yield of 43.3 g/m
/day, bringing the minimum biomass selling price down to approximately $281 per ton.
Given an integer
q
≥
2
and
θ
1
,
…
,
θ
q
-
1
∈
{
0
,
1
}
, let
(
θ
n
)
n
≥
0
be the generalized Thue–Morse sequence, defined to be the unique fixed point of the morphism
0
↦
0
θ
1
⋯
θ
q
-
1
1
↦
1
θ
¯
...1
⋯
θ
¯
q
-
1
beginning with
θ
0
:
=
0
, where
0
¯
:
=
1
and
1
¯
:
=
0
. For ad hoc rational functions
R
, we evaluate infinite products of the forms
∏
n
=
1
∞
(
R
(
n
)
)
(
-
1
)
θ
n
and
∏
n
=
1
∞
(
R
(
n
)
)
θ
n
.
This generalizes relevant results given by Allouche, Riasat and Shallit in 2019 on infinite products related to the famous Thue–Morse sequence
(
t
n
)
n
≥
0
of the forms
∏
n
=
1
∞
(
R
(
n
)
)
(
-
1
)
t
n
and
∏
n
=
1
∞
(
R
(
n
)
)
t
n
.
Intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles composed of Tau aggregates have been widely accepted as an important pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. A current therapeutic avenue for treating ...Alzheimer's disease is aimed at inhibiting Tau accumulation with small molecules such as natural flavonoids. Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) of Tau can lead to its aggregation, and Tau aggregates can then be degraded by autophagy. However, it is unclear whether natural flavonoids modulate the formation of phase-separated Tau droplets or promote autophagy and Tau clearance. Here, using confocal microscopy and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching assays, we report that a natural antioxidant flavonoid compound myricetin slows LLPS of full-length human Tau, shifting the equilibrium phase boundary to a higher protein concentration. This natural flavonoid also significantly inhibits pathological phosphorylation and abnormal aggregation of Tau in neuronal cells and blocks mitochondrial damage and apoptosis induced by Tau aggregation. Importantly, using coimmunoprecipitation and Western blotting, we show that treatment of cells with myricetin stabilizes the interaction between Tau and autophagy-related protein 5 (ATG5) to promote clearance of phosphorylated Tau to indirectly limit its aggregation. Consistently, this natural flavonoid inhibits mTOR pathway, activates ATG5-dependent Tau autophagy, and almost completely suppresses Tau toxicity in neuronal cells. Collectively, these results demonstrate how LLPS and abnormal aggregation of Tau are inhibited by natural flavonoids, bridging the gap between Tau LLPS and aggregation in neuronal cells, and also establish that myricetin could act as an ATG5-dependent autophagic activator to ameliorate the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.
This paper proposes a novel curvature‐correction technique insensitive to process variations, which can be used in not only the bandgap reference (BGR) circuit but also the Zener reference circuit. ...By using two BJT transistors to form a differential pair structure, the current difference between the differential pair generates a compensation current, which compensates for the non‐linearity in the reference voltage. Unlike the classic curvature‐correction technique which can only be used in the BGR circuit, this novel technique can be used in the Zener reference circuit as well. What is more, the proposed curvature‐correction technique is insensitive to process variations, which greatly increases the reliability of commercial products. Finally, simulation results verify the validity of the proposed technique.
This paper proposes a novel curvature‐correction technique insensitive to process variations, which can be used in not only the bandgap reference (BGR) circuit but also the Zener reference circuit.
The potential role of whole grain in preventing various mortality outcomes has been inconsistently reported in a wealth of prospective observational studies.
We evaluated the relations between ...whole-grain intake and risks of dying from any cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer through a meta-analytic approach.
Relevant studies were identified by searching PubMed and EMBASE databases and bibliographies of retrieved full publications. Summary RRs with 95% CIs were calculated with a random-effects model.
Thirteen studies on total mortality (104,061 deaths), 12 on CVD mortality (26,352 deaths), and 8 on cancer mortality (34,797 deaths) were included. Three studies reported whole-grain intake, and the remaining studies reported whole-grain product intake. In the dose-response analysis in which the intake of whole-grain products was converted to the amount of whole grain, the summary RRs for an increment in whole-grain intake of 50 g/d were 0.78 (95% CI: 0.67, 0.91) for total mortality, 0.70 (95% CI: 0.61, 0.79) for CVD mortality, and 0.82 (95% CI: 0.69, 0.96) for cancer mortality. A similar reduction was observed for the mortality from ischemic heart disease (RR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.55, 0.84) but not from stroke (RR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.54, 1.62). There was evidence of nonlinear associations of whole-grain intake with total (P-nonlinearity < 0.001) and CVD mortality (P-nonlinearity <0.001), but not with cancer mortality (P-nonlinearity = 0.12), with the curves for the associations appearing slightly steeper at lower ranges (<35 g/d) of the intake than at higher ranges.
Our findings suggest significant inverse relations between whole-grain intake and mortality due to any cause, CVD, or cancer. The findings support the recommendation of increasing whole-grain intake to improve public health.
To evaluate associations of oily and nonoily fish consumption and fish oil supplements with incident type 2 diabetes (T2D).
We included 392,287 middle-aged and older participants (55.0% women) in the ...UK Biobank who were free of diabetes, major cardiovascular disease, and cancer and had information on habitual intake of major food groups and use of fish oil supplements at baseline (2006-2010). Of these, 163,706 participated in one to five rounds of 24-h dietary recalls during 2009-2012.
During a median 10.1 years of follow-up, 7,262 incident cases of T2D were identified. Compared with participants who reported never consumption of oily fish, the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios of T2D were 0.84 (95% CI 0.78-0.91), 0.78 (0.72-0.85), and 0.78 (0.71-0.86) for those who reported <1 serving/week, weekly, and ≥2 servings/week of oily fish consumption, respectively (
-trend < 0.001). Consumption of nonoily fish was not associated with risk of T2D (
-trend = 0.45). Participants who reported regular fish oil use at baseline had a 9% (95% CI 4-14%) lower risk of T2D compared with nonusers. Baseline regular users of fish oil who also reported fish oil use during at least one of the 24-h dietary recalls had an 18% (8-27%) lower risk of T2D compared with constant nonusers.
Our findings suggest that consumption of oily fish but not nonoily fish was associated with a lower risk of T2D. Use of fish oil supplements, especially constant use over time, was also associated with a lower risk of T2D.
Linear induction motors (LIMs) are being gradually applied in the urban rail transit due to their simplified mechanical structure and feasibility for both low-speed and high-speed operations. ...Direct-torque control (DTC) is a classical control scheme that can be readily extended to LIMs. However, due to the high thrust ripple and poor dynamic performance for the low-speed operation, control performance of DTC is not satisfactory. This paper is to propose an explicit model predictive control to be combined with the DTC scheme. First, the LIM model is presented and discretized. Then, the LIM drive and its operating principle are discussed. Thirdly, the controller design, including control variables, and the objective function are depicted. Finally, both the simulation and the experiment are engaged for verifying the proposed control algorithm.
Abstract Objective To better understand and summarize the relation between milk peptide intake and blood pressure (BP), we conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to assess the ...effects of the milk-derived tripeptides isoleucine-proline-proline and valine-proline-proline on BP in prehypertensive and hypertensive subjects. Methods Nine studies including 12 trials published between 1996 and 2005 with a total of 623 participants were included. Two researchers independently extracted data from the original publications. A fixed-effects model was used for meta-analysis because of the homogeneity among trials. Results Significant decreases of 4.8 mmHg (95% confidence interval 3.7–6.0) in systolic BP and 2.2 mmHg (95% confidence interval 1.3–3.1) in diastolic BP were found after the pooling of these trials. When trials were separated by BP status, hypotensive effects appeared to be larger in hypertensive subjects than in prehypertensive subjects. As a trend, the hypotensive effects became more obvious as the intervention lengthened. Conclusion Our analysis provided evidence that milk-derived tripeptides have hypotensive effects in prehypertensive and hypertensive subjects.
In eukaryotes, heterochromatin regions are typically subjected to transcriptional silencing. DNA methylation has an important role in such silencing and has been studied extensively. However, little ...is known about how methylated heterochromatin regions are subjected to silencing. We conducted a genetic screen and identified an epcr (enhancer of polycomb‐related) mutant that releases heterochromatin silencing in Arabidopsis thaliana. We demonstrated that EPCR1 functions redundantly with its paralog EPCR2 and interacts with PWWP domain‐containing proteins (PWWPs), AT‐rich interaction domain‐containing proteins (ARIDs), and telomere repeat binding proteins (TRBs), thus forming multiple functionally redundant protein complexes named PEAT (PWWPs‐EPCRs‐ARIDs‐TRBs). The PEAT complexes mediate histone deacetylation and heterochromatin condensation and thereby facilitate heterochromatin silencing. In heterochromatin regions, the production of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and DNA methylation is repressed by the PEAT complexes. The study reveals how histone deacetylation, heterochromatin condensation, siRNA production, and DNA methylation interplay with each other and thereby maintain heterochromatin silencing.
Synopsis
A genetic screen for regulators of heterochromatin leads to the identification of chromatin‐related protein complexes involved in histone deacetylation, Pol IV‐dependent siRNA production, heterochromatin silencing, and development in Arabidopsis.
EPCR1/2 (Enhancer of PolyComb‐Related) are factors required for heterochromatin‐dependent gene silencing.
EPCRs form functionally redundant multi‐subunit ‘PEAT’ complexes with PWWP domain‐containing proteins (PWWPs), AT‐rich interaction domain‐containing proteins (ARIDs), and telomere repeat binding proteins (TRBs).
PEAT complexes interact with both histone acetyltransferases and deacetylases in vivo.
PEAT complexes are involved in histone deacetylation, DNA methylation, and plant development.
PEAT complexes prevent overproduction of Pol IV‐dependent siRNAs in pericentromeric heterochromatin regions.
A genetic screen for regulators of heterochromatin silencing in plants identifies a set of multi‐protein complexes affecting histone acetylation status, Pol IV‐dependent siRNA production, and development.
State of the art acoustofluidics typically treat micro-particles in a multi-wavelength range due to the scale limitations of the established ultrasound field. Here, we report a spatial selective ...acoustofluidic device that allows trapping micro-particles and cells in a wavelength scale. A pair of interdigital transducers with a concentric-arc shape is used to compress the beam width, while pulsed actuation is adopted to localize the acoustic radiation force in the wave propagating direction. Unlike the traditional usage of geometrical focus, the proposed device is designed by properly superposing the convergent section of two focused surface acoustic waves. We successfully demonstrate a single-column alignment of 15-μm polystyrene particles and double-column alignment of 8-μm T cells in a wavelength scale. Through proof-of-concept experiments, the proposed acoustofluidic device shows potential applications in on-chip biological and chemical analyses, where localized handing is required.
PDF
