Phylogenetic and genomic analyses of two new species of Clavispora (Metschnikowiaceae, Saccharomycetales) from Central China

Species in the genus Clavispora have previously been reported primarily in the northeast and northwest regions of China; the species diversity of Clavispora in central China is not currently clear. In this study, phylogenetic inferences of Clavispora based on sequences of a single-locus (LSU D1/D2) and a two-locus (LSU D1/D2 and ITS) were conducted. Two new species isolated from rotting wood in central China, namely Clavispora xylosa sp. nov. and Clavispora paralusitaniae sp. nov., were delimited and proposed based on morphological and molecular evidence. Cl. xylosa was closely related to C. thailandica CBS 10610T, but with 11.5% divergence in the LSU D1/D2 domains and 11.5% divergence in the ITS regions. Cl. paralusitaniae was a sister to Cl. lusitaniae CBS 6936T from which it differs with 4.7% divergence in the LSU D1/D2 domains and 5.4% divergence in the ITS regions. Description of Cl. xylosa sp. nov. and Cl. paralusitaniae sp. nov. was also supported by morphological comparisons and genomic analyses between the two new species and their closest relatives, C. thailandica CBS 10610T and Cl. lusitaniae CBS 6936T. These results indicate a potentially great diversity of Clavispora spp. inhabiting rotting wood in central China, ripe for future discovery

RIDCP: Revitalizing Real Image Dehazing via High-Quality Codebook Priors

Existing dehazing approaches struggle to process real-world hazy images owing to the lack of paired real data and robust priors. In this work, we present a new paradigm for real image dehazing from the perspectives of synthesizing more realistic hazy data and introducing more robust priors into the network. Specifically, (1) instead of adopting the de facto physical scattering model, we rethink the degradation of real hazy images and propose a phenomenological pipeline considering diverse degradation types. (2) We propose a Real Image Dehazing network via high-quality Codebook Priors (RIDCP). Firstly, a VQGAN is pre-trained on a large-scale high-quality dataset to obtain the discrete codebook, encapsulating high-quality priors (HQPs). After replacing the negative effects brought by haze with HQPs, the decoder equipped with a novel normalized feature alignment module can effectively utilize high-quality features and produce clean results. However, although our degradation pipeline drastically mitigates the domain gap between synthetic and real data, it is still intractable to avoid it, which challenges HQPs matching in the wild. Thus, we re-calculate the distance when matching the features to the HQPs by a controllable matching operation, which facilitates finding better counterparts. We provide a recommendation to control the matching based on an explainable solution. Users can also flexibly adjust the enhancement degree as per their preference. Extensive experiments verify the effectiveness of our data synthesis pipeline and the superior performance of RIDCP in real image dehazing.Comment: Acceptted by CVPR 202

The UDP-glucosyltransferase multigene family in Bombyx mori

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Glucosidation plays a major role in the inactivation and excretion of a great variety of both endogenous and exogenous compounds. A class of UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) is involved in this process. Insect UGTs play important roles in several processes, including detoxication of substrates such as plant allelochemicals, cuticle formation, pigmentation, and olfaction. Identification and characterization of <it>Bombyx mori </it>UGT genes could provide valuable basic information for this important family and explain the detoxication mechanism and other processes in insects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Taking advantage of the newly assembled genome sequence, we performed a genome-wide analysis of the candidate UGT family in the silkworm, <it>B. mori</it>. Based on UGT signature and their similarity to UGT homologs from other organisms, we identified 42 putative silkworm UGT genes. Most of them are clustered on the silkworm chromosomes, with two major clusters on chromosomes 7 and 28, respectively. The phylogenetic analysis of these identified 42 UGT protein sequences revealed five major groups. A comparison of the silkworm UGTs with homologs from other sequenced insect genomes indicated that some UGTs are silkworm-specific genes. The expression patterns of these candidate genes were investigated with known expressed sequence tags (ESTs), microarray data, and RT-PCR method. In total, 36 genes were expressed in tissues examined and showed different patterns of expression profile, indicating that these UGT genes might have different functions.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p><it>B. mori </it>possesses a largest insect UGT gene family characterized to date, including 42 genes. Phylogenetic analysis, genomic organization and expression profiles provide an overview for the silkworm UGTs and facilitate their functional studies in future.</p

ChemiQ: A Chemistry Simulator for Quantum Computer

Quantum computing, an innovative computing system carrying prominent processing rate, is meant to be the solutions to problems in many fields. Among these realms, the most intuitive application is to help chemical researchers correctly de-scribe strong correlation and complex systems, which are the great challenge in current chemistry simulation. In this paper, we will present a standalone quantum simulation tool for chemistry, ChemiQ, which is designed to assist people carry out chemical research or molecular calculation on real or virtual quantum computers. Under the idea of modular programming in C++ language, the software is designed as a full-stack tool without third-party physics or chemistry application packages. It provides services as follow: visually construct molecular structure, quickly simulate ground-state energy, scan molecular potential energy curve by distance or angle, study chemical reaction, and return calculation results graphically after analysis.Comment: software,7 pages, 5 figure

catena-Poly[[[tetra­aqua­neodymium(III)]-di-μ-isonicotinato] chloride]

In the title complex, {[Nd(C6H4NO2)2(H2O)4]Cl}n, the NdIII cation is located on a twofold rotation axis and coordinated by four isonicotiniate anions and four water mol­ecules in a distorted square-anti­prismatic geometry. The carboxyl­ate groups of the isonicotinate anions bridge the NdIII cations, forming polymeric chains running along the c axis. The Cl− anion is located on a twofold rotation axis and is linked to the polymeric chains via O—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonding. Inter­molecular O—H⋯O and O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds are also present in the crystal structure

Comparison between internal limiting membrane covering and internal limiting membrane peeling for giant macular hole

AIM: To investigate the effects of par plana vitrectomy(PPV)+ inner limiting membrane(ILM)flat covering + vitreous cavity disinfected air filling and PPV + ILM stripping + vitreous cavity disinfected air filling on giant idiopathic macular hole(IMH)and high myopia macular hole(MH). METHODS: The clinical data of giant IMH 40 eyes and giant high myopia MH 40 eyes were compared. Twenty patients with giant IMH underwent traditional ILM removal(Group A1), the remaining 20 underwent ILM flat transplantation(Group A2); 20 underwent traditional ILM removal(Group B1)for giant high myopic MH, and the remaining 20 underwent ILM flat transplantation(Group B2). The closure rate of MH and the improvement of best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)before and after operation were compared and analyzed. RESULTS: There were significant differences in BCVA before and after operation in Group A(F=96.193, PF=4.971, P=0.03), and the interaction between different time points and groups after operation(F=18.772, PPt-test results between the two groups at different time showed that there was no difference in preoperative vision between A1 and A2(P>0.05). There were significant differences in preoperative visual acuity between the two groups at 1, 3 and 6mo after operation(PF=136.150, PF=5.179, P=0.029), and the interaction between different time points and groups after BCVA(F=7.079, P=0.001). The results showed that there were significant differences of the two groups between any two time point(Pt-test between the two groups at different time showed that there was no difference in preoperative visual acuity between B1 and B2(P>0.05), but there was significant difference in 1, 3 and 6mo after operation(PP=0.053). The closure rate of Group B1 was 70%, attached rate was 30%, closure rate of Group B2 was 90%, attached rate was 10%. There was no significant difference in closure rate between Group B1 and Group B2(P=0.118). There was significant difference in closure rate between retinal initial membrane stripping group and plaster group(75% vs 95%, χ2=4.057, PCONCLUSION: For giant IMH and giant high myopia MH, there was significant difference in closure rate and BCVA improvement between ILM stripping group and covering group, on which the former is better

Phytochemical and Pharmacological Studies on the Genus Psoralea

The genus Psoralea, which belongs to the family Fabaceae, comprises ca. 130 species distributed all over the world, and some of the plants are used as folk medicine to treat various diseases. Psoralea corylifolia is a typical example, whose seeds have been widely used in many traditional Chinese medicine formulas for the treatment of various diseases such as leucoderma and other skin diseases, cardiovascular diseases, nephritis, osteoporosis, and cancer. So, the chemical and pharmacological studies on this genus were performed in the past decades. Here, we give a mini review on this genus about its phytochemical and pharmacological studies from 1910 to 2015

FSD-C10: A more promising novel ROCK inhibitor than Fasudil for treatment of CNS autoimmunity.

Rho-Rho kinase (Rho-ROCK) triggers an intracellular signalling cascade that regulates cell survival, death, adhesion, migration, neurite outgrowth and retraction and influences the generation and development of several neurological disorders. Although Fasudil, a ROCK inhibitor, effectively suppressed encephalomyelitis (EAE), certain side effects may limit its clinical use. A novel and efficient ROCK inhibitor, FSD-C10, has been explored. In the present study, we present chemical synthesis and structure of FSD-C10, as well as the relationship between compound concentration and ROCK inhibition. We compared the inhibitory efficiency of ROCKI and ROCK II, the cell cytotoxicity, neurite outgrowth and dendritic formation, neurotrophic factors and vasodilation between Fasudil and FSD-C10. The results demonstrated that FSD-C10, like Fasudil, induced neurite outgrowth of neurons and dendritic formation of BV-2 microglia and enhanced the production of neurotrophic factor brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3). However, the cell cytotoxicity and vasodilation of FSD-C10 were relatively small compared with Fasudil. Although Fasudil inhibited both ROCK I and ROCK II, FSD-C10 more selectively suppressed ROCK II, but not ROCK I, which may be related to vasodilation insensitivity and animal mortality. Thus, FSD-C10 may be a safer and more promising novel ROCK inhibitor than Fasudil for the treatment of several neurological disorders