Phytoplankton community structure in the Western Subarctic Gyre of the Pacific Ocean during summer determined by a combined approach of HPLC-pigment CHEMTAX and metabarcoding sequencing

The Western Subarctic Gyre (WSG) is a cyclonic upwelling gyre in the northwest subarctic Pacific, which is a region with a high concentration of nutrients but low chlorophyll. We investigated the community structure and spatial distribution of phytoplankton in this area by using HPLC-pigment CHEMTAX (a chemotaxonomy program) and metabarcoding sequencing during the summer of 2021. The phytoplankton community showed significant differences between the two methods. The CHEMTAX analyses identified eight major marine phytoplankton assemblages. Cryptophytes were the major contributors (24.96%) to the total Chl a, followed by pelagophytes, prymnesiophytes, diatoms, and chlorophytes. The eukaryotic phytoplankton OTUs obtained by metabarcoding were categorized into 149 species in 96 genera of 6 major groups (diatoms, prymnesiophytes, pelagophytes, chlorophytes, cryptophytes, and dinoflagellates). Dinoflagellates were the most abundant group, accounting for 44.74% of the total OTUs obtained, followed by cryptophytes and pelagophytes. Sixteen out of the 97 identified species were annotated as harmful algal species, and Heterocapsa rotundata, Karlodinium veneficum, and Aureococcus anophagefferens were assigned to the abundant group (i.e., at least 0.1% of the total reads). Nutrients were more important in shaping the phytoplankton community than temperature and salinity. The 24 stations were divided into southern and northern regions along 44°N according to the k-means method, with the former being dominated by high Chl a and low nutrients. Although different phytoplankton assemblages analyzed by the two methods showed various relationships with environmental factors, a common feature was that the dinoflagellate proportion showed a significantly negative correlation with low nutrients and a positive correlation with Chl a

Improvement of cable current carrying capacity using COMSOL software

Based on the limitation of the characteristics of materials, in the transmission and distribution network of power system, the relationship between cable current carrying capacity and temperature is inseparable. Improving the ampacity of power cables within the allowable range of temperature is important to the power grid. Using COMSOL multi physical field simulation software, the model of cable to calculate the current carrying capacity is established, and the relationship between cable capacity and temperature field is analyzed. On this premise, the effects of cable placement, convective thermal conductivity and different environmental conditions on the temperature field distribution are further analyzed. The simulation results show that increasing the cable spacing, improving the convective thermal conductivity and maintaining a low ambient temperature the current carrying capacity of the cable can be improved

Ultrasound-Guided Dynamic Needle-Tip Positioning Method Is Superior to Conventional Palpation and Ultrasound Method in Arterial Catheterization

Background: Dynamic needle-tip positioning (DNTP) was shown to improve arterial cannulation efficiency with fewer complications than conventional palpation and ultrasound methods by some studies. However, this is still controversial, and we performed this meta-analysis to comprehensively assess its value in arterial cannulation. Methods: A literature search of randomized controlled trials was conducted, and 11 studies were finally included. Efficiency outcomes (first-attempt success, overall success, and total cannulation time) and complications (hematoma, thrombosis, posterior wall puncture, and vasospasm) were separately analyzed. Subgroup analyses in different populations under cannulation were also performed. Results: DNTP was associated with increased first-attempt success (pooled RR = 1.792, p < 0.001), overall success (pooled RR = 1.368, p = 0.001), and decreased cannulation time (pooled SMD = −1.758, p = 0.001) than palpation. DNTP gained even more advantage in small children and infants. No significant difference in these outcomes between DNTP and conventional ultrasound method was detected. Fewer hematoma occurred in DNTP than palpation (pooled RR = 0.265, p < 0.001) or traditional ultrasound (pooled RR = 0.348, p < 0.001). DNPT was also associated with fewer posterior wall punctures (pooled RR = 0.495, p = 0.001) and vasospasm (pooled RR = 0.267, p = 0.007) than traditional ultrasound. Conclusions: DNTP was a better choice in artery cannulation than conventional palpation and ultrasound method, especially in small children and infants

Analysis of the association between Fc receptor family gene polymorphisms and ocular Behcet's disease in Han Chinese

Abstract Fc receptors are known to have a pivotal role in the initiation and regulation of many immunological and inflammatory processes. This study aimed to investigate the association of Fc receptor family gene polymorphisms with ocular Behçet’s disease (BD) in Han Chinese. A two stage case–control study was performed in 1022 BD cases and 1803 healthy controls. Twenty-three SNPs were genotyped using the MassARRAY system (Sequenom), TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assay and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The expression of FCGR3A was examined by real-time PCR and cytokine production was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A significantly higher frequency of the FCGR3A/rs428888 CT genotype (Pc = 1.96 × 10−7, OR = 1.897) and a lower frequencies of CC genotype and C allele (Pc = 1.96 × 10−7, OR = 0.527; Pc = 7.22 × 10−7, OR = 0.554 respectively) were found in ocular BD as compared with controls. Functional experiments showed an increased FCGR3A expression (P = 0.005) and increased cytokine protein expressions of MCP-1, IL-1β and TNF-α by LPS stimulated PBMCs in CT carriers of FCGR3A rs428888 compared to CC carriers (P = 0.034; P = 0.025; P = 0.04; respectively). Our findings demonstrate that FCGR3A/rs428888 confers genetic susceptibility for ocular BD in Han Chinese

An Efficient Modular Gateway Recombinase-Based Gene Stacking System for Generating Multi-Trait Transgenic Plants

Transgenic technology can transfer favorable traits regardless of reproductive isolation and is an important method in plant synthetic biology and genetic improvement. Complex metabolic pathway modification and pyramiding breeding strategies often require the introduction of multiple genes at once, but the current vector assembly systems for constructing multigene expression cassettes are not completely satisfactory. In this study, a new in vitro gene stacking system, GuanNan Stacking (GNS), was developed. Through the introduction of Type IIS restriction enzyme-mediated Golden Gate cloning, GNS allows the modular, standardized assembly of target gene expression cassettes. Because of the introduction of Gateway recombination, GNS facilitates the cloning of superlarge transgene expression cassettes, allows multiple expression cassettes to be efficiently assembled in a binary vector simultaneously, and is compatible with the Cre enzyme-mediated marker deletion mechanism. The linked dual positive-negative marker selection strategy ensures the efficient acquisition of target recombinant plasmids without prokaryotic selection markers in the T-DNA region. The host-independent negative selection marker combined with the TAC backbone ensures the cloning and transfer of large T-DNAs (>100 kb). Using the GNS system, we constructed a binary vector containing five foreign gene expression cassettes and obtained transgenic rice carrying the target traits, proving that the method developed in this research is a powerful tool for plant metabolic engineering and compound trait transgenic breeding

Replication of Genome-Wide Association Analysis Identifies New Susceptibility Loci at Long Noncoding RNA Regions for Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease

PURPOSE. This study was aimed at investigating the association of long noncoding RNA (LncRNA)-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SN'Ps) with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease. METHODS. LncRNA-related SNPs were selected by multi-omics analysis. Genotyping, expression of LncRNA and mRNA, cell proliferation, and cytokine production were tested by MassARRAY System, real-time PCR, CCK8, and ELISA. RESULTS. A significant association with VKH was found for Lnc-TOR3A-1:1/rs3829794, which is located in a non-HLA region (CC genotype: Bonferroni corrected P values [P-C] = 2.98 x 10(-8), odds ratio [OR] = 0.62; TT genotype: P-C = 1.64 x 10(-8), OR = 1.57; C allele: P-C = 1.39 x 10(-12), OR = 0.71). Additionally, an association was found for four lncRNA SNPs located in the HLA region. Functional experiments in rs3829794 genotyped individuals showed decreased ABL2 (ABL proto-oncogene 2, nonreceptor tyrosine kinase) expression, decreased proliferation of anti-CD3 plus anti-CD28-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and an increased production of IL-10 in CC carriers compared to IT carriers (P = 0.0073, P = 0.0011, and P = 0.002, respectively). CONCLUSIONS. Our study identified five new loci associated with VKH susceptibility and identified a functional variant (lnc-TOR3A-1:1/rs3829794) that confers risk for VKH, which is possibly mediated by modulating gene expression, proliferation of lymphocytes, and regulation of anti-inflammatory cytokine production

High-Conductivity, Flexible and Transparent PEDOT:PSS Electrodes for High Performance Semi-Transparent Supercapacitors

Herein, we report a flexible high-conductivity transparent electrode (denoted as S-PH1000), based on conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), and itsapplication to flexible semi-transparentsupercapacitors. A high conductivity of 2673 S/cm was achieved for the S-PH1000 electrode on flexible plastic substrates via a H2SO4 treatment with an optimized concentration of 80 wt.%. This is among the top electrical conductivities of PEDOT:PSS films processed on flexible substrates. As for the electrochemical properties,a high specific capacitance of 161F/g was obtained from the S-PH1000 electrode at a current density of 1 A/g. Excitingly, a specific capacitance of 121 F/g was retained even when the current density increased to 100 A/g, which demonstrates the high-rate property of this electrode. Flexible semi-transparent supercapacitors based on these electrodes demonstrate high transparency, over 60%, at 550 nm. A high power density value, over 19,200 W/kg,and energy density, over 3.40 Wh/kg, was achieved. The semi-transparent flexible supercapacitor was successfully applied topower a light-emitting diode