A novel botybirnavirus with a unique satellite dsRNA causes latent infection in Didymella theifolia isolated from tea plants

© 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/The unique, recently discovered fungus Didymella theifolia specifically infects local varieties of tea plant Camellia sinensis in China, and therefore, the characterization of its mycoviruses is important. Three double-stranded (ds) RNAs (1, 2, and 3, with 6,338, 5,910, and 727 bp in size, respectively) were identified in the avirulent D. theifolia strain CJP4-1, which exhibits normal growth and morphology. Characterization of these double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) revealed that the two largest elements are the genomic components of a novel botybirnavirus, tentatively named Didymella theifolia botybirnavirus 1 (DtBRV1). Conversely, dsRNA3 shares no detectable similarity with sequences deposited in public databases but has high similarity with the 5′-terminal regions of dsRNAs 1 and 2 and contains a duplicated region encoding a putative small peptide. All three dsRNAs are encapsidated in isometric virions ca. 40 nm in diameter, supporting the notion that dsRNA3 is a DtBRV1 satellite. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in combination with peptide mass fingerprint analysis revealed that the DtBRV1 capsid protein consists of polypeptides encoded by the 5′-terminal regions of both genomic components dsRNA1 and dsRNA2. Vertical transmission of DtBRV1 through conidia is efficient, while its horizontal transmission from CJP4-1 to other strains was not detected. DtBRV1, with or without dsRNA3, has no obvious effects on fungal growth and virulence, as illustrated following transfection of the virulent D. theifolia strain JYC1-6. In summary, DtBRV1 exhibits unique molecular traits and contributes to our understanding of mycovirus diversity.Peer reviewe

The reversible effects of free fatty acids on sulfonylurea-stimulated insulin secretion are related to the expression and dynamin-mediated endocytosis of KATP channels in pancreatic β cells

Objective: Lipotoxicity-induced pancreatic β cell-dysfunction results in decreased insulin secretion in response to multiple stimulus. In this study, we i nvestigated the reversible effects of palmitate (PA) or oleate (OA) on insulin secretion and the relationship with pancreatic β-cell ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels. Methods: MIN6 cells were treated with PA and OA for 48 h and then washed out for 24 h to determine the changes in expression and endocytosis of the KATP channels and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and sulfonylurea-stimulated insulin secretion (SU-SIS). Results: MIN6 cells exposed to PA or OA showed both impaired GSIS and SU -SIS; the former was not restorable, while the latter was reversible with washout of PA or OA. Decreased expressions of both total and surface Kir6.2 and SUR1 and endocytosis of KATP channels were observed, which were also recoverable after wash out. When MIN6 cells exposed to free fatty acids (FFAs) were cotreated wi th 5-aminoimidazole- 4-carboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR) or dynasore, we found that endocytosis of KATP channels did not change significantly by AICAR but was almost co mpletely blocked by dynasore. Meanwhile, the inhibition of endocytosis of K ATP channels after washout could be activated by PIP2. The recovery of SU-SIS after washout was significantly weakened by PIP2, but the decrease of SU-SIS induced by FFAs was not allevi ated by dynasore. Conclusions: FFAs can cause reversible impairment of SU-SIS on pancreatic β cells. The reversibility of the effects is partial because of the changes o f expression and endocytosis of Kir6.2 and SUR1 which was mediated by dynamin

Effect of Vaccination on Bordetella pertussis Strains, China

Strains in China may differ from those in countries that have long histories of high vaccination coverage

Performance Evaluation and Parameter Optimization of SoftCast Wireless Video Broadcast

Wireless video broadcast plays an imp ortant role in multimedia communication with the emergence of mobile video applications. However, conventional video broadcast designs suffer from a cliff effect due to separated source and channel encoding. The newly prop osed SoftCast scheme employs a cross-layer design, whose reconstructed video quality is prop ortional to the channel condition. In this pap er, we provide the p erformance evaluation and the parameter optimization of the SoftCast system. Optimization principles on parameter selection are suggested to obtain a b etter video quality, o ccupy less bandwidth and/or utilize lower complexity. In addition, we compare SoftCast with H.264 in the LTE EPA scenario. The simulation results show that SoftCast provides a b etter p erformance in the scalability to channel conditions and the robustness to packet losses

Initial experience of single-incision plus one port total laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy

Abstract Background The use of single-incision plus one-port laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (SILPD + 1) has been never reported, and its safety and efficacy remain unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the short-term outcomes of SILPD + 1 compared with those of conventional laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (CLPD). Method Fifty-seven cases of laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) were performed between November 2021, and March 2022. Among them, 10 cases of LPD were performed using a single-incision plus one-port device. Based on the same inclusion and exclusion criteria, 47 cases of LPD performed using traditional 5-trocar were included as a control group. The patient’s demographic characteristics, intraoperative, and postoperative variables were prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed. Results Three men and seven women were included in the SILPD + 1 group. All baseline parameters of both groups were comparable, except for age. Patients were younger in the SILPD + 1 group (47.2 ± 18.3 years vs. 60.6 ± 11.7 years, P = 0.05) than that in the CLPD group. Compared with the CLPD group, median operation time (222.5 (208.8–245.0) vs. 305.0 (256.0–37.0) min, P < 0.001) was shorter, median postoperative VAS scores on days 1–3 were lower, and median cosmetic score (21.0 (19.0–23.5) vs. 17.0 (16.0–20.0), P = 0.026) was higher one month after the surgery in the SILPD + 1 group. The estimated blood loss, conversion rate, blood-transfusion rate, exhaust time, time of drainage tube removal, postoperative hospital stays, and perioperative complications were comparable between the two groups. Conclusion In a high-volume LPD center, SILPD + 1 is safe and feasible for well-selected patients without increasing the operation time and complications. It even has the advantages of reduced postoperative pain and improved cosmetic results

Spatio-temporal variability of multi-layer soil water at a hillslope scale in the critical zone of the Chinese Loess Plateau

Understanding the spatio-temporal variability of soil water content (SWC) in the Critical Zone (CZ) is essential to balance plant-water benefits and to enhance the ability to monitor and predict drought. In current study, the spatial variability and temporal stability of multi-layer SWC to a depth of 500 cm (35 soil layers) at 27 sampling sites were evaluated at a hillslope scale. A total of 64 SWC measurements were obtained from 28 March, 2017 to 23 December, 2018. We hypothesized the existence of a "special point" that is temporally stable both in horizontal direction (which means different layers) and in vertical direction (which means different profiles). We found a clear seasonal dynamic pattern of mean SWC for all sites in the 0-500 cm profile, with SWC varying from 4.0 to 24.8%. In the horizontal layer, both the 130-cm and 140-cm layers contained a maximum number of temporal stability sites (N= 4) which all located at H-11, H-13, H(14)and H-26. In the vertical profile, H(19)was the most stable site, followed by H(10)and H-26, with 15, 10 and 6 stable layers, respectively. The decreasing order of SWC temporal stability was 200-500 cm, 0-500 cm and 0-200 cm, which means the temporal stability of SWC in 0-500 cm profile was more dependent on the 0-200 cm sub-profile. At a three-dimension scale, the most temporal stability layer and site was 180-cm of H(1)and H(21)of 220-cm, which confirmed our hypothesis. This study provides an accurate description of SWC spatio-temporal variation at the hillslope scale, which is helpful for addressing eco-hydrological models and water management issues in the Earth's CZs

A Power Management IC Used for Monitoring and Protection of Li-Ion Battery Packs

A power management system is a critical component of the system which needs Li-ion battery packs for power supply. This paper proposes a fully integrated, high-precision, and high-reliability Integrated Circuit (IC) for the power management system of Li-ion battery packs. It has full protection circuits including overvoltage, overtemperature, and overcurrent circuits with measuring voltage accuracy of 0.2 mV and a 15-bit internal Successive Approximation Register (SAR) Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC). This IC is designed to protect the system automatically and measure the battery cells’ voltage, temperature, and charging or discharging current with high precision. It also provides an I2C interface to communicate with an external Microcontroller Unit (MCU), making it achievable to perform battery cells’ voltage balancing and SOC estimation with 0.1% estimation accuracy in an hour