Radix Conversion for IEEE754-2008 Mixed Radix Floating-Point Arithmetic

Conversion between binary and decimal floating-point representations is ubiquitous. Floating-point radix conversion means converting both the exponent and the mantissa. We develop an atomic operation for FP radix conversion with simple straight-line algorithm, suitable for hardware design. Exponent conversion is performed with a small multiplication and a lookup table. It yields the correct result without error. Mantissa conversion uses a few multiplications and a small lookup table that is shared amongst all types of conversions. The accuracy changes by adjusting the computing precision

Differential expression of microRNAs during fiber development between fuzzless- lintless mutant and its wild-type allotetraploid cotton

Cotton is one of the most important textile crops but little is known how microRNAs regulate cotton fiber development. Using a well-studied cotton fiberless mutant Xu-142-fl, we compared 54 miRNAs for their expression between fiberless mutant and its wildtype. In wildtype Xu-142, 26 miRNAs are involved in cotton fiber initiation and 48 miRNAs are related to primary wall synthesis and secondary wall thickening. Thirty three miRNAs showed different expression in fiber initiation between Xu-142 and Xu- 142-fl. These miRNAs potentially target 723 protein-coding genes, including transcription factors, such as MYB, ARF, and LRR. ARF18 was newly predicted targets of miR160a, and miR160a was expressed at higher level in −2DPA of Xu-142-fl compared with Xu-142. Furthermore, the result of Gene Ontology- based term classification (GO), EuKaryotic Orthologous Groups (KOG) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis shows that miRNA targets were classified to 222 biological processes, 64 cellular component and 42 molecular functions, enriched in 22 KOG groups, and classified into 28 pathways. Together, our study provides evidence for better understanding of miRNA regulatory roles in the process of fiber development, which is helpful to increase fiber yield and improve fiber quality

Effects of Soil Water and Nitrogen on Growth and Photosynthetic Response of Manchurian Ash (Fraxinus mandshurica) Seedlings in Northeastern China

Soil water and nitrogen (N) are considered to be the main environmental factors limiting plant growth and photosynthetic capacity. However, less is known about the interactive effects of soil water and N on tree growth and photosynthetic response in the temperate ecosystem. seedlings. The seedlings were exposed to three water regimes including natural precipitation (CK), higher precipitation (HW) (CK +30%) and lower precipitation (LW) (CK −30%), and both with and without N addition for two growing seasons. We demonstrated that water and N supply led to a significant increase in the growth and biomass production of the seedlings. LW treatment significantly decreased biomass production and leaf N content, but they showed marked increases in N addition. N addition could enhance the photosynthetic capability under HW and CK conditions. Leaf chlorophyll content and the initial activity of Rubisco were dramatically increased by N addition regardless of soil water condition. The positive relationships were found between photosynthetic capacity, leaf N content, and SLA in response to water and N supply in the seedling. Rubisco expression was up-regulated by N addition with decreasing soil water content. Immunofluorescent staining showed that the labeling for Rubisco was relatively low in leaves of the seedlings under LW condition. The accumulation of Rubisco was increased in leaf tissues of LW by N addition. seedlings, which may provide novel insights on the potential responses of the forest ecosystem to climate change associated with increasing N deposition

MicroRNA-21 targets tumor suppressor genes ANP32A and SMARCA4

MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) is a key regulator of oncogenic processes. It is significantly elevated in the majority of human tumors and functionally linked to cellular proliferation, survival and migration. In this study, we used two experimental-based strategies to search for novel miR-21 targets. On the one hand, we performed a proteomic approach using two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) to identify proteins suppressed upon enhanced miR-21 expression in LNCaP human prostate carcinoma cells. The tumor suppressor acidic nuclear phosphoprotein 32 family, member A (ANP32A) (alias pp32 or LANP) emerged as the most strongly downregulated protein. On the other hand, we applied a mathematical approach to select correlated gene sets that are negatively correlated with primary-miR-21 (pri-miR-21) expression in published transcriptome data from 114 B-cell lymphoma cases. Among these candidates, we found tumor suppressor SMARCA4 (alias BRG1) together with the already validated miR-21 target, PDCD4. ANP32A and SMARCA4, which are both involved in chromatin remodeling processes, were confirmed as direct miR-21 targets by immunoblot analysis and reporter gene assays. Furthermore, knock down of ANP32A mimicked the effect of enforced miR-21 expression by enhancing LNCaP cell viability, whereas overexpression of ANP32A in the presence of high miR-21 levels abrogated the miR-21-mediated effect. In A172 glioblastoma cells, enhanced ANP32A expression compensated for the effects of anti-miR-21 treatment on cell viability and apoptosis. In addition, miR-21 expression clearly increased the invasiveness of LNCaP cells, an effect also seen in part upon downregulation of ANP32A. In conclusion, these results suggest that downregulation of ANP32A contributes to the oncogenic function of miR-21

The role of sulfoglucuronosyl glycosphingolipids in the pathogenesis of monoclonal IgM paraproteinemia and peripheral neuropathy

In IgM paraproteinemia and peripheral neuropathy, IgM M-protein secretion by B cells leads to a T helper cell response, suggesting that it is antibody-mediated autoimmune disease involving carbohydrate epitopes in myelin sheaths. An immune response against sulfoglucuronosyl glycosphingolipids (SGGLs) is presumed to participate in demyelination or axonal degeneration in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). SGGLs contain a 3-sulfoglucuronic acid residue that interacts with anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) and the monoclonal antibody anti-HNK-1. Immunization of animals with sulfoglucuronosyl paragloboside (SGPG) induced anti-SGPG antibodies and sensory neuropathy, which closely resembles the human disease. These animal models might help to understand the disease mechanism and lead to more specific therapeutic strategies. In an in vitro study, destruction or malfunction of the blood-nerve barrier (BNB) was found, resulting in the leakage of circulating antibodies into the PNS parenchyma, which may be considered as the initial key step for development of disease

Magnetic order in FeCl3 intercalated graphite by neutron diffraction

We have investigated the magnetic properties of the first and second stage intercalates of FeCl3 in graphite by neutron diffraction at low temperatures. We have found that in both stages strong 2-D magnetic correlations develop below 30 K. In the first stage we observe at 3.8 K a transition from the 2-D phase to a 3-D order. The in-plane order remains the same and corresponds to an incommensurate magnetic modulation of propagation vector 0.394 a*.Nous avons étudié par diffraction de neutrons à basse température les deux premiers stades de FeCl3 intercalé dans le graphite. Nous avons trouvé dans les deux cas que des corrélations bidimensionnelles se développent au-dessous de 30 K. Nous observons à 3,8 K dans le seul premier stade une transition de cette phase 2-D à un ordre 3-D sans changement de la structure dans le plan. Cet ordre intra-planaire correspond à une modulation magnétique incommensurable de vecteur de propagation 0,394 a*