The Research of Sequential Images: Rebuilding of Gray (Position) ~ Time Function on Direction Lines and Their Applications

Contrasted with other information carriers, such as speech and text, images contains larger amount of information, especially in sequential images, that is waiting to be exploited, in particular the dynamic information of correlation, difference, and temporal relationship between different frames. This dynamic information contributes a great deal in analysis of 4D images. This paper proposes a method for detecting dynamic information from sequential images, based on the rebuilding of their gray (position)~time function on direction lines, an approach that has been analyzed and studied extensively on the setting of various direction lines. This method is based on motion that is presented on sequential images. In particular, the method, Omni directional M-mode Echocardiography system, which we have studied extensively, will be described leading to a robust way of diagnosing heart diseases

The Pattern and Timing of Biotic Recovery from the End-Permian Extinction on the Great Bank of Guizhou, Guizhou Province, China

Microfacies analysis and point Counts of thin sections from 608 hand samples were used to track changes in the abundance and diversity of fossil grains through the extended recovery interval following end-Permian mass extinction on the Great Bank of Guizhou (GBG)-an isolated Late Permian to Late Triassic carbonate platform in south China. Exposure of a two-dimensional cross-section of the platform permits the comparison of faunal patterns along an environmental gradient front shallow to deep water The diverse Late Permian biota was dominated by calcareous sponges, crinoids, articulate brachiopods, foraminifera, and calcareous algae. In contrast, Early Triassic communities were dominated by mollusks, with increasing abundance of crinoids beginning in the Spathian. Increase in the diversity and abundance of fossils 071 the GBG was confined to a brief interval near the Spathian-Anisian boundary and concentrated along the platform margin. Later Middle Triassic diversification, the return of calcareous algae and calcareous sponges, and the appearance of scleractinian corals did not substantially alter the mollusk-crinoid-Tubiphytes assemblage before the end of the Middle Triassic. The low abundance of skeletal grains in Lower Triassic strata implies: (1) similarities in the relative contributions of micrite, microbialites, and oolites to Neoproterozoic carbonates result, at least in part, from the temporary removal of skeletal sinks for calcium carbonate; and (2) animals with hard skeletons remained at low abundance from the time of the end-Permian extinction through much of the Early Triassic.Earth and Planetary SciencesOrganismic and Evolutionary Biolog

Environmental and Biological Controls on the Initiation and Growth of a Middle Triassic (Anisian) Reef Complex on the Great Bank of Guizhou, Guizhou Province, China

The Great Bank of Guizhou (GBG) is an isolated Late Permian to Late Triassic carbonate platform in the Nanpanjiang Basin of Guizhou Province, southwest China. A faulted syncline exposes a cross section of the platform margin, including a well-preserved Anisian (earliest Middle Triassic) reef complex approximately 1 km wide and 800 meters thick. Geochronologic constraints from associated basin-margin strata indicate that reef development initiated late in the Early Triassic, making it the oldest-known platform-margin reef complex of the Mesozoic Era. The reef framework consists primarily of microspar-filled tubes ~100 µm wide and up to a few cm long that are embedded in irregular to branching, mm-scale masses of micrite, traditionally assigned to the problematic genus Tubiphytes. Based on preserved sporangia, the Nanpanjiang structures are interpreted as microbially induced micritic precipitates that formed in association with an otherwise uncalcified alga. A low-diversity metazoan and algal community also occurs within the reef complex, but these organisms did not contribute significantly to the reef framework or to the accretion of the reef complex. Rather, reef development is interpreted to have resulted largely from the stabilization of platform-margin sediments by algae and associated microbial mats. Only gradually, through the Middle and Late Triassic, did framework-building metazoans evolve to occupy and then construct reefs on the margins of carbonate platforms.Earth and Planetary SciencesOrganismic and Evolutionary Biolog

Complete chloroplast genome sequence of Acer sutchuenense subsp. tienchuanenge (Sapindaceae)

Acer sutchuenense subsp. tienchuanenge (Sapindaceae: Acer) is an endangered deciduous arbor species and endemic to China. Being obtained by using genome Illumina pair-end sequencing data, the complete chloroplast genome of A. sutchuenense subsp. tienchuanenge had a typical quadripartite structure, with 156,063 bp long, including a large single-copy (LSC) region of 85,772 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,117 bp, and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) (each 26,087 bp in length). A total of 136 genes were annotated, of which 113 are unique genes, including 30 tRNAs, 4 rRNAs, and 79 protein-coding genes. The overall GC content was 37.9%. The phylogenetic analysis suggested that A. sutchuenense subsp. tienchuanenge was the most closely related to A. griseum and A. triflorum. The complete chloroplast genome of A. sutchuenense subsp. tienchuanenge is valuable for assessment and conservation of genetic resources and further for phylogenetic study of Acer L

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Dictamnus albus L.

Dictamnus albus L. refers to a perennial herb with both ornamental and medicinal value. In the present study, we obtained the complete chloroplast genome sequence of D. albus through high-throughput sequencing. The length of the chloroplast genome was 157,139 bp, while the large single-copy and small single-copy regions were 84,478 bp and 18,587 bp, respectively. The pair of inverted repeat sequences was 27,037 bp, and the GC content was 38.5%. A total of 132 genes were annotated, including 87 protein-coding genes (PCGs), eight ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and 37 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. The chloroplast genomes of D. albus and eight species of Rutaceae were subjected to maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree analysis. D. albus was found to be most closely related to Orixa japonica

Large Perturbations of the Carbon Cycle During Recovery from the End-Permian Extinction

High-resolution carbon isotope measurements of multiple stratigraphic sections in south China demonstrate that the pronounced carbon isotopic excursion at the Permian-Triassic boundary was not an isolated event but the first in a series of large fluctuations that continued throughout the Early Triassic before ending abruptly early in the Middle Triassic. The unusual behavior of the carbon cycle coincides with the delayed recovery from end-Permian extinction recorded by fossils, suggesting a direct relationship between Earth system function and biological rediversification in the aftermath of Earth's most devastating mass extinction.Organismic and Evolutionary Biolog

Transfer RNAs Mediate the Rapid Adaptation of Escherichia coli to Oxidative Stress.

Translational systems can respond promptly to sudden environmental changes to provide rapid adaptations to environmental stress. Unlike the well-studied translational responses to oxidative stress in eukaryotic systems, little is known regarding how prokaryotes respond rapidly to oxidative stress in terms of translation. In this study, we measured protein synthesis from the entire Escherichia coli proteome and found that protein synthesis was severely slowed down under oxidative stress. With unchanged translation initiation, this slowdown was caused by decreased translation elongation speed. We further confirmed by tRNA sequencing and qRT-PCR that this deceleration was caused by a global, enzymatic downregulation of almost all tRNA species shortly after exposure to oxidative agents. Elevation in tRNA levels accelerated translation and protected E. coli against oxidative stress caused by hydrogen peroxide and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. Our results showed that the global regulation of tRNAs mediates the rapid adjustment of the E. coli translation system for prompt adaptation to oxidative stress

PCSK9 promotes T helper 1 and T helper 17 cell differentiation by activating the nuclear factor‐κB pathway in ankylosing spondylitis

Abstract Objective Our previous study reveals that proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is positively related to inflammatory markers, T helper (Th)‐17 cells, and treatment response in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. Subsequently, this study aimed to explore the effect of PCSK9 on Th cell differentiation and its potential molecular mechanism in AS. Methods Serum PCSK9 was determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay in 20 AS patients and 20 healthy controls (HCs). Then naïve CD4+ T cells were isolated from AS patients and infected with PCSK9 overexpression or knockdown adenovirus followed by polarization assay. Afterward, PMA (an NF‐κB activator) was administrated. Results PCSK9 was increased in AS patients compared to HCs (p  .05); its knockdown displayed the opposite function on them. Moreover, PCSK9 overexpression upregulated the p‐NF‐κB p65/NF‐κB p65 (p  .05); its knockdown decreased p‐NF‐κB p65/NF‐κB p65 (p < .01) and p‐JNK/JNK (p < .05). Then, PMA upregulates p‐NF‐κB p65/NF‐κB p65 (p < .001) and increased CD4+IFN‐γ+ cells, CD4+IL‐17A+ cells, IFN‐γ, and IL‐17A (all p < .01), also it alleviated the effect of PCSK9 knockdown on NF‐κB inhibition and Th cell differentiation (all p < .01). Conclusion PCSK9 enhances Th1 and Th17 cell differentiation in an NF‐κB‐dependent manner in AS, while further validation is necessary