Transcriptomic Analysis of the Effect of the Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Protein Kinase B Signaling Pathway on Metabolic Homeostasis in Tan Sheep Muscle during Chilled Storage

In order to uncover the role of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway in metabolic regulation in Tan sheep meat during chilled storage, the transcriptome changes of lamb meat injected with the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 after 0, 4 and 8 days of chilled storage were studied by high-throughput sequencing. Altogether, 474, 96, and 13 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the control and LY294002 treatment groups were identified on days 0, 4, and 8, respectively. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the DEGs were mainly related to metabolic homeostasis, such as amino acid biosynthesis, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and glyceride metabolism. In addition, tissue section analysis showed that the gap between muscle fibers in the LY294002 group increased and the diameter of muscle fibers decreased significantly relative to the control group, indicating muscle atrophy. These results indicated that the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway played a crucial role in maintaining metabolic balance during the storage of Tan mutton, which in turn ensured the normal growth of muscle. This study provides a new direction for further elucidating the molecular mechanism by which the PI3K/AKT signaling regulates metabolic homeostasis in Tan mutton during chilled storage

Investigating the Epigenetic Effects of a Prototype Smoke-Derived Carcinogen in Human Cells

Global loss of DNA methylation and locus/gene-specific gain of DNA methylation are two distinct hallmarks of carcinogenesis. Aberrant DNA methylation is implicated in smoking-related lung cancer. In this study, we have comprehensively investigated the modulation of DNA methylation consequent to chronic exposure to a prototype smoke-derived carcinogen, benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide (B[a]PDE), in genomic regions of significance in lung cancer, in normal human cells. We have used a pulldown assay for enrichment of the CpG methylated fraction of cellular DNA combined with microarray platforms, followed by extensive validation through conventional bisulfite-based analysis. Here, we demonstrate strikingly similar patterns of DNA methylation in non-transformed B[a]PDE-treated cells vs control using high-throughput microarray-based DNA methylation profiling confirmed by conventional bisulfite-based DNA methylation analysis. The absence of aberrant DNA methylation in our model system within a timeframe that precedes cellular transformation suggests that following carcinogen exposure, other as yet unknown factors (secondary to carcinogen treatment) may help initiate global loss of DNA methylation and region-specific gain of DNA methylation, which can, in turn, contribute to lung cancer development. Unveiling the initiating events that cause aberrant DNA methylation in lung cancer has tremendous public health relevance, as it can help define future strategies for early detection and prevention of this highly lethal disease

Association between triglyceride glucose index and breast cancer in 142,184 Chinese adults: findings from the REACTION study

BackgroundThe triglyceride glucose (TyG) index has been associated with an increased risk in breast cancer. However, this association remains unclear among the Chinese population. This study aimed to investigate whether the TyG index is associated with the risk of prevalent breast cancer in Chinese women.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 142,184 women from the REACTION (Risk Evaluation of Cancers in Chinese Diabetic Individuals: A Longitudinal) Study, which recruited adults aged 40 years or older from 25 centers across mainland China between 2011 and 2012. The TyG index was calculated according to the formula: Ln (fasting triglycerides [mg/dL] × fasting glucose [mg/dL]/2). Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models were used to evaluate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) regarding the associations between the TyG index and breast cancer.ResultsMultivariable-adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that compared with the lowest quartile of the TyG index, the highest quartile of the TyG index was significantly associated with an increased risk of prevalent breast cancer, with an OR (95% CI) of 1.61 (1.19–2.17). In the stratified analysis, the association of each 1 SD increase in the TyG index with risk of prevalent breast cancer was more dominant in individuals with menarche at age 13–17, those who were postmenopausal, those with a history of breastfeeding, and those who had two to four children, with the ORs (95% CIs) of 1.35 (1.09–1.68), 1.27 (1.05–1.54), 1.26 (1.05–1.52), and 1.32 (1.08–1.62), respectively. Moreover, among those without discernible insulin resistance (homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance [HOMA-IR] ≥2.5), hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia, each 1 SD increase in the TyG index was associated with a 1.36-fold increase in breast cancer risk, with an OR (95% CI) of 2.36 (1.44–3.87).ConclusionThe TyG index is significantly associated with the prevalent breast cancer risk among middle-aged and elderly Chinese women

Effects of Different Root Zone Heating Methods on the Growth and Photosynthetic Characteristics of Cucumber

Root zone heating can solve the problems associated with the yield and decline in the quality caused by low-temperature stress in cucumber during winter and early spring. An experiment was performed to investigate the effects of different heating methods on the root zone temperature, growth and photosynthetic characteristics, fruit quality, and yield of cucumber. Using traditional soil cultivation (CK1) and sand cultivation (CK2) in a greenhouse as the controls, four heating treatments were set up: soil-ridge sand-embedded cultivation (T1), water-heated soil cultivation (T2), water-heated sand cultivation (T3), and water-curtain and floor-heating cultivation (T4). The results indicated that heating treatments T2 and T4 had better warming and insulation effects than the other treatments during both day and night, with an average temperature increase throughout the day of 0.8–1.2 °C compared with CK1. The chlorophyll content of leaves under the T2 and T4 treatments increased, and the photosynthetic rate and the overall plant growth were significantly higher than in the other treatments. Compared with the control, the fruit yield increased most significantly under the T2 and T4; the soluble sugar, soluble solids, and Vc contents in the fruit increased; while the nitrate content in the fruit decreased, effectively improving the fruit’s quality and yield. It was finally determined that the T2 and T4 heating treatments are the most effective in solving the low-temperature problem. Moreover, as T2 consumed relatively more electricity, the use of a water-curtain and floor-heating system in winter and spring should be considered in order to boost the yield and improve the quality

Effects of Different Root Zone Heating Methods on the Growth and Photosynthetic Characteristics of Cucumber

Root zone heating can solve the problems associated with the yield and decline in the quality caused by low-temperature stress in cucumber during winter and early spring. An experiment was performed to investigate the effects of different heating methods on the root zone temperature, growth and photosynthetic characteristics, fruit quality, and yield of cucumber. Using traditional soil cultivation (CK1) and sand cultivation (CK2) in a greenhouse as the controls, four heating treatments were set up: soil-ridge sand-embedded cultivation (T1), water-heated soil cultivation (T2), water-heated sand cultivation (T3), and water-curtain and floor-heating cultivation (T4). The results indicated that heating treatments T2 and T4 had better warming and insulation effects than the other treatments during both day and night, with an average temperature increase throughout the day of 0.8–1.2 °C compared with CK1. The chlorophyll content of leaves under the T2 and T4 treatments increased, and the photosynthetic rate and the overall plant growth were significantly higher than in the other treatments. Compared with the control, the fruit yield increased most significantly under the T2 and T4; the soluble sugar, soluble solids, and Vc contents in the fruit increased; while the nitrate content in the fruit decreased, effectively improving the fruit’s quality and yield. It was finally determined that the T2 and T4 heating treatments are the most effective in solving the low-temperature problem. Moreover, as T2 consumed relatively more electricity, the use of a water-curtain and floor-heating system in winter and spring should be considered in order to boost the yield and improve the quality

Remote sensing image fusion based on real time image smoothing and image similarity

Real-time image smoothing and image similarity of remote sensing image techniques can help people to obtain image information more accurately in the field of remote sensing. To improve the efficiency of information analysis, image fusion techniques are required. In this study, image preprocessing algorithm is used to smooth remote sensing images for the fusion problem between different remote sensing images. Subsequently, a hybrid algorithm model based on non-negative matrix factorization and block term decomposition is used to fuse remote sensing images. The outcomes indicated that the image preprocessing algorithm preprocessed image had better smoothness and performed better in outdoor scenes, with peak signal-to-noise ratio of 28.26 dB and average structural similarity of 0.91. The remote sensing image of urban landscape scenes fused by the hybrid algorithm model, not only had complete spectral information and feature parameters, but also high clarity. The root mean squared error index of the hybrid remote sensing image was 0.0121, the correlation coefficients was 0.9905, the spectral angle mapping was 0.0198, and the running time was 25s. It can be concluded that by preprocessing remote sensing images and then fusing them, not only can information-rich images be obtained quickly, but also the efficiency of image analysis can be greatly improved. The research not only provides a new method for improving the quality and fusion of remote sensing images, but also offers a new technology for denoising remote sensing images

The interactions between urban heat island and heat waves amplify urban warming in Guangzhou, China: Roles of urban ventilation and local climate zones

Under the background of global warming, interaction between heat waves (HWs) and urban heat island (UHI) has led to trends of increase in the intensity, frequency, and duration of extreme heat events in urban areas, seriously threatening the health of urban populations. Taking Guangzhou (a tropical megacity in China) as an example, this study used automatic weather station data and ERA5 reanalysis data to explore the interaction between HWs and UHI, and to elucidate the effects of wind speed and local climate zones (LCZs) on such interaction. Results revealed obvious HWs–UHI interaction in Guangzhou, whereby HWs induces an amplification effect on UHI intensity (UHII) that was most significant at night. In the main urban area, UHII and HWs both weakened with increasing wind speed, indicating that low wind speeds contribute to increased occurrence of HWs and enhancement of UHII. Differently, in some areas peripheral to the main urban area, the UHII at medium wind speeds was stronger than that at low wind speeds, which reflect the impact of heat advection from the urban center. For different LCZs in the main urban area, the strongest UHII, highest risk of HW occurrence, and most significant HWs–UHI interaction were found in the compact mid-rise buildings and compact low-rise buildings (LCZ2 and LCZ3, respectively), followed by the compact high-rise buildings (LCZ1), which was mainly affected by the shading effect of high-rise buildings. The weakest UHII and lowest risk of HW occurrence were found in open high-rise buildings and open mid-rise buildings (LCZ4 and LCZ5, respectively), which generally have good ventilation conditions. Our findings will help to understand urban warming and its association with UHI and HW events in tropical urban regions, which has implications for rational improvement of the urban thermal environment in other tropical urban regions globally.</jats:p

Modulations of Synoptic Weather Patterns on Warm-Sector Heavy Rainfall in South China: Insights From High-Density Observations With Principal Component Analysis

Based on hourly high-density precipitation data in Guangdong Province, China, 134 warm-sector heavy rainfall (WSHR) events were selected from 2016 to 2018. The synoptic weather patterns of these WSHR events were objectively classified using T-mode principal component analysis. Six WSHR weather patterns were identified, as follows: Type 1-southwest (T1-SW), Type 2-southeast (T2-SE), Type 3-coastal jets I (T3-CJI), Type 4-coastal jets II (T4-CJ II), Type 5-western low vortex (T5-WL), and Type 6-high-pressure (T6-HP). Three high-occurrence WSHR centers were finally extracted: the areas of Yangjiang and Shanwei, and the urban agglomeration of Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Compared with the other five patterns, T6-HP is a newly identified WSHR weather pattern, which is related to a local/small-scale weather system in the context of anomalous northward movement of the western Pacific subtropical high. Notably, the precipitation area of the T6-HP type of WSHR event is smaller, which can only be captured by high-density observations. In addition, the occurrence locations of six large-scale extreme precipitation events were closely associated with the urban agglomerations in GBA, implying that urbanization plays an important role in extreme magnitudes of large-scale WSHR events and their occurrence centers.</jats:p