EFEK ANTIBAKTERI EKSTRAK KULIT BUAH DELIMA (GRANATI FRUCTUS CORTEX) PADA BERBAGAI KONSENTRASI TERHADAP STREPTOCOCCUS MUTANS SECARA IN VITRO.

Kulit buah delima (Granati fructus cortex) mengandung senyawa-senyawa antibakteri seperti alkaloid, flavonoid dan tannin. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk membuktikan efek antibakteri ekstrak kulit buah delima (Granati fructus cortex) dalam menghambat Streptococcus mutans. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah eksperimental laboratoris dengan desain posttest-only control. Uji daya hambat ini menggunakan metode difusi agar pada media MHA. Analisis statistik menunjukkan bahwa ekstrak kulit buah delima dalam berbagai konsentrasi memiliki efek antibakteri, dimana ekstrak kulit buah delima 30% memiliki rata-rata zona hambat paling besar (15.4 mm), semakin tinggi konsentrasi ekstrak kulit buah delima maka semakin besar zona hambat yang terbentuk. Hasil uji ini juga menunjukkan adanya perbedaan rata-rata zona hambat dalam berbagai konsentrasi. Disimpulkan bahwa (Granati fructus cortex) memiliki efek antibakteri terhadap pertumbuhan Streptococcus mutans.Banda Ace

The effect of audit team’s emotional intelligence on reduced audit quality behavior in audit firms: Considering the mediating effect of team trust and the moderating effect of knowledge sharing

Reduced audit quality behavior is widespread in the auditor’s practice and is an important factor threatening audit quality. Some prior studies have investigated the relationship between auditors’ psychological contract violation and reduced audit quality behavior. However, the research of relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and auditors’ behavior is still in its infancy despite the fact that the auditing profession would benefit greatly from improving audit team’s EI. This study examines whether and why the audit team’s EI restrains the audit quality reduction behavior in audit firms. In the study, our hypotheses are tested using a data set collected from 326 respondents in Chinese audit firms. The results are as follows: firstly, audit team’s EI is directly negatively related to reduced audit quality behavior. Secondly, EI is indirectly related to reduced audit quality behavior, through team trust. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) indicate a mediation model where team trust is negatively related to reduced audit quality behavior. Thirdly, knowledge sharing is a significant mechanism that moderates the effects of different types of EI on audit quality reduction behavior. In the audit team with high knowledge sharing, the audit team’s EI can refrain the audit quality reduction behavior; In the audit team with low knowledge sharing, the audit team’s EI has no significant effect on audit quality reduction behavior. This study expands the factors affecting audit quality to the psychological level of audit teams, enriches the literature on audit team’s behavior characteristics, and provides direct evidence for the relationship between audit team’s psychological characteristics and audit quality

An ST2‐dependent role of bone marrow‐derived group 2 innate lymphoid cells in pulmonary fibrosis

Recent evidence supports that bone marrow (BM)‐derived hematopoietic progenitor cells play an important role in lung injury and fibrosis. While these cells give rise to multiple cell types, the ST2 (Il1rl1)‐expressing group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) derived from BM progenitors have been implicated in tissue repair and remodeling, including in lung fibrosis. To further investigate the precise role of BM‐derived ILC2s in the pathogenesis of fibrotic lung disease, their importance in the bleomycin‐induced lung fibrosis model was evaluated by analyzing the effects of selective ST2 deficiency in the BM compartment. The results showed that while ST2‐sufficient control mice exhibited activation of lung IL‐33/ST2 signaling, ILC2 recruitment, IL‐13 induction, and fibrosis, these responses were significantly diminished in ST2‐deficient‐BM chimera mice, with selective loss of ST2 expression only in the BM. This diminished response to bleomycin was similar to that seen in ST2 global knockout mice, suggesting the predominant importance of ST2 from the BM compartment. In wild‐type mice, ILC2 recruitment to the lung was accompanied by a concomitant decrease in ST2+ BM cells. ST2‐deficient BM cells were unresponsive to IL‐33‐induced ILC2 maturation. Finally, lineage‐negative wild‐type, but not ST2‐deficient BM cells from bleomycin‐treated mice stimulated lung fibroblast type I collagen expression, which was associated with elevated TGFβ expression in the BM cells. Taken together, these findings suggested that the BM‐derived ILC2s were recruited to fibrotic lung through the IL‐33/ST2 pathway, and contributed to fibroblast activation to promote lung fibrosis. Copyright © 2018 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145267/1/path5092.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145267/2/path5092_am.pd

Matrix inverses along the core parts of three matrix decompositions

New characterizations for generalized inverses along the core parts of three matrix decompositions were investigated in this paper. Let $A_{1}$, $\hat{A}_{1}$ and $\tilde{A}_{1}$ be the core parts of the core-nilpotent decomposition, the core-EP decomposition and EP-nilpotent decomposition of $A\in \mathbb{C}^{n\times n}$, respectively, where EP denotes the EP matrix. A number of characterizations and different representations of the Drazin inverse, the weak group inverse and the core-EP inverse were given by using the core parts $A_{1}$, $\hat{A}_{1}$ and $\tilde{A}_{1}$. One can prove that, the Drazin inverse is the inverse along $A_{1}$, the weak group inverse is the inverse along $\hat{A}_{1}$ and the core-EP inverse is the inverse along $\tilde{A}_{1}$. A unified theory presented in this paper covers the Drazin inverse, the weak group inverse and the core-EP inverse based on the core parts of the core-nilpotent decomposition, the core-EP decomposition and EP-nilpotent decomposition of $A\in \mathbb{C}^{n\times n}$, respectively. In addition, we proved that the Drazin inverse of $A$ is the inverse of $A$ along $U$ and $A_{1}$ for any $U\in \{A_{1}, \hat{A}_{1}, \tilde{A}_{1}\}$; the weak group inverse of $A$ is the inverse of $A$ along $U$ and $\hat{A}_{1}$ for any $U\in \{A_{1}, \hat{A}_{1}, \tilde{A}_{1}\}$; the core-EP inverse of $A$ is the inverse of $A$ along $U$ and $\tilde{A}_{1}$ for any $U\in \{A_{1}, \hat{A}_{1}, \tilde{A}_{1}\}$. Let $X_{1}$, $X_{4}$ and $X_{7}$ be the generalized inverses along $A_{1}$, $\hat{A}_{1}$ and $\tilde{A}_{1}$, respectively. In the last section, some useful examples were given, which showed that the generalized inverses $X_{1}$, $X_{4}$ and $X_{7}$ were different generalized inverses. For a certain singular complex matrix, the Drazin inverse coincides with the weak group inverse, which is different from the core-EP inverse. Moreover, we showed that the Drazin inverse, the weak group inverse and the core-EP inverse can be the same for a certain singular complex matrix

Parameter adaptive model predictive control strategy of NPC three-level virtual synchronous generator

The Virtual Synchronous Generator (VSG) emulates the characteristics of a synchronous generator to provide inertia and damping for renewable energy systems. In the case of using the NPC three-level converter structure, traditional control methods require complex dual-loop control and internal PI parameter tuning. Furthermore, although fixed-parameter VSG control can provide inertia and damping when a significant power load is switched in an islanded microgrid, it cannot guarantee frequency regulation performance. To address these issues, this paper proposes an NPC three-level VSG parameter adaptive finite control set model predictive control strategy. This method eliminates the need for dual-loop control and PI parameter tuning. By incorporating angular velocity deviation and its rate of change into adaptive adjustment, a Tracking-Differentiator (TD) is designed to calculate the rate of change of angular velocity. This approach avoids frequent fluctuation of adaptive parameters during load power switching and improves the frequency stability of the microgrid. The effectiveness of the proposed strategy is validated through simulation and experimental verification

Orai1 and Stim1 Mediate the Majority of Store-Operated Calcium Entry in Multiple Myeloma and Have Strong Implications for Adverse Prognosis

Background/Aims: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell neoplasm which constitutes about 10% of all hematologic malignancies. Despite the development and application of novel agents, MM still undergoes an aggressive and incurable course in the vast majority of patients. Ca2+ is one of the critical regulators of cell migration. Ca2+ influx is essential for the migration of various types of cells including tumor cells. However, the role of store-operated calcium entry (SOC) channels, the only Ca2+ channels of non-excitable cells, has not yet been reported in MM cell survival. Methods: We evaluated the expression of Stim1 and Orai1 (two key regulators of SOC) in MM tissues and cell lines by immunohistochemical assay, quantitative real-time PCR assay and western blot. MM cell lines were pretreated with pharmacological blockers and siRNAs, and then MM cell proliferation, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis were examined by FACS (flow cytometry) assay, and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining. The correlation between the expression of Stim1 (or Orai1) level and outcome in MM were assessed by using Progress Free Survival (PFS). Results: Stim1 and Orai1 were both abundantly expressed in MM tissue and MM cell lines. Inhibition of SOCE reduced MM cell viability, and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Stim1 or Orai1 silencing also reduced cell viability, caused cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in MM cell lines. Over-expression of Stim1/Orai1 in MM patients was closely associated with the clinical outcome of MM. Conclusion: The Stim1/Orai1-mediated signaling participates in the pathogenesis of MM, which represents an attractive target for future therapeutic intervention

Melatonin-Mediated Sugar Accumulation and Growth Inhibition in Apple Plants Involves Down-Regulation of Fructokinase 2 Expression and Activity

Melatonin has been reported to play roles in regulating carbohydrate levels and plant growth. However, little is known about the exact mechanism by which melatonin regulates sugar levels and growth in plants. In this study, it was found that high levels of melatonin inhibited the growth of wild-type (WT) apple plants and induced significant accumulations of fructose, glucose, and sucrose in apple leaves, while MdFRK2 expression was significantly downregulated. MdFRK2 promoter transiently expressed in tobacco leaves further supported that the expression of MdFRK2 could be inhibited by exogenous melatonin. After applying exogenous melatonin, the suppression of MdFRK2 expression was significantly rescued in transgenic apples overexpressing MdFRK2 via the 35S promoter. Fructose, glucose, and sucrose concentrations increased less as compared to WT apple plants. Wild-type plants showed a stunted phenotype 21 days after melatonin treatment, while MdFRK2-overexpressing plants exhibited slightly inhibited growth, indicating that the downregulated MdFRK2 expression in response to melatonin was involved in melatonin-mediated growth inhibition. Taken together, these results demonstrate the involvement of MdFRK2 in melatonin-induced sugar accumulation and growth inhibition. Our findings shed light on the roles played by MdFRK2 in connecting melatonin action and plant growth

Qingchang Wenzhong Decoction Attenuates DSS-Induced Colitis in Rats by Reducing Inflammation and Improving Intestinal Barrier Function via Upregulating the MSP/RON Signalling Pathway

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, nonspecific, inflammatory disease for which an effective treatment is lacking. Our previous study found that Qingchang Wenzhong Decoction (QCWZD) can significantly improve the clinical symptoms of UC and ameliorate dextran sulphate sodium- (DSS-) induced ulcerative colitis in rats by downregulating the IP10/CXCR3 axis–mediated inflammatory response. The purpose of the present study was to further explore the mechanism of QCWZD for UC in rats models, which were established by 7-day administration of 4.5% dextran sulphate sodium solution. QCWZD was administered daily for 7 days; then we determined the serum macrophage-stimulating protein concentration (MSP) and recepteur d’origine nantais (RON) expression and its downstream proteins (protein kinase B [Akt], phosphorylated [p] Akt, occludin, zona occluden- [ZO-] 1, and claudin-2) in colon tissue using Western blotting and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In DSS-induced UC, QCWZD significantly alleviated colitis-associated inflammation, upregulated serum MSP expression and RON expression in the colon, reduced the pAkt levels, promoted colonic occluding and ZO-1 expression, and depressed claudin-2 expression. In conclusion, the MSP/RON signalling pathway plays an important role in the pathogenesis of UC by involving the inflammatory response and improving intestinal barrier function. QCWZD appears to attenuate DSS-induced UC in rats by upregulating the MSP/RON signalling pathway

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the KCS gene family in soybean (Glycine max) reveal their potential roles in response to abiotic stress

Very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) are fatty acids with chain lengths of 20 or more carbon atoms, which are the building blocks of various lipids that regulate developmental processes and plant stress responses. 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase encoded by the KCS gene is the key rate-limiting enzyme in VLCFA biosynthesis, but the KCS gene family in soybean (Glycine max) has not been adequately studied thus far. In this study, 31 KCS genes (namely GmKCS1 - GmKCS31) were identified in the soybean genome, which are unevenly distributed on 14 chromosomes. These GmKCS genes could be phylogenetically classified into seven groups. A total of 27 paralogous GmKCS gene pairs were identified with their Ka/Ks ratios indicating that they had undergone purifying selection during soybean genome expansion. Cis-acting element analysis revealed that GmKCS promoters contained multiple hormone- and stress-responsive elements, indicating that GmKCS gene expression levels may be regulated by various developmental and environmental stimuli. Expression profiles derived from RNA-seq data and qRT-PCR experiments indicated that GmKCS genes were diversely expressed in different organs/tissues, and many GmKCS genes were found to be differentially expressed in the leaves under cold, heat, salt, and drought stresses, suggesting their critical role in soybean resistance to abiotic stress. These results provide fundamental information about the soybean KCS genes and will aid in their further functional elucidation and exploitation