Isolation of AhDHNs from Arachis hypogaea L. and evaluation of AhDHNs expression under exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) and water stress

The peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important oil and cash crop all over the world. It is mostly planted in arid and semi-arid regions. To determine the mechanism by which dehydrins (DHNs) are regulated by abscisic acid (ABA) in peanuts, three Arachis hypogaea L. dehydrins (AhDHNs) were isolated from peanut plants and sequenced. By blasting the protein sequences of these AhDHNs, AhDHN1 was found belonging to the YnSKn subfamily. AhDHN2 and AhDHN3 were found belonging to the SKn and YnKn types, respectively. 100 μM ABA enhanced AhDHNs expression in peanut leaves. When peanut plants were treated with ABA and then with the ABA synthesis inhibitor sodium tungstate 12 h later, AhDHN expression was suppressed. However, AhDHN2 was inhibited by sodium tungstate at 2 h, though other AhDHNs were not. AhDHNs expressions increased greatly in peanut leaves treated with 30% polyethylene glycol (PEG). Sodium tungstate along with PEG inhibited the expression of AhDHNs. This study found that exogenous and endogenous ABA can both affect the expression of AhDHN independently. The differential expression of AhDHNs to exogenous ABA may be because of differences in the structure of different AhDHNs.Keywords: Arachis hypogaea L. dehydrins (AhDHNs), peanut, abscisic acid (ABA), expression, sodium tungstate, water stres

The Radar Tomography Detection for the Abnormal Moisture Regions of Huge Grain Pile

As far as water content detection of stored-grain is concerned, cross-hole radar tomography method is used to find the abnormal water content areas in granary. Based on the basic theory of tomography, wave front ray tracing methods have been studied. Travel-time equation is used to correct refraction points before ray tracing, which improves the precision of ray tracing, and is also easy to realize. Velocity and attenuation tomography forward model were built respectively, and Least Square QR-factorization (LQSR) image rebuild methods were adopted to solve the inversion equation. Meanwhile, the properties of the two ray tracing methods were analyzed. Simulation and experimental results show that, compared to traditional methods, there is a better performance for the improved ray tracing proposed in this paper. It's proved that using cross-hole radar tomography method to detect the internal structure of huge granary is feasible

Neizvjesnost ekonomske politike i prinos na tržištu nekretnina u Njemačkoj na primjeru bootstrap metode

The purpose of this investigation is to research the causal link between economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and the housing returns (HR) in Germany. In the estimated vector autoregressive models, we test its stability and find the short-run relationship between HR and EPU is unstable. As a result, a time-varying approach (bootstrap rolling window causality test) is utilized to revisit the dynamic causal link, and we find EPU has no impact on HR due to the stability of the real estate market in Germany. HR does not have significant effects on EPU in most time periods. However, significant feedback in several sub-periods (both positive and negative) are found from HR to EPU, which indicates the causal link from HR to EPU varies over time. The empirical results do not support the general equilibrium model of government policy choices that indicate EPU does not play a role in the real estate market. The basic conclusion is that the real estate market shows its stability due to the social welfare nature and the rational institutional arrangement of the real estate in Germany, and the real estate market also shows its importance that it has significant effect on the economic policy choice in some periods when negative external shocks occur.Svrha ovog istraživanja je ispitati uzročno-posljedičnu vezu između neizvjesnosti ekonomske politike (NEP) i prinosa na tržištu nekretnina (PTN) u Njemačkoj. U vektorskim auto-regresijskim modelima testirana je stabilnost odnosa NEP-a i PTN-a i utvrđeno je da je kratkoročni odnos između NEP-a i PTN-a nestabilan. Kao rezultat, metoda kliznog vremenskog okvira promatranja podataka (bootstrap test kauzalnosti) koristi se da bi se preispitala dinamična uzročno-posljedična veza (veza kauzalnosti) i utvrđeno je da NEP nema utjecaja na PTN zahvaljujući stabilnosti tržišta nekretnina u Njemačkoj. U većini vremenskih razdoblja, PTN nema značajan utjecaj na NEP. Međutim, značajne povratne informacije u nekoliko pod-razdoblja (i pozitivne i negativne) ukazuju na kauzalnu vezu PTN-a prema NEP-u koja varira tijekom vremena. Empirijski rezultati ne podupiru model opće ravnoteže vladine politike izbora što ukazuje na to da NEP ne utječe na tržište nekretnina. Temeljni zaključak je da tržište nekretnina pokazuje svoju stabilnost zahvaljujući socijalnoj skrbi i racionalnom institucijskom uređenju tržišta nekretnina u Njemačkoj, a isto tako i tržište nekretnina pokazuje da ima značajan utjecaj na ekonomsku politiku izbora u nekim razdobljima kod pojave negativnih vanjskih šokova

Gearbox Fault Diagnosis Method Based on Improved MobileNetV3 and Transfer Learning

Under different working conditions of gearbox, the feature extraction of fault signals is difficult, and large difference in data distribution affects the fault diagnosis results. Based on the problems, the research proposes a method based on improved MobileNetV3 network and transfer learning (TL-Pro-MobilenetV3 network). Three time-frequency analysis methods are used to obtain time-frequency distribution. Among them, short time Fourier transform (STFT) combined with Pro-MobilenetV3 network takes the shortest time and has the highest accuracy. Furthermore, transfer learning is introduced into the model, and the optimal training parameters are selected training the network. Using the dataset from Southeast University, the TL-Pro-MobilenetV3 model is compared with four classical fault diagnosis models. The experimental results show the accuracy of the method proposed can reach 100% and the training time is the shortest in two working conditions, proving the proposed model has a good performance in generalization ability, recognition accuracy and training time

Vpr Targets TET2 for Degradation by CRL4 VprBP E3 Ligase to Sustain IL-6 Expression and Enhance HIV-1 Replication

HIV-1 expresses several accessory proteins to counteract host anti-viral restriction factors to facilitate viral replication and disease progression. One such protein, Vpr, has been implicated in affecting multiple cellular processes, but its mechanism remains elusive. Here we report that Vpr targets TET2 for polyubiquitylation by the VprBP-DDB1-CUL4-ROC1 E3 ligase and subsequent degradation. Genetic inactivation or Vpr-mediated degradation of TET2 enhances HIV-1 replication and substantially sustains expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6). This process correlates with reduced recruitment of histone deacetylase 1 and 2 to the IL-6 promoter, thus enhancing its histone H3 acetylation level during resolution phase. Blocking IL-6 signaling reduced the ability of Vpr to enhance HIV-1 replication. We conclude that HIV-1 Vpr degrades TET2 to sustain IL-6 expression to enhance viral replication and disease progression. These results suggest that disrupting the Vpr-TET2-IL6 axis may prove clinically beneficial to reduce both viral replication and inflammation during HIV-1 infection. HIV-1 Vpr protein counteracts host anti-viral restriction factors to facilitate viral replication and disease progression. Lv et al. demonstrate that Vpr promotes degradation of TET DNA dioxygenases. TET2 deletion or depletion enhances HIV-1 replication and sustains pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6, while blocking IL-6 reduces Vpr's ability to enhance HIV-1 replication. © 2018 Elsevier Inc

Linking drought indices to impacts in the Liaoning province of China

Drought is an inherent meteorological characteristic of any given region, but is particularly important in China due to its monsoon climate and the “three ladder” landform system. The Chinese government has constructed large-scale water conservation projects since 1949, and developed drought and water scarcity relief frameworks. However, drought still causes huge impacts on water supply, environment and agriculture. China has, therefore, created specialized agencies for drought management called Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, which include four different levels: state, provincial, municipal and county. The impact datasets they collect provide an effective resource for drought vulnerability assessment, and provide validation options for hydro-meteorological indices used in risk assessment and drought monitoring. In this study, we use the statistical drought impact data collected by the Liaoning province Drought Relief Headquarter and meteorological drought indices (Standardized Precipitation Index, SPI and Standard Precipitation Evaporation Index, SPEI) to explore a potential relationship between drought impacts and these indices. The results show that SPI-24 and SPEI-24 are highly correlated to the populations that have difficulties in obtaining drinking water in four out of the six cities studied. Three impacts related to reservoirs and the availability of drinking water for humans and livestock exhibit strong correlations with SPI and SPEI of different accumulated periods. Results reveal that meteorological indices used for drought monitoring and early warning in China can be effectively linked to drought impacts. Further work is exploring how this information can be used to optimize drought monitoring and risk assessment in the whole Liaoning province and elsewhere in China

Association of longitudinal trajectories of general and abdominal adiposity during middle age with mental health and well-being in late life: a prospective analysis

Single measures of adiposity markers, such as body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), are associated with adverse mental health outcomes; however, long-term patterns of adiposity and their health effects remain unclear. The current study assessed adiposity trajectories during a 14-year span beyond middle age and their relevance to mental well-being in late life, and the contribution of genetic and lifestyle factors to the trajectories. Based on a nationally representative sample with longitudinal anthropometric measures, adiposity trajectories were identified by latent mixture modeling, and logistic regression model was used to estimate their associations with mental well-being, with adjustment for confounders. Of the 3491 eligible participants included (mean [SD] age, 69.5 [8.9] years), five discrete BMI and four WC trajectory patterns were identified over 14 years. Compared with the low-stable BMI group (range, 22.8 to 22.9 kg/m²; representing stable healthy body weight), the high-stable group (range, 34.3 to 35.4 kg/m²; stable obese) was associated with increased risk of depression (odds ratio [OR], 1.63; 95 % CI, 1.28–2.07) and low subjective well-being (OR, 1.35; 95 % CI, 1.02–1.79). Compared with the low-stable WC group (range, 75 to 79 cm healthy WC), the high-increasing group (range, 114 to 121 cm) was associated with increased risk of depression (odds ratio [OR], 1.64; 95 % CI, 1.19–2.25) and low well-being (OR, 1.48; 95 % CI, 1.01–2.16). The adiposity trajectories, especially the high-stable/increasing groups, were driven by genetic factors in a dose-response manner, whereas the high/moderate-increasing groups were also behaviorally related. This longitudinal cohort study reveals that stably high trajectory patterns of central and general adiposity during middle age were associated with higher risk of depression and low well-being in late life. The findings indicate the importance of weight management beyond middle age, such as adherence to a healthy lifestyle, in promoting mental health and well-being

Adaptive Synchronization of Complex Dynamical Networks Governed by Local Lipschitz Nonlinearlity on Switching Topology

This paper investigates the adaptive synchronization of complex dynamical networks satisfying the local Lipschitz condition with switching topology. Based on differential inclusion and nonsmooth analysis, it is proved that all nodes can converge to the synchronous state, even though only one node is informed by the synchronous state via introducing decentralized adaptive strategies to the coupling strengths and feedback gains. Finally, some numerical simulations are worked out to illustrate the analytical results

Viral Infection Affects Sucrose Responsiveness and Homing Ability of Forager Honey Bees, Apis mellifera L

Honey bee health is mainly affected by Varroa destructor, viruses, Nosema spp., pesticide residues and poor nutrition. Interactions between these proposed factors may be responsible for the colony losses reported worldwide in recent years. In the present study, the effects of a honey bee virus, Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV), on the foraging behaviors and homing ability of European honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) were investigated based on proboscis extension response (PER) assays and radio frequency identification (RFID) systems. The pollen forager honey bees originated from colonies that had no detectable level of honey bee viruses and were manually inoculated with IAPV to induce the viral infection. The results showed that IAPV-inoculated honey bees were more responsive to low sucrose solutions compared to that of non-infected foragers. After two days of infection, around 10⁷ copies of IAPV were detected in the heads of these honey bees. The homing ability of IAPV-infected foragers was depressed significantly in comparison to the homing ability of uninfected foragers. The data provided evidence that IAPV infection in the heads may enable the virus to disorder foraging roles of honey bees and to interfere with brain functions that are responsible for learning, navigation, and orientation in the honey bees, thus, making honey bees have a lower response threshold to sucrose and lose their way back to the hive.This study was supported by earmarked funds for Modern Agro-industry Technology Research System (No. CARS-45-KXJ3), Nature and Science Foundation Commission of Zhejiang Province (R3080306) to SKS. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

A blended face-to-face and eHealth lifestyle intervention on physical activity, diet, and health outcomes in Hong Kong community-dwelling older adults: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundAging individuals are vulnerable to various Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs). Different behaviors are closely related to a decreased risk of suffering from NCDs: sufficient Physical Activity (PA) (e.g., at least 150 mins Moderate-to-vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) per week) and a healthy daily diet (e.g., at least five portions of Fruit and Vegetable Intake (FVI), 5–6 taels (189.0–226.8 g) Meat, Fish, Egg and Alternatives (MFEA)). Traditional face-to-face interventions were effective in behavior change. However, it was revealed to be resource-intensive and limited transfer due to poor self-regulation skills outside of face-to-face sessions. Thus, eHealth could be a supplement for older adults outside traditional face-to-face settings. The blended approach combining these two interventions might optimize the intervention effects on lifestyle behavior initiation and maintenance, but little research can be found among Hong Kong older adults. Therefore, the study aims to test a blended intervention to promote PA, diet, and health outcomes among Hong Kong community-dwelling older adults.MethodsThis study will adopt a 10-week three-arm randomized controlled trial. The blended group will receive weekly (1) two 60-min face-to-face sessions with one for PA and one for diet, and (2) two web-based sessions with one for PA and one for diet. The face-to-face group will receive the same intervention content as the face-to-face sessions in the blended group. The control condition will receive a biweekly telephone call. The outcomes will include MVPA (minutes/week), FVI (portions/day), MFEA consumption (taels/day), social-cognitive factors (self-efficacy, planning, social support, action control), physical health outcomes (clinical indicators, senior physical fitness), mental health outcomes (depression, loneliness) and health-related quality of life. Data collection will be implemented at the pre-test, post-test, and 3-month follow-up test.DiscussionThis is the first study evaluating a blended intervention promoting multiple health behaviors among Hong Kong community-dwelling older adults. If the effect of the blended intervention is superior to the traditional face-to-face group and the control group, it will enrich lifestyle intervention approaches and can be applied to older adults, helping them obtain health benefits. Furthermore, a better understanding of mechanisms will also have implications for theory-building.Clinical trial registrationhttps://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN32329348, ISRCTN32329348