A Wolf Pack Optimization Theory Based Improved Density Peaks Clustering Approach

In view of the problem that the Density Peaks Clustering (DPC) algorithm needs to manually set the parameter cut-off distance (dc) we propose a Wolf Pack optimization theory based Density Peaks Clustering approach (WPA-DPC). Firstly, we introduce dc parameter into the Wolf Pack Algorithm (WPA) to speed up the search. Secondly, we introduce the WPA into the DPC algorithm; the cut-off distance is used as the location of the wolf group. Finally, we make silhouette index in the search process as the fitness value, and the optimal location of the wolf group is the parameter value at the end. The simulation results show that compared with the traditional Density Peaks Clustering algorithm, the proposed algorithm is closer to the true clustering number. According to the evaluation results of silhouette and f-measure, the quality of clustering and the accuracy are greatly improved

Southern Control of Interhemispheric Synergy on Glacial Marine Carbon Sequestration

Among mechanisms accounting for atmospheric pCO2 drawdown during glacial periods, processes operating in the North Atlantic (NA) and Southern Ocean (SO) have been proposed to be critical. Their individual and synergic effects during a course of glaciation, however, remain enigmatic. We conducted simulations to examine these effects at idealized glacial stages. Under early-glacial-like conditions, cooling in the SO can trigger an initial pCO2 drawdown, while the associated sea ice expansion has little impact on air-sea gas exchange. Under later glacial-like conditions, further cooling in the NA enhances ocean carbon uptake due to a stronger solubility pump, and the SO-induced stronger deep stratification prevents carbon exchange between the deep and upper ocean. Meanwhile, strengthened dust deposition increases the SO contribution to the global biological pump, and CO2 outgassing is suppressed by fully extended sea ice cover. More carbon is then stored in the deep Pacific acting as a passive reservoir

3′,6′-Bis(diethyl­amino)-2-[(E)-2-(4-hy­droxy-3-meth­oxy­benzyl­idene­amino)­eth­yl]spiro­[isoindoline-1,9′-xanthen]-3-one ethanol monosolvate

In the title compound, C38H42N4O4·C2H6O, prepared via a spiro­lactam ring-formation reaction in a rhodamine dye, the xanthene ring system is approximately planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0014Å) and subtends dihedral angles of 88.10 (3) and 86.92 (4)° with the spiro­lactam (r.m.s. deviations = 0.0012 Å) and benzene rings, respectively. The crystal structure consists of chains parallel to [-101], formed via O—H⋯O inter­actions

Species‐specific plant‐mediated effects between herbivores converge at high damage intensity

Plants are often exposed to multiple herbivores and densities of these attackers (or corresponding damage intensities) often fluctuate greatly in the field. Plant-mediated interactions vary among herbivore species and with changing feeding intensity, but little is known about how herbivore identity and density interact to determine plant responses and herbivore fitness. Here, we investigated this question using Triadica sebifera (tallow) and two common and abundant specialist insect herbivores, Bikasha collaris (flea beetle) and Heterapoderopsis bicallosicollis (weevil). By manipulating densities of leaf-feeding adults of these two herbivore species, we tested how variations in the intensity of leaf damage caused by flea beetle or weevil adults affected the performance of root-feeding flea beetle larvae and evaluated the potential of induced tallow root traits to predict flea beetle larval performance. We found that weevil adults consistently decreased the survival of flea beetle larvae with increasing leaf damage intensities. In contrast, conspecific flea beetle adults increased their larval survival at low damage then decreased larval survival at high damage, resulting in a unimodal pattern. Chemical analyses showed that increasing leaf damage from weevil adults linearly decreased root carbohydrates and increased root tannin, whereas flea beetle adults had opposite effects as weevil adults at low damage and similar effects as them at high damage. Furthermore, across all feeding treatments, flea beetle larval survival correlated positively with concentrations of carbohydrates and negatively with concentration of tannin, suggesting that root primary and secondary metabolism might underlie the observed effects on flea beetle larvae. Our study demonstrates that herbivore identity and density interact to determine systemic plant responses and plant-mediated effects on herbivores. In particular, effects are species-specific at low densities, but converge at high densities. These findings emphasize the importance of considering herbivore identity and density simultaneously when investigating factors driving plant-mediated interactions between herbivores, which advances our understanding of the structure and composition of herbivore communities and terrestrial food webs

Progranulin directly binds to the CRD2 and CRD3 of TNFR extracellular domains

AbstractWe previously reported that PGRN directly bound to TNF receptors (TNFR) in vitro and in chondrocytes (Tang, et al., Science, 2011). Here we report that PGRN also associated with TNFR in splenocytes, and inhibited the binding of TNFα to immune cells. Proper folding of PGRN is essential for its binding to TNFR, as DTT treatment abolished its binding to TNFR. In contrast, the binding of PGRN to Sortilin was enhanced by DTT. Protein interaction assays with mutants of the TNFR extracellular domain demonstrated that CRD2 and CRD3 of TNFR are important for the interaction with PGRN, similar to the binding to TNFα. Taken together, these findings provide the molecular basis underlying PGRN/TNFR interaction and PGRN-mediated anti-inflammatory activity in various autoimmune diseases and conditions