Construction of a gene signature associated with anoikis to evaluate the prognosis and immune infiltration in patients with colorectal cancer.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is characterized by a high metastasis rate, leading to poor prognosis and increased mortality. Anoikis, a physiological process, serves as a crucial barrier against metastasis. The objective of this research is to construct a prognostic model for CRC based on genes associated with anoikis. Methods: The study involved differential analysis and univariate Cox analysis of anoikis-related genes (ARGs), resulting in the selection of 47 genes closely associated with prognosis. Subsequently, unsupervised k-means clustering analysis was conducted on all patients to identify distinct clusters. Survival analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) analysis were performed on the different clusters to investigate associations within the clusters. Gene set variation analysis (GSVA) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were utilized to assess metabolic pathway enrichment between the identified clusters. Furthermore, single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA) was applied to explore variations in immune infiltration. Multivariable Cox regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analyses were conducted to construct a risk model based on ten signatures, which enabled the grouping of all samples according to their risk scores. The prognostic value of the model was validated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, area under the curve (AUC) calculations, and survival curves. Additionally, the expression of candidate genes was validated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results: Forty-seven survival-related ARGs were screened out. Somatic mutation analysis showed that these genes revealed a high mutation rate. Based on their expression, two clusters were identified. Cluster B patients exhibited a shortened overall survival and higher immune infiltration. A risk scoring model including ten genes was subsequently developed, which exhibited excellent prognostic predictive ability for CRC, as evidenced by the survival curve, ROC curve, and AUC curve. In addition, a nomogram was developed for predicting 3- and 5-year survival probabilities. The qRT-PCR results indicated the dissimilarities among the ten signatures in the tumor tissues and adjacent tissues of patients with CRC were fundamentally consistent with the analytical findings. Conclusions: This study comprehensively evaluated the prognostic significance of ARGs in CRC. It identified two distinct anoikis-related clusters and examined their respective immune microenvironments. Furthermore, an ARGs signature was developed to effectively predict the prognosis of CRC, thereby establishing a solid foundation for investigating the clinical prognostic role of anoikis in CRC.

Laser-light cueing shoes with integrated foot pressure and inertial sensing for investigating the impact of visual cueing on gait characteristics in Parkinson's disease individuals.

Gait disorders are a fundamental challenge in Parkinson's disease (PD). The use of laser-light visual cues emitted from shoes has demonstrated effective in improving freezing of gait within less restrictive environments. However, the effectiveness of shoes-based laser-light cueing may vary among individuals with PD who have different types of impairments. We introduced an innovative laser-light visual shoes system capable of producing alternating visual cues for the left and right feet through one-side cueing at a time, while simultaneously recording foot inertial data and foot pressures. The effects of this visual cueing system on gait patterns were assessed in individuals with PD, both those with well-gait and those with worse-gait. Our device successfully quantified gait characteristics, including the asymmetry in the center of pressure trajectory, in individuals with PD. Furthermore, visual cueing prolonged stride times and increased the percentage of stance phase, while concurrently reducing stride length in PD individuals with well-gait. Conversely, in PD individuals with worse-gait, visual cueing resulted in a decreased freeze index and a reduction in the proportion of intervals prone to freezing episodes. The effects of visual cueing varied between PD individuals with well-gait and those with worse-gait. Visual cueing slowed down gait in the well-gait group while it appeared to mitigate freezing episodes in worse-gait group. Future researches, including enhancements to extend the projection distance of visual cues and clinical assessments conducted in real-world settings, will help establish the clinical utility of our proposed visual cueing system.

Functional Characterisation of the ATOH1 Molecular Subtype Indicates a Pro-Metastatic Role in Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Molecular subtypes of Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) have been described based on differential expression of transcription factors (TFs) ASCL1, NEUROD1, POU2F3 and immune-related genes. We previously reported an additional subtype based on expression of the neurogenic TF ATOH1 within our SCLC Circulating tumour cell-Derived eXplant (CDX) model biobank. Here we show that ATOH1 protein was detected in 7/81 preclinical models and 16/102 clinical samples of SCLC. In CDX models, ATOH1 directly regulated neurogenesis and differentiation programs consistent with roles in normal tissues. In ex vivo cultures of ATOH1-positive CDX, ATOH1 was required for cell survival. In vivo, ATOH1 depletion slowed tumour growth and suppressed liver metastasis. Our data validate ATOH1 as a bona fide oncogenic driver of SCLC with tumour cell survival and pro-metastatic functions. Further investigation to explore ATOH1 driven vulnerabilities for targeted treatment with predictive biomarkers is warranted.

Targeting ferroptosis in gastric cancer: Strategies and opportunities.

Ferroptosis is a novel form of programmed cell death morphologically, genetically, and biochemically distinct from other cell death pathways and characterized by the accumulation of iron-dependent lipid peroxides and oxidative damage. It is now understood that ferroptosis plays an essential role in various biological processes, especially in the metabolism of iron, lipids, and amino acids. Gastric cancer (GC) is a prevalent malignant tumor worldwide with low early diagnosis rates and high metastasis rates, accounting for its relatively poor prognosis. Although chemotherapy is commonly used to treat GC, drug resistance often leads to poor therapeutic outcomes. In the last several years, extensive research on ferroptosis has highlighted its significant potential in GC therapy, providing a promising strategy to address drug resistance associated with standard cancer therapies. In this review, we offer an extensive summary of the key regulatory factors related to the mechanisms underlying ferroptosis. Various inducers and inhibitors specifically targeting ferroptosis are uncovered. Additionally, we explore the prospective applications and outcomes of these agents in the field of GC therapy, emphasizing their capacity to improve the outcomes of this patient population.

Laser-light Visual Cueing Shoes with Foot Pressures and Inertial Sensing for Individuals with Parkinson's Disease.

Gait disorder is a core problem in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), including bradykinesia, shuffling steps, festinating gait, and freeze of gait (FOG). Laser-light visual cueing has been demonstrated to be efficient in the mediation of gaits and the reduction in number of FOG episodes. However, previous approaches commonly adopted independent controls of visual cueing on left and right sides which was prone to produce two cues while individual was not in normal walking. In this study, we developed laser-light visual shoes which produced interlaced visual cues for left and right feet in a manner of one-side cueing at a time, solving the aforementioned problem. With parallel measurement of foot inertial data and foot pressures in each shoe, our results showed that the proposed visual cueing made PD individuals in the on-medication condition walk with a longer stance and swing times, that is, they walked more carefully and stable. The proposed approach can also be used to study kinematic and kinetic characteristics of gaits in the off-medication condition to clarify the mediation of visual cueing on motor control of PD individuals.Clinical Relevance- This demonstrates the effect of laser-light visual cueing on gaits in individuals with Parkinson's disease.

Use self-construction theory to understand Daka destination information sources and motivation impact on tourism intention.

Daka destinations refer to tagging one's visit to a popular destination by posting on social media. As a novel tourism concept derived from digital media in the post-pandemic era, Daka destinations have become a major option for potential tourists; thus, investigating tourist intentions toward them is of utmost significance to tourism recovery. Based on the viewpoints of information sources of Daka destinations, tourism motivations, and self-construction, this study investigates the research framework of potential tourism intentions through three scenarios. The findings revealed the following: (i) Different information sources have different stimuli for potential tourists, and WeChat Moments exerted a positive impact on tourism intention because of credibility; tourism bloggers from Weibo exert a more significant positive impact on tourism intentions of potential tourists because of professionalism. (ii) Considering the credibility of WeChat Moments, the extrinsic motivation of potential tourists exerted a more significant impact on tourism intentions; regarding professional tourism bloggers, the intrinsic motivation of potential tourists exerted a more significant impact on tourism intention. (iii) Regarding the credibility of WeChat Moments, dependent self-construction potential tourists with extrinsic motivation exerted a more significant impact on tourism intention. Regarding tourism bloggers with high professionalism, independent self-construal potential tourists with intrinsic motivation exerted a more significant impact on tourism intention. This study enriches the research mechanism of the formation path of potential tourists' tourism intention, extends the self-construction theory to the research field of using social media to collect Daka destinations tourism information, and provides a reference to subsequent research on potential tourists' tourism intention.

TiNi-Based Bi-Metallic Shape-Memory Alloy by Laser-Directed Energy Deposition.

In this study, laser-directed energy deposition was applied to build a Ti-rich ternary Ti-Ni-Cu shape-memory alloy onto a TiNi shape-memory alloy substrate to realize the joining of the multifunctional bi-metallic shape-memory alloy structure. The cost-effective Ti, Ni, and Cu elemental powder blend was used for raw materials. Various material characterization approaches were applied to reveal different material properties in two sections. The as-fabricated Ti-Ni-Cu alloy microstructure has the TiNi phase as the matrix with Ti2Ni secondary precipitates. The hardness shows no high values indicating that the major phase is not hard intermetallics. A bonding strength of 569.1 MPa was obtained by tensile testing, and digital image correlation reveals the different tensile responses of the two sections. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to measure the phase-transformation temperatures. The austenite finishing temperature of higher than 80 °C was measured for the Ti-Ni-Cu alloy section. For the TiNi substrate, the austenite finishing temperature was tested to be near 47 °C at the bottom and around 22 °C at the upper substrate region, which is due to the repeated laser scanning that acts as annealing on the substrate. Finally, the multiple shape-memory effect of two shape-memory alloy sides was tested and identified.

Regulation of miR-30b in cancer development, apoptosis, and drug resistance.

miR-30b, which is encoded by the gene located on chromosome 8q24.22, plays an important role in a variety of diseases. In most types of tumors, miR-30b significantly inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells through the regulation of target genes. Moreover, miR-30b can inhibit the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway through the regulation of EGFR, AKT, Derlin-1, GNA13, SIX1, and other target genes, thus inhibiting the EMT process of tumor cells and promoting apoptosis. In addition, miR-30 plays a significant role in alleviating drug resistance in tumor cells. Although the use of miR-30b as a clinical diagnostic indicator or anticancer drug is still facing great difficulties in the short term, with the deepening of research, the potential application of miR-30b is emerging.

pPe Op inhibits HGC-27 cell proliferation, migration and invasion by upregulating miR-30b-5p and down-regulating the Rac1/Cdc42 pathway.

Gastric cancer is the fifth most frequently occurring and the fourth most lethal malignant cancer worldwide. A bioactive protein (pPe Op) from Omphalia lapidescens exhibits significant inhibitory effects on gastric cancer cells. miRNA deep sequencing analysis shows that miR-30b-5p is significantly upregulated in HGC-27 cells treated with pPe Op. Verification results show that the expression level of miR-30b-5p is significantly increased in HGC-27 cells after pPe Op treatment. Additionally, miR-30b-5p is significantly downregulated in clinical gastric cancer tissues compared to that in adjacent normal tissues. Following pPe Op treatment and/or transfection with miR-30b-5p mimic, the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HGC-27 cells are significantly impaired. Immunofluorescence microscopy shows that pPe Op and/or miR-30b-5p destroy(s) microfilaments and microstructures and inhibit(s) the formation of pseudopodia. Bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and western blot analysis confirm that miR-30b-5p downregulates Rac1/Cdc42 expression and activation by targeting RAB22A. Available data indicate that miR-30b-5p plays an anti-gastric cancer role in mediating pPe Op. pPe Op upregulates miR-30b-5p expression, which in turn inhibits RAB22A expression, resulting in a reduction in the expression and activation of Rac1 and Cdc42 and their downstream targets, thus destroying the cytoskeletal structure and inhibiting the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells.

Anti-Gastric Cancer Effect of Purified Omphalia lapidescens Protein via Regulating the JAK/STAT3 Signaling Pathway.

Gastric cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The aim of present study was to investigate the anti-tumor effect of purified Omphalia lapidescens protein (pPeOp) in gastric cancer. Microarray analysis was performed to find out differentially expressed genes in pPeOp-treated MC-4 gastric cancer cells. The Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) three signaling pathway was most likely to be altered based on bioinformatics analysis. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and NSC74859 were used as the agonist and inhibitor of the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway, respectively. Flow cytometry and MTS assay were used for cell proliferation and viability analysis in pPeOp-treated gastric cancer cell lines with IL-6 or NSC74859. The anti-tumor effect was increased when pPeOp were co-treated with IL-6, while decreased in inhibitor treatment. The expression of the crucial members in the pathway of MC-4 cells, including glycoprotein 130 (GP130), JAK1, JAK2, STAT3, p-STAT3, suppressor of cytokine signaling SOCS1 and SOCS3, was detected by western blotting. pPeOp exhibited promising anticancer effect in the xenograft nude mice model, established by STAT3 knock down gastric cancer cells.Thus, JAK/STAT3 inhibition partially contributed to the anticancer effect of pPeOp, which may serve as a novel strategy for gastric cancer.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/01635581.2021.1960385.

Construction of miRNA-mRNA-TF Regulatory Network for Diagnosis of Gastric Cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC), as an epidemic cancer worldwide, has more than 1 million new cases and an estimated 769,000 deaths worldwide in 2020, ranking fifth and fourth in global morbidity and mortality. In mammals, both miRNAs and transcription factors (TFs) play a partial role in gene expression regulation. The mRNA expression profile and miRNA expression profile of GEO database were screened by GEO2R for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs). Then, DAVID annotated the functions of DEGs to understand the functions played in biological processes. The prediction of potential target genes of miRNA and key TFs of mRNA was performed by mipathDB V2.0 and CHEA3, respectively, and the gene list comparison was performed to look for overlapping genes coregulated by key TFs and DEMs. Finally, the obtained miRNAs, TF, and overlapping genes were used to construct the miRNA-mRNA-TF regulatory network, which was verified by RT-qPCR. 76 upregulated DEGs, 199 downregulated DEGs, and 3 upregulated miRNAs (miR-199a-3p/miR-199b-3p, miR-125b-5p, and miR-199a-5p) were identified from the expression profiles of mRNA (GSE26899, GSE29998, GSE51575, and GSE13911) and miRNA (GSE93415), respectively. Through database prediction and gene list comparison, it was found that among the 199 downregulated DEGs, 61, 71, and 69 genes were the potential targets of miR-199a-3p/miR-199b-3p, miR-125b-5p, and miR-199a-5p, respectively. 199 downregulated DEGs were used as the gene list for the prediction of key TFs, and the results showed that RFX6 ranked the highest. The potential target overlap genes of miR-199a-3p/miR-199b-3p, miR-125b-5p, and miR-199a-5p were 4 genes (SH3GL2, ATP4B, CTSE, and SORBS2), 7 genes (SLC7A8, RNASE4, ESRRG, PGC, MUC6, Fam3B, and FMO5), and 6 genes (CHGA, PDK4, TMPRSS2, CLIC6, GPX3, and PSCA), respectively. Finally, we constructed a miRNA-mRNA-TF regulatory network based on the above 17 mRNAs, 3 miRNAs, and 1 TF and verified by RT-qPCR and western blot results that the expression of RFX6 was downregulated in GC tissues. These identified miRNAs, mRNAs, and TF have a certain reference value for further exploration of the regulatory mechanism of GC.

Fabrication and application of a novel electrochemical biosensor based on a mesoporous carbon sphere@UiO-66-NH2/Lac complex enzyme for tetracycline detection.

The overuse of tetracycline results in a threat to human, poultry and livestock health. An enzymatic electrochemical biosensor is an ideal alternative method for accurate and rapid tetracycline detection, while the unstable and easily deactivated nature of the enzyme limits its development. To overcome these limitations, a highly sensitive enzymatic electrochemical biosensor for the determination of tetracycline is developed in this work based on a complex enzyme which was constructed using a mesoporous carbon sphere@UiO-66-NH2 (MCS@UiO-66-NH2) core-shell composite with embedded laccase (Lac). Compared to pure MCS and UiO-66-NH2, the MCS@UiO-66-NH2 core-shell composite has an advantageous mesoporous structure (pore diameter >8 nm), which is suitable for the immobilization of small laccase. The biosensor based on the complex enzyme exhibits a superior activity and enhanced stability as compared with that made using a pure enzyme because the mesoporous structure of the MCS@UiO-66-NH2 composite can effectively protect the laccase against inactivation and denaturation. Besides, its high specific surface area and good conductivity are beneficial to enzyme immobilization and electron transfer in the modified electrode. The biosensor based on this complex enzyme exhibits a relatively low detection limit of 8.94 × 10-7 mol L-1 and a detection range of 1.0 × 10-6-6.0 × 10-5 mol L-1 for tetracycline detection. Furthermore, the developed biosensor possesses good long-term stability, selectivity and reproducibility, indicating its potential application for tetracycline determination in actual food. This research work provides a prospective solution to resolve the stability and inactivation problems of enzymatic electrochemical biosensors in different application scenarios.

Ginkgetin derived from Ginkgo biloba leaves enhances the therapeutic effect of cisplatin via ferroptosis-mediated disruption of the Nrf2/HO-1 axis in EGFR wild-type non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin (DDP) is the first-in-class drug for advanced and non-targetable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A recent study indicated that DDP could slightly induce non-apoptotic cell death ferroptosis, and the cytotoxicity was promoted by ferroptosis inducer. The agents enhancing the ferroptosis may therefore increase the anticancer effect of DDP. Several lines of evidence supporting the use of phytochemicals in NSCLC therapy. Ginkgetin, a bioflavonoid derived from Ginkgo biloba leaves, showed anticancer effects on NSCLC by triggering autophagy. Ferroptosis can be triggered by autophagy, which regulates redox homeostasis. Thus, we aimed to elucidate the possible role of ferroptosis involved in the synergistic effect of ginkgetin and DDP in cancer therapy. METHODS: The promotion of DDP-induced anticancer effects by ginkgetin was examined via a cytotoxicity assay and western blot. Ferroptosis triggered by ginkgetin in DDP-treated NSCLC was observed via a lipid peroxidation assay, a labile iron pool assay, western blot, and qPCR. With ferroptosis blocking, the contribution of ferroptosis to ginkgetin + DDP-induced cytotoxicity, the Nrf2/HO-1 axis, and apoptosis were determined via a luciferase assay, immunostaining, chromatin immunoprecipitation (CHIP), and flow cytometry. The role of ferroptosis in ginkgetin + DDP-treated NSCLC cells was illustrated by the application of ferroptosis inhibitors, which was further demonstrated in a xenograft nude mouse model. RESULTS: Ginkgetin synergized with DDP to increase cytotoxicity in NSCLC cells, which was concomitant with increased labile iron pool and lipid peroxidation. Both these processes were key characteristics of ferroptosis. The induction of ferroptosis mediated by ginkgetin was further confirmed by the decreased expression of SLC7A11 and GPX4, and a decreased GSH/GSSG ratio. Simultaneously, ginkgetin disrupted redox hemostasis in DDP-treated cells, as demonstrated by the enhanced ROS formation and inactivation of the Nrf2/HO-1 axis. Ginkgetin also enhanced DDP-induced mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) loss and apoptosis in cultured NSCLC cells. Furthermore, blocking ferroptosis reversed the ginkgetin-induced inactivation of Nrf2/HO-1 as well as the elevation of ROS formation, MMP loss, and apoptosis in DDP-treated NSCLC cells. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to report that ginkgetin derived from Ginkgo biloba leaves promotes DDP-induced anticancer effects, which can be due to the induction of ferroptosis.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the freshwater fairy shrimp Branchinella kugenumaensis Ishikawa 1894 (Crustacea: Anostraca: Thamnocephalidae).

In this study, we determined and analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome of the freshwater fairy shrimp Branchinella kugenumaensis Ishikawa 1894 (Crustacea: Anostraca: Thamnocephalidae). The mitogenome is 15,127 bp in length, consisted of 37 genes that participate in protein production and energy metabolism of mitochondria. The gene order of the B. kugenumaensis mtDNA exhibits major rearrangements compared with the pancrustacean ancestral pattern or other known anostracan mitogenomes, representing a novel mitochondrial genomic organization within the Crustacea. A maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analysis based on concatenated nucleotide sequences of protein-coding genes places B. kugenumaensis next to Streptocephalus sirindhornae, inside the Anostraca clade. Our study will provide new evidence to the less sampled anostracan evolution and take a further step to the completion of the Branchiopoda tree of life.

A Review on Metallic Alloys Fabrication Using Elemental Powder Blends by Laser Powder Directed Energy Deposition Process.

The laser powder directed energy deposition process is a metal additive manufacturing technique, which can fabricate metal parts with high geometric and material flexibility. The unique feature of in-situ powder feeding makes it possible to customize the elemental composition using elemental powder mixture during the fabrication process. Thus, it can be potentially applied to synthesize industrial alloys with low cost, modify alloys with different powder mixtures, and design novel alloys with location-dependent properties using elemental powder blends as feedstocks. This paper provides an overview of using a laser powder directed energy deposition method to fabricate various types of alloys by feeding elemental powder blends. At first, the advantage of laser powder directed energy deposition in manufacturing metal alloys is described in detail. Then, the state-of-the-art research and development in alloys fabricated by laser powder directed energy deposition through a mix of elemental powders in multiple categories is reviewed. Finally, critical technical challenges, mainly in composition control are discussed for future development.

Gynura divaricata exerts hypoglycemic effects by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and fatty acid metabolism signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to examine the anti-diabetic effects of Gynura divaricata (GD) and the underlying mechanism. METHODS: Information about the chemical compositions of GD was obtained from extensive literature reports. Potential target genes were predicted using PharmMapper and analyzed using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO). To validate the results from bioinformatics analyses, an aqueous extract of GD was administered to type 2 diabetic rats established by feeding a high-fat and high-sugar diet followed by STZ injection. Key proteins of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and fatty acid metabolism signaling pathway were investigated by immunoblotting. RESULTS: The blood glucose of the rats in the GD treatment group was significantly reduced compared with the model group without treatment. GD also showed activities in reducing the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine (CREA). The levels of urine sugar (U-GLU) and urine creatinine (U-CREA) were also lowered after treatment with GD. Bioinformatics analysis showed that some pathways including metabolic pathways, insulin resistance, insulin signaling pathway, PPAR signaling pathway, bile secretion, purine metabolism, etc. may be regulated by GD. Furthermore, GD significantly increased the protein expression levels of PKM1/2, p-AKT, PI3K p85, and GLUT4 in the rat liver. In addition, the expression levels of key proteins in the fatty acid metabolism signaling pathway including AMPK, p-AMPK, PPARα, and CPT1α were significantly upregulated. The anti-apoptotic protein BCL-2/BAX expression ratio in rats was significantly upregulated after GD intervention. These results were consistent with the bioinformatics analysis results. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that GD can exert hypoglycemic effects in vivo by regulating the genes at the key nodes of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and fatty acid metabolism signaling pathway.

Flagellation of Shewanella oneidensis Impacts Bacterial Fitness in Different Environments.

Flagella occur on many prokaryotes, which primarily propel cells to move from detrimental to favorable environments. A variety of species-specific flagellation patterns have been identified. Although it is presumed that for each of these flagellated microorganisms, an evolutionarily fixed flagellation pattern is favored under the normal living conditions, direct evidence is lacking. Here, we use Shewanella oneidensis, a rod-shaped Gram-negative bacterium with a monotrichous polar flagellum (MR-1, the wild-type), as a research model. The investigation has been enabled by multiple mutants with diverse flagellation patterns that had been generated by removing FlhF and FlhG proteins that control flagellar location and number, respectively. Growth assays, as a measure of fitness, revealed that the wild-type strain predominated in spreading on swim plates and in pellicles which form at the air-liquid interface. However, under the pellicles where oxygen is limited, both aflagellated and monotrichous lateral strains showed similar increase in fitness, whereas strains with multiple flagella were less competitive. Moreover, under shaking culturing conditions, the aflagellated strain outcompeted all other strains, including the wild-type, suggesting that cells devoid of flagella would be more likely enriched upon agitation. Overall, these data support the presumption that the monotrichous polar flagellum, as evolutionarily fixed in the wild-type strain, is optimal for the growth fitness of S. oneidensis over any other mutants under most test conditions. However, upon specific changes of environmental conditions, another form could come to predominate. These findings provide insight into the impacts of flagellation patterns and function on bacterial adaptation to differing environments.

High Cycle Fatigue Performance of LPBF 304L Stainless Steel at Nominal and Optimized Parameters.

In additive manufacturing, the variation of the fabrication process parameters influences the mechanical properties of a material such as tensile strength, impact toughness, hardness, fatigue strength, and so forth, but fatigue testing of metals fabricated with all different sets of process parameters is a very expensive and time-consuming process. Therefore, the nominal process parameters by means of minimum energy input were first identified for a dense part and then the optimized process parameters were determined based on the tensile and impact toughness test results obtained for 304L stainless steel deposited in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process. Later, the high cycle fatigue performance was investigated for the material built with these two sets of parameters at horizontal, vertical, and inclined orientation. In this paper, displacement controlled fully reversed (R = -1) bending type fatigue tests at different levels of displacement amplitude were performed on Krouse type miniature specimens. The test results were compared and analyzed by applying the control signal monitoring (CSM) method. The analysis shows that specimen built-in horizontal direction for optimized parameters demonstrates the highest fatigue strength while the vertical specimen built with nominal parameters exhibits the lowest strength.

PSBR1, encoding a mitochondrial protein, is regulated by brassinosteroid in moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis).

KEY MESSAGE: PSBR1 is a moso bamboo gene negatively regulated by brassinosteroid, which encodes a mitochondrial localized protein. Overexpression of PSBR1 leads to growth inhibition in various growth progresses in Arabidopsis. The young shoot of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) is known as one of the fastest growing plant organs. The roles of phytohormones in the fast-growth of bamboo shoot are not fully understood. Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a group of growth-promoting steroid hormones that play important roles in cell elongation and division. While BR related genes are highly enriched in fast-growing internodes in moso bamboo, the functions of BR in the fast-growth process is not understood at the molecular level. Here, we identified a poaceae specific gene, PSBR1 (Poaceae specific and BR responsive gene 1) from the moso bamboo genome. PSBR1 was highly expressed in the stem and leaves of bamboo seedling, and the elongating nodes of fast-growing bamboo shoot. PSBR1's expression is increased by BR biosynthesis inhibitor propiconazole but decreased by BR treatment. PSBR1 encodes a novel protein that is localized to the mitochondria in tobacco and bamboo protoplast. The Arabidopsis transgenic plants overexpressing PSBR1 show growth inhibition in both vegetative and reproductive stages. This study suggests that PSBR1 is a BR regulated mitochondrial protein in bamboo, which inhibits plant growth when overexpressed in Arabidopsis.

Rickettsia japonica Infections in Humans, Zhejiang Province, China, 2015.

We investigated 16 Japanese spotted fever cases that occurred in southeastern China during September-October 2015. Patients had fever, rash, eschar, and lymphadenopathy. We confirmed 9 diagnoses and obtained 2 isolates with high identity to Rickettsia japonica strain YH. R. japonica infection should be considered for febrile patients in China.