Highly restricted near-surface permafrost extent during the mid-Pliocene warm period.

Accurate understanding of permafrost dynamics is critical for evaluating and mitigating impacts that may arise as permafrost degrades in the future; however, existing projections have large uncertainties. Studies of how permafrost responded historically during Earth's past warm periods are helpful in exploring potential future permafrost behavior and to evaluate the uncertainty of future permafrost change projections. Here, we combine a surface frost index model with outputs from the second phase of the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project to simulate the near-surface (~3 to 4 m depth) permafrost state in the Northern Hemisphere during the mid-Pliocene warm period (mPWP, ~3.264 to 3.025 Ma). This period shares similarities with the projected future climate. Constrained by proxy-based surface air temperature records, our simulations demonstrate that near-surface permafrost was highly spatially restricted during the mPWP and was 93 ± 3% smaller than the preindustrial extent. Near-surface permafrost was present only in the eastern Siberian uplands, Canadian high Arctic Archipelago, and northernmost Greenland. The simulations are similar to near-surface permafrost changes projected for the end of this century under the SSP5-8.5 scenario and provide a perspective on the potential permafrost behavior that may be expected in a warmer world.

MsNRAMP2 Enhances Tolerance to Iron Excess Stress in Nicotiana tabacum and MsMYB Binds to Its Promoter.

Iron(Fe) is a trace metal element necessary for plant growth, but excess iron is harmful to plants. Natural resistance-associated macrophage proteins (NRAMPs) are important for divalent metal transport in plants. In this study, we isolated the MsNRAMP2 (MN_547960) gene from alfalfa, the perennial legume forage. The expression of MsNRAMP2 is specifically induced by iron excess. Overexpression of MsNRAMP2 conferred transgenic tobacco tolerance to iron excess, while it conferred yeast sensitivity to excess iron. Together with the MsNRAMP2 gene, MsMYB (MN_547959) expression is induced by excess iron. Y1H indicated that the MsMYB protein could bind to the "CTGTTG" cis element of the MsNRAMP2 promoter. The results indicated that MsNRAMP2 has a function in iron transport and its expression might be regulated by MsMYB. The excess iron tolerance ability enhancement of MsNRAMP2 may be involved in iron transport, sequestration, or redistribution.

Lower thermal conductivity of body centered cubic carbon (C14): a comparative study with diamond.

In recent years, the material preparation technology has ushered into a stage of rapid development, increasingly more carbon materials are found to display superior properties, making them suitable for designing nano-scale devices. Within the applications of electronic devices, a considerable amount of consumed energy has to be converted into heat; thus the efficiency of heat transport inside these devices can largely determine their overall performance. Decent elucidations of the heat transport mechanisms within low-dimensional materials will be helpful to achieve thermal management control of the related devices and furthermore, to improve their conversion efficiency. It is well understood that the heat transport within these kinds of materials is largely associated with their structural features. In this study, we focused on a novel material, body centered cubic carbon (C14), which is composed of sp3 hybridized carbon atoms. Such a novel material displays superior electronic properties; however, its thermal properties remain to be investigated. In order to systematically evaluate the practical applicability of this novel material, first-principles calculations were employed to systematically solve its structure; furthermore, its thermal conductivity, phonon dispersion spectrum, phonon properties, Grüneisen parameters, scattering phase space and mechanical properties were all described in detail. We found that C14 performs well in heat transport; and via systematical comparison with another allotrope, diamond, its transport mechanism was further summarized. We hope the physical insights provided by this study could serve as theoretical support for nano-scale device design.

A disease inference method based on symptom extraction and bidirectional Long Short Term Memory networks.

The wide applications of automatic disease inference in many medical fields improve the efficiency of medical treatments. Many efforts have been made to predict patients' future health conditions according to their full clinical texts, clinical measurements or medical codes. Symptoms reflect the onset of diseases and can provide credible information for disease diagnosis. In this study, we propose a new disease inference method by extracting symptoms and integrating two symptom representation approaches. To reduce the uncertainty and irregularity of symptom descriptions in Electronic Medical Records (EMR), a comprehensive clinical knowledge database consisting of massive amount of data about diseases, symptoms, and their relationships, we extract symptoms with existing nature language process tool Metamap which is designed for biomedical texts. To take advantages of the complex relationship between symptoms and diseases to enhance the accuracy of disease inference, we present two symptom representation models: term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) model for the representation of the relationship between symptoms and diseases and Word2Vec for the expression of the semantic relationship between symptoms. Based on these two symptom representations, we employ the bidirectional Long Short Term Memory networks (BiLSTMs) to model symptom sequences in EMR. Our proposed model shows a significant improvement in term of AUC (0.895) and F1 (0.572) for 50 diseases in MIMIC-III dataset. The results illustrate that the model with the combination of the two symptom representations perform better than the one with only one of them.

Lipopolysaccharides promote a shift from Th2-derived airway eosinophilic inflammation to Th17-derived neutrophilic inflammation in an ovalbumin-sensitized murine asthma model.

INTRODUCTION: The currently available treatments for severe asthma are insufficient. Infiltration of neutrophils rather than eosinophils into the airways is an important inflammatory characteristic of severe asthma. However, the mechanism of the phenotypic change from eosinophilic to neutrophilic inflammation has not yet been fully elucidated. METHODS: In the current study, we examined the effect of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on eosinophilic asthmatic mice sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA), as well as the roles of interleukin (IL)-17A/T helper (Th) 17 cells on the change in the airway inflammatory phenotype from eosinophilic to neutrophilic inflammation in asthmatic lungs of IL-17A-deficient mice. RESULTS: Following exposure of OVA-induced asthmatic mice to LPS, neutrophil-predominant airway inflammation rather than eosinophil-predominant inflammation was observed, with increases in airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), the IL-17A level in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and Th17 cells in the spleen and in the pulmonary hilar lymph nodes. Moreover, the neutrophilic asthmatic mice showed decreased mucus production and Th2 cytokine levels (IL-4 and IL-5). In contrast, IL-17A knockout (KO) mice exhibited eosinophil-predominant lung inflammation, decreased AHR, mucus overproduction and increased Th2 cytokine levels and Th2 cells. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the eosinophilic inflammatory phenotype of asthmatic lungs switches to the neutrophilic phenotype following exposure to LPS. The change in the inflammatory phenotype is strongly correlated with the increases in IL-17A and Th17 cells.

Chloroquine Inhibits Ca(2+) Signaling in Murine CD4(+) Thymocytes.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Bitter-tasting chloroquine can suppress T cell activation by inhibiting Ca(2+) signaling. However, the mechanism of inhibition remains largely unclear. METHODS: In this study, CD4(+) T cells were isolated from the thymus, and the calcium content of CD4(+) thymocytes was measured using fura-2 AM and a TILL imaging system. Pyrazole-3 (Pyr3), thapsigargin (TG), and caffeine were used to assess the effects of chloroquine on the intracellular Ca(2+) content of CD4(+) T cells. RESULTS: In murine CD4(+) thymocytes, chloroquine decreased the TG-triggered intracellular Ca(2+) increase in a dose-dependent manner. In the absence of chloroquine under Ca(2+)-free conditions (0 mM Ca(2+) and 0.5 mM EGTA), TG induced a transient Ca(2+) increase. After restoration of the extracellular Ca(2+) concentration to 2 mM, a dramatic Ca(2+) increase occurred. This elevation was completely blocked by chloroquine and was markedly inhibited by Pyr3, a selective antagonist of transient receptor potential C3 (TRPC3) channel and stromal interaction molecule (STIM)/Orai channel. Furthermore, the TG-induced transient Ca(2+) increase under Ca(2+)-free conditions was eliminated in the presence of chloroquine. Chloroquine also blocked the dialyzed inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)-induced intracellular Ca(2+) increase. However, chloroquine was not able to decrease the caffeine-induced Ca(2+) increase. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that chloroquine inhibits the elevation of intracellular Ca(2+) in thymic CD4(+) T cells by inhibiting IP3 receptor-mediated Ca(2+) release from intracellular stores and TRPC3 channel-mediated and/or STIM/Orai channel-mediated Ca(2+) influx.

Bitter tastants induce relaxation of rat thoracic aorta precontracted with high K(+).

It has been reported that bitter tastants decrease blood pressure and relax precontracted vascular smooth muscle. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to determine the mechanism underlying the vasorelaxant effect of the bitter tastants. Thoracic aortic rings were isolated from Wistar rats and contractions were measured using an isometric myograph. Intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]i) in single rat thoracic aortic smooth muscle cells was recorded by calcium imaging. Calcium currents in single cells were recorded using patch-clamp techniques. High K(+) (140 mmol/L) induced contractions in rat thoracic aortic rings that were inhibited by 3 mmol/L chloroquine, 3 mmol/L denatonium and 10 µmol/L nifedipine. In single rat thoracic aortic smooth muscle cells, high K(+) increased [Ca(2+)]i and this effect was also blocked by 3 mmol/L chloroquine and 10 µmol/L nifedipine. Under Ca(2+) -free conditions, high K(+) failed to induce contractions in rat thoracic aortic rings. On its own, chloroquine had no effect on the muscle tension of rat aortic rings and [Ca(2+) ]i. The vasorelaxant effects of chloroquine on precontracted rat thoracic aortic rings were not altered by either 1 µg/mL pertussis toxin (PTX), an inhibitor of Gαo/i-protein, or 1 mmol/L gallein, an inhibitor of Gßγ-protein. The results of patch-clamp analysis in single cells indicate that 1 mmol/L chloroquine blocks voltage-dependent L-type Ca(2+) channel (VDLCC) currents from both extracellular and intracellular sides. Together, the results indicate that chloroquine can block VDLCC, independent of PTX- and gallein-sensitive G-proteins, resulting in relaxation of high K(+)-precontracted thoracic aortic smooth muscle.

Ventricular hypertrophy amplifies transmural dispersion of repolarization by preferentially increasing the late sodium current in endocardium.

BACKGROUND: The late sodium current (INa-L) contributes importantly to rate-dependent change in action potential duration (APD) and transmural dispersion of repolarization (TDR). However, little is known about the mechanisms of increased APD rate-dependence and amplified TDR in left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and failure. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of INa-L in rate-adaptation of transmural APD heterogeneity. METHODS: APD, its rate-dependence and INa-L current were examined in myocytes isolated from the endocardium and epicardium of the control and LVH rabbits. AP was recorded using the standard microelectrode technique, and INa-L was recorded using the whole-cell patch clamp technique. RESULTS: Early afterdepolarizations (EADs) were frequently recorded in the isolated myocytes of the LVH rabbits but not in those of controls. LVH prolonged APD more significantly in the endocardial myocytes than in the epicardium (31.7±3.4 vs. 21.6±1.5% n=6, p<0.05), leading to a marked increase in TDR. LVH endocardial myocytes exhibited a greater rate-dependent change in APD compared to the epicardial myocytes. INa-L densities were significantly increased in both LVH endocardium and epicardium. However, LVH increased the INa-L density preferentially in the endocardial myocytes compared to the epicardial myocytes (54.5±4.8% vs. 39.2±3.3%, n=6, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that LVH increased the INa-L preferentially in the endocardium over the epicardium, which contributes importantly to the stronger rate-dependent change in repolarization and longer APD in the endocardium. This results in an amplified TDR capable of initiating EAD and ventricular arrhythmias.

Contribution of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to genotoxicity of nitrobenzene on V. faba.

Nitrobenzene is an important organic intermediate widely used in industry that can be hazardous to the environment. In our previous study, nitrobenzene showed genotoxic effect on soybean and tobacco plants at concentrations in the culture medium higher than 10 mg/L. The genotoxicity of nitrobenzene has been hypothesized to be multifactorial and reflective of the generation of free radicals; however, the mechanism has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the induction of genotoxicity and the production of free radicals in young seedlings of V. faba exposed to nitrobenzene, nitrobenzene + Vitamin C, and the controls (distilled water or Vitamin C). Micronucleus and chromosome aberration assays performed on root and leaf tissue of V. faba seedlings exposed to nitrobenzene (25 mg/L) demonstrated genotoxic effects which were partly reduced by Vitamin C at 25 mg/L. Increases in lipid peroxidase, O2•-, H2O2, superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were also observed in these tissues along with an attenuation of their induction by Vitamin C. Concomitant occurrence of genotoxicity and the generation of free radicals that are attenuated in the presence of Vitamin C, a scavenger of cellular free radicals, indicate that reactive oxygen species may contributes to genotoxicity of nitrobenzene in V. faba. These results are valuable for further understanding the genotoxicity mechanism of nitrobenzene.

Comprehensive Identification of the ß-Amylase (BAM) Gene Family in Response to Cold Stress in White Clover.

White clover (Trifolium repens L.) is an allopolyploid plant and an excellent perennial legume forage. However, white clover is subjected to various stresses during its growth, with cold stress being one of the major limiting factors affecting its growth and development. Beta-amylase (BAM) is an important starch-hydrolyzing enzyme that plays a significant role in starch degradation and responses to environmental stress. In this study, 21 members of the BAM gene family were identified in the white clover genome. A phylogenetic analysis using BAMs from Arabidopsis divided TrBAMs into four groups based on sequence similarity. Through analysis of conserved motifs, gene duplication, synteny analysis, and cis-acting elements, a deeper understanding of the structure and evolution of TrBAMs in white clover was gained. Additionally, a gene regulatory network (GRN) containing TrBAMs was constructed; gene ontology (GO) annotation analysis revealed close interactions between TrBAMs and AMY (α-amylase) and DPE (4-alpha-glucanotransferase). To determine the function of TrBAMs under various tissues and stresses, RNA-seq datasets were analyzed, showing that most TrBAMs were significantly upregulated in response to biotic and abiotic stresses and the highest expression in leaves. These results were validated through qRT-PCR experiments, indicating their involvement in multiple gene regulatory pathways responding to cold stress. This study provides new insights into the structure, evolution, and function of the white clover BAM gene family, laying the foundation for further exploration of the functional mechanisms through which TrBAMs respond to cold stress.

Alfalfa MsbHLH115 confers tolerance to cadmium stress through activating the iron deficiency response in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution severely affects plant growth and development, posing risks to human health throughout the food chain. Improved iron (Fe) nutrients could mitigate Cd toxicity in plants, but the regulatory network involving Cd and Fe interplay remains unresolved. Here, a transcription factor gene of alfalfa, MsbHLH115 was verified to respond to iron deficiency and Cd stress. Overexpression of MsbHLH115 enhanced tolerance to Cd stress, showing better growth and less ROS accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana. Overexpression of MsbHLH115 significantly enhanced Fe and Zn accumulation and did not affect Cd, Mn, and Cu concentration in Arabidopsis. Further investigations revealed that MsbHLH115 up-regulated iron homeostasis regulation genes, ROS-related genes, and metal chelation and detoxification genes, contributing to attenuating Cd toxicity. Y1H, EMSA, and LUC assays confirmed the physical interaction between MsbHLH115 and E-box, which is present in the promoter regions of most of the above-mentioned iron homeostasis regulatory genes. The transient expression experiment showed that MsbHLH115 interacted with MsbHLH121pro. The results suggest that MsbHLH115 may directly regulate the iron-deficiency response system and indirectly regulate the metal detoxification response mechanism, thereby enhancing plant Cd tolerance. In summary, enhancing iron accumulation through transcription factor regulation holds promise for improving plant tolerance to Cd toxicity, and MsbHLH115 is a potential candidate for addressing Cd toxicity issues.

Reactive oxygen species induce a Ca(2+)-spark increase in sensitized murine airway smooth muscle cells.

The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the activity of spontaneous, transient, localized Ca(2+) increases (known as Ca(2+) sparks) in tracheal smooth muscle cells (TSMCs) in an experimental allergic asthma mouse model has not yet been investigated. We used laser confocal microscopy and fluorescent dyes to measure ROS levels and Ca(2+) sparks, and we found that both events were significantly increased in TSMCs obtained from ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized/-challenged mice compared with control mice. ROS levels began to increase in TSMCs after the first OVA challenge, and this increase was sustained. However, this elevation and Ca(2+)-spark increase was abolished after the administration of the ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine amide (NACA) for 5days. Furthermore, a similar inhibition was also observed following the direct perfusion of NACA into cells isolated from the (OVA)-sensitized mice that were not treated with NACA. Moreover, we used 0.1-mM caffeine treatment to increase the Ca(2+) sparks in single TSMCs and observed cell shortening. In addition, we did not find increases in the mRNA levels of ryanodine (RyRs) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3Rs) receptors in the tracheal smooth muscle cells of (OVA)-sensitized mice compared with controls. We concluded that ROS and Ca(2+) sparks increased in (OVA)-sensitized TSMCs. We found that ROS induces Ca(2+) sparks, and increased Ca(2+) sparks resulted in the contraction of (OVA)-sensitized TSMCs, resulting in the generation of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). This effect may represent a novel mechanism for AHR pathogenesis and might provide insight into new methods for the clinical prevention and treatment of asthma and asthmatic AHR.

Genome-wide survey and expression analysis of the MADS-box gene family in soybean.

MADS-box genes encode important transcription factors in plants that are involved in many processes during plant growth and development. An investigation of the soybean genome revealed 106 putative MADS-box genes. These genes were classified into two classes, type I and type II, based on phylogenetic analysis. The soybean type II group has 72 members, which is higher than that of Arabidopsis, indicating that soybean type II genes have undergone a higher rate of duplication and/or a lower rate of gene loss after duplication. Soybean MADS-box genes are present on all chromosomes. Like Arabidopsis and rice MADS-box genes, soybean MADS-box genes expanded through tandem gene duplication and segmental duplication events. There are many duplicate genes distributed across the soybean genome, with two genomic regions, i.e., MADS-box gene hotspots, where MADS-box genes with high degrees of similarity are clustered. Analysis of high-throughput sequencing data from soybean at different developmental stages and in different tissues revealed that MADS-box genes are expressed in embryos of various stages and in floral buds. This expression pattern suggests that soybean MADS-box genes play an important role in soybean growth and floral development.

Wenxin Keli suppresses ventricular triggered arrhythmias via selective inhibition of late sodium current.

BACKGROUND: Wenxin Keli is a popular Chinese herb extract that approximately five million Asians are currently taking for the treatment of a variety of ventricular arrhythmias. However, its electrophysiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. METHODS AND RESULTS: The concentration-dependent electrophysiological effects of Wenxin Keli were evaluated in the isolated rabbit left ventricular myocytes and wedge preparation. Wenxin Keli selectively inhibited late sodium current (INa) with an IC50 of 3.8 ± 0.4 mg/mL, which was significantly lower than the IC50 of 10.6 ± 0.9 mg/mL (n = 6, P < 0.05) for the fast INa. Wenxin Keli produced a small but statistically significant QT prolongation at 0.3 mg/mL, but shortened the QT and Tp-e interval at concentrations ≥ 1 mg/mL. Wenxin Keli increased QRS duration by 10.1% from 34.8 ± 1.0 ms to 38.3 ± 1.1 ms (n = 6, P < 0.01) at 3 mg/mL at a basic cycle length of 2,000 ms. However, its effect on the QRS duration exhibited weak use-dependency, that is, QRS remained less changed at increased pacing rates than other classic sodium channel blockers, such as flecainide, quinidine, and lidocaine. On the other hand, Wenxin Keli at 1-3 mg/mL markedly reduced dofetilide-induced QT and Tp-e prolongation by attenuation of its reverse use-dependence and abolished dofetilide-induced early afterdepolarization (EAD) in four of four left ventricular wedge preparations. It also suppressed digoxin-induced delayed after depolarization (DAD) and ventricular tachycardias without changing the positive staircase pattern in contractility at 1-3 mg/mL in a separate experimental series (four of four). CONCLUSIONS: Wenxin Keli suppressed EADs, DADs, and triggered ventricular arrhythmias via selective inhibition of late INa.

Clinical characteristics of patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease: a seven-year follow-up study conducted in a certain tertiary hospital in Beijing.

Background: The incidence of non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) has increased in recent years. However, the clinical and immunologic characteristics of NTM-PD patients have received little attention. Methods: NTM strains, clinical symptoms, underlying diseases, lung CT findings, lymphocyte subsets, and drug susceptibility tests (DSTs) of NTM-PD patients were investigated. Then, the counts of immune cells of NTM-PD patients and their correlation were evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA) and correlation analysis. Results: 135 NTM-PD patients and 30 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled from 2015 to 2021 in a certain tertiary hospital in Beijing. The number of NTM-PD patients increased every year, and Mycobacterium intracellulare (M. intracellulare), M. abscessus, M. avium, and M. kansasii were the major pathogens of NTM-PD. The main clinical symptoms of NTM-PD patients were cough and sputum production, and the primary lung CT findings were thin-walled cavity, bronchiectasis, and nodules. In addition, we identified 23 clinical isolates from 87 NTM-PD patients with strain records. The DST showed that almost all of M. abscessus and M. avium and more than half of the M. intracellulare and M. avium complex groups were resistant to anti-tuberculosis drugs tested in this study. M. xenopi was resistant to all aminoglycosides. M. kansasii was 100% resistant to kanamycin, capreomycin, amikacin, and para-aminosalicylic acid, and sensitive to streptomycin, ethambutol, levofloxacin, azithromycin, and rifamycin. Compared to other drugs, low resistance to rifabutin and azithromycin was observed among NTM-PD isolates. Furthermore, the absolute counts of innate and adaptive immune cells in NTM-PD patients were significantly lower than those in HCs. PCA and correlation analysis revealed that total T, CD4+, and CD8+ T lymphocytes played an essential role in the protective immunity of NTM-PD patients, and there was a robust positive correlation between them. Conclusion: The incidence of NTM-PD increased annually in Beijing. Individuals with bronchiectasis and COPD have been shown to be highly susceptible to NTM-PD. NTM-PD patients is characterized by compromised immune function, non-specific clinical symptoms, high drug resistance, thin-walled cavity damage on imaging, as well as significantly reduced numbers of both innate and adaptive immune cells.

Genome-wide analysis of the WRKY genes and their important roles during cold stress in white clover.

Background: White clover (Trifolium repens L) is a high-quality forage grass with a high protein content, but it is vulnerable to cold stress, which can negatively affect its growth and development. WRKY transcription factor is a family of plant transcription factors found mainly in higher plants and plays an important role in plant growth, development, and stress response. Although WRKY transcription factors have been studied extensively in other plants, it has been less studied in white clover. Methods and Results: In the present research, we have performed a genome-wide analysis of the WRKY gene family of white clover, in total, there were 145 members of WRKY transcription factors identified in white clover. The characterization of the TrWRKY genes was detailed, including conserved motif analysis, phylogenetic analysis, and gene duplication analysis, which have provided a better understanding of the structure and evolution of the TrWRKY genes in white clover. Meanwhile, the genetic regulation network (GRN) containing TrWRKY genes was reconstructed, and Gene Ontology (GO) annotation analysis of these function genes showed they contributed to regulation of transcription process, response to wounding, and phosphorylay signal transduction system, all of which were important processes in response to abiotic stress. To determine the TrWRKY genes function under cold stress, the RNA-seq dataset was analyzed; most of TrWRKY genes were highly upregulated in response to cold stress, particularly in the early stages of cold stress. These results were validated by qRT-PCR experiment, implying they are involved in various gene regulation pathways in response to cold stress. Conclusion: The results of this study provide insights that will be useful for further functional analyses of TrWRKY genes in response to biotic or abiotic stresses in white clover. These findings are likely to be useful for further research on the functions of TrWRKY genes and their role in response to cold stress, which is important to understand the molecular mechanism of cold tolerance in white clover and improve its cold tolerance.

Correction of Asymmetric Bowtie Corneal Astigmatism with a Toric Intraocular Lens: Outcomes and Accuracy of Measurement Modes.

The outcomes of toric intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in correcting asymmetric bowtie corneal astigmatism remain uncertain. The accurate measurement of corneal astigmatism is essential for surgical planning. In this prospective cohort study, patients with asymmetric or symmetric bowtie corneal astigmatism who underwent toric IOL implantation were recruited. Preoperative corneal astigmatism was measured with an IOLMaster and Pentacam (including the simulated keratometry (SimK), total corneal refractive power (TCRP), and wavefront aberration (WFA) modes). At 3 months after surgery, the refractive outcomes and residual astigmatic refractive errors were compared with patients with symmetric bowtie astigmatism. The prediction errors (the differences between the calculated actual corneal astigmatism and the measured corneal astigmatism) were compared among the different measurement modes in the asymmetric group. There were no differences in residual astigmatism between the asymmetric and symmetric groups. However, the mean absolute residual astigmatic refractive error was greater in the asymmetric group than in the symmetric group (0.72 ± 0.42 D vs. 0.53 ± 0.24 D, p = 0.043). In the asymmetric group, the mean absolute prediction errors for the IOLMaster, SimK, TCRP and WFA modes were 0.53 ± 0.40, 0.56 ± 0.47, 0.68 ± 0.52, and 0.43 ± 0.40 D, respectively. The Pentacam WFA mode was the most accurate mode (p < 0.05). The absolute prediction error of the WFA mode was positively correlated with the total corneal irregular astigmatism higher-order aberrations and coma (r = 0.416 and r = 0.473, respectively; both p < 0.05). Our study suggests toric IOL implantation effectively corrected asymmetric bowtie corneal astigmatism. The Pentacam WFA mode may be the most accurate measurement mode, although its accuracy decreased as asymmetry increased.

Physical activity (PA) influences the risk of depression associated with long working hours.

BACKGROUND: Growing evidences showed that long working hours is associated with depression epidemic, but few studies investigate whether physical activity (PA) could modify the risk of depression associated with long working hours, which was the purpose of the present study. METHODS: A cross-sectional data obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015-2018. According to the criteria of International Labour Organization, long working hours was defined as >40 h/wk. The Nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to identify depression. Binary logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were used to estimate the associations between long working hours and depression, furthermore to estimate the association of PA. RESULTS: 5958 participants were included in the study. The results indicated that 3074 (51.6 %) of participants worked >40 h/wk. The prevalence of depression was 7.7 %. Logistic regression analysis indicated a positive association between long working hours and depression [OR = 1.738, 95 CI (1.427, 2.117)], and the results were still robust after controlling other confounding factors. RCS models indicated that the high intensity PA group had the lowest risk of depression, followed by low intensity PA group and no PA group. CONCLUSION: Long working hours probably be associated with depression, while PA can modify the risk to some degree.

First-principles study of Li-doped planar g-C3N5 as reversible H2 storage material.

Under the background of energy crisis, hydrogen owns the advantage of high combustion and shows considerable environment friendliness; however, to fully utilize this novel resource, the major hurdle lies in its delivery and storage. The development of the in-depth yet systematical methodology for two-dimensional (2D) storage media evaluation still remains to be challenging for computational scientists. In this study, we tried our proposed evaluation protocol on a 2D material, g-C3N5, and its hydrogen storage performance was characterized; and with addition of Li atoms, the changes of its electronical and structural properties were detected. First-principles simulations were conducted to verify its thermodynamics stability; and, its hydrogen adsorption capacity was investigated qualitatively. We found that the charges of the added Li atoms were transferred to the adjacent nitrogen atoms from g-C3N5, with the formation of chemical interactions. Thus, the isolated metallic sites tend to show considerable electropositivity, and can easily polarize the adsorbed hydrogen molecules, and the electrostatic interactions can be enhanced correspondingly. The maximum storage capacity of each primitive cell can be as high as 20 hydrogen molecules with a gravimetric capacity of 8.65 wt%, which surpasses the 5.5 wt% target set by the U.S. Department of Energy. The average adsorption energy is ranged from -0.22 to -0.13 eV. We conclude that the complex 2D material, Li-decorated g-C3N5 (Li@C3N5), can serve as a promising media for hydrogen storage. This methodology provided in this study is fundamental yet instructive for future 2D hydrogen storage materials development.

GmABCG5, an ATP-binding cassette G transporter gene, is involved in the iron deficiency response in soybean.

Iron deficiency is a major nutritional problem causing iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) and yield reduction in soybean, one of the most important crops. The ATP-binding cassette G subfamily plays a crucial role in substance transportation in plants. In this study, we cloned the GmABCG5 gene from soybean and verified its role in Fe homeostasis. Analysis showed that GmABCG5 belongs to the ABCG subfamily and is subcellularly localized at the cell membrane. From high to low, GmABCG5 expression was found in the stem, root, and leaf of young soybean seedlings, and the order of expression was flower, pod, seed stem, root, and leaf in mature soybean plants. The GUS assay and qRT-PCR results showed that the GmABCG5 expression was significantly induced by iron deficiency in the leaf. We obtained the GmABCG5 overexpressed and inhibitory expressed soybean hairy root complexes. Overexpression of GmABCG5 promoted, and inhibition of GmABCG5 retarded the growth of soybean hairy roots, independent of nutrient iron conditions, confirming the growth-promotion function of GmABCG5. Iron deficiency has a negative effect on the growth of soybean complexes, which was more obvious in the GmABCG5 inhibition complexes. The chlorophyll content was increased in the GmABCG5 overexpression complexes and decreased in the GmABCG5 inhibition complexes. Iron deficiency treatment widened the gap in the chlorophyll contents. FCR activity was induced by iron deficiency and showed an extraordinary increase in the GmABCG5 overexpression complexes, accompanied by the greatest Fe accumulation. Antioxidant capacity was enhanced when GmABCG5 was overexpressed and reduced when GmABCG5 was inhibited under iron deficiency. These results showed that the response mechanism to iron deficiency is more actively mobilized in GmABCG5 overexpression seedlings. Our results indicated that GmABCG5 could improve the plant's tolerance to iron deficiency, suggesting that GmABCG5 might have the function of Fe mobilization, redistribution, and/or secretion of Fe substances in plants. The findings provide new insights into the ABCG subfamily genes in the regulation of iron homeostasis in plants.