DEPDC1 up-regulates RAS expression to inhibit autophagy in lung adenocarcinoma cells.

DEP domain containing 1(DEPDC1) is involved in the tumorigenesis of a variety of cancers. But its role in tumorigenesis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is not fully understood. Here, we investigated the role and the underlying mechanisms of DEPDC1 in the development of LUAD. The expression and prognostic values of DEPDC1 in LUAD were analysed by using the data from public databases. Gene enrichment in TCGA LUAD was analysed using GSEA software with the pre-defined gene sets. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion of A549 cells were examined with colony formation, Transwell and wound healing assays. The function of DEPDC1 in autophagy and RAS-ERK1/2 signalling was determined with Western blot assay upon DEPDC1 knockdown and/or overexpression in A549, HCC827 and H1993 cells. The results demonstrated that DEPDC1 expression was up-regulated in LUAD tissues, and its high expression was correlated with unfavourable prognosis. The data also showed that DEPDC1 knockdown impaired proliferation, migration and invasion of A549 cells. Most notably, the results showed that DEPDC1 up-regulated RAS expression and thus enhanced ERK1/2 activity, through which DEPDC1 could inhibit autophagy. In conclusion, our study revealed that DEPDC1 is up-regulated in LUAD tissues and plays an oncogenic role in LUAD, and that DEPDC1 inhibits autophagy through the RAS-ERK1/2 signalling in A549, HCC827 and H1993 cells.

The influence mechanism analysis on the farmers' intention to adopt Internet of Things based on UTAUT-TOE model.

Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are widely recognized as one of the most important infrastructures for economic development and technological innovation. By analyzing the influencing factors of vegetable farmers' intention to adopt agricultural IoT, it helps to formulate effective IoT promotion policies and accelerate the realization of agricultural modernization. Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) theory, this study constructed for the first time a mechanism model of the influence of vegetable farmers' intention to adopt IoT, expanding the scope of current research on agricultural IoT and revealing the intrinsic influence mechanism of farmers' adoption of IoT technologies. In this study, 357 quantitative data were obtained by a questionnaire survey, and structural equation modeling was used to test the direct and indirect effects of each factor on vegetable farmers' intention to adopt IoT. The results show that almost all variables in TOE have significant direct impacts on the intention, while no variables in UTAUT have significant direct impacts. Among variables in TOE, government support and complexity are the two most important elements influencing the intention. Although the interactions among variables in TOE and UTAUT are also found, the indirect effects of variables are non-significant. Therefore, it is proposed to reduce the complexity of operation and use of IoT technologies; improve rural information infrastructure and compatibility of IoT platforms and devices; and governments should increase subsidies, and incentives to promote the use of IoT in agriculture and agricultural practices.

Resilience of agricultural development in China's major grain-producing areas under the double security goals of "grain ecology".

The development of agriculture faces uncertainties due to global climate variability and the scarcity of agricultural resources. Enhancing agricultural development resilience is essential for improving agriculture's adaptability to the external environment and ensuring food security. It is imperative to prevent and control agricultural pollution as it worsens. Thus, enhancing the resilience of agricultural development requires balancing food security and ecological security. The present study constructs an evaluation system for agricultural development resilience in China with three levels: resistance, resilience, and reengineering ability. The agricultural development resilience of China's main grain-producing areas is evaluated using the entropy method, and regional differences are analyzed using kernel density estimation and the Theil index. The obstacle model was used to identify and analyze the obstacles that affect agricultural development's resilience to propose countermeasures. The results showed that (1) agricultural development resilience in China's main grain-producing areas has steadily increased from 0.317 to 0.427. The resilience of agrarian development in Heilongjiang, Shandong, and Henan provinces ranges from 0.473 to 0.575, which is far higher than the mean development level; (2) Regional differences in the main grain-producing areas are narrowing from 0.077 to 0.023; (3) The main grain-producing areas share common obstacle factors, emphasizing the critical role of technological innovation, investment, and machine-cultivated land resources in enhancing agricultural resilience against external risks. Paying attention to the amount of fertilizer usage is crucial to achieving ecological security goals.

Health-driven mechanism of organic food consumption: A structural equation modelling approach.

The COVID-19 pandemic seriously threatened human survival and development. It has also highlighted the significant correlation between ecological and public health. After three years of the COVID pandemic, Chinese consumers have become more aware of the importance of health. Especially in the Internet era, consumers' purchasing methods and health awareness have been changed. Consumers can buy nutritious and organic foods. To understand the impact of consumer psychology and health beliefs on the willingness to purchase organic food in the post-pandemic period, this study uses organic beef as an example and extracts key variables from three basic theories. The three basic theories include the Health Belief Model (HBM), the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), and the Norm Activation Model (NAM), respectively. Specifically, perceived susceptibility and severity are combined to form a health belief variable that can drive organic food purchasing. In contrast, perceived benefit, moral norms, self-efficiency, and controllability are introduced as mediating variables to construct the health driving factors of organic beef purchasing. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and mediation effect tests are used to analyse 539 samples. Meanwhile, paths and mechanisms between health concern and other variables are explored. The results show that health concern is an important driving factor. Health concern can significantly promote the formation of willingness to purchase organic beef. Mediation effect tests suggest that health concern can indirectly affect the willingness to purchase organic beef through perceived benefit, moral norms, and controllability, but the mediation effect of self-efficiency is not significant. This study provides important references for government regulation and certification of organic foods as well as for enterprises'organic food marketing strategies.

Validation of numerical simulations and experiments on impulse characteristics induced by self-excited oscillation.

The high-frequency pulse flow, equivalent to the natural frequency of rocks, is generated by a self-excited oscillating cavity to achieve resonance rock-breaking. The flow field and oscillating mechanism of the self-excited oscillating cavity were simulated using the large eddy simulation method of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). A field-scale testing apparatus was developed to investigate the impulse characteristics and verify the simulation results. The results show that the fluid at the outlet at the tool is deflected due to the pulse oscillation of the fluid. The size and shape of low-pressure vortices constantly change, leading to periodic changes in fluid impedance within the oscillating cavity. The impulse frequency reaches its highest point when the length-diameter ratio is 0.67. As the length-diameter ratio increases, the tool pressure loss also increases. Regarding the cavity thickness, the impulse frequency of the oscillating cavity initially decreases, then increases, and finally decreases again. Moreover, both the impulse frequency and pressure loss increase with an increase in displacement. The numerical simulation findings align with the experimental results, thus confirming the validity of the theoretical model. This research provides theoretical guidance for the practical application of resonance rock-breaking technology.

C1orf74 positively regulates the EGFR/AKT/mTORC1 signaling in lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Background: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a major type of lung cancer with poor prognosis and low 5-year survival rate, which urgently needs further investigation in order to elucidate its mechanisms completely and discover novel therapeutic targets. C1orf74 is a novel protein with unknown function either in normal cells or cancer cells. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression and function of C1orf74 in LUAD cells. Methods: The expression of C1orf74 in LUAD was analyzed using the LUAD datasets from public databases. The prognostic value of C1orf74 in LUAD was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier Plotter. C1orf74 expression in LUAD cell line A549, H1993 and HCC827 was silenced using small interfering RNA, and then the effects of C1orf74 knockdown on proliferation, migration and invasion of LUAD cells were detected by colony formation assay and Transwell assay, the role of C1orf74 in EGFR/AKT/mTORC1 signaling pathway was examined by Western blot, and the function of C1orf74 in cell cycle was detected by flow cytometry. Results: The results of LUAD clinical data showed that C1orf74 was upregulated in LUAD tissues, and its high expression was associated with poor prognosis. The results from cultured LUAD cells demonstrated that C1orf74 knockdown inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, but induced cell cycle arrest and autophagy. Moreover, C1orf74 knockdown suppressed EGFR/AKT/mTORC1 signaling in LUAD cells. In conclusion, the present study revealed that C1orf74 is upregulated in LUAD tissues and plays an oncogenic role in LUAD, and that C1orf74 positively regulates cell proliferation and mobility through the EGFR/AKT/mTORC1 signaling pathway in LUAD cells.