Genome-wide prediction and functional analysis of WOX genes in blueberry.

BACKGROUND: WOX genes are a class of plant-specific transcription factors. The WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) family is a member of the homeobox transcription factor superfamily. Previous studies have shown that WOX members play important roles in plant growth and development. However, studies of the WOX gene family in blueberry plants have not been reported. RESULTS: In order to understand the biological function of the WOX gene family in blueberries, bioinformatics were used methods to identify WOX gene family members in the blueberry genome, and analyzed the basic physical and chemical properties, gene structure, gene motifs, promoter cis-acting elements, chromosome location, evolutionary relationships, expression pattern of these family members and predicted their functions. Finally, 12 genes containing the WOX domain were identified and found to be distributed on eight chromosomes. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that the blueberry WOX gene family had three major branches: ancient branch, middle branch, and WUS branch. Blueberry WOX gene family protein sequences differ in amino acid number, molecular weight, isoelectric point and hydrophobicity. Predictive analysis of promoter cis-acting elements showed that the promoters of the VdWOX genes contained abundant light response, hormone, and stress response elements. The VdWOX genes were induced to express in both stems and leaves in response to salt and drought stress. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provided comprehensive characteristics of the WOX gene family and important clues for further exploration of its role in the growth, development and resistance to various stress in blueberry plants.

Associations between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and ten common cancers: novel insights from Mendelian randomization analyses.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a significant global health issue, suspected to elevate the risk for various cancers. This study sought to discern whether COPD serves as a risk marker or a causative factor for prevalent cancers. METHODS: We employed univariable MR (UVMR) analyses to investigate the causal relationship between COPD and the top ten common cancers. Sensitivity analyses were performed to validate the main findings. Multivariable MR (MVMR) and two-step MR analyses were also conducted. False-discovery-rate (FDR) was used to correct multiple testing bias. RESULTS: The UVMR analysis demonstrated notable associations between COPD and lung cancer (odds ratio [OR] = 1.42, 95%CI 1.15-1.77, FDR = 6.37 × 10-3). This relationship extends to lung cancer subtypes such as squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), adenocarcinoma (LUAD), and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). A tentative link was also identified between COPD and bladder cancer (OR = 1.53, 95%CI 1.03-2.28, FDR = 0.125). No significant associations were found between COPD and other types of cancer. The MVMR analysis that adjusted for smoking, alcohol drinking, and body mass index did not identify any significant causal relationships between COPD and either lung or bladder cancer. However, the two-step MR analysis indicates that COPD mediated 19.2% (95% CI 12.7-26.1%), 36.1% (24.9-33.2%), 35.9% (25.7-34.9%), and 35.5% (26.2-34.8%) of the association between smoking and overall lung cancer, as well as LUAD, LUSC, and SCLC, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: COPD appears to act more as a risk marker than a direct cause of prevalent cancers. Importantly, it partially mediates the connection between smoking and lung cancer, underscoring its role in lung cancer prevention strategies.

Association between Ambient Volatile Organic Compounds Exposome and Emergency Hospital Admissions for Cardiovascular Disease.

The limited research on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has not taken into account the interactions between constituents. We used the weighted quantile sum (WQS) model and generalized linear model (GLM) to quantify the joint effects of ambient VOCs exposome and identify the substances that play key roles. For a 0 day lag, a quartile increase of WQS index for n-alkanes, iso/anti-alkanes, aromatic, halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons, halogenated saturated chain hydrocarbons, and halogenated unsaturated chain hydrocarbons were associated with 1.09% (95% CI: 0.13, 2.06%), 0.98% (95% CI: 0.22, 1.74%), 0.92% (95% CI: 0.14, 1.69%), 1.03% (95% CI: 0.14, 1.93%), 1.69% (95% CI: 0.48, 2.91%), and 1.85% (95% CI: 0.93, 2.79%) increase in cardiovascular disease (CVD) emergency hospital admissions, respectively. Independent effects of key substances on CVD-related emergency hospital admissions were also reported. In particular, an interquartile range increase in 1,1,1-trichloroethane, methylene chloride, styrene, and methylcyclohexane is associated with a greater risk of CVD-associated emergency hospital admissions [3.30% (95% CI: 1.93, 4.69%), 3.84% (95% CI: 1.21, 6.53%), 5.62% (95% CI: 1.35, 10.06%), 8.68% (95% CI: 3.74, 13.86%), respectively]. We found that even if ambient VOCs are present at a considerably low concentration, they can cause cardiovascular damage. This should prompt governments to establish and improve concentration standards for VOCs and their sources. At the same time, policies should be introduced to limit VOCs emission to protect public health.

ZBTB20-AS1 promoted Alzheimer's disease progression through ZBTB20/GSK-3ß/Tau pathway.

To elucidate the potential molecular mechanisms of ZBTB20-AS1 on ZBTB20 and GSK-3ß/Tau signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), SH-SY5Y cells were obtained for in vitro experiments and AD models were constructed using ß-Amyloid 1-42. CCK8 assay was implemented for determining cell viability. Flow cytometry was used for cell apoptosis detection. Dual-luciferase reporter and RNA-RNA pull down assay was employed for elucidating molecular interactions. Immunohistochemistry, RT-qPCR and western blotting were performed for measuring gene expression. The results showed that expression of LncRNA ZBTB20-AS1 was significantly upregulated, while ZBTB20 was downregulated in SH-SY5Y-AD cells. ZBTB20 was the target gene of LncRNA ZBTB20-AS1. Overexpression of ZBTB20 or knockdown of LncRNA ZBTB20-AS1 inhibited SH-SY5Y-AD cells apoptosis and suppressed GSK3ß/Tau pathway, and knockdown of ZBTB20-AS1 increased cell viability and decreased apoptosis. In conclusion, overexpression of ZBTB20-AS1 inhibited ZBTB20 expression and promoted GSK-3ß expression and Tau phosphorylation, contributing to the development of AD.

Ambient Air Pollution and Atherosclerosis: A Potential Mediating Role of Sphingolipids.

BACKGROUND: The pathophysiological mechanisms of air pollution-induced atherosclerosis are incompletely understood. Sphingolipids serve as biological intermediates during atherosclerosis development by facilitating production of proatherogenic apoB (apolipoprotein B)-containing lipoproteins. We explored whether sphingolipids mediate the proatherogenic effects of air pollution. METHODS: This was a prospective panel study of 110 participants (mean age 56.5 years) followed from 2013 to 2015 in Beijing, China. Targeted lipidomic analyses were used to quantify 24 sphingolipids in 579 plasma samples. The mass concentrations of ambient particulate matter ≤2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5) were continuously monitored by a fixed station. We evaluated the associations between sphingolipid levels and average PM2.5 concentrations 1-30 days before clinic visits using linear mixed-effects models and explored whether sphingolipids mediate PM2.5-associated changes in the levels of proatherogenic apoB-containing lipoproteins (LDL-C [low-density lipoprotein cholesterol] and non-HDL-C [nonhigh-density lipoprotein cholesterol]) using mediation analyses. RESULTS: We observed significant increases in the levels of non-HDL-C and fourteen sphingolipids associated with PM2.5 exposure, from short- (14 days) to medium-term (30 days) exposure time windows. The associations exhibited near-monotonic increases and peaked in 30-day time window. Increased levels of the sphingolipids, namely, sphinganine, ceramide C24:0, sphingomyelins C16:0/C18:0/C18:1/C20:0/C22:0/C24:0, and hexosylceramides C16:0/C18:0/C20:0/C22:0/C24:0/C24:1 significantly mediated 32%, 58%, 35% to 93%, and 23% to 86%, respectively, of the positive association between 14-day PM2.5 average and the non-HDL-C level, but not the LDL-C level. Similar mediation effects (19%-91%) of the sphingolipids were also observed in 30-day time window. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that sphingolipids may mediate the proatherogenic effects of short- and medium-term PM2.5 exposure.

GhSTP18, a member of sugar transport proteins family, negatively regulates salt stress in cotton.

The sugar transporter protein (STP) family has been shown to play important roles in plant growth, development, and stress response. However, it has not been studied in cotton compared to other major crops. In this study, we identified 90 STP genes from four cotton species, performed bioinformatic analysis, and focused on the role of GhSTP18 in salt stress. According to our results, cotton STP proteins were divided into four subgroups according to the phylogenetic tree. A synteny analysis suggested that whole-genome duplication (WGD) and segmental duplication were key drivers in the expansion of the STP gene family. The transcriptomic data analysis showed that 29 GhSTP genes exhibited sink-specific expression. Quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analyses revealed that expression of GhSTP18 was induced by salt treatment, heat treatment, cold treatment, and drought treatment, and continuously increased during a salt stress time course. Notably, GhSTP18 encodes a plasma membrane-localized galactose transporter. Suppression of GhSTP18 transcription by a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) assay reduced sensitivity to salt stress in cotton, indicating that GhSTP18 negatively regulates plant salt tolerance. These results provide an important reference and resource for further studying and deploying STP genes for cotton improvement.

Development and validation of a simple and rapid HILIC-MS/MS method for the quantification of low-abundant lysoglycerophospholipids in human plasma.

Lysoglycerophospholipids (Lyso-GPLs) are an essential class of signaling lipids with potential roles in human diseases, such as cancer, central nervous system diseases, and atherosclerosis. Current methods for the quantification of Lyso-GPLs involve complex sample pretreatment, long analysis times, and insufficient validation, which hinder the research of Lyso-GPLs in human studies, especially for Lyso-GPLs with low abundance in human plasma such as lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI), lysophosphatidylglycerol (LPG), lysophosphatidylserine (LysoPS), lyso-platelet-activating factor (LysoPAF), and cyclic phosphatidic acid (cPA). Herein, we report the development and validation of a simple and rapid liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the quantification of Lyso-GPLs with low abundance in plasma. Protein precipitation using MeOH for Lyso-GPL extraction, quick separation (within 18 min) based on hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC), and sensitive MS detection under dynamic multiple reaction monitoring (dMRM) mode enabled efficient quantification of 22 Lyso-GPLs including 2 cPA, 4 LPG, 11 LPA, 2 LysoPS, and 3 LysoPAF in 50 µL of human plasma. The present method showed good linearity (goodness of fit, 0.99823-0.99995), sensitivity (lower limit of quantification, 0.03-14.06 ng/mL), accuracy (73-117%), precision (coefficient of variation ≤ 28%), carryover (≤ 17%), recovery (80-110%), and stability (83-123%). We applied the method in an epidemiological study and report concentrations of 18 Lyso-GPLs in 567 human plasma samples comparable to those of previous studies. Significant negative associations of LysoPAF C18, LysoPAF C18:1, and LysoPAF C16 with homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) level were observed; this indicates possible roles of LysoPAF in glucose homeostasis. The application of the present method will improve understanding of the roles of circulating low-abundant Lyso-GPLs in health and diseases.

Acute myocardial infarction due to coronary embolism caused by a metastatic mass from lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Acute arterial embolism due to tumor embolus is a rare complication in cancer patients, even rarer is lung tumor embolization leading to acute myocardial infarction. We report a patient who had a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction(AMI)which was brought on by a coronary artery embolism by a metastatic lung cancer tumor. Clinicians need to be aware that tumor embolism can result in AMI. CASE PRESENTATION: An 80-yeal-old male patient presented with persistent chest pain for 2 h and his electrocardiogram(ECG)showed anterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Instead of implanting a stent, thrombus aspiration was performed. Pathological examination of coronary artery thrombosis showed that a few sporadic atypical epithelial cells were scattered in the thrombus-like tissue. Combined with immune phenotype and clinical history, metastatic squamous cell carcinoma is more likely. CONCLUSIONS: We report a rare case of a patient who was diagnosed of AMI due to a coronary artery embolism by a metastatic mass from lung cancer. Since there is no evidence-based protocol available for the treatment of isolated coronary thrombosis, we used thrombus aspiration to treat thrombosis rather than implanting a stent.

An Online Monitoring Method for Low-Frequency Dielectric Loss Angle of Mining Cables.

The dielectric loss angle can better reflect the overall insulation level of mining cables, so it is necessary to implement reliable and effective online monitoring of the dielectric loss angle of mining cables. In order to improve the monitoring accuracy of the dielectric loss angle tan δ of mining cables, a low-frequency dielectric loss angle online monitoring method combining signal injection method and double-end synchronous measurement method is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the superiority of the low-frequency signal in improving the detection accuracy of dielectric loss angle is explained, and the feasibility of the low-frequency signal injection method is analyzed. Secondly, the cable leakage is calculated using the double-terminal synchronous measurement method to measure the core current at the first and last ends of the cable, and the phase sum of the voltage at the first and last ends is selected as the reference phase quantity to realize the effective calculation of the dielectric loss angle tan δ of the cable. Then, the simulation model for online monitoring of dielectric loss angle of mining cable is built, and the feasibility of the online monitoring method proposed in this paper is verified by combining the simulation results. Finally, the theoretical and simulation analysis of the monitoring error of dielectric loss angle of mining cable is carried out.

DOTFL1 affects the floral transition in orchid Dendrobium Chao Praya Smile.

A major obstacle for orchid (Orchidaceae) breeding and production is a long juvenile phase before orchid reproductive development. The molecular basis for prolonged vegetative growth in orchids remains largely unclear despite many efforts to clarify the relevant mechanisms. In this study, we report functional characterization of Dendrobium Orchid TERMINAL FLOWER1 (DOTFL1), an ortholog of TFL1 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), from the orchid Dendrobium Chao Praya Smile. DOTFL1 is highly expressed in pseudobulbs and the shoot apical meristem (SAM) before and during the floral transition, but is downregulated in inflorescence apices and open flowers. Ectopic expression of DOTFL1 rescues the early-flowering and terminal-flower phenotypes of tfl1-20 in Arabidopsis. Overexpression of DOTFL1 in Dendrobium orchids delays flowering and produces defective inflorescence meristems and flowers with vegetative traits, whereas knockdown of DOTFL1 accelerates flowering and perturbs the maintenance of the inflorescence meristem. Notably, DOTFL1 suppresses orchid flowering and associated pseudobulb formation during the floral transition. We further reveal that two orchid MADS-box transcription factors, Dendrobium Orchid SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1 (DOSOC1) and AGAMOUS-LIKE 24 (DOAGL24), could interact with each other and bind to the CArG-box motif at DOTFL1, implying a regulatory hierarchy similar to their counterparts in Arabidopsis. Taken together, our findings suggest that DOTFL1 promotes vegetative growth, modulates successive developmental events required for reproductive success in Dendrobium orchids, and may have evolved with a previously unknown role in controlling pseudobulb formation in the Orchidaceae family.

Impact of Heavy PM2.5 Pollution Events on Mortality in 250 Chinese Counties.

We explored the impact of heavy PM2.5 pollution events on the health of residents in 250 counties in China. A time-series approach involving a two-stage analysis was applied to estimate the association between heavy PM2.5 pollution events and mortality from 2013 to 2018. The associations between heavy (PM2.5 ≥75 µg/m3 and <150 µg/m3) and extremely heavy (PM2.5 ≥150 µg/m3) PM2.5 pollution days with mortality were explored. The added effects of the heavy PM2.5 pollution events were evaluated by controlling PM2.5 concentration in the model. From 2013 to 2018, there were 57,279 county days of heavy PM2.5 pollution and 21,248 county days of extremely heavy PM2.5 pollution. The risks of mortality during this period of heavy PM2.5 pollution events increased by 1.22% (95% CI: 0.82-1.63%), 1.14% (95% CI: 0.74-1.53%), 1.09% (95% CI: 0.58-1.60%), and 1.30% (95% CI: 0.40-2.20%), for all-cause, nonaccidental, circulatory, and respiratory mortality, respectively. We also observed that heavy PM2.5 pollution events had an added effect on mortality risk associated with all-cause, nonaccidental, circulatory, and respiratory mortality, evident from an observed increase by 0.77% (95% CI: 0.29-1.24%), 0.73% (95% CI: 0.27-1.19%), 0.96% (95% CI: 0.37-1.55%), and 0.55% (95% CI: -0.52-1.63%), respectively. Heavy PM2.5 pollution events increased mortality risks and caused an independent added effect. The findings serve as a foundation for policymakers in developing early warning systems and policy interventions.

Associations between Individual Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter Elemental Constituent Mixtures and Blood Lipid Profiles: A Panel Study in Chinese People Aged 60-69 Years.

Dyslipidemia may be a potential mechanism linking fine particulate matter (PM2.5) to adverse cardiovascular outcomes. However, inconsistent associations between PM2.5 and blood lipids have resulted from the existing research, and the joint effect of PM2.5 elemental constituents on blood lipid profiles remains unclear. We aimed to explore the overall associations between PM2.5 elemental constituents and blood lipid profiles and to identify the significant PM2.5 elemental constituents in this association. Sixty-nine elderly people were recruited between September 2018 and January 2019. Each participant completed a survey questionnaire, 3 days of individual exposure monitoring, health examination, and biological sample collection at each follow-up visit. Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were used to identify the joint effects of the 17 elemental constituents on blood lipid profiles. Total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) levels were significantly increased in older adults when exposed to the mixture of PM2.5 elemental constituents. Copper and titanium had higher posterior inclusion probabilities than other constituents, ranging from 0.76 to 0.90 (Cu) and 0.74 to 0.94 (Ti). Copper and titanium in the PM2.5 elemental constituent mixture played an essential role in changes to blood lipid levels. This study highlights the importance of identifying critical hazardous PM2.5 constituents that may cause adverse cardiovascular outcomes in the future.

A simple and rapid method for extraction and measurement of circulating sphingolipids using LC-MS/MS: a targeted lipidomic analysis.

Sphingolipids are a class of lipids with high structural diversity and biological pleiotropy. Mounting evidence supports a role for sphingolipids in regulating pathophysiology of cardiometabolic diseases, and they have been proposed as potential cardiometabolic biomarkers. Current methods for quantifying sphingolipids require laborious pretreatment and relatively large sample volumes, and cover limited species, hindering their application in epidemiological studies. Herein, we applied a time-, labor-, and sample-saving protocol simply using methanol for plasma sphingolipid extraction. It was compared with classical liquid-liquid extraction methods and showed significant advantages in terms of simplicity, sphingolipid coverage, and sample volume. By coupling the protocol with liquid chromatography using a wide-span mobile phase polarity parameter and tandem mass spectrometry operated in dynamic multiple reaction monitoring mode, 37 sphingolipids from 8 classes (sphingoid base, sphingoid base phosphate, ceramide-1-phosphate, lactosylceramide, hexosylceramide, sphingomyelin, ceramide, and dihydroceramide) were quantified within 16 min, using only 10 µL of human plasma. The current method showed good performance in terms of linearity (R2 > 0.99), intra- and interbatch accuracy (70-123%) and precision (RSD < 12%), matrix effect (91-121%), recovery (96-101%), analyte chemical stability (deviation < 19%), and carryover (< 16%). We successfully applied this method to quantify 33 detectable sphingolipids from 579 plasma samples of an epidemiological study within 10 days. The quantified sphingolipid concentrations were comparable with previous studies. Positive associations of ceramide C22:0/C24:0 and their precursors with homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance suggested that the synthesis of the ceramides might be involved in insulin resistance. This novel method constitutes a simple and rapid approach to quantify circulating sphingolipids for epidemiological studies using targeted lipidomic analysis, which will help elucidate the sphingolipid-regulated pathways underlying cardiometabolic diseases.

Comparative analysis of PIM criteria and drug labels in the elderly.

PURPOSE: By discussing the corresponding situation of PIM criteria and labels, it provides a reference for the formulation and update of the criteria and the content of the section of "medications for the elderly" in the labels, so as to realize rational drug use for the elderly. METHODS: Extract the four indicators of Beers criteria, STOPP criteria, and the EU(7)-PIM list that involve dosage, duration, age, and mortality, and compare them with the latest labels for drugs marketed in the USA and the EU. RESULTS: There are 148 drugs involving four indicators in the criteria, and 85.14% of the drugs are found in at least one region. In terms of dose, there are 28 drugs with inconsistent descriptions in the labels of the two regions, accounting for 47.46% of the 59 drugs found in both regions. A total of 42.37% of the drugs are consistent in both regions with the criteria (25/59), 28.81% of the drugs are inconsistent in both regions with the criteria (17/59), and 28.81% of the drugs are inconsistent in only one region with the criteria (17/59). The doses of 50 drugs found in F/D labels are consistent with the criteria, accounting for 54.35% of the 92 drugs found in F/D labels, and of 41 drugs found in E/H SmPC are consistent with the criteria, accounting for 60.29% of the 68 drugs found in E/H SmPC. Only the duration of omeprazole in the labels in both regions is consistent with the criteria, and only the age of prasugrel in both regions is consistent with the criteria. Five drugs whose labels mentioned increased mortality, accounting for 38.46% of the 13 drugs found in both regions. CONCLUSION: There are certain differences between PIM criteria and PIM criteria, labels and labels, and PIM criteria and labels, which will affect the use of drugs in the elderly. Therefore, the unity between the criteria and labels should be strengthened to provide more instructive guidance for the elderly, so as to jointly realize rational drug use in the elderly.

Early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease using Continuous Convolution Network: Handwriting recognition based on off-line hand drawing without template.

The examination of patients' handwriting has become an important auxiliary method for the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson's disease which can be used for early self-diagnosis of patients with Parkinson's disease. However, at present, the recognition of writing disorders based on artificial intelligence technology mainly relies on pattern templates and intelligent dynamic acquisition equipment, which has some design limitations. And professional acquisition equipment is not suitable for ordinary home patients. In order to facilitate the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and get more accurate diagnostic results, this paper is devoted to studying various features of spiral hand drawing of Parkinson's disease and developing an auxiliary diagnosis scheme based on hand drawing. Firstly, through the ablation experiment with open dataset, it is verified that the visual information of hand drawing can better reflect the characteristics of hand drawing of patients with Parkinson's disease than the original dynamic information. Secondly, an Archimedes spiral hand drawing dataset is established that can accurately reflect the tremor, shape and spacing characteristics of the image, with no limitation of the application scenario. Finally, Continuous Convolution Network (CC-Net) is proposed to reduce the pooling layer. Compared with the traditional classification network, CC-Net can accurately extract diversified features of hand drawings and maximize the retention of image information, and obtain a higher classification accuracy with qualified stability (the classification accuracy on the dataset of this paper is about 89.3%, MCC is about 0.733, and average AUC is about 0.934).

A Comprehensive Operation Status Evaluation Method for Mining XLPE Cables.

At present, the online insulation monitoring and fault diagnosis of mining cables are extensively discussed, while their operation status assessment has not been deeply studied. Considering that mining cables are closely related to the safe and stable operation of coal mine power supply systems, a comprehensive evaluation method including the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the membership cloud theory, and the D-S evidence theory is proposed in this paper in order to accurately assess the operation status of the mining XLPE cable. Firstly, the membership cloud is introduced to solve the index membership degree and the weights are calculated by an improved weight vector calculation method. Secondly, the conversion from the base layer indicator membership degree to the target layer trust degree is realized based on the D-S evidence theory. Then, the cable operation status is judged via the trust degree maximum and the distribution of conflict coefficients is further analyzed to warn the indicators with a bad status in the base layer. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed evaluation method is verified by a sufficient and detailed case analysis.

A Denoising Method for Mining Cable PD Signal Based on Genetic Algorithm Optimization of VMD and Wavelet Threshold.

When the pulse current method is used for partial discharge (PD) monitoring of mining cables, the detected PD signals are seriously disturbed by the field noise, which are easily submerged in the noise and cannot be extracted. In order to realize the effective separation of the PD signal and the interference signal of the mining cable and improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the PD signal, a denoising method for the PD signal of the mining cable based on genetic algorithm optimization of variational mode decomposition (VMD) and wavelet threshold is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the genetic algorithm is used to optimize the VMD, and the optimal value of the number of modal components K and the quadratic penalty factor α is determined; secondly, the PD signal is decomposed by the VMD algorithm to obtain K intrinsic mode functions (IMF). Then, wavelet threshold denoising is applied to each IMF, and the denoised IMFs are reconstructed. Finally, the feasibility of the denoising method proposed in this paper is verified by simulation and experiment.

GhBOP1 as a Key Factor of Ribosomal Biogenesis: Development of Wrinkled Leaves in Upland Cotton.

Block of proliferation 1 (BOP1) is a key protein that helps in the maturation of ribosomes and promotes the progression of the cell cycle. However, its role in the leaf morphogenesis of cotton remains unknown. Herein, we report and study the function of GhBOP1 isolated from Gossypium hirsutum. The sequence alignment revealed that BOP1 protein was highly conserved among different species. The yeast two-hybrid experiments, bimolecular fluorescence complementation, and luciferase complementation techniques revealed that GhBOP1 interact with GhPES and GhWDR12. Subcellular localization experiments revealed that GhBOP1, GhPES and GhWDR12 were localized at the nucleolus. Suppression of GhBOP1 transcripts resulted in the uneven bending of leaf margins and the presence of young wrinkled leaves by virus-induced gene silencing assay. Abnormal palisade arrangements and the presence of large upper epidermal cells were observed in the paraffin sections of the wrinkled leaves. Meanwhile, a jasmonic acid-related gene, GhOPR3, expression was increased. In addition, a negative effect was exerted on the cell cycle and the downregulation of the auxin-related genes was also observed. These results suggest that GhBOP1 plays a critical role in the development of wrinkled cotton leaves, and the process is potentially modulated through phytohormone signaling.

[Prediction of formability of flavonoid extract granules by dry granulation based on design space and RBFNN].

In this paper, a flavonoid extract powder properties-process parameters-granule forming rate prediction model was constructed based on design space and radial basis function neural network(RBFNN) to predict the formability of flavonoid extract gra-nules. Box-Behnken experimental design was employed to explore the mathematical relationships between critical process parameters and quality attributes. The design space of critical process parameters was developed, and the accuracy of the design space was verified by Monte Carlo method(MC). Design Expert 10 was used for Box-Behnken design and mixture design. Scutellariae Radix mixed powder was prepared and its powder properties were measured. The mixed powder was then subjected to dry granulation and the granule forming rate was determined. The correlations between powder properties were analyzed by variance influence factor(VIF), and principal component analysis(PCA) was performed for the factors with strong collinearity. In this way, a prediction model of powder properties-process parameters-granule forming rate was established based on RBFNN, the accuracy of which was evaluated with examples. The results showed that the model had a good predictive effect on the granule forming rate, with the average relative error of 1.04%. The predicted value and the measured value had a high degree of fitting, which indicated that model presented a good prediction ability. The prediction model established in this study can provide reference for the establishment of quality control methods for Chinese medicinal preparations with similar physical properties.

Characterization of C- and D-Class MADS-Box Genes in Orchids.

Orchids (members of the Orchidaceae family) possess unique flower morphology and adaptive reproduction strategies. Although the mechanisms underlying their perianth development have been intensively studied, the molecular basis of reproductive organ development in orchids remains largely unknown. Here, we report the identification and functional characterization of two AGAMOUS (AG)-like MADS-box genes, Dendrobium 'Orchid' AG1 (DOAG1) and DOAG2, which are putative C- and D-class genes, respectively, from the orchid Dendrobium 'Chao Praya Smile'. Both DOAG1 and DOAG2 are highly expressed in the reproductive organ, known as the column, compared to perianth organs, while DOAG2 expression gradually increases in pace with pollination-induced ovule development and is localized in ovule primordia. Ectopic expression of DOAG1, but not DOAG2, rescues floral defects in the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) ag-4 mutant, including reiteration of stamenoid perianth organs in inner whorls and complete loss of carpels. Downregulation of DOAG1 and DOAG2 in orchids by artificial microRNA interference using l-Met sulfoximine selection-based gene transformation systems shows that both genes are essential for specifying reproductive organ identity, yet they, exert different roles in mediating floral meristem determinacy and ovule development, respectively, in Dendrobium spp. orchids. Notably, knockdown of DOAG1 and DOAG2 also affects perianth organ development in orchids. Our findings suggest that DOAG1 and DOAG2 not only act as evolutionarily conserved C- and D-class genes, respectively, in determining reproductive organ identity, but also play hitherto unknown roles in mediating perianth organ development in orchids.