Explore the vast range of titles available.

Suc transporters (SUTs) play a key role in the allocation and partitioning of photosynthetically fixed carbon in plants. While a function could be assigned to many members of the SUT family, almost no information is available on their regulation. Here, the transcriptional regulation of SUTs in response to various environmental stimuli in the leaves of five dicots (Arabidopsis [Arabidopsis thaliana], soybean [Glycine max], potato [Solanum tuberosum], tomato [Solanum lycopersicum], and poplar [Populus spp.]) and four monocots (maize [Zea mays], rice [Oryza sativa], wheat [Triticum aestivum], and barley [Hordeum vulgare]) was investigated. Extensive data on expression of SUTs in relation to changes of environmental conditions were obtained through a global analysis of 168 transcriptomics data sets. Results were validated by quantitative PCR measurements and extended by the measurement of photosynthesis rate and phloem sugar content to draw insight on the correlation of SUT expression and sugar export from leaves. For the apoplasmic phloem loaders, a clear difference in transcriptional regulation in response to different environmental stimuli was observed. The consistent patterns of SUT expression under abiotic stress indicates which types of SUTs are involved in the regulation of leaf sugar status and in stress signaling. Furthermore, it is shown that down-regulation of phloem loading is likely to be caused by transcriptional regulation of SUTs, while up-regulation depends on post-transcriptional regulation. In poplar, expression of PtaSUT4 was found to consistently respond to environmental stimuli, suggesting a significant role in the regulation of sugar export from leaves in this passive symplasmic phloem loader.

The number of traditionally excellent coastal lithologic nuclear power plants is limited. It is a trend to develop nuclear power plants on soil sites in inland areas. Therefore, the seismic safety and adaptability of non-rock nuclear power plant (NPP) sites are the key concerns of nuclear safety researchers. Although the five site categories are clearly defined in the AP1000 design control documents, the effects of nuclear power five site conditions and soil nonlinearity on the seismic response characteristics of nuclear island buildings have not been systematically considered in previous related studies. In this study, targeting the AP1000 nuclear island structure as the research object, three-dimensional finite element models of a nuclear island structure at five types of sites (firm rock site (FR), soft rock site (SR), soft-to-medium soil site (SMS), upper bound soft-to-medium site (SMS-UB), and soft soil site (SS)) are established. The partitioned analysis method of soil-structure interaction (PASSI) in the time-domain is used to investigate the effects of site hardness and nonlinearity on the acceleration, displacement, and acceleration response spectrum of the nuclear island structure under seismic excitation. The incremental equilibrium equation and explicit decoupling method are used to analyze the soil nonlinearity described by the Davidenkov model with simplified loading-reloading rules. The results show that, in the linear case, with the increase of site hardness, the peak ground acceleration (PGA) and the peak of acceleration response spectrum of the nuclear island structure increase except for the FR site, while the maximum displacement decreases. In nonlinear analysis, as the site hardness increases, the PGA, maximum displacement, and the peak of acceleration response spectrum of the nuclear island structure increase. The peak value of the acceleration response spectrum in the nonlinear case is greater than that in the linear case for FR, while smaller for SR and soil sites. The site nonlinearity reduces the peak values of the response spectrum for SR and soil sites much more as the site hardness decreases. The results of this study can provide a reference for design of nuclear island structures on soil and rock sites.

Neurospora crassa is a filamentous fungus potent in secreting cellulase and degrading lignocellulosic materials. Here, heterologous cis-aconitic acid decarboxylase was expressed in N. crassa to synthesize itaconic acid which is a high potential platform chemical with applications as an alternative for petroleum-based products. The present study demonstrated that itaconic acid can be produced directly from cellulose and other lignocellulosic materials by the engineered strain, with the highest production of 20.414 ± 0.674 mg/L. The multivariate data analysis methods were used in the parameter analysis of the conversion process. It was found by the hot map analysis that itaconic acid production can promote the secretion of cellulase in N. crassa. Principal component analysis suggested that itaconic acid production was closely related to the concentration of the glucose degraded from lignocelluloses, indicating that the secretion of cellulase is key to the direct conversion of cellulose to itaconic acid in the engineered N. crassa. This work demonstrates that N. crassa could be considered as a new platform in the application of cellulose conversion to itaconic acid.

All multicellular organisms keep a balance between sink and source activities by controlling nutrient transport at strategic positions. In most plants, photosynthetically produced sucrose is the predominant carbon and energy source, whose transport from leaves to carbon sink organs depends on sucrose transporters. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, transport of sucrose into the phloem vascular tissue by SUCROSE TRANSPORTER 2 (SUC2) sets the rate of carbon export from source leaves, just like the SUC2 homologs of most crop plants. Despite their importance, little is known about the proteins that regulate these sucrose transporters. Here, identification and characterization of SUC2-interaction partners revealed that SUC2 activity is regulated via its protein turnover rate and phosphorylation state. UBIQUITIN-CONJUGATING ENZYME 34 (UBC34) was found to trigger turnover of SUC2 in a light-dependentmanner. The E2 enzyme UBC34 could ubiquitinate SUC2 in vitro, a function generally associated with E3 ubiquitin ligases. ubc34 mutants showed increased phloem loading, as well as increased biomass and yield. In contrast, mutants of another SUC2-interaction partner, WALLASSOCIATED KINASE LIKE 8 (WAKL8), showed decreased phloem loading and growth. An in vivo assay based on a fluorescent sucrose analog confirmed that SUC2 phosphorylation byWAKL8 can increase transport activity. Both proteins are required for the up-regulation of phloemloading in response to increased light intensity. The molecular mechanism of SUC2 regulation elucidated here provides promising targets for the biotechnological enhancement of source strength.

CD24 can bind to its receptor, Siglec-10, and suppress immune responses induced by tissue damage. We aimed to study serum biomarkers in CD24/Siglec-10 axis and explore their associations with the survival and neurological prognosis of patients after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) following cardiac arrest. A prospective cohort study was performed. Eligible patients with ROSC were enrolled. Clinical information and serum levels of sCD24, sSiglec-10, sialic acid, tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), high mobility group protein 1 (HMGB1), neuron specific enolase (NSE), and neuraminidase activity were collected on days 1, 3 and 7 after ROSC. The 28-day survival and neurological outcome were documented. The study included 104 ROSC patients, with 30 and 74 in survivor and non-survivor groups, respectively. The levels of all biomarkers, except for sSiglec-10, sialic acid, and neuraminidases on day 1, were significantly higher in non-survivor than survivor group. Serum sCD24 level was positively correlated with sialic acid, HMGB1, TNF-α, IL-6, NSE, neuraminidases activity, and APACHE II score. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that serum sCD24 level was independently associated with 28-day poor neurological prognosis and mortality after ROSC. Multiple serum biomarkers within the CD24/Siglec-10 axis were significantly elevated following ROSC. Elevated serum sCD24 level emerged as a predictor of both 28-day poor neurological prognosis and all-cause mortality in patients after cardiac arrest. Further large-scale studies are warranted to validate these findings.

Concrete is among the most widely used structural materials in buildings and bridges all over the world. During their service life, concrete structures may inevitably display cracks due to long-term fatigue loads, leading to the degradation of structural integrity. Thus, it is very important to detect cracks and their growth in concrete structures using an automated structural health monitoring system. In this paper, experimental research on crack detection and imaging of concrete structures by using sensing skin and electrical resistance tomography (ERT) is presented. Carbon ink is screen-printed on the surface of concrete as a conductive material to form sensing skins. With these sensing skins, when cracks occur on or near the surface, it breaks the continuity of the sensing skins and significantly reduces conductivity in cracking areas. Then, after exciting small currents in sensing skins and measuring related voltage data, an inverse analysis based on total variation (TV) regularization is adopted to reconstruct tomographic images showing conductivity changes in sensing skins, to detect the occurrence and growth of cracks. The effectiveness of conductive sensing skins and our related crack detection method is validated in experimental studies on a concrete beam subjected to fatigue tests.

Accurate seismic safety assessment of nuclear power plant (NPP) structures with pile foundations on soft soil sites requires consideration of soil nonlinearity and pile–soil–structure interaction (PSSI). This study develops an efficient partitioned SSI framework, where the nonlinear soil response is simulated using the Davidenkov skeleton curve combined with a modified Masing rule and solved by an explicit time integration scheme, while the structural dynamics are evaluated using the modal superposition method. The framework is applied to a pile-supported CAP1400 NPP model on deep soft soil, with both piles and the superstructure modeled as elastic. Two computational schemes are examined: (a) explicit integration of the soil while treating the piles and structure as an integrated system analyzed via modal superposition; and (b) explicit integration of both soil and piles, with the structure analyzed using modal superposition. Under pulse excitation, both schemes yield comparable dynamic responses, whereas scheme (b) improves computational efficiency by over threefold (88 h vs. 293 h). Results using scheme (b) under RG1.60 excitation show that soil nonlinearity reduces and delays structural responses but increases pile bending moments and stress concentration, demonstrating the framework’s effectiveness and practicality for nonlinear SSI analysis of NPP structures.

The main purpose of this paper is to determine the linear measure of non-iterative dynamic system of some classes of harmonic functions.

The main purpose of this paper is to develop some methods to study the composition operators between harmonic Lipschitz type spaces. Some characterizations of boundedness and w-compactness of composition operators between the harmonic Lipschitz type spaces will be given. Consequently, the obtained results improve and extend some corresponding known results.