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Arabidopsis synaptotagmin 1 (SYT1) is localized on the endoplasmic reticulum–plasma membrane (ER–PM) contact sites in leaf and root cells. The ER–PM localization of Arabidopsis SYT1 resembles that of the extended synaptotagmins (E-SYTs) in animal cells. In mammals, E-SYTs have been shown to regulate calcium signaling, lipid transfer, and endocytosis. Arabidopsis SYT1 was reported to be essential for maintaining cell integrity and virus movement. This study provides detailed insight into the subcellular localization of SYT1 and VAP27-1, another ER–PM-tethering protein. SYT1 and VAP27-1 were shown to be localized on distinct ER–PM contact sites. The VAP27-1-enriched ER–PM contact sites (V-EPCSs) were always in contact with the SYT1-enriched ER–PM contact sites (S-EPCSs). The V-EPCSs still existed in the leaf epidermal cells of the SYT1 null mutant; however, they were less stable than those in the wild type. The polygonal networks of cortical ER disassembled and the mobility of VAP27-1 protein on the ER–PM contact sites increased in leaf cells of the SYT1 null mutant. These results suggest that SYT1 is responsible for stabilizing the ER network and V-EPCSs.

Organisations are increasingly implementing socially responsible strategies in response to increased rivalry in trade and commercial activities. Organisations are expected to increase their profitability through corporate social responsibility (CSR). Hence, this study investigates the relationship between trade enhancement, firm characteristics, and CSR. Further, this study also explored the critical mediating role of green investment (GI). The data were collected from 456 respondents from manufacturing organisations in China through a questionnaire and analysed by partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). PLS-SEM results revealed that trade enhancement has a significant positive effect on CSR and GI. GI also has a significant effect on CSR. In comparison, firm characteristics do not have a substantial impact on CSR and GI. However, GI significantly mediates the relationship between trade enhancement, firm characteristics, and CSR. This study provides insights to managers and stakeholders regarding GI and CSR in the Chinese manufacturing industry. Lastly, this study proposes theoretical and practical implications andoffers valuable information for practitioners and policymakers.

BackgroundIron deficiency is the leading cause of anemia worldwide, particularly in countries with predominant plant-based diets. Plants constitute the main source of dietary iron. Increasing their iron concentration could reduce the occurrence of anemia. The water spinach Ipomoea aquatica is consumed as a vegetable throughout Asia and tolerates high iron concentrations making it an attractive candidate for iron biofortification. L-DOPA is an allelopathic molecule secreted by some legumes. L-DOPA can trigger the expression of Fe deficiency-inducible genes, and could potentially be used as a biostimulant to increase Fe concentration.ResultsL-DOPA significantly affected root growth of water spinach, and triggered a massive accumulation of Fe in roots. Both effects were exacerbated when L-DOPA was dissolved in KOH, which is surprising given that L-DOPA is less stable at high pH. To check whether a higher pH could indeed increase the bioactivity of L-DOPA, we used Arabidopsis thaliana, which grows at lower pH than water spinach, and subjected the plants to L-DOPA treatments at pH 5.5 and pH 6.0, which are both within the optimal range for Arabidopsis nutrition. At pH 6.0, the root growth of Arabidopsis was more strongly inhibited than at pH 5.5. We found that at higher pH, L-DOPA oxidizes to form a melanin precipitate.ConclusionsWe concluded that the oxidation of L-DOPA that we observed upon solubilization in KOH, or in nutrient solutions at slightly higher pH produces melanin-related molecules that are more potent than L-DOPA itself to trigger the primary root growth inhibition, Fe uptake and root Fe accumulation in water spinach and Arabidopsis.

A green and sustainable business environment has gained the attention of recent researchers and policymakers due to environmental and social issues globally. Therefore, the present research investigates the impact of corporate social responsibilities (CSR), green investment, green credit, and assets return on the stock return of the Chinese export industry. This study has taken the ten top export companies from China using the database of the Shanghai stock exchange. This study collected data from financial statements and stock exchange databases from 2009 to 2020. This study has used panel data analysis techniques such as robust standard error and fixed effect model (FEM) to examine the relations among the variables. The results revealed that CSR, green investment, green credit, and return on assets have a significant and positive association with the stock return of selected industries. These results imply that CSR instigates higher financial performance in the export industry; thus, improving CSR and sustainable financing promote socio-economic and societal development.

The authors describe highly sensitivity nanowire sensors that can be prepared by a bottom-up approach. The sensors were incorporated into microchannels and used for the quantitative conductometric detection of apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1), a bladder cancer protein biomarker. Silicon nanowires were placed in the gap between nickel electrodes by using dielectrophoretic forces, which improved the yield of the assembly. Then, the nanowires were clipped by another nickel layer to form a nickel/nanowire/nickel sandwich-like structure using photolithography and a lift-off process. The results show that this structure exhibits reduced contact resistance at the interface between the nickel layer and the silicon nanowires, which is an ohmic contact. Thus, a stable nanowire sensor was obtained. It was found that the contact resistance can be further decreased by using a hot plate annealing process. An SU-8 photoresist was used to insulate the electrodes to allow for applications in wet environments. An antibody against APOA1 was covalently conjugated to the surface of the silicon nanowires. Antibody conjugation was verified via the decrease in the conductance of the nanowires after conjugation. The sensor has a dynamic range that covers the 0.2 ng·mL −1 to 10 μg·mL −1 APOA1 concentration range and a detection limit of approximately 1 ng·mL −1 . Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of silicon nanowire sensors prepared by a bottom-up approach with the aid of dielectriphoretic force. Antibodies were modified onto nanowires for protein detection. Surface potential was changed by protein attachment, which influences major carriers and thus changes the nanowire conductance.

Chronic constriction injury- (CCI-) induced neuropathic pain is the most similar model to hyperalgesia in clinical observation. Neuropathic pain is a neuronal dysfunction in the somatosensory system that may lead to spontaneous pain. In this study, electroacupuncture (EA) was applied at bilateral L4 and L6 of Hua Tuo Jia Ji points (EX-B2) for relieving neuropathic pain in rats. Eighteen Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to three groups: sham, 2-Hz EA, and 15-Hz EA groups. Following von Frey and cold plate tests, both the 2- and the 15-Hz EA groups had significantly lower mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia than the sham group. Western blot analysis results showed that γ-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA), adenosine A1 receptor (A1R), transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1), TRPV4, and metabotropic glutamate receptor 3 (mGluR3) were similar in the dorsal root ganglion of all three groups. Furthermore, levels of GABAA receptors were higher in the spinal cord of rats in the 2- and 15-Hz EA groups compared with the sham control group. This was not observed for A1R, TRPV1, TRPV4, or mGluR3 receptors. In addition, all the aforementioned receptors were unchanged in the somatosensory cortex of the study rats, suggesting a central spinal effect. The study results provide evidence to support the clinical use of EA for specifically alleviating neuropathic pain.

Economic Survival and Social Support in Sports activities is a multifaceted area of research interest. Active participation of women in sports activities has a significant contribution to the growth and success of the sports industry. This article seeks to discuss the impact of sports activities on sportswomen's economic survival and social life. This is done using questionnaire themed around issues such lack of availability of time, limitations of knowledge, family-related and financial difficulties, and nature of activities, all of which can potentially impact the social life of sportswomen. The study shows that economic survival is a significant part of sport's activities as well as the social life of sportswomen. Economic survival supports the social life of sportswomen. The current article highlights the findings from big data analysis pertaining to the social life of sportswomen. The paper uses Big Data Analysis to examine the social life of sportswomen. However, BDA is a complex process resulting from data sources' diverse and unstructured nature. Big Data Analysis (BDA) is critical in the sports field, as it covers the data at the macro-level (such as the national sports industry, teams, and individuals). It was analyzed using the AMOS 23v and SPSS 26v after being collected from female sports players belonging to a geographically diverse region. The study found that there is a significant association between sports activities, economic survival, and the social life of sportswomen.

Movement is the essence of physical therapy. Due to the inherent nature of sports as a physical activity, they can often lead towards sport’s injuries and therefore may have a bearing on the economic aspects of the field or industry of sports. Athletes cannot resume at their previous level of activities if they fear re-injury or serious injuries. Competitive athletes have the highest injury rates (for example, adolescent elite athletes). Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are the highest sport's injuries found in female players. Athletes might end their career prematurely by halting sport participation. The study's primary objective is to identify and discuss health variables, injury patterns, and training modes. These health variables include self-esteem, nutritional behavior, self-perceived stress, risk factors, and nutritional behavior in adolescent elite athletes. This is done with a view to developing effective target prevention for sport's injuries and understanding the risk factors, fear of injury, and incidence/prevalence of injury in adolescent elite athletes. The health consequences of injury are rising due to the lack of prospective injury registration. The paper has analyzed the nexus between sportsmen's injuries and economic survival in the future. The paper is based on three variables: Sportsmen Injuries, Economic Survival, and GDP-and-GDP growth rates. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS-26 software to describe the nexus between Sportsmen’s Injuries and Economic Survival. It was found that there's a significant impact of sportsmen’s injuries on economic survival and GDP-and-GDP Growth Rates.

Measurement of surface deformation is a key component for mapping intraoperative and preoperative image data in image-guided surgery. In this study, we segment CT-scanned images and then use a coherent point drift algorithm for the estimation of surface deformation. To extract surface points, the segmentation is based on the intensity of the image data. The registration of two point sets is considered as a probability density estimation problem in an expectation-maximization framework. Experimental results show that surface deformation between two point sets can be obtained based on the obtained geometric transformation.

Voltage-gated K + (Kv) channels exhibit slow or C-type inactivation during continuous depolarization. A selective pharmacological agent targeting C-type inactivation is hitherto lacking. Here, we report that 6β-acetoxy-7α-hydroxyroyleanone (AHR), a diterpenoid compound isolated from Taiwania cryptomerioides , can selectively modify C-type inactivation of Kv1.2 channels. Extracellular, but not intracellular, AHR (50 μM) dramatically accelerated the slow decay of Kv currents and left-shifted the steady-state inactivation curve. AHR blocked Kv currents with an IC 50 of 17.7 μM. AHR did not affect the kinetics and voltage-dependence of Kv1.2 channel activation. Channel block by AHR was independent of intracellular K + concentration. In addition, effect of AHR was much attenuated in a Kv1.2 V370G mutant defective in C-type inactivation. Therefore, block of Kv1.2 channels by AHR did not appear to involve direct occlusion of the outer pore but depended on C-type inactivation. AHR could thus be a probe targeting Kv channel C-type inactivation gate.