Direct Transcription Research Articles

Time-optimal ergodic search: Multiscale coverage in minimum time

Search and exploration capabilities are essential for robots to inspect hazardous areas, support scientific expeditions in extreme environments, and potentially save human lives in natural disasters. The variability of scale in these problems requires robots to reason about time alongside their dynamics and sensor capabilities to effectively assess and explore for information. Recent advances in ergodic search methods have shown promise in supporting trajectory planning for exploration in continuous, multiscale environments with dynamics consideration. However, these methods are still limited by their inability to effectively reason about and adapt the time to explore in response to their environment. This ability is crucial for adapting exploration to variable-resolution information-gathering tasks. To address this limitation, this paper poses the time-optimal ergodic search problem and investigates solutions for fast, multiscale, and adaptive robotic exploration trajectories. The problem is formulated as a minimum-time problem with an ergodic inequality constraint whose upper bound specifies the amount of coverage needed. We show the existence of optimal solutions using Pontryagin’s conditions of optimality, and we demonstrate effective, minimum-time coverage numerically through a direct transcription optimization approach. The efficacy of the approach in generating time-optimal search trajectories is demonstrated in simulation under several nonlinear dynamic constraints, and in a physical experiment using a drone in a cluttered environment. We find that constraints such as obstacle avoidance are readily integrated into our formulation, and we show through an ablation study the flexibility of search capabilities at various scales. Last, we contribute a receding-horizon formulation of time-optimal ergodic search for sensor-driven information-gathering and demonstrate improved adaptive sampling capabilities in localization tasks.

CALB2 drives pancreatic cancer metastasis through inflammatory reprogramming of the tumor microenvironment

BackgroundEarly dissemination to distant organs accounts for the dismal prognosis of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Chronic, dysregulated, persistent and unresolved inflammation provides a preferred tumor microenvironment (TME) for tumorigenesis, development, and metastasis. A better understanding of the key regulators that maintain inflammatory TME and the development of predictive biomarkers to identify patients who are most likely to benefit from specific inflammatory-targeted therapies is crucial for advancing personalized cancer treatment.MethodsThis study identified cell-specific expression of CALB2 in human PDAC through single-cell RNA sequencing analysis and assessed its clinicopathological correlations in tissue microarray using multi-color immunofluorescence. Co-culture systems containing cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and patient-derived organoids (PDOs) in vitro and in vivo were employed to elucidate the effects of CALB2-activated CAFs on PDAC malignancy. Furthermore, CUT&RUN assays, luciferase reporter assays, RNA sequencing, and gain- or loss-of-function assays were used to unravel the molecular mechanisms of CALB2-mediated inflammatory reprogramming and metastasis. Additionally, immunocompetent KPC organoid allograft models were constructed to evaluate CALB2-induced immunosuppression and PDAC metastasis, as well as the efficacy of inflammation-targeted therapy.ResultsCALB2 was highly expressed both in CAFs and cancer cells and correlated with an unfavorable prognosis and immunosuppressive TME in PDAC patients. CALB2 collaborated with hypoxia to activate an inflammatory fibroblast phenotype, which promoted PDAC cell migration and PDO growth in vitro and in vivo. In turn, CALB2-activated CAFs upregulated CALB2 expression in cancer cells through IL6-STAT3 signaling-mediated direct transcription. In cancer cells, CALB2 further activated Ca2+-CXCL14 inflammatory axis to facilitate PDAC metastatic outgrowth and immunosuppression. Genetic or pharmaceutical inhibition of CXCL14 significantly suppressed CALB2-mediated metastatic colonization of PDAC cells in vivo and extended mouse survival.ConclusionsThese findings identify CALB2 as a key regulator of inflammatory reprogramming to promote PDAC metastatic progression. Combination therapy with αCXCL14 monoclonal antibody and gemcitabine emerges as a promising strategy to suppress distant metastasis and improve survival outcomes in PDAC with CALB2 overexpression.

Cruise Range Optimization of a Propeller-Driven Light Aircraft Using a Direct Transcription Method with a Regularization Term

Cruise Range Optimization of a Propeller-Driven Light Aircraft Using a Direct Transcription Method with a Regularization Term

Computational techniques to monitoring fractional order type-1 diabetes mellitus model for feedback design of artificial pancreas

Background and objectives:In this paper, we developed a significant class of control issues regulated by nonlinear fractal order systems with input and output signals, our goal is to design a direct transcription method with impulsive instant order. Recent advances in the artificial pancreas system provide an emerging treatment option for type 1 diabetes. The performance of the blood glucose regulation directly relies on the accuracy of the glucose-insulin modeling. This work leads to the monitoring and assessment of comprehensive type-1 diabetes mellitus for controller design of artificial panaceas for the precision of the glucose-insulin glucagon in finite time with Caputo fractional approach for three primary subsystems. Methods:For the proposed model, we admire the qualitative analysis with equilibrium points lying in the feasible region. Model satisfied the biological feasibility with the Lipschitz criteria and linear growth is examined, considering positive solutions, boundedness and uniqueness at equilibrium points with Leray–Schauder results under time scale ideas. Within each subsystem, the virtual control input laws are derived by the application of input to state theorems and Ulam Hyers Rassias. Results:Chaotic Relation of Glucose insulin glucagon compartmental in the feasible region and stable in finite time interval monitoring is derived through simulations that are stable and bounded in the feasible regions. Additionally, as blood glucose is the only measurable state variable, the unscented power-law kernel estimator appropriately takes into account the significant problem of estimating inaccessible state variables that are bound to significant values for the glucose-insulin system. The comparative results on the simulated patients suggest that the suggested controller strategy performs remarkably better than the compared methods. Conclusion:In the model under investigation, parametric uncertainties are identified since the glucose, insulin, and glucagon system’s parameters are accurately measured numerically at different fractional order values. In terms of algorithm resilience and Caputo tracking in the presence of glucagon and insulin intake disturbance to maintain the glucose level. A comprehensive analysis of numerous difficult test issues is conducted in order to offer a thorough justification of the planned strategy to control the type 1 diabetes mellitus with designed the artificial pancreas.

Validation of a direct multiplex real-time reverse transcription PCR assay for rapid detection of African swine fever virus using swine field samples in Vietnam

ObjectiveThis study validates a direct multiplex real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assay which was previously established for enabling rapid and simultaneous detection of African swine fever (ASF) virus (ASFV) and classical swine fever virus. The assay eliminates the need for viral nucleic acid purification using a buffer system for crude extraction and an impurity-tolerant enzyme. However, the assay had not yet been validated using field samples of ASFV-infected pigs. Therefore, to address this gap, we tested 101 samples collected from pigs in Vietnam during 2018 and 2021 for validation.ResultsThe rRT-PCR assay demonstrated a diagnostic sensitivity of 98.8% and a specificity of 100%. Remarkably, crude samples yielded results comparable to those of purified samples, indicating the feasibility of using crude samples without compromising accuracy in ASFV detection. Our findings emphasize the effectiveness of the rRT-PCR assay for the prompt and accurate diagnosis of both swine fever viruses, which is essential for effective disease prevention and control in swine populations.

The discovery of novel variants reveals the genetic diversity and potential origin of Seoul orthohantavirus.

Seoul orthohantavirus (SEOV) has been identified as one of the main causative agents of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in China. The virus was found circulating in rodent populations in almost all provinces of the country, reflecting the wide distribution of HFRS. Here, using the direct immunofluorescence assay (DFA) and real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) approach, we performed screening in 1784 small mammals belonging to 14 species of three orders captured in the main areas of HFRS endemicity in Yunnan province (southwestern China) and identified 37 SEOV-positive rats (36 Rattus norvegicus and 1 Rattus tanezumi). A 3-year surveillance of HFRS epidemics and dynamics of rodent reservoir density and virus prevalence implied a potential correlation between them. The subsequent meta-transcriptomic sequencing and phylogenetic analyses revealed three SEOV variants, among which two are completely novel. The ancestral character state reconstruction (ACSR) analysis based on both novel variants and documented strains from 5 continents demonstrated that SEOV appeared to originate near the southwestern area (Yunnan-Kweichow Plateau) of China, then could spread to other regions and countries by their rodent carriers, resulting in a global distribution today. In summary, these data furthered the understanding regards genetic diversity and the potential origin for SEOV. However, the expanding endemic foci in the province suggest that the virus is spreading over a wider region and is much more diverse than previous depicted, which means that increased sampling is necessary.

Optimization of functionally graded materials to make stress concentration vanish in a plate with circular hole

This paper is devoted to the minimization of the stress concentration factor in infinite plates with circular hole made of functionally graded materials and subjected to a far-field uniform uniaxial tension. Despite the vast literature on the versatility of these materials, the novelty of the results is that the material distribution is not limited to prefixed laws, as in many works available in the literature. Instead, it is assumed to be an unknown piecewise constant function, thus aiming to derive the material distribution by exploiting, at best, the inhomogeneity concept associated with functionally graded materials. After a brief review of the governing equations, the motivation, the statement and the mathematical formulation of the optimization problem are given under the hypothesis of axisymmetric material distribution. Still, the problem could not be solved analytically, therefore a direct transcription approach by the aid of finite difference method has been followed to convert it into a nonlinear programming problem, whose solution has been obtained numerically by dedicated gradient-based solvers. Numerical optimal solutions are reported in graphical forms, thoroughly discussed and validated by means of the finite element method. The developed numerical approach yields a material inhomogeneity obeying a sigmoid-like function and a uniform hoop stress along the radial direction, thus making the stress concentration factor at the rim of the circular hole vanish.

Calcitriol alleviates noise-induced hearing loss by regulating the ATF3/DUSP1 signalling pathway

BackgroundCalcitriol (Cal) is the most active metabolite of vitamin D and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Cal in noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) to further elucidate the mechanism of noise-induced oxidative stress in the mouse cochlea. MethodsC57BL/6 J mice were given six intraperitoneal injections of Cal (500 ng/kg/d). After 14 days of noise exposure, auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds, and the cochlear outer hair cell loss rate were analysed to evaluate auditory function. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, immunofluorescence and western blotting were performed in vitro after the treatment of cochlear explants with 100 µM tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) for 2.5 h and HEI-OC1 cells with 250 µM TBHP for 1.5 h. ResultsIn vivo experiments confirmed that Cal pretreatment mitigated NIHL and outer hair cell death. The in vitro results demonstrated that Cal significantly reduced TBHP-induced cochlear auditory nerve fibre degradation and spiral ganglion neuron damage. Moreover, treatment with Cal inhibited the expression of oxidative stress-related factors (3-NT and 4-HNE) and DNA damage-related factors (γ-H2A.X) and attenuated TBHP-induced apoptosis in cochlear explants and HEI-OC1 cells. A total of 1479 upregulated genes and 1443 downregulated genes were screened in cochlear tissue 1 h after noise exposure. The level of transcription factor 3 (ATF3) was significantly elevated in HEI-OC1 cells after TBHP stimulation. Gene Transcription Regulation Database （GTRD）and Cistrome database analyses revealed that the downstream target gene of ATF3 is dual specificity phosphatase 1 (DUSP1). Cistrome DB Toolkit database results showed that the transcription factor of DUSP1 was ATF3. In addition, the ChIP-PCR results indicated that ATF3 might be a direct transcription factor of DUSP1. ConclusionThe results of our study suggest that Cal attenuates NIHL and inhibits noise-induced apoptosis by regulating the ATF3/DUSP1 signalling pathway.

Rapid Detection of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus in the Acute Phase of Infection by Direct Real-Time Reverse Transcription without RNA Extraction.

No specific treatment has been developed for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS). However, the prognosis can improve with early plasma exchange. Therefore, rapid and accurate detection of SFTS virus is important for diagnosis and prognosis. Direct real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing is easier and more time-efficient than conventional real-time RT-PCR. Our study compared direct real-time RT-PCR efficiency without the RNA extraction and purification of conventional real-time RT-PCR. Samples were collected from 18 patients with SFTS and five without SFTS. A strong correlation (r = 0.774, 95% CI: 0.652-0.857, P <0.01) was found between conventional and direct real-time RT-PCR assays. Direct real-time RT-PCR showed 84.4% sensitivity and 92.0% specificity for viral detection. Direct real-time RT-PCR is an effective diagnostic tool for patients with acute phase SFTS, but further optimization is required for viral detection.

Stiction parameter identification for pneumatic valves with a simultaneous approach

In industrial processes, stiction in control valves is a common cause of degradation in control loop performance. It is important to identify and establish reliable stiction models to enhance control loop performance. This study focuses on constructing a precise model of the pneumatic control valve using the LuGre friction model. To improve the model, a smooth function based on probability density is introduced to alleviate the LuGre friction model. The maximum error resulting from this smoothing process is also analyzed. To estimate the valve stiction parameters, the direct transcription method is utilized to convert the problem from systems of ordinary differential equations into a nonlinear programming problem. The interior point method is then used to solve this problem. Furthermore, the estimability of the parameters is analyzed based on the reduced Hessian matrix before estimation. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed approach in this study effectively estimates the stiction parameters of pneumatic control valves.

Double domain fusion improves the reverse transcriptase activity and inhibitor tolerance of Bst DNA polymerase

To enhance the DNA/RNA amplification efficiency and inhibitor tolerance of Bst DNA polymerase, four chimeric Bst DNA polymerase by fusing with a DNA-binding protein Sto7d and/or a highly hydrophobic protein Hp47 to Bst DNA polymerase large fragment. One of chimeric protein HpStBL exhibited highest inhibitor tolerance, which retained high active under 0.1 U/μL sodium heparin, 0.8 ng/μL humic acid, 2.5× SYBR Green I, 8 % (v/v) whole blood, 20 % (v/v) tissue, and 2.5 % (v/v) stool. Meanwhile, HpStBL showed highest sensitivity (93.75 %) to crude whole blood infected with the African swine fever virus. Moreover, HpStBL showed excellent reverse transcriptase activity in reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification, which could successfully detect 0.5 pg/μL severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA in the presence of 1 % (v/v) stools. The fusion of two domains with different functions to Bst DNA polymerase would be an effective strategy to improve Bst DNA polymerase performance in direct loop-mediated isothermal amplification and reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification detection, and HpStBL would be a promising DNA polymerase for direct African swine fever virus/severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 detection due to simultaneously increased inhibitor tolerance and reverse transcriptase activity.

Low-energy Earth–Moon transfers via Theory of Functional Connections and homotopy

Numerous missions leverage the weak stability boundary in the Earth–Moon–Sun system to achieve a safe and cost-effective access to the lunar environment. These transfers are envisaged to play a significant role in upcoming missions. This paper proposes a novel method to design low-energy transfers by combining the recent Theory of Functional Connections with a homotopic continuation approach. Planar patched transfer legs within the Earth–Moon and Sun–Earth systems are continued into higher-fidelity models. Eventually, the full Earth–Moon transfer is adjusted to conform to the dynamics of the planar Earth–Moon Sun-perturbed, bi-circular restricted four-body problem. The novelty lies in the avoidance of any propagation during the continuation process and final convergence. This formulation is beneficial when an extensive grid search is performed, automatically generating over 2000 low-energy transfers. Subsequently, these are optimized through a standard direct transcription and multiple shooting algorithm. This work illustrates that two-impulse low-energy transfers modeled in chaotic dynamic environments can be effectively formulated in Theory of Functional Connections, hence simplifying their overall design process. Moreover, its synergy with a homotopic continuation approach is demonstrated.

Modeling of Cooperative Robotic Systems and Predictive Control Applied to Biped Robots and UAV-UGV Docking with Task Prioritization.

This paper studies a cooperative modeling framework to reduce the complexity in deriving the governing dynamical equations of complex systems composed of multiple bodies such as biped robots and unmanned aerial and ground vehicles. The approach also allows for an optimization-based trajectory generation for the complex system. This work also studies a fast-slow model predictive control strategy with task prioritization to perform docking maneuvers on cooperative systems. The method allows agents and a single agent to perform a docking maneuver. In addition, agents give different priorities to a specific subset of shared states. In this way, overall degrees of freedom to achieve the docking task are distributed among various subsets of the task space. The fast-slow model predictive control strategy uses non-linear and linear model predictive control formulations such that docking is handled as a non-linear problem until agents are close enough, where direct transcription is calculated using the Euler discretization method. During this phase, the trajectory generated is tracked with a linear model predictive controller and addresses the close proximity motion to complete docking. The trajectory generation and modeling is demonstrated on a biped robot, and the proposed MPC framework is illustrated in a case study, where a quadcopter docks on a non-holonomic rover using a leader-follower topology.

Abstract PO5-16-03: RT LAMP assay for the subtyping of breast cancer

Abstract Introduction Our previous study showed that direct reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay can be employed as a substitute in order to detect tumor involvement of lymph nodes within breast cancer patients. In this research, we aimed to investigate the potential applicability of RT-LAMP for the classification of breast cancer subtype. Method Breast Cancer Cell line RNA extraction Total RNA from the cell lines was isolated from cultured cells using RNAiso Plus (TaKaRa, Shiga, Japan) according to the manufacturer’s instructions; MCF10A, MCF7, T47D, BT474, SKBR3, MB468, HCC1806, MB231 Primer design For the Primer design, ER, PR, HER2, Ki 67, CK7 and GATA were targeted. LAMP primers targeted at ER were created between exons 5 and 6, PR were created between exons 6 and 7, HER2 were created between exons 17 and 18, KI67 were created between exons 2 and 3, CK7 were created between exons 5 and 6, and GATA3 were created between exons 2 and 3 utilizing Primer Explorer V4 (http://primereplorer.jp/elamp4.00/index.html). RT-LAMP assays RT-LAMP assays were carried out within a 25 µL reaction which included 12.5 µL of 2 × reaction buffer, 2µL of each primer, 1 µL of enzyme mixture (16U Bst DNA polymerase and 120U M-MLV reverse transcriptase) 8 µL of DEPC-treated water, and 2 µL of the template RNA. DEPC-treated water was also employed for purposes of a negative control. The reaction mixture was conducted within qRT-PCR. Results ER, PR, HER2, Ki-67, CK7, GATA3 expression level were checked for each breast cancer cell line using RT-LAMP. The luminal cell line exhibited elevated levels of ER and PR expression, while the her2 cell line demonstrated a high level of expression for her2. In the RT LAMP assay, there is a direct correlation between shorter detection time and higher expression levels of the substance. Specifically, in the luminal type, ER/PR was detected within a timeframe of 10 to 12 seconds, while HER2 was detected within a timeframe of 15 to 16 seconds. The expression levels of ER, PR, and HER2 were compared between MCF7 (luminal A) and MDA-MB-231 (TNBC) cell lines. RT-LAMP was performed to examine the RNA expression levels, while RT-PCR was applied to confirm the cDNA expression levels. MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 were mixed at 1:9, 5:5 and 9:1 ratios, respectively, and the difference in ER/PR/HE2 expression level was confirmed (Table1, Figure1). The presence of ER was detected in the MCF7 cell line at 14.44 minutes, and PR was observed at 18.84 minutes. HER2 was detected at a similar time (approximately 15 minutes) in both the MCF7 and MB 231 cell lines. Conclusion This study demonstrated that ER, PR, and HER2 can be quantified using RT-LAMP. Ongoing experiments are being conducted to classify breast cancer using the RT-LAMP method, aiming to enhance sensitivity in the quantification of ER, PR, and HER2. Additionally, new primers are being developed specifically for HER2 detection. RT-LAMP offers the advantages of being a point-of-care test that can be conducted on-site and reducing the discrepancies between pathologists. Citation Format: In Hee Lee, Byeongju Kang, Jeeyeon Lee, Jin Hyang Jung, Ho Yong Park, Nora Jee-Young Park, Ji-Young Park, Eun Ae Kim, Jieun Kang, Yee Soo Chae, Soo Jung Lee. RT LAMP assay for the subtyping of breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO5-16-03.

Men's Social Connectedness in Later Life: A Qualitative Study with Older Men.

This qualitative study aimed to understand men's social connectedness in later life in Portugal focusing on their perceptions, obstacles, strategies, and impact on well-being. The sample included 104 older Portuguese men over 65 years of age (Mage = 70.76 years). The qualitative data were the direct transcriptions of the answers given by participants to the electronic interview using thematic analysis. Findings revealed six overarching themes encompassing 18 subcategories: definitions of social connectedness (social support, community identity, mental health promotion, use of community structures), difficulties/obstacles in maintaining social connectedness (ageism, lack of initiative, physical limitations, psychological traits, resources), strategies/actions or resources to establish social connections (use of technology, use of community groups, leisure and sport activities, church/religion), negative impact of difficulties in establishing relevant social connections (mental health, physical health, relationships), positive actions from being socially connected (positive prescriptions to promote social connectedness), and concerns from being socially disconnected (health risks). These findings indicate that the lack of social connectedness creates social vulnerability in later life, and social support is needed to ensure safer aging among older men.

Weighted double Q-learning based eco-driving control for intelligent connected plug-in hybrid electric vehicle platoon with incorporation of driving style recognition

Driving style poses significant impacts on eco-driving performance of vehicles, especially for those with hybrid powertrains. By incorporating driving style recognition, an efficient velocity planning and energy management strategy is developed for a platoon of intelligent connected plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Firstly, a high-fidelity driving style classification and recognition model is established based on the agglomerative hierarchical clustering algorithm, and then the support vector machine algorithm is employed to recognize the driving style. Next, a multi-objective velocity planning problem is formulated with the consideration of the fuel economy, driving adaptability and comfort, following performance, and driving safety optimization as the optimization objective, and is then solved based on orthogonal collocation direct transcription and the interior-point methods. Finally, an energy management strategy incorporating model predictive control and weighted double Q-learning algorithm is built. The simulation results demonstrated that the velocity planning algorithm incorporating driving styles achieved preferable adaptability and comfort. The proposed strategy can achieve up to most 98.88 % energy economy of the stochastic dynamic programming for the following PHEVs, and reduce the overall fuel consumption by 27.39 % for the platoon, comparing to that without driving style incorporation.

A direct transcription method for solving distributed-order fractional optimal control problems

This paper considers the numerical solution of distributed-order Fractional Optimal Control Problems (FOCPs). The common approaches for solving these problems involve approximating the problem with a multi-term FOCP and subsequently discretizing the resulting multi-term problem using either a direct or indirect method. However, this paper bypasses the need for approximation with a multi-term FOCP by introducing innovative approximation formulas for distributed-order fractional derivatives. These approximation formulas are directly derived from the conventional Grünwald–Letnikov, L1, and trapezoidal formulas. Building upon these formulas, we develop the relevant fractional-order distributed-order operational matrices. Utilizing the operational matrix, we easily discretize the distributed-order FOCP to a Non-Linear Programming (NLP), which can be solved by a suitable NLP-solver. Additionally, to enhance the efficiency of solving the resulting NLP, we determine the closed-forms of both the Jacobian of constraints and the gradient of the objective function. The presented method is characterized by its speed, simplicity, and ease of implementation. Moreover, it can be used to solve a wide range of distributed-order FOCPs, such as those involving nonlinear dynamics, free final times, free terminal conditions, and path constraints. By means of ample numerical tests, the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method are assessed.

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Regulates Muc2 Production Independently of IL-22 during Colitis.

We previously reported that an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligand, indole-3-carbinol (I3C), was effective at reducing colitis severity through immune cell-mediated interleukin-22 (IL-22) production. Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) are also involved in regulating colitis, so we investigated their AhR-mediated mechanisms in the current report. A transcriptome analysis of IECs in wildtype (WT) mice revealed that during colitis, I3C regulated select mucin proteins, which could be attributed to goblet cell development. To address this, experiments under in vivo colitis (mice) or in vitro colon organoid conditions were undertaken to determine how select mucin proteins were altered in the absence or presence of AhR in IECs during I3C treatment. Comparing WT to IEC-specific AhR knockout mice (AhRΔIEC), the results showed that AhR expression was essential in IECs for I3C-mediated protection during colitis. AhR-deficiency also impaired mucin protein expression, particularly mucin 2 (Muc2), independently of IL-22. Collectively, this report highlights the important role of AhR in direct regulation of Muc2. These results provide justification for future studies aimed at determining how AhR might regulate select mucins through mechanisms such as direct transcription binding to enhance production.

Direct SARS-CoV-2 Detection System Utilizing Simple-to-Use Capillary Gel Electrophoresis Sample-to-Result.

We present a Direct SARS-CoV-2 Detection System that achieves sample-to-results in less than two hours in three simple steps. The Detection System includes Direct one-step Reverse Transcription PCR (RT-PCR) reagents (Qexp-MDx kit), a portable thermal cycler (Qampmini) with a preprogrammed chip and a simple-to-use Capillary Gel Electrophoresis system (Qsep Series Bio-Fragment Analyzer) with high fluorescence detection sensitivity to solve the problems associated with traditional real-time PCR (qPCR) systems which produces high false positive results. The proposed simple-to-use detection platform can provide high detection sensitivity (identify less than 20 copies) and fast results (less than 120 minutes), which would be suitable for field testing applications. Our high detection sensitivity platform provides fast and accurate results in 120 minutes without doing DNA/RNA extraction.

Zmhdz9, an HD-Zip transcription factor, promotes drought stress resistance in maize by modulating ABA and lignin accumulation

Maize is the largest crop in the world in terms of both planting area and total yield, and it plays a crucial role in ensuring global food and feed security. However, in recent years, with climate deterioration, environmental changes, and the scarcity of freshwater resources, drought has become a serious limiting factor for maize yield and quality. Drought stress-induced signals undergo a series of transmission processes to regulate the expression of specific genes, thereby affecting the drought tolerance of plants at the tissue, cellular, physiological and biochemical levels. Therefore, in this study we investigated the HD-Zip transcription factor gene Zmhdz9, and yeast activation experiments demonstrated that Zmhdz9 exhibited transcriptional activation activity. Under drought stress, high abscisic acid (ABA) and lignin levels significantly improved drought resistance in maize. Yeast two-hybrid, bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BIFC) and pull-down experiments showed that Zmhdz9 interacted with ZmWRKY120 and ZmTCP9, respectively. Overexpression of Zmhdz9 and gene editing of ZmWRKY120 or ZmTCP9 improved maize drought resistance, indicating their importance in the drought stress response. Furthermore, Zmhdz9 promoted the direct transcription of ZmWRKY120 in the W-box, activating elements of the ZmNCED1 promoter, which encodes a key enzyme in ABA biosynthesis. Additionally, Zmhdz9 promoted direct transcription of ZmTCP9 in the GGTCA motif, activating elements of the ZmKNOX8 promoter, which encodes a key enzyme in lignin synthesis. This study showed that the regulation of ABA and lignin by Zmhdz9 is essential for drought stress resistance in maize.