Major Functional Elements Research Articles

Concordance of multigene genealogy along with morphological evidence unveils five novel species and two new records of boletoid mushrooms (fungi) from India

Agaricales, Russulales and Boletales are dominant orders among the wild mushrooms in Basidiomycota. Boletaceae, one of the major functional elements in terrestrial ecosystem and mostly represented by ectomycorrhizal symbionts of trees in Indian Himalaya and adjoining hills, are extraordinarily diverse and represented by numerous genera and species which are unexplored or poorly known. Therefore, their hidden diversity is yet to be revealed. Extensive macrofungal exploration by the authors to different parts of Himalaya and surroundings, followed by through morphological studies and multigene molecular phylogeny lead to the discovery of five new species of wild mushrooms: Leccinellum bothii sp. nov., Phylloporus himalayanus sp. nov., Phylloporus smithii sp. nov., Porphyrellus uttarakhandae sp. nov., and Retiboletus pseudoater sp. nov. Present communication deals with morphological details coupled with illustrations and phylogenetic inferences. Besides, Leccinellum sinoaurantiacum and Xerocomus rugosellus are also reported for the first time from this country.

The Role of Hla Genes in Immune Response, Disease Susceptibility, and Social Behaviours: A Comprehensive Review

Major Histocompatibility Complexes (MHC), which assist to code for proteins that distinguish between self and non-self, are significantly influenced by the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) genes. Particularly important in the suppression of immune response are the HLA genes. The bulk of the genes in the MHC region shows considerable variation. The two most important functions of HLA molecules are selection of T cell accumulation and the formation and control of immunological responses. The causes of HLA-G gene-associated illnesses and the underlying mechanisms are still up for dispute. The HLA-G gene has an impact on social behaviour as well. Numerous polymorphisms have been connected to heightened susceptibility to the beginning of autoimmune illnesses as well as heightened disease severity. The lifetime of some HLA genes is shorter.Genetic background, environmental circumstances, and certain polymorphisms have been linked to increased illness severity. certain HLA genes have shorter life spans than others, and vice versa. The major functional elements of HLA-G in both normal and autoimmune disorders are summarized in this study.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals differences between force application and bearing in ankle cartilage.

Chondrocytes are the major functional elements of articular cartilage. Force has been demonstrated to influence the structure and function of articular cartilage and chondrocytes. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate chondrocytes under different force conditions to gain deep insight into chondrocyte function. Six cartilage tissues from the distal tibia (referred to as the AT group) and five cartilage tissues from the trochlear surface of the talus (referred to as the ATa group) were obtained from 6 donors who had experienced fatal accidents. Single-cell RNA sequencing was used on these samples. A total of 149,816 cells were analyzed. Nine chondrocyte subsets were ultimately identified. Pseudotime analyses, enrichment analyses, cell-cell interaction studies, and single-cell regulatory network inference and clustering were performed for each cell type, and the differences between the AT and ATa groups were analyzed. Immunohistochemical staining was used to verify the existence of each chondrocyte subset and its distribution. The results suggested that reactive oxygen species related processes were active in the force-applied region, while tissue repair processes were common in the force-bearing region. Although the number of prehypertrophic chondrocytes was small, these chondrocytes seemed to play an important role in the ankle.

Effect of PACAP/PAC1R on Follicle Development of Djungarian Hamster (Phodopus sungorus) with the Variation of Ambient Temperatures.

In Phodopus sungorus, the relationship between pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) and its receptor (PAC1R), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and follicle development remains unclear. In this study, we found that the development of growing follicles and antral follicles were inhibited at low (8 °C, 14 °C) and high (29 °C) temperatures. Meanwhile, PACAP/PAC1R expression and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) serum concentration significantly decreased during ambient temperatures of 8 °C, 14 °C and 29 °C compared to 21 °C. Thus, ambient temperature may influence the expression of PACAP/PAC1R and the synthesis of FSH for involvement in follicle development. Moreover, PACAP/PAC1R had major functional elements including PKA/PKG and PKC phosphorylation sites, which may involve in the pathway of FSH synthesis through cAMP-PKA and its downstream signal pathway. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between the expression levels of PACAP/PAC1R and the number of the growing and antral follicles, as well as the serum FSH concentration and the number of antral follicles. However, there was no significant correlation between the expression levels of PACAP/PAC1R and the serum FSH concentration, indicating a complicated pathway between PACAP/PAC1R and FSH. In conclusion, ambient temperature affects the expression of PACAP/PAC1R and the serum FSH concentration. The expression of PACAP/PAC1R and the serum FSH concentration are correlated with follicle development, which implies that they are involved in follicle development, which will ultimately influence the reproduction of Phodopus sungorus. This study can lay the foundation for future investigation on the regulation mechanism of reproduction in Phodopus sungorus.

Hypoxia Inhibits Cell Cycle Progression and Cell Proliferation in Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells via the miR-212-3p/MCM2 Axis.

Hypoxia impairs blood-brain barrier (BBB) structure and function, causing pathophysiological changes in the context of stroke and high-altitude brain edema. Brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) are major structural and functional elements of the BBB, and their exact role in hypoxia remains unknown. Here, we first deciphered the molecular events that occur in BMECs under 24 h hypoxia by whole-transcriptome sequencing assay. We found that hypoxia inhibited BMEC cell cycle progression and proliferation and downregulated minichromosome maintenance complex component 2 (Mcm2) expression. Mcm2 overexpression attenuated the inhibition of cell cycle progression and proliferation caused by hypoxia. Then, we predicted the upstream miRNAs of MCM2 through TargetScan and miRanDa and selected miR-212-3p, whose expression was significantly increased under hypoxia. Moreover, the miR-212-3p inhibitor attenuated the inhibition of cell cycle progression and cell proliferation caused by hypoxia by regulating MCM2. Taken together, these results suggest that the miR-212-3p/MCM2 axis plays an important role in BMECs under hypoxia and provide a potential target for the treatment of BBB disorder-related cerebrovascular disease.

The Fe0/Fe3O4/Fe3C@hydrophilic Carbon Composite for LED Light‐Assisted, Improved Fenton‐Like Catalytic Activity for Dye Degradation

AbstractThe dispersive, reusable catalyst and convenient separation is still a key factor for water treatment. Herein, the Fe0/Fe3O4/Fe3C@ hydrophilic carbon composite catalyst was obtained through thermal reduction, in which Fe0 is generated by in‐situ carbothermal reduction of the rationally designed gel precursor. The FTIR, SEM‐EDX and the XPS analysis revealed that the major hydrophilic functional groups and elements were well‐dispersed on the entire surface of the catalyst. Through batch control experiments, it is shown that the synthetic catalyst can significantly accelerate the catalysis of Methylene blue under the radiation of 30 W LED lamp. The Electron Spin Resonance test further confirms that catalyst could be successfully trap ⋅OH radicals. With the increase of radiation time, such energy changes affect the coupling effect of spin‐orbital motion is stronger leading to changes in the g‐anisotropy. Organic pollution can be degraded by the porous catalyst in a photo‐Fenton reaction with the degradation efficiency rate approaching nearly 100 % when the concentration of H2O2 is 7 mm. The reusability was demonstrated by five consecutive reaction cycles at continuously good performance. This work provides a highly promising and facile strategy for many wastewater treatments, especially in the field of photo‐Fenton like reaction to environmental modification.

Fatty acid profiles in various lipid fractions in the female epidermis. Does the body site and age matter?

The epidermis forms the barrier between an organism and its external environment. Although one of the major functional elements of the epidermis is the lipid-enriched extracellular matrix, containing mainly ceramides, cholesterol (CHOL) and free fatty acids, the data are limited regarding the lipid profile in the epidermis. The aim of the study was to determine the whole profile of fatty acids (FAs) in the epidermis and to examine any dependence according to the age of the subject and the site on the epidermis. Epidermis extracts obtained from 10 adults and 6 children were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In total, 74 FAs in the human epidermis were identified. We observed the highest amounts of neutral lipids (including CHOL) compared to other lipid fractions in the epidermis, regardless of age. However, we detected an age-dependent content of the major lipid fractions, where the main difference was in the levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids. There were also differences in the lipid profile between various sites of the body, e.g. samples from the breast and abdomen were enriched with very long-chain fatty acids compared to the limb. Our research provides novel data concerning the lipid profile in the epidermis, gives further insight into skin biology and proves that the epidermis is a highly dynamic structure.

Experimental Evaluation of PVA as Novel Humidifier Material for Humidification-Dehumidification Applications

Abstract The humidification-dehumidification (HDH) desalination technique is a promising technology to harness fresh water, resulting in a decline of scarcities of remote and arid area water. The humidifier unit is one of the major functional elements in an HDH desalination system. The efficiency of any HDH desalination system predominantly depends on the individual humidification and dehumidification process potential. Therefore, improvement in the humidification (or) dehumidification process potential can substantially improve the system’s overall performance. In this work, an attempt has been made to utilize polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as novel humidifier material for the humidification process. The experimental study was carried out considering diverse inlet air velocities of 3, 2, and 1 m/s. Different cases with and without air preheating were experimented to evaluate the humidification potential of PVA material when utilized in an HDH desalination system powered by waste heat and ambient conditions. The results revealed that the rate of evaporation from PVA material was predominantly influenced by the ambient air temperature compared with other system parameters. Furthermore, comparatively, it was found that, with the use of PVA as humidifier material, average increases in relative humidity of about 19 and 10 % were achieved for higher air velocity of 3 m/s in the cases with and without air preheating, respectively. Thus, it was identified that PVA can be utilized as an effective humidifier material for efficient humidification processes in HDH desalination systems.

Preparation and application of solid polymer electrolyte based on deep eutectic solvent

Deep eutectic solvent (DES) was prepared from choline chloride/1,3-butanediol (CHCl/BG). DES, 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and poly-vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was cross-linked and mixed to prepare a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE). The SPE was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The goal was to identify major functional group and element composition. Results showed that SPE contained the C-N, C-O, C-H, C-Cl, C-F, N-C=O functional groups and oxygen atom, nitrogen atom, carbon atom, chlorine atom, fluorine atom. The DES was characterized by Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The goal was to identify microscopic morphology. Results showed that DES is dominated by amorphous. The SPE was characterized by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The goal was to identify pore structure. Results showed that pore structure is dominated by amorphous. The SPE was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The goal was to analyze the crystallinity of SPE. Results showed that heat treatment temperature and time increase resulted in a significant increase in crystallinity. Cyclic voltammetric measurements (CV) showed that the SPE has relatively good stability. The results demonstrated that when the weight ratio of CHCl: BG was 1:1, the conductivity of DES is best. Studies had shown that when the weight ratio of DES: PVDF: NMP was 1:1:4, the conductivity of SPE is best. Studies had shown that it optimum treatment temperature for SPE was 90°C for 6 minutes. The SPE had been applied to NO2 gas sensor.

Emergency Services of Viral RNAs: Repair and Remodeling.

Reproduction of RNA viruses is typically error-prone due to the infidelity of their replicative machinery and the usual lack of proofreading mechanisms. The error rates may be close to those that kill the virus. Consequently, populations of RNA viruses are represented by heterogeneous sets of genomes with various levels of fitness. This is especially consequential when viruses encounter various bottlenecks and new infections are initiated by a single or few deviating genomes. Nevertheless, RNA viruses are able to maintain their identity by conservation of major functional elements. This conservatism stems from genetic robustness or mutational tolerance, which is largely due to the functional degeneracy of many protein and RNA elements as well as to negative selection. Another relevant mechanism is the capacity to restore fitness after genetic damages, also based on replicative infidelity. Conversely, error-prone replication is a major tool that ensures viral evolvability. The potential for changes in debilitated genomes is much higher in small populations, because in the absence of stronger competitors low-fit genomes have a choice of various trajectories to wander along fitness landscapes. Thus, low-fit populations are inherently unstable, and it may be said that to run ahead it is useful to stumble. In this report, focusing on picornaviruses and also considering data from other RNA viruses, we review the biological relevance and mechanisms of various alterations of viral RNA genomes as well as pathways and mechanisms of rehabilitation after loss of fitness. The relationships among mutational robustness, resilience, and evolvability of viral RNA genomes are discussed.

Ants: Major Functional Elements in Fruit Agro-Ecosystems and Biological Control Agents

Ants are a very diverse taxonomic group. They display remarkable social organization that has enabled them to be ubiquitous throughout the world. They make up approximately 10% of the world’s animal biomass. Ants provide ecosystem services in agrosystems by playing a major role in plant pollination, soil bioturbation, bioindication, and the regulation of crop-damaging insects. Over recent decades, there have been numerous studies in ant ecology and the focus on tree cropping systems has given added importance to ant ecology knowledge. The only missing point in this knowledge is the reasons underlying difference between the positive and negative effects of ants in tree cropping systems. This review article provides an overview of knowledge of the roles played by ants in orchards as functional elements, and on the potential of Oecophylla weaver ants as biological control agents. It also shows the potential and relevance of using ants as an agro-ecological diagnosis tool in orchards. Lastly, it demonstrates the potential elements which may determine the divergent negative and positive of their effects on cropping systems.

FlashPhotol: Using a Flash Photolysis Apparatus Simulator To Introduce Students to the Kinetics of Transient Species and Fast Reactions

FlashPhotol is an educational software package that introduces students to the kinetics of transient species and fast reactions. This is achieved by means of a computer-simulated flash photolysis apparatus that comprises all major functional elements and that students can use to perform various experiments. The experimental interface presents a visual representation of the monitoring light beam transmission through the sample cell as well as the corresponding transient concentration after excitation thereby enabling students to fully appreciate the fundamental processes on which the technique relies. Experiments in the package also reinforce students’ understanding of the Beer–Lambert law and illustrate how an absorbance value is produced from internal signals within an instrument. The software includes: (i) a fully contained tutorial on the technique of flash photolysis; and (ii) a procedure for each of the experiments that can be performed using the simulator along with an example results analysis in each case. It is anticipated that instructors may wish to use the simulator for lecture demonstrations, especially in demonstrating the transient process occurring in the sample cell following flash irradiation.

Framework model for post-occupancy evaluation of school facilities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an IDEF0 framework model for the post-occupancy evaluation of school facilities, and the findings of a case study to demonstrate the applicability of the framework. Design/methodology/approach – The framework model consists of five sequential processes, namely: first, identify the performance requirements of school facilities; second, conduct a walk-through evaluation and a focussed group discussion; third, develop and administer a user satisfaction survey; fourth, analyze the collected data and report the findings; and fifth, develop a plan of remedial actions. Findings – The case study demonstrates the applicability of the framework through presenting the findings of an indicative evaluation of the major technical and functional elements of performance carried out on a school building in city of Khobar, Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The school users were satisfied with the qualities of the thermal comfort, visual comfort, fire protection, functional spaces in the school and the interior and exterior appearance of the school. The case study also resulted in developing a plan of remedial actions to improve the performance of the school. Practical implications – The framework model provides a descriptive and systematic approach for evaluating the technical and functional performance of existing school facilities. The approach followed in collecting the data, designing the user satisfaction survey, analyzing and reporting the findings can be applied to any school building, upon the needed customization, irrespective of location. Originality/value – The paper is particularly beneficial for design professionals, school administrators and facilities managers responsible for the design and operation of school facilities.

Post-occupancy evaluation of a university student cafeteria

ABSTRACTThis paper presents the findings of an indicative post-occupancy evaluation (POE) of the major technical and functional performance elements of the main student cafeteria at the campus of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Published literature has been analyzed to review the performance requirements of cafeterias and restaurant facilities. The research implements multiple data collection methods, including a walk-through inspection to identify the extent of deficiencies found in the building; a focus group discussion with a sample of 10 frequent users of the student cafeteria to obtain their qualitative feedback on the quality of the building and a questionnaire survey to quantify users' perception and level of satisfaction with the quality of the built environment. The findings obtained were analyzed and reported to indicate the main failures and successes of the facility's performance, and describe the degree of users' satisfaction. A series of recommendations to improve the performance of the student cafeteria were developed. The paper provides a systematic approach for evaluating the technical and functional performance of existing cafeterias and restaurant facilities. It is of practical value to planning, design professionals, building services' engineers and facilities managers responsible for the design and operation of these facilities.

YlxM Is a Newly Identified Accessory Protein That Influences the Function of Signal Recognition Particle Pathway Components in Streptococcus mutans

Streptococcus mutans is a cariogenic oral pathogen whose virulence is determined largely by its membrane composition. The signal recognition particle (SRP) protein-targeting pathway plays a pivotal role in membrane biogenesis. S. mutans SRP pathway mutants demonstrate growth defects, cannot contend with environmental stress, and exhibit multiple changes in membrane composition. This study sought to define a role for ylxM, which in S. mutans and numerous other bacteria resides directly upstream of the ffh gene, encoding a major functional element of the bacterial SRP. YlxM was observed as a produced protein in S. mutans. Its predicted helix-turn-helix motif suggested that it has a role as a transcriptional regulator of components within the SRP pathway; however, no evidence of transcriptional regulation was found. Instead, capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), affinity chromatography, and bio-layer interferometry (BLI) demonstrated that S. mutans YlxM interacts with the SRP components Ffh and small cytoplasmic RNA (scRNA) but not with the SRP receptor FtsY. In the absence of FtsY, YlxM increased the GTP hydrolysis activity of Ffh alone and in complex with scRNA. However, in the presence of FtsY, YlxM caused an overall diminution of net GTPase activity. Thus, YlxM appears to modulate GTP hydrolysis, a process necessary for proper recycling of SRP pathway components. The presence of YlxM conferred a significant competitive growth advantage under nonstress and acid stress conditions when wild-type and ylxM mutant strains were cultured together. Our results identify YlxM as a component of the S. mutans SRP and suggest a regulatory function affecting GTPase activity.

DESIGNING FEATURES OF ARCHITECTURE FOR ELECTRONIC CONTENT COMMERCE SYSTEMS

The article analyzes and summarizes the tools, information technologies and software of basic task analysis in electronic content-commerce systems. The functional scheme of electronic contentcommerce systems are developing, using the module of information resources processing. The paper provides detailed descriptions of modular architecture elements, of the electronic content-commerce systems functioning, their objectives and principles of implementation. The article also explores the major functional elements of the system and presents the electronic content-commerce systems scheme of the most significant mechanisms.In the paper are analyzed sequence methods and models of information resource processing in electronic content-commerce systems. It also allocates the basic laws of the transition from commercial content formation to its implementation. Created formal model of electronic content-commerce systems allows to implement phases of the commercial content life cycle. For this purpose is developed a formal model of information resources processing in electronic content-commerce systems, allowing us to create a generalized typical architecture of electronic content-commerce systems. The paper shows generalized typical architecture of electronic contentcommerce systems, which helped implement the processes of commercial content formation, management and realization.

The Nutritional Value and Preliminary Risk Assessment of Major and Trace Elements Accumulated in 8 Edible Seaweeds

16 major and trace elements content of 8 edible seaweeds were determined by ICP-AES after wet digestion to compare the nutritional value and pollution level between Cyanophyta (blue), Chlorophyta (green), Rhodophyta (red), Phaeophyta (brown) species. The concentration changes of trace elements in seaweeds had some differences from four species, but the concentration distribution tendency of trace elements was similar. Major elements ( K,Ca,Na,Mg,P) and functional elements (Fe,Mn,Zn,Cu,Se,Cr) were abundant in Cyanophyta (blue) and Phaeophyta (brown) species, these two species, however, accumulated Al selectively. The pollution levels of toxic elements like As, Pb and Hg in most seaweeds from this study demonstrated that the cultivation aquatic eco- environments were relatively safe. In this paper, Nostoc commune var. Flagelliforme (Cyanophyta) abounds in Fe, Zn and major elements, moreover the concentration of potentially toxic elements were relatively low. The second was Phaeophyta species, especially Laminaria japonica Aresch . Porphyra yezoensis Ueda (Rhodophyta) shows the lowest nutritional value.

The Effect of LED light combination on the anthocyanin expression of lettuce

Abstract This study conducted twice the growing of lettuce in DFT system and aeroponics method with different light combinations. (1) Deep flow technique system(DFT) : The lettuce was grown in DFT system and taken image. Then image analysis and absorbance was analyzed to know the correlation. (2) Aeroponics system : From the image of grown lettuce and HPLC, the contents of the major functional elements of anthocyanin - cyanidin-3-glucoside(C3G), peonidin-3-glucoside(P3G), and delphinidin-3-glucoside(D3G) - were measured. As a result, it turned out that in the light combination of red 53: blue 47, red 58: blue 42, the content of D3G was the highest. Through the twice experiments, the content of anthocyanin may be estimated based on the imaging data to some extent. This study shows that blue light has significant effects on the development of anthocyanin.

Nanofluidic single-molecule sorting of DNA: a new concept in separation and analysis ofbiomolecules towards ultimate level performance

Separation and separation-based analysis of biomolecules are fundamentally importanttechniques in the field of biotechnology. These techniques, however, depend onstochastic processes that intrinsically involve uncertainty, and thus it is not possible toachieve 100% separation accuracy. Theoretically, the ultimate resolution andsensitivity should be realized in a single-molecule system because of the deterministicnature of single-molecule manipulation. Here, we have proposed and experimentallydemonstrated the concept of a ‘single-molecule sorter’ that detects and correctly identifiesindividual single molecules, realizing the ultimate level of resolution and sensitivity forany separation-based technology. The single-molecule sorter was created using ananofluidic network consisting of a single inlet channel that branches off intomultiple outlet channels. It includes two major functional elements, namely asingle-molecule detection and identification element and a flow path switching elementto accurately separate single molecules. With this system we have successfullydemonstrated the world’s first single-molecule sorting using DNA as a samplemolecule. In the future, we hope to expand the application of such devices tocomprehensive sorting of single-proteins from a single cell. We also believe thatin addition to the single-molecule sorting method reported here, other types ofsingle-molecule based processes will emerge and find use in a wide variety of applications.

The Trypanosoma brucei Life Cycle Switch TbPTP1 Is Structurally Conserved and Dephosphorylates the Nucleolar Protein NOPP44/46

Trypanosoma brucei adapts to changing environments as it cycles through arrested and proliferating stages in the human and tsetse fly hosts. Changes in protein tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins, including NOPP44/46, accompany T. brucei development. Moreover, inactivation of T. brucei protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1 (TbPTP1) triggers differentiation of bloodstream stumpy forms into tsetse procyclic forms through unknown downstream effects. Here, we link these events by showing that NOPP44/46 is a major substrate of TbPTP1. TbPTP1 substrate-trapping mutants selectively enrich NOPP44/46 from procyclic stage cell lysates, and TbPTP1 efficiently and selectively dephosphorylates NOPP44/46 in vitro. To provide insights into the mechanism of NOPP44/46 recognition, we determined the crystal structure of TbPTP1. The TbPTP1 structure, the first of a kinetoplastid protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTP), emphasizes the conservation of the PTP fold, extending to one of the most diverged eukaryotes. The structure reveals surfaces that may mediate substrate specificity and affords a template for the design of selective inhibitors to interfere with T. brucei transmission.