A complex system health state assessment method with reference value optimization for interpretable BRB.

Health condition assessment is the basis for formulating and optimizing maintenance strategies of complex systems, which is crucial for ensuring the safe and stable operation of these systems. In complex system health condition assessment, it is not only necessary for the model to handle various uncertainties to ensure the accuracy of assessment results, but also to have a transparent and reasonable assessment process and interpretable, traceable assessment results. belief rule base (BRB) has been widely used as an interpretable modeling method in health condition assessment. However, BRB-based models currently face two issues: (1) inaccuracies in expert-provided parameters that can affect the model's accuracy, and (2) after model optimization, interpretability may be reduced. Therefore, this paper proposes a new method for complex system health condition assessment called interpretable BRB with reference value optimization (I-BRB). Firstly, to address the issue of inaccurate reference values, a reference value optimization algorithm with interpretability constraints is designed, which optimizes the reference values without compromising expert knowledge. Secondly, the remaining parameters are optimized using the projection covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy (P-CMA-ES) with interpretability constraints to improve the model's accuracy. Finally, a case study evaluating the bearing components of a flywheel system is conducted to validate the proposed method. Experimental results demonstrate that I-BRB achieves higher accuracy in health condition assessment.

HSC-derived exosomal miR-199a-5p promotes HSC activation and hepatocyte EMT via targeting SIRT1 in hepatic fibrosis.

Exosomes have been implicated in inflammation-related diseases, such as hepatic fibrosis (HF) and renal fibrosis, via transferring bioactive cargoes to recipient cells. This study aimed to investigate the possible effect of hepatic stellate cell (HSC)-derived exosomes on the initiation and development of HF by delivering microRNA (miR)-199a-5p. In HF rats with cholestasis induced by ligating the common bile duct, miR-199a-5p was upregulated while SIRT1 was downregulated in liver tissues from bile duct ligation (BDL) rats compared with that of sham rats. Furthermore, miR-199a-5p expression was upregulated, but the mRNA and protein expression levels of SIRT1 were downregulated in TGF-ß1-activated LX-2. miR-199a-5p promoted the proliferation and further activation of LX-2 and enhanced the expression levels of the HF markers COL1A1 and α-SMA. Subsequently, the binding of miR-199a-5p to the 3'UTR of SIRT1 mRNA was predicted by bioinformatics websites and evidenced by fluorescent reporter assay. Knocking down SIRT1 enhanced the abilities of LX-2 cell proliferation, migration, and colony formation and increased the expression levels of the HF markers α-SMA and COL1A1. LX-2-derived exosomal miR-199a-5p transferred to LX-2 and THLE-2, inhibited the proliferation of THLE-2, and promoted the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and senescence of THLE-2. Furthermore, in vivo results suggested that miR-199a-5p overexpression aggravated HF in BDL rats; increased miR-199a-5p, α-SMA, and COL1A1 expression levels; and significantly upregulated the serum ALT, AST, TBA, and TBIL levels. However, reverse results were obtained with inhibited miR-199a-5p expression. In conclusion, HSC-derived exosomal miR-199a-5p may promote HF by accelerating HSC activation and hepatocyte EMT by targeting SIRT1, suggesting that miR-199a-5p and SIRT1 may serve as potential therapeutic targets for HF.

[ZEB2 Regulates the Migration and Invasion of PANC-1 Pancreatic Cancer Cells: An Experimental Study].

Objective: To investigate the effects and mechanisms of zinc finger E-box binding homeobox transcription factor-2 ( ZEB2) on the proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion abilities and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of PANC-1 cells, a human pancreatic cancer cell line. Methods: Data on the expression of ZEB2 in pancreatic cancer tissues and paracancerous tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were analyzed. PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cells were divided into si-NC group, si- ZEB2 group, pcDNA3.1 group, and pcDNA3.1- ZEB2 group. qRT-PCR and Western blot were conducted to confirm the effectiveness of ZEB2 knockdown or overexpression. CCK-8, colony formation, wound healing, and Transwell assays were conducted to examine the effects of ZEB2 on the proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion of PANC-1 cells. qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence assays were performed to examine the expression of E-cadherin and vimentin, the EMT markers, in the cells. Prediction of proteins interacting with ZEB2 was made through the STRING database. Results: TCGA database analysis showed that the expression level of ZEB2 in pancreatic cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent tissues ( P<0.05). Compared with those of cells in the control group, the proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion of cells in the si- ZEB2 group were decreased ( P<0.05). Compared with those of cells in the pcDNA3.1 group, the proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion of cells in the pcDNA3.1- ZEB2 group were increased (all P<0.05). According to the results of qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence assays, compared with those of the si-NC group, the expression of E-cadherin mRNA, an epithelial marker, in the si- ZEB2 group increased, while the expression of vimentin mRNA, an mesenchymal marker, and the protein decreased. Compared with those of the pcDNA3.1 group, the expression of E-cadherin mRNA in the PANC-1 cells of the pcDNA3.1- ZEB2 group decreased, while the expression of vimentin mRNA and the protein increased (all P<0.05). Analysis with the STRING database predicted that 10 proteins had close interaction with ZEB2. Conclusion: Overexpression of ZEB2 promotes the migration, invasion, and the EMT process of PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cells.

G-quadruplex-enhanced circular single-stranded DNA (G4-CSSD) adsorption of miRNA to inhibit colon cancer progression.

BACKGROUND: Chromosomal heterogeneity leads to the abnormal expression and mutation of tumor-specific genes. Drugs targeting oncogenes have been extensively developed. However, given the random mutation of tumor suppressor genes, the development of its targeted drugs is difficult. METHODS: Our early research revealed that artificial circular single-stranded DNA (CSSD) can restore multiple tumor suppressor genes to inhibit tumor malignant progression by adsorbing miRNA. Here, we improved CSSD to a fully closed single-stranded DNA with G quadruplex DNA secondary structure (G4-CSSD), which made G4-CSSD with higher acquisition rate and decreased degradation. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Human Protein Atlas database were used to predict tumour suppressor genes in colon cancer. Cellular and animal experiments were performed to validate the role of G4-CSSD in cancer cell progression. RESULTS: In colon cancer, we observed the simultaneous low expressions of chloride channel accessory 1 (CLCA1), UDP-GlcNAc:betaGal beta-1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase 6 (B3GNT6) and UDP glucuronosyltransferase family 2 member A3 (UGT2A3), which indicated an favourable prognosis. After repressing miR-590-3p with G4-CSSD590, the upregulation of CLCA1, B3GNT6 and UGT2A3 inhibited the proliferation and metastasis of colon cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: This study may provide basis for new treatment methods for colon cancer by restoration of tumor suppressor genes.

A new stock market analysis method based on evidential reasoning and hierarchical belief rule base to support investment decision making.

Stock market analysis is helpful for investors to make reasonable decisions and maintain market stability, and it usually involves not only quantitative data but also qualitative information, so the analysis method needs to have the ability to deal with both types of information comprehensively. In addition, due to the inherent risk of stock investment, it is necessary to ensure that the analysis results can be traced and interpreted. To solve the above problems, a stock market analysis method based on evidential reasoning (ER) and hierarchical belief rule base (HBRB) is proposed in this paper. First, an evaluation model is constructed based on expert knowledge and ER to evaluate stock market sentiment. Then, a stock market decision model based on HBRB is constructed to support investment decision making, such as buying and selling stocks and holding positions. Finally, the Shanghai Stock Index from 2010 to 2019 is used as an example to verify the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed stock market analysis method for investment decision support. Experimental research demonstrates that the proposed method can help analyze the stock market comprehensively and support investors to make investment decisions effectively.

A miR-340/SPP1 axis inhibits the activation and proliferation of hepatic stellate cells by inhibiting the TGF-ß1/Smads pathway.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic fibrosis (HF) is a common pathological complication of liver cirrhosis which affects human health. It is well established that microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate the proliferation, activation and apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). OBJECTIVES: To determine the function and molecular mechanism of miR-340-5p/secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) axis in HF and identify potential therapeutic targets. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The HF model in cholestatic rats was induced by ligating the common bile duct. The histological sections of the liver tissues were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Masson's trichrome or Sirius Red. The differential expression of mRNAs in the liver tissues was examined using the microarray analysis. The expression levels of miR-340-5p, SPP1, alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), Collagen I, phosphorylated Smad2 (p-Smad2), and p-Smad3 were determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) or western blot. Cell proliferation was quantified using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assays. The regulatory effect of miR-340-5p on SPP1 was determined with fluorescent reporter assay. RESULTS: The bile duct ligation (BDL) rat model was successfully induced, and SPP1 was upregulated in liver tissue from the BDL group compared to that of the sham group. The expression level of miR-340-5p was decreased in activated human primary normal fibroblasts (NFs) and activated LX-2 cells, and the mRNA and protein expression levels of SPP1 were increased in activated LX-2 cells. The SPP1 was the target of miR-340-5p, and the overexpression of SPP1 increased the proliferation of LX-2 cells, the expression of HF markers α-SMA and Collagen I, and key factors p-Smad2 and p-Smad3 (all p < 0.05). However, reverse results were obtained with the overexpression of miR-340-5p in LX-2 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide evidence that SPP1 targeted by miR-340-5p promotes LX-2 cell proliferation and activation through the TGF-ß1/Smads signaling pathway. Therefore, miR-340-5p and SPP1 may be possible therapeutic targets for HF.

Research on the Impact of Pro-Environment Game and Guilt on Environmentally Sustainable Behaviour.

Game strategies are widely used by companies to attract users and increase their stickiness. At the same time, the protection of the ecological environment is also an important expression of corporate social responsibility. This paper explores the integration of social responsibility with gaming strategies from the psychological perspective of game withdrawal, and explores the incorporation of social responsibility as an element in gamification design to reduce user withdrawal behaviour, thereby increasing individual's environmentally sustainable behaviour. We evidenced our hypothesis through two studies. Study one proved our hypothesis by recruiting 106 university undergraduates (from Wuhan University, mean age 20, of whom 47 were female and 59 were male) to prove our hypothesis by recalling previous experiences with different types of games. Study two further tested our hypothesis by manipulating participants' guilt through randomly recruiting 196 participants (mean age 35, of whom 88 were female and 108 were male, 35 of them were students, 107 were office workers and 54 were from other sectors) from different industries through the questionnaire research website Credamo. The findings show that incorporating social responsibility elements into the design of games can make users engage in pro-social behaviour while playing the game, and the guilt that users feel because of the game will be compensated by pro-social behaviour, thus reducing the game frequency and duration and improving the intent of pro-social behaviour. At the same time, players' self-control moderates the effect of guilt on game play volume under a socially responsible gamification design.

MiR-22-3p and miR-29a-3p synergistically inhibit hepatic stellate cell activation by targeting AKT3.

Hepatic fibrosis (HF) is a worldwide health problem for which there is no medically effective drug treatment at present, and which is characterized by activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. The HF model in cholestatic rats by ligating the common bile duct was induced and the differentially expressed miRNAs in the liver tissues were analyzed by microarray, which showed that miR-22-3p and miR-29a-3p were significantly downregulated in bile-duct ligation (BDL) rat liver compared with the sham control. The synergistic anti-HF activity and molecular mechanism of miR-22-3p and miR-29a-3p by targeting AKT serine/threonine kinase 3 (AKT3) in HSCs were explored. The expression levels of miR-22-3p and miR-29a-3p were downregulated in activated LX-2 and human primary normal hepatic fibroblasts (NFs), whereas AKT3 was found to be upregulated in BDL rat liver and activated LX-2 cells. The proliferation, colony-forming, and migration ability of LX-2 were inhibited synergistically by miR-22-3p and miR-29a-3p. In addition, cellular senescence was induced and the expressions of the LX-2 fibrosis markers COL1A1 and α-SMA were inhibited by miR-22-3p and miR-29a-3p synergistically. Subsequently, these two miRNAs binding to the 3'UTR of AKT3 mRNA was predicted and evidenced by the luciferase reporter assay. Furthermore, the proliferation, migration, colony-forming ability, and the expression levels of COL1A1 and α-SMA were promoted and cellular senescence was inhibited by AKT3 in LX-2 cells. Thus, miR-22-3p/miR-29a-3p/AKT3 regulates the activation of HSCs, providing a new avenue in the study and treatment of HF.

Transcriptome analysis of Holotrichia oblita reveals differentially expressed unigenes related to reproduction and development under different photoperiods.

Holotrichia oblita (Faldermann) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is an insect whose feeding and mating behaviors occur at night. A scotophase is necessary for H. oblita reproduction. We used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to compare the expression patterns of H. oblita at five photoperiods (0:24, 8:16, 12:12, 16:8, and 24:0 h) (L:D). Compared to the control (24:0) (L:D), 161-684 differentially expressed unigenes (DEUs) were found in female samples, while 698-2322 DEUs were found in male samples. For all DEUs, a total of 92-1143 DEUs were allocated to 116-662 categories of gene ontology (GO), and 81-1116 DEUs were assigned into 77-286 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. The iPath diagram showed that the DEUs generated by comparing female and male samples with photoperiods of 0:24 and 24:0, respectively, involved multiple metabolic pathways, such as carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, purine metabolism and glutathione metabolism. Most of these DEUs were upregulated. Finally, 13 DEUs related to reproduction and development were selected to confirm the consistency of relative expression between RNA-Seq and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Most of these comparison results agreed well, except for some qRT-PCR results that were not detected in male samples due to their low expression. These results provide useful information for understanding the dark-induced reproduction of H. oblita.

microRNA-10a-5p overexpression suppresses malignancy of colon cancer by regulating human liver cancer fibroblasts.

The crosstalk between tumor and stroma plays a critical role in cancer metastasis. However, the function of miR-10a-5p on liver fibroblasts in the metastatic microenvironment of colon cancer (CC) and the effect of activated fibroblasts on CC cells are still unclear. In our study, miR-10a-5p overexpression inhibited the proliferation, migration, and IL-6/IL-8 level of LX-2 cells and human liver cancer fibroblasts (HLCFs). Moreover, miR-10a-5p had lower expression in HLCFs than in human liver normal fibroblasts (HLNFs). The conditioned medium (CM) from LX-2 cells with miR-10a-5p overexpression or HLNFs could inhibit the invasion, migration, and stemness of CC SW480 cells, whereas HLCFs CM could promote these malignant phenotypes of SW480 cells. The present study illustrates the effect of miR-10a-5p on the liver fibroblasts and the altered liver fibroblasts in the microenvironment on CC cells induced by miR-10a-5p, which may aid the understanding of the mechanisms underlying CC liver metastasis.

Effect of Photoperiod on Longevity, Food Consumption, and Reproduction of Holotrichia oblita (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae).

Holotrichia oblita (Faldermann) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is a major soil insect pest that damages forest trees, crops, and lawns. Adults of H. oblita fly, forage, and mate at night but remain underground during the day. We studied the effect of photoperiod on H. oblita reproduction. H. oblita females laid more eggs at 8:16 (L:D) h and 0:24 (L:D) h than other photoperiods. As the scotophase increased, the preoviposition period decreased and the oviposition period increased. Female longevity exceeded that of males at all photoperiods, and both males and females at 0:24 (L:D) h had the shortest longevity. The number of eggs laid per female increased with increasing food consumption. Females at 8:16 (L:D) h had the greatest food consumption and laid the most eggs, while females at 24:0 (L:D) h had the lowest food consumption and laid few eggs. The food intake of adults increased gradually and decreased slowly after reaching a peak. Females began to lay eggs when their food consumption reached a maximum. These results indicate that a scotophase is necessary for the reproduction of H. oblita. A long scotophase promotes greater oviposition. The effect of photoperiod on reproduction is affected by food intake.

[Effects of CAAP1 on Proliferation, Migration and Invasion of Hepatoma Cell Line SMMC-7721].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of caspase activity and apoptosis inhibitor 1 (CAAP1) on the proliferation, migration and invasion of hepatoma cell SMMC-7721. METHODS: pcDNA3/ CAAP1, the overexpression vector of CAAP1, and pSilencer 2.1-U6 neo/shR- CAAP1, the knockdown vector, were constructed and examined. The experiment included 4 groups of SMMC-7721 cells, pcDNA3/ CAAP1 group, pcDNA3 control group, shR- CAAP1 group and pSilencer control group. After the SMMC-7721 cells were cultured, the overexpression vector pcDNA3/ CAAP1 (the pcDNA3/ CAAP1 group), knockdown vector shR- CAAP1 (the shR- CAAP1 group) and their controls (pcDNA3 control group and pSilencer control group) were transfected into SMMC-7721 cells respectively, and the follow-up experiments were carried out 48 h later. The mRNA expression of CAAP1 in each group was examined with qRT-PCR. The protein expression level of CAAP1 and cleaved Caspase-3 were checked with Western blot. The proliferation of cells was examined with CCK-8. The colony formation ability and the motility of cells in each group were assessed with colony formation assay and wound-healing assay, respectively. The migration and invasion of cells were examined with Transwell cell chamber and the apoptosis of cells was examined with flow cytometry. The data of 75 patients with low expression of CAAP1 and 295 patients with high expression of CAAP1 were downloaded from TCGA database and the data of 48 months follow-up were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to compare the correlation between different levels of CAAP1 expression and overall survival (OS) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. RESULTS: Double enzyme digestion analysis showed that the overexpression vector pcDNA3/ CAAP1 and knockdown vector shR- CAAP1 were constructed successfully. qRT-PCR and Western blot results showed that pcDNA3/ CAAP1 increased the mRNA and protein expression level of CAAP1 in SMMC-7721 cells (in comparison with the pcDNA3 control group, P<0.05), while shR- CAAP1 decreased the mRNA and protein expression of CAAP1 (in comparison with the pSilencer control group, P<0.05). Compared with pcDNA3 control group, the proliferation, colony formation ability, motility, migration and invasion of SMMC-7721 cells in the pcDNA3/ CAAP1 group were increased, while the apoptosis of SMMC-7721 cells was inhibited (all P<0.05). Compared with the pSilencer control group, the proliferation, colony formation ability, motility, migration and invasion ability of SMMC-7721 cells in the shR- CAAP1 group decreased, while the apoptosis increased (all P<0.05). TCGA database analysis showed that HCC patients with low CAAP1 expression had better OS than that of HCC patients with high CAAP1 expression. CONCLUSION: CAAP1 can promote the proliferation, migration and invasion of SMMC-7721 cells while it inhibit their apoptosis.

Expression of miR-203a-3p in pancreatic cancer tissues and cells and its effect on proliferation, migration and invasion of BxPC-3 cells / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@#[摘 要] 目的：探讨miR-203a-3p对胰腺癌BxPC-3细胞增殖、迁移和侵袭能力的影响。方法：运用癌症基因组图谱（TCGA）数据库筛选胰腺癌组织和癌旁组织中差异表达的miRNA，分析miRNA高表达与低表达时胰腺癌患者的生存率和临床分期；利用TarBase数据库分析miRNA与癌症相关的GO功能与KEGG通路，利用DIANA Tools、miRDB和TargetScan网站预测miR-203a-3p的靶基因。将miR-203a-3p mimic及NC mimic、miR-203a-3p inhibitor及NC inhibitor转染至BxPC-3细胞，用qPCR法检测胰腺癌细胞和胰腺正常上皮细胞HPNE中miR-203a-3p、miR-192-5p和miR-451a表达水平，以CCK-8法、Transwell小室法和克隆形成实验分别检测BxPC-3细胞的增殖、迁移、侵袭和集落形成能力。结果：通过TCGA数据库筛选出18个胰腺癌组织中差异表达的miRNA，其中miR-203a-3p、miR-192-5p、miR-451a具有物种保守性，且其与胰腺癌临床癌症分期、细胞周期和患者生存率相关（均P<0.05）；生物信息学网站预测显示miR-203a-3p的候选靶基因是PPM1A，PPM1A与多基因存在相互作用。miR-203a-3p、miR-192-5p和miR-451a在BxPC-3和Aspc-1细胞中均高表达（均P<0.01）。miR-203a-3p mimic组BxPC-3细胞中miR-203a-3p表达水平以及细胞增殖、迁移和侵袭能力均显著提高（均P<0.01）；miR-203a-3p inhibitor组细胞中miR-203a-3p表达水平以及细胞增殖、迁移和侵袭能力均显著降低（均P<0.01）。结论：miR-203a-3p在胰腺癌组织及细胞中均高表达，其表达与患者生存和临床分期相关，可调控BxPC-3细胞的增殖、迁移和侵袭能力。

Evaluation of reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR normalization in the scarab beetle Holotrichia oblita.

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPT-PCR) is commonly used to analyze gene expression, however, the accuracy of the normalized results is affected by the expression stability of reference genes. Holotrichia oblita (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) causes serious damage to crops. Reliable reference genes in H. oblita are needed for qRT-PCR analysis. Therefore, we evaluated 13 reference genes under biotic and abiotic conditions. RefFinder provided a comprehensive stability ranking, and geNorm suggested the optimal number of reference genes for normalization. RPL13a and RPL18 were the most suitable reference genes for developmental stages, tissues, and temperature treatments; RPL13a and RPS3 were the most suitable for pesticide and photoperiod treatments; RPS18 and RPL18 were the most suitable for the two sexes. We validated the normalized results using odorant-binding protein genes as target genes in different tissues. Compared with the selected suitable reference genes, the expression of OBP1 in antennae, abdomen, and wings, and OBP2 in antennae and wings were overestimated due to the instability of ACTb. These results identified several reliable reference genes in H. oblita for normalization, and are valuable for future molecular studies.

MicroRNA-185 reduces the expression of hepatitis B virus surface antigen by targeting PRKCH in HepG2 2.2.15 cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded noncoding RNAs with 18 to 25 nucleotides and play critical roles in a wide spectrum of biological processes. We repored that miR-185 inhibited hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) expression and hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication without affecting the proliferation of HepG2 2.2.15 cells, compared with the controls. We identified that protein kinase C eta (PRKCH) is a direct target gene of miR-185 that affects HBV replication and protein expression and that the miR-185 may suppress HBV replication. Our results provide more information for gene therapy in HBV infection. Keywords: miR-185; HBV; HBV surface antigen; viral replication; PRKCH.

Transcriptome Analysis and Identification of Insecticide Tolerance-Related Genes after Exposure to Insecticide in Sitobion avenae.

Aphids cause serious losses to the production of wheat. The grain aphid, Sitobion avenae, which is the dominant species of aphid in all wheat regions of China, is resistant to a variety of insecticides, including imidacloprid and chlorpyrifos. However, the resistance and mechanism of insecticide tolerance of S. avenae are still unclear. Therefore, this study employed transcriptome analysis to compare the expression patterns of stress response genes under imidacloprid and chlorpyrifos treatment for 15 min, 3 h, and 36 h of exposure. S. avenae adult transcriptome was assembled and characterized first, after which samples treated with insecticides for different lengths of time were compared with control samples, which revealed 602267 differentially expressed unigenes (DEUs). Among these DEUs, 31-790 unigenes were classified into 66-786 categories of gene ontology (GO) functional groups, and 24-760 DEUs could be mapped into 54-268 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Finally, 11 insecticide-tolerance-related unigenes were chosen to confirm the relative expression by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in each treatment. Most of the results between qRT-PCR and RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) are well-established. The results presented herein will facilitate molecular research investigating insecticide resistance in S. avenae, as well as in other wheat aphids.

Influence of Awe on Green Consumption: The Mediating Effect of Psychological Ownership.

The increasing demand for environmental protection has given rise to burgeoning research on green consumption. The present research adds to this expanding literature by investigating a novel predictor of consumer green consumption: awe. As a self-transcendent emotion, awe arises when people encounter perceptually vast stimuli that overwhelm their existing knowledge and mental structures, and, meanwhile, this also elicits a need for accommodation. This research proposes and demonstrates that, compared with happiness and a neutral affective state, experience of awe promotes green consumption via an enhanced psychological ownership of nature. Moreover, this research identifies a condition by showing that, while awe promotes green consumption when interdependent self-construal is activated, this effect diminishes when independent self-construal is activated.

Survey of the Bradysia odoriphaga Transcriptome Using PacBio Single-Molecule Long-Read Sequencing.

The damage caused by Bradysia odoriphaga is the main factor threatening the production of vegetables in the Liliaceae family. However, few genetic studies of B. odoriphaga have been conducted because of a lack of genomic resources. Many long-read sequencing technologies have been developed in the last decade; therefore, in this study, the transcriptome including all development stages of B. odoriphaga was sequenced for the first time by Pacific single-molecule long-read sequencing. Here, 39,129 isoforms were generated, and 35,645 were found to have annotation results when checked against sequences available in different databases. Overall, 18,473 isoforms were distributed in 25 various Clusters of Orthologous Groups, and 11,880 isoforms were categorized into 60 functional groups that belonged to the three main Gene Ontology classifications. Moreover, 30,610 isoforms were assigned into 44 functional categories belonging to six main Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes functional categories. Coding DNA sequence (CDS) prediction showed that 36,419 out of 39,129 isoforms were predicted to have CDS, and 4319 simple sequence repeats were detected in total. Finally, 266 insecticide resistance and metabolism-related isoforms were identified as candidate genes for further investigation of insecticide resistance and metabolism in B. odoriphaga.

Genome-wide analysis of developmental stage-specific transcriptome in Bradysia odoriphaga.

Bradysia odoriphaga is a serious pest of the Chinese chive; however, detailed information regarding the developmental stage-specific gene expression patterns of B. odoriphaga is not yet available. In this study, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed to determine the gene expression patterns of developmental stages including the eggs, second instar larvae, fourth instar larvae, pupae, and adults of B. odoriphaga. Analysis of 15 samples revealed an average of 89.56% of the clean reads could be mapped onto the assembled UniGene database. Cluster tree analysis showed that the expression patterns were stage-specific and that samples of the second and fourth instar larvae clustered in one group, while those of eggs, pupae, and adults clustered in another group. Differential expression unigenes (DEUs) for sequential developmental stages were between 3314 and 10,632. A total of 1910-7756 DEUs of sequential developmental stages were assigned into 45-56 gene ontology categories and 1165-3845 DEUs were mapped into Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. The expression of DEUs related to growth and development showed that hormone receptors highly expressed in the pupal stage, while chitinases were highly expressed in the larval stage. The results of quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and RNA-seq expression agreed well for 12 growth- and development-related unigenes. This study identified DEUs for sequential developmental stages of B. odoriphaga. Gene Ontology classifications and KEGG pathway identification of DEUs not only provide information useful for understanding insect growth and development but also for exploring novel approaches to control B. odoriphaga.

Establishment and characterization of a GES-1 human gastric epithelial cell line stably expressing miR-23a.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are highly conserved, endogenous, small and single-stranded RNA molecules that promote the degradation and translational inhibition of specific target mRNAs in order to regulate cell proliferation and differentiation, and organism growth and development. MiR-23a has been demonstrated to function as an oncogene in certain types of tumor. The aim of the present study was to provide a tool for elucidating the mechanisms of action of miR-23a in gastric cancer, and identify the function of miR-23a in a human gastric epithelium cell line, by establishing a human gastric epithelial GES-1 cell line that stably expressed miR-23a. A plasmid was constructed for the expression of miR-23a by inserting the miR-23a primary sequence into a pcDNA3 vector (pcDNA3/pri-23a). PcDNA3/pri-23a or the empty pcDNA3 vector (EV), which was then transfected into human gastric epithelium GES-1 cells using Lipofectamine to produce GES-1/miR-23a cells and GES-1/EV cells, respectively. G418 (Geneticin) was used to select and expand the G418-resistant colonies, and miR-23a expression was assessed by reverse transcription-semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The proliferation of the cells was assessed using cell counting and MTT assays. The invasive ability of the cells was evaluated using a Transwell assay. The colony-forming ability of the cells was assessed using a colony formation assay. A human gastric epithelium GES-1/miR-23a cell line with the stable expression of miR-23a was successfully established. Compared with the control GES-1 and GES-1/EV cells, the mRNA expression of the miR-23a gene in GES-1/miR-23a cells was significantly increased (P<0.05). The proliferation rate, invasive ability and colony-forming ability of the GES-1/miR-23a cells were significantly higher compared with those of the control GES-1/EV cells and the parental GES-1 cells (P<0.05). Additionally, the results of the present study demonstrated that miR-23a enhanced the cell proliferation rate, invasive ability and cell colony forming ability of GES-1 cells. This data provides a solid experimental foundation for further studies on the function of miRNAs in the development and progression of gastric cancer.