Pcp1/pericentrin controls the SPB number in fission yeast meiosis and ploidy homeostasis

During sexual reproduction, the zygote must inherit exactly one centrosome (spindle pole body [SPB] in yeasts) from the gametes, which then duplicates and assembles a bipolar spindle that supports the subsequent cell division. Here, we show that in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the fusion of SPBs from the gametes is blocked in polyploid zygotes. As a result, the polyploid zygotes cannot proliferate mitotically and frequently form supernumerary SPBs during subsequent meiosis, which leads to multipolar nuclear divisions and the generation of extra spores. The blockage of SPB fusion is caused by persistent SPB localization of Pcp1, which, in normal diploid zygotic meiosis, exhibits a dynamic association with the SPB. Artificially induced constitutive localization of Pcp1 on the SPB is sufficient to cause blockage of SPB fusion and formation of extra spores in diploids. Thus, Pcp1-dependent SPB quantity control is crucial for sexual reproduction and ploidy homeostasis in fission yeast.

Streamlining Non-tariff Measures for Agri-food Trade in ASEAN

Streamlining non-tariff measures (NTMs) plays an important role in improving market access for trade in goods among ASEAN-10 countries. An assessment of the impact of NTMs in ASEAN reveals that the agri-food trade has been constrained by contingent trade protective measures, quantity-control measures, technical barriers to trade (TBT), and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures. The proliferation of SPS and TBT measures, coupled with their severe effects, suggests the need to accelerate NTM reforms in ASEAN.

Impaired Mitophagy in Neurons and Glial Cells during Aging and Age-Related Disorders

Aging is associated with a decline in cognitive function, which can partly be explained by the accumulation of damage to the brain cells over time. Neurons and glia undergo morphological and ultrastructure changes during aging. Over the past several years, it has become evident that at the cellular level, various hallmarks of an aging brain are closely related to mitophagy. The importance of mitochondria quality and quantity control through mitophagy is highlighted by the contribution that defects in mitochondria–autophagy crosstalk make to aging and age-related diseases. In this review, we analyze some of the more recent findings regarding the study of brain aging and neurodegeneration in the context of mitophagy. We discuss the data on the dynamics of selective autophagy in neurons and glial cells during aging and in the course of neurodegeneration, focusing on three mechanisms of mitophagy: non-receptor-mediated mitophagy, receptor-mediated mitophagy, and transcellular mitophagy. We review the role of mitophagy in neuronal/glial homeostasis and in the molecular pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other disorders. Common mechanisms of aging and neurodegeneration that are related to different mitophagy pathways provide a number of promising targets for potential therapeutic agents.

A two-stage information retrieval system based on interactive multimodal genetic algorithm for query weight optimization

Query weight optimization, which aims to find an optimal combination of the weights of query terms for sorting relevant documents, is an important topic in the information retrieval system. Due to the huge search space, the query optimization problem is intractable, and evolutionary algorithms have become one popular approach. But as the size of the database grows, traditional retrieval approaches may return a lot of results, which leads to low efficiency and poor practicality. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a two-stage information retrieval system based on an interactive multimodal genetic algorithm (IMGA) for a query weight optimization system. The proposed IMGA has two stages: quantity control and quality optimization. In the quantity control stage, a multimodal genetic algorithm with the aid of the niching method selects multiple promising combinations of query terms simultaneously by which the numbers of retrieved documents are controlled in an appropriate range. In the quality optimization stage, an interactive genetic algorithm is designed to find the optimal query weights so that the most user-friendly document retrieval sequence can be yielded. Users’ feedback information will accelerate the optimization process, and a genetic algorithm (GA) performs interactively with the action of relevance feedback mechanism. Replacing user evaluation, a mathematical model is built to evaluate the fitness values of individuals. In the proposed two-stage method, not only the number of returned results can be controlled, but also the quality and accuracy of retrieval can be improved. The proposed method is run on the database which with more than 2000 documents. The experimental results show that our proposed method outperforms several state-of-the-art query weight optimization approaches in terms of the precision rate and the recall rate.

The Forty-year History of Revenue Management: Bibliometric Analysis

This paper presents research trends, leading publishers, influential articles, and shifting concerns in the field of Revenue Management for over forty years based on bibliometric analysis. Bibliometric data was retrieved from Web of Science core collection with a well-defined strategy. The data was processed using Network Analysis Interface for Literature Studies Project scripts. Subject-wise and year-wise research trends were presented. The shifting concerns in RM in terms of topic, method, and domain were highlighted using keyword analysis. In general, RM showed an increasing number of published papers with exponential manner every year. The research core in RM covered the three major decisions in RM including pricing, quantity control, and structural decision. It was highlighted that RM’s concern has shifted from single-firm decision to be more consumer- and competition-centric. The data showed that the needs of empirical study and more advanced quantitative methods for complex and real-time problems were urged. In addition, the adoption of RM was extended for industries with semi-flexible capacity. The top influential publishers were Decision Sciences, Operations Research, Management Science, and Management Science Manufacturing & Service Operations Management.

Herpesvirus Regulation of Selective Autophagy

Selective autophagy has emerged as a key mechanism of quality and quantity control responsible for the autophagic degradation of specific subcellular organelles and materials. In addition, a specific type of selective autophagy (xenophagy) is also activated as a line of defense against invading intracellular pathogens, such as viruses. However, viruses have evolved strategies to counteract the host’s antiviral defense and even to activate some proviral types of selective autophagy, such as mitophagy, for their successful infection and replication. This review discusses the current knowledge on the regulation of selective autophagy by human herpesviruses.

Synchronization of Policies and Performance Achievements: Which Should Come First?

Synchronization of development policies in the field of population and family planning is an issue in the central, provincial and district/city governments as stipulated in Law No. 23/2014. Article 8 paragraph 2 of the Law states that population quantity control is carried out through synchronization of population policies at the national level and regions. Therefore, work programs in the population control at the district/city level are highly varied according to the problem. Family planning promotion, counseling and advocacy are programs in all districts/cities targeting the couples of childbearing age and adolescents. The study of program plan and regulatory documents for the 2019-2024 fiscal year became the basis for focused discussions with various levels of government, namely the central, provincial, regency/city and sub-district level. Targets, strategies, programs and activities which include types, objectives, objectives, coverage and achievements are components to be examined for content, consistency and synchronization. Meanwhile, policy synchronization can be seen from the formulation of work programs. The results of the study show that directly, the provincial work program is linear with the national agenda

Research on Construction Control Technology of Large-Span and Small Clear Distance Underpass High-Voltage Line Tunnel

Hanping tunnel is a control project of national highway 310 Dahejia to Qingshui highway project. It needs to cross a 330kV high-voltage transmission line under the condition of small clear distance, which requires high construction requirements. In view of the difficulties such as shallow buried depth of tunnel and small clear distance between tunnel and tower of high-voltage line, multiple excavation blasting method is adopted, and smooth blasting, charge quantity control and damping hole setting are comprehensively used to reduce the impact on the tower and structure of high-voltage line. In order to ensure the smooth progress of the project, the large-scale finite element analysis software is used to simulate the whole excavation project. The influence of the full-section method and the middle partition wall method (CD method) on the surrounding rock and the high-voltage electric tower is compared. It is found that the CD method can effectively control the displacement of the surrounding rock and the tower on it and the uneven settlement.

How Is the Fidelity of Proteins Ensured in Terms of Both Quality and Quantity at the Endoplasmic Reticulum? Mechanistic Insights into E3 Ubiquitin Ligases

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an interconnected organelle that plays fundamental roles in the biosynthesis, folding, stabilization, maturation, and trafficking of secretory and transmembrane proteins. It is the largest organelle and critically modulates nearly all aspects of life. Therefore, in the endoplasmic reticulum, an enormous investment of resources, including chaperones and protein folding facilitators, is dedicated to adequate protein maturation and delivery to final destinations. Unfortunately, the folding and assembly of proteins can be quite error-prone, which leads to the generation of misfolded proteins. Notably, protein homeostasis, referred to as proteostasis, is constantly exposed to danger by flows of misfolded proteins and subsequent protein aggregates. To maintain proteostasis, the ER triages and eliminates terminally misfolded proteins by delivering substrates to the ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS) or to the lysosome, which is termed ER-associated degradation (ERAD) or ER-phagy, respectively. ERAD not only eliminates misfolded or unassembled proteins via protein quality control but also fine-tunes correctly folded proteins via protein quantity control. Intriguingly, the diversity and distinctive nature of E3 ubiquitin ligases determine efficiency, complexity, and specificity of ubiquitination during ERAD. ER-phagy utilizes the core autophagy machinery and eliminates ERAD-resistant misfolded proteins. Here, we conceptually outline not only ubiquitination machinery but also catalytic mechanisms of E3 ubiquitin ligases. Further, we discuss the mechanistic insights into E3 ubiquitin ligases involved in the two guardian pathways in the ER, ERAD and ER-phagy. Finally, we provide the molecular mechanisms by which ERAD and ER-phagy conduct not only protein quality control but also protein quantity control to ensure proteostasis and subsequent organismal homeostasis.