Germline Gene-Editing Creates Enhanced Livestock-Technical and Especially Ethical Issues Challenge Its Use in Humans

Using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)-based molecular tools,scientists are engineering-as they are also doing with plants.-animals with advantageous traits,like disease resistance and improved food yield.While these innovative techniques could one day be applied in humans,technical hurdles and ethical concerns likely place this possibility far in the future,The enhancements rely on germline gene editing,which alters the genes in a way that passes the changes on to offspring.Ger m-line gene editing differs from the somatic cell gene editing used in the highly promising new treatment recently approved for the human disease sickle cell anemia.

Optimization of Cooperative RelayingMolecular Communications for Nanomedical Applications

Recently,nano-systems based on molecular communications via diffusion(MCvD)have been implemented in a variety of nanomedical applications,most notably in targeted drug delivery system(TDDS)scenarios.Furthermore,because the MCvD is unreliable and there exists molecular noise and inter symbol interference(ISI),cooperative nano-relays can acquire the reliability for drug delivery to targeted diseased cells,especially if the separation distance between the nano transmitter and nano receiver is increased.In this work,we propose an approach for optimizing the performance of the nano system using cooperative molecular communications with a nano relay scheme,while accounting for blood flow effects in terms of drift velocity.The fractions of the molecular drug that should be allocated to the nano transmitter and nano relay positioning are computed using a collaborative optimization problem solved by theModified Central Force Optimization(MCFO)algorithm.Unlike the previous work,the probability of bit error is expressed in a closed-form expression.It is used as an objective function to determine the optimal velocity of the drug molecules and the detection threshold at the nano receiver.The simulation results show that the probability of bit error can be dramatically reduced by optimizing the drift velocity,detection threshold,location of the nano-relay in the proposed nano system,and molecular drug budget.

Multi-UAV cooperative maneuver decision-making for pursuitevasion using improved MADRL

Aiming at the problem of multi-UAV pursuit-evasion confrontation, a UAV cooperative maneuver method based on an improved multi-agent deep reinforcement learning(MADRL) is proposed. In this method, an improved Comm Net network based on a communication mechanism is introduced into a deep reinforcement learning algorithm to solve the multi-agent problem. A layer of gated recurrent unit(GRU) is added to the actor-network structure to remember historical environmental states. Subsequently,another GRU is designed as a communication channel in the Comm Net core network layer to refine communication information between UAVs. Finally, the simulation results of the algorithm in two sets of scenarios are given, and the results show that the method has good effectiveness and applicability.

A simple and efficient CRISPR/Cas9 system permits ultra-multiplex genome editing in plants

The development and maturation of the CRISPR/Cas genome editing system provides a valuable tool for plant functional genomics and genetic improvement.Currently available genome-editing tools have a limited number of targets,restricting their application in genetic research.In this study,we developed a novel CRISPR/Cas9 plant ultra-multiplex genome editing system consisting of two template vectors,eight donor vectors,four destination vectors,and one primer-design software package.By combining the advantages of Golden Gate cloning to assemble multiple repetitive fragments and Gateway recombination to assemble large fragments and by changing the structure of the amplicons used to assemble sg RNA expression cassettes,the plant ultra-multiplex genome editing system can assemble a single binary vector targeting more than 40 genomic loci.A rice knockout vector containing 49 sg RNA expression cassettes was assembled and a high co-editing efficiency was observed.This plant ultra-multiplex genome editing system advances synthetic biology and plant genetic engineering.

User Preference Aware Hierarchical Edge-User Cooperative Caching Strategy

The emergence of various new services has posed a huge challenge to the existing network architecture.To improve the network delay and backhaul pressure,caching popular contents at the edge of network has been considered as a feasible scheme.However,how to efficiently utilize the limited caching resources to cache diverse contents has been confirmed as a tough problem in the past decade.In this paper,considering the time-varying user requests and the heterogeneous content sizes,a user preference aware hierarchical cooperative caching strategy in edge-user caching architecture is proposed.We divide the caching strategy into three phases,that is,the content placement,the content delivery and the content update.In the content placement phase,a cooperative content placement algorithm for local content popularity is designed to cache contents proactively.In the content delivery phase,a cooperative delivery algorithm is proposed to deliver the cached contents.In the content update phase,a content update algorithm is proposed according to the popularity of the contents.Finally,the proposed caching strategy is validated using the MovieLens dataset,and the results reveal that the proposed strategy improves the delay performance by at least 35.3%compared with the other three benchmark strategies.

Cooperative Rate Splitting Transmit Design for Full-Duplex-Enabled Multiple Multicast Communication Systems

This paper examines the performance of Full-Duplex Cooperative Rate Splitting(FD-CRS)with Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer(SWIPT)support in Multiple Input Single Output(MISO)networks.In a Rate Splitting Multiple Access(RSMA)multicast system with two local users and one remote user,the common data stream contains the needs of all users,and all users can decode the common data stream.Therefore,each user can receive some information that other users need,and local users with better channel conditions can use this information to further enhance the reception reliability and data rate of users with poor channel quality.Even using Cell-Center-Users(CCUs)as a cooperative relay to assist the transmission of common data can improve the average system speed.To maximize the minimum achievable rate,we optimize the beamforming vector of Base Station(BS),the common streamsplitting vector,the cooperative distributed beamvector and the strong user transmission power under the power budget constraints of BS and relay devices and the service quality requirements constraints of users.Since the whole problem is not convex,we cannot solve it directly.Therefore,we propose a low complexity algorithm based on Successive Convex Approximation(SCA)technology to find the optimal solution to the problemunder consideration.The simulation results show that FD C-RSMA has better gain andmore powerful than FD C-NOMA,HD C-RSMA,RSMA and NOMA.

Metabolic engineering and genome editing strategies for enhanced lipid production in microalgae

Depleting global petroleum reserves and skyrocketing prices coupled with succinct supply have been a grave concern,which needs alternative sources to conventional fuels.Oleaginous microalgae have been explored for enhanced lipid production,leading towards biodiesel production.These microalgae have short life cycles,require less labor,and space,and are easy to scale up.Triacylglycerol,the primary source of lipids needed to produce biodiesel,is accumulated by most microalgae.The article focuses on different types of oleaginous microalgae,which can be used as a feedstock to produce biodiesel.Lipid biosynthesis in microalgae occurs through fatty acid synthesis and TAG synthesis approaches.In-depth discussions are held regarding other efficient methods for enhancing fatty acid and TAG synthesis,regulating TAG biosynthesis bypass methods,blocking competing pathways,multigene approach,and genome editing.The most potential targets for gene transformation are hypothesized to be a malic enzyme and diacylglycerol acyltransferase while lowering phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity is reported to be advantageous for lipid synthesis.

Development of a single transcript CRISPR/Cas9 toolkit for efficient genome editing in autotetraploid alfalfa

Alfalfa(Medicago sativa.L.)is a globally significant autotetraploid legume forage crop.However,despite its importance,establishing efficient gene editing systems for cultivated alfalfa remains a formidable challenge.In this study,we pioneered the development of a highly effective ultrasonic-assisted leaf disc transformation system for Gongnong 1 alfalfa,a variety widely cultivated in Northeast China.Subsequently,we created a single transcript CRISPR/Cas9(CRISPR_2.0)toolkit,incorporating multiplex gRNAs,designed for gene editing in Gongnong 1.Both Cas9 and gRNA scaffolds were under the control of the Arabidopsis ubiquitin-10 promoter,a widely employed polymeraseⅡconstitutive promoter known for strong transgene expression in dicots.To assess the toolkit’s efficiency,we targeted PALM1,a gene associated with a recognizable multifoliate phenotype.Utilizing the CRISPR_2.0 toolkit,we directed PALM1 editing at two sites in the wild-type Gongnong 1.Results indicated a 35.1%occurrence of editing events all in target 2 alleles,while no mutations were detected at target 1 in the transgenic-positive lines.To explore more efficient sgRNAs,we developed a rapid,reliable screening system based on Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated hairy root transformation,incorporating the visible reporter MtLAP1.This screening system demonstrated that most purple visible hairy roots underwent gene editing.Notably,sgRNA3,with an 83.0%editing efficiency,was selected using the visible hairy root system.As anticipated,tetra-allelic homozygous palm1 mutations exhibited a clear multifoliate phenotype.These palm1 lines demonstrated an average crude protein yield increase of 21.5%compared to trifoliolate alfalfa.Our findings highlight the modified CRISPR_2.0 system as a highly efficient and robust gene editing tool for autotetraploid alfalfa.

Layered Coded Cache Placement and Cooperative Delivery with Sharing Links in Satellite-Terrestrial Integrated Networks

Cooperative utilization of multidimensional resources including cache, power and spectrum in satellite-terrestrial integrated networks(STINs) can provide a feasible approach for massive streaming media content delivery over the seamless global coverage area. However, the on-board supportable resources of a single satellite are extremely limited and lack of interaction with others. In this paper, we design a network model with two-layered cache deployment, i.e., satellite layer and ground base station layer, and two types of sharing links, i.e., terrestrial-satellite sharing(TSS) links and inter-satellite sharing(ISS) links, to enhance the capability of cooperative delivery over STINs. Thus, we use rateless codes for the content divided-packet transmission, and derive the total energy efficiency(EE) in the whole transmission procedure, which is defined as the ratio of traffic offloading and energy consumption. We formulate two optimization problems about maximizing EE in different sharing scenarios(only TSS and TSS-ISS),and propose two optimized algorithms to obtain the optimal content placement matrixes, respectively.Simulation results demonstrate that, enabling sharing links with optimized cache placement have more than 2 times improvement of EE performance than other traditional placement schemes. Particularly, TSS-ISS schemes have the higher EE performance than only TSS schemes under the conditions of enough number of satellites and smaller inter-satellite distances.

Improved STNModels and Heuristic Rules for Cooperative Scheduling in Automated Container Terminals

Improving the cooperative scheduling efficiency of equipment is the key for automated container terminals to copewith the development trend of large-scale ships. In order to improve the solution efficiency of the existing spacetimenetwork (STN) model for the cooperative scheduling problem of yard cranes (YCs) and automated guidedvehicles (AGVs) and extend its application scenarios, two improved STN models are proposed. The flow balanceconstraints in the original model are decomposed, and the trajectory constraints of YCs and AGVs are added toacquire the model STN_A. The coupling constraint in STN_A is updated, and buffer constraints are added toSTN_A so that themodel STN_B is built.As the size of the problem increases, the solution speed of CPLEX becomesthe bottleneck. So a heuristic method containing three groups of heuristic rules is designed to obtain a near-optimalsolution quickly. Experimental results showthat the computation time of STN_A is shortened by 49.47% on averageand the gap is reduced by 1.69% on average compared with the original model. The gap between the solution ofthe heuristic rules and the solution of CPLEX is less than 3.50%, and the solution time of the heuristic rules is onaverage 99.85% less than the solution time of CPLEX. Compared with STN_A, the computation time for solvingSTN_B increases by 58.93% on average.

Cooperative UAV search strategy based on DMPC-AACO algorithm in restricted communication scenarios

Improvement of integrated battlefield situational awareness in complex environments involving dynamic factors such as restricted communications and electromagnetic interference(EMI)has become a contentious research problem.In certain mission environments,due to the impact of many interference sources on real-time communication or mission requirements such as the need to implement communication regulations,the mission stages are represented as a dynamic combination of several communication-available and communication-unavailable stages.Furthermore,the data interaction between unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs)can only be performed in specific communication-available stages.Traditional cooperative search algorithms cannot handle such situations well.To solve this problem,this study constructed a distributed model predictive control(DMPC)architecture for a collaborative control of UAVs and used the Voronoi diagram generation method to re-plan the search areas of all UAVs in real time to avoid repetition of search areas and UAV collisions while improving the search efficiency and safety factor.An attention mechanism ant-colony optimization(AACO)algorithm is proposed for UAV search-control decision planning.The search strategy is adaptively updated by introducing an attention mechanism for regular instruction information,a priori information,and emergent information of the mission to satisfy different search expectations to the maximum extent.Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm achieves better search performance than traditional algorithms in restricted communication constraint scenarios.

How to promote cooperative innovation in environmentally friendly technology:a case of agricultural biotechnology in China

This study explored the factors influencing cooperative innovation in environmentally friendly agricultural biotechnology in China.First,we constructed an evolutionary game model comprising the factors of net income of cooperative innovation,net income of independent innovation,market constraints,and government subsidies.Using MATLAB simulation,we assigned different values to the aforementioned variables to explore the evolutionary trend of innovators’willingness to cooperate.Results showed that when the values of net income of cooperative innovation,net income of independent innovation,market constraints,and government subsidies exceeded the threshold,innovators’willingness to cooperate was significantly enhanced.Furthermore,the proportion of innovators who cooperated with others gradually increased to 100%;otherwise,it gradually decreased to 0%.Comparing the simulation curve with the real evolution curve of cooperative innovation in agricultural biotechnology in China,we found that the gradual decline in the willingness to cooperate could be due to insufficient subsidies for cooperative innovation,low income from cooperative innovation,weak profitability of innovators,and weak market constraints.

Regional Multi-Agent Cooperative Reinforcement Learning for City-Level Traffic Grid Signal

This article studies the effective traffic signal control problem of multiple intersections in a city-level traffic system.A novel regional multi-agent cooperative reinforcement learning algorithm called RegionSTLight is proposed to improve the traffic efficiency.Firstly a regional multi-agent Q-learning framework is proposed,which can equivalently decompose the global Q value of the traffic system into the local values of several regions Based on the framework and the idea of human-machine cooperation,a dynamic zoning method is designed to divide the traffic network into several strong-coupled regions according to realtime traffic flow densities.In order to achieve better cooperation inside each region,a lightweight spatio-temporal fusion feature extraction network is designed.The experiments in synthetic real-world and city-level scenarios show that the proposed RegionS TLight converges more quickly,is more stable,and obtains better asymptotic performance compared to state-of-theart models.

Cooperative Anti-Jamming and Interference Mitigation for UAV Networks: A Local Altruistic Game Approach

To improve the anti-jamming and interference mitigation ability of the UAV-aided communication systems, this paper investigates the channel selection optimization problem in face of both internal mutual interference and external malicious jamming. A cooperative anti-jamming and interference mitigation method based on local altruistic is proposed to optimize UAVs’ channel selection. Specifically, a Stackelberg game is modeled to formulate the confrontation relationship between UAVs and the jammer. A local altruistic game is modeled with each UAV considering the utilities of both itself and other UAVs. A distributed cooperative anti-jamming and interference mitigation algorithm is proposed to obtain the Stackelberg equilibrium. Finally, the convergence of the proposed algorithm and the impact of the transmission power on the system loss value are analyzed, and the anti-jamming performance of the proposed algorithm can be improved by around 64% compared with the existing algorithms.

Neural Dynamics for Cooperative Motion Control of Omnidirectional Mobile Manipulators in the Presence of Noises: A Distributed Approach

This paper presents a distributed scheme with limited communications, aiming to achieve cooperative motion control for multiple omnidirectional mobile manipulators(MOMMs).The proposed scheme extends the existing single-agent motion control to cater to scenarios involving the cooperative operation of MOMMs. Specifically, squeeze-free cooperative load transportation is achieved for the end-effectors of MOMMs by incorporating cooperative repetitive motion planning(CRMP), while guiding each individual to desired poses. Then, the distributed scheme is formulated as a time-varying quadratic programming(QP) and solved online utilizing a noise-tolerant zeroing neural network(NTZNN). Theoretical analysis shows that the NTZNN model converges globally to the optimal solution of QP in the presence of noise. Finally, the effectiveness of the control design is demonstrated by numerical simulations and physical platform experiments.

Assessing Financial Management Practices and Accounting Mechanisms in Agricultural Cooperatives:A Case Study From Nepal

The study focuses on assessing the financial management practices and accounting mechanisms in agricultural cooperatives in Tulsipur Sub-Metropolitan,Dang District,Nepal with a focus on understanding their implications for financial performance and organizational effectiveness.The sample size of total cooperatives(n=46)was divided into Savings and Credit Cooperatives(n=18)and Multipurpose Cooperatives(n=28),respectively,with a total number of respondents(n=138)categorized into managing directors,employees,and general members.Using a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative analysis of financial data with qualitative insights gathered through interviews and surveys,the study emphasizes the importance of modern financial practices,improved reporting mechanisms,and relevant staff training for long-term sustainability.Recommendations include the integration of criteria and evaluation tools to assess cooperative performance,with Hamro Pahunch Multipurpose Cooperative identified as a high performer.Emphasizing the need for robust financial management strategies to navigate the complexity of the agricultural sector,manage risks,and achieve sustainable development,the study notes frequent preparation of financial management reports on a monthly and annual basis,and predominantly annual accounting management.Most cooperatives are using computerized models to present financial positions,but face challenges such as lack of marketing infrastructure,cooperative skills,and technical support.Ultimately,the study advocates for educating policy makers,cooperative leaders,practitioners and stakeholders on the role of effective financial management and accounting in enhancing the resilience,expansion and socio-economic impact of agricultural cooperatives,thereby fostering their long-term prosperity and viability as drivers of rural development and empowerment.

Cooperative Distributed Beamforming Design for Multi-RIS Aided Cell-Free Systems

Cell-free systems significantly improve network capacity by enabling joint user service without cell boundaries,eliminating intercell interference.However,to satisfy further capacity demands,it leads to high-cost problems of both hardware and power consumption.In this paper,we investigate multiple reconfigurable intelligent surfaces(RISs)aided cell-free systems where RISs are introduced to improve spectrum efficiency in an energy-efficient way.To overcome the centralized high complexity and avoid frequent information exchanges,a cooperative distributed beamforming design is proposed to maximize the weighted sum-rate performance.In particular,the alternating optimization method is utilized with the distributed closed-form solution of active beamforming being derived locally at access points,and phase shifts are obtained centrally based on the Riemannian conjugate gradient(RCG)manifold method.Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed design whose performance is comparable to the centralized scheme and show great superiority of the RISs-aided system over the conventional cellular and cell-free system.

Challenges of Vietnamese Agricultural Cooperatives in the 21st Century:The Link Between Efficiency and Legality

The article shows that the situation of agricultural cooperatives in the world in general and agricultural cooperatives in Vietnam in particular are facing certain challenges in the context of globalization in the 21st century.The article points out limitations on:the nature,principles of democratic member control and principles of surplus distribution of the International Cooperative Alliance,as well as Vietnamese law in cooperative management.

New insights into ATR inhibition in muscle invasive bladder cancer:The role of apolipoprotein B mRNA editing catalytic subunit 3B

Background:Apolipoprotein B mRNA editing catalytic polypeptide(APOBEC),an endogenous mutator,induces DNA damage and activates the ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related(ATR)-checkpoint kinase 1(Chk1)pathway.Although cisplatin-based therapy is the mainstay for muscle-invasive bladder cancer(MIBC),it has a poor survival rate.Therefore,this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an ATR inhibitor combined with cisplatin in the treatment of APOBEC catalytic subunit 3B(APOBEC3B)expressing MIBC.Methods:Immunohistochemical staining was performed to analyze an association between APOBEC3B and ATR in patients with MIBC.The APOBEC3B expression in MIBC cell lines was assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis.Western blot analysis was performed to confirm differences in phosphorylated Chk1(pChk1)expression according to the APOBEC3B expression.Cell viability and apoptosis analyses were performed to examine the anti-tumor activity of ATR inhibitors combined with cisplatin.Results:There was a significant association between APOBEC3B and ATR expression in the tumor tissues obtained from patients with MIBC.Cells with higher APOBEC3B expression showed higher pChk1 expression than cells expressing low APOBEC3B levels.Combination treatment of ATR inhibitor and cisplatin inhibited cell growth in MIBC cells with a higher APOBEC3B expression.Compared to cisplatin single treatment,combination treatment induced more apoptotic cell death in the cells with higher APOBEC3B expression.Conclusion:Our study shows that APOBEC3B’s higher expression status can enhance the sensitivity of MIBC to cisplatin upon ATR inhibition.This result provides new insight into appropriate patient selection for the effective application of ATR inhibitors in MIBC.

The Effectiveness of Group Cooperative Learning Method in Badminton Teaching in Colleges and Universities

In college badminton teaching,teachers utilize the group cooperative learning method,which not only helps to improve students’badminton skill level but also cultivates their teamwork spirit,communication skills,and self-management ability unconsciously.In view of this,this paper mainly describes the significance of applying the group cooperative learning method in college badminton teaching,analyzes the current problems in college badminton teaching,and aims to discover effective development strategies for group cooperative learning method in college badminton teaching in order to improve the effectiveness of college badminton teaching.