No abstract

Coix lacryma-jobi, also called adlay or Job's tears, is an annual herbal plant belonging to the Poaceae family that has been cultivated as a cereal and medicinal crop in Asia. Despite its importance, however, genomic resources for better understanding this plant species at the molecular level and informing improved breeding strategies remain limited. To address this, we generated a draft genome of the C. lacryma-jobi variety ma-yuen (soft-shelled adlay) Korean cultivar, Johyun, by de novo assembly, using PacBio and Illumina sequencing data. A total of 3,362 scaffold sequences, 1.28 Gb in length, were assembled, representing 82.1% of the estimated genome size (1.56 Gb). Genome completeness was confirmed by the presence of 91.4% of the BUSCO angiosperm genes and mapping ratio of 98.3% of Illumina paired-end reads. We found that approximately 77.0% of the genome is occupied by repeat sequences, most of which are Gypsy and Copia-type retrotransposons, and evidencebased genome annotation predicts 39,574 protein-coding genes, 85.5% of which were functionally annotated. We further predict that soft-shelled adlay diverged from a common ancestor with sorghum 9.0-11.2 MYA. Transcriptome profiling revealed 3,988 genes that are differentially expressed in seeds relative to other tissues, of which 1,470 genes were strongly up-regulated in seeds and the most enriched Gene Ontology terms were assigned to carbohydrate and protein metabolism. In addition, we identified 76 storage protein genes including 18 seed-specific coixin genes and 13 candidate genes involved in biosynthesis of benzoxazinoids (BXs) including coixol, a unique BX compound found in C. lacryma-jobi species. The characterization of those genes can further our understanding of unique traits of soft-shelled adlay, such as high seed protein content and medicinal compound biosynthesis. Taken together, our genome sequence data will provide a valuable resource for molecular breeding and pharmacological study of this plant species.

Sleep is an evolutionarily conserved physiological process implicated in the consolidation of learning and memory (L/M). Here, we report that sleep deprivation (SD)‐induced cognitive deficits in zebrafish are mediated through reduction in O‐GlcNAcylation of brain. Microarray‐based gene expression profiling of zebrafish brain demonstrated significant changes in genes involved in metabolism by SD or fear conditioning (FC), compared to the control group. In particular, it was observed that a marked decrease in the number of genes involved in carboxylic acid and organic acid metabolic processes in the brains of SD group compared to control group. SD downregulated O‐GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O‐GlcNAcylation, while the expression of O‐GlcNAcase was upregulated. FC activated protein kinase A (PKA) and phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein (p‐CREB), an effect that was greatly inhibited by SD. Moreover, FC upregulated expressions of OGT and increased O‐GlcNAcylation in the brains of normal but not SD zebrafish. Intriguingly, upregulation of O‐GlcNAcylation by glucosamine restored defects in L/M functions and PKA/p‐CREB activity in SD group. Our findings highlight the O‐GlcNAcylation changes in the brain during the L/M process and further provide a foundation for future studies seeking the molecular and biochemical mechanisms by which HBP of glucose metabolism affects cognitive function.

Objective: This study examined the effects of display curvature, presbyopia, and task duration on visual fatigue, task performance, and user satisfaction. Background: Although curved displays have been applied to diverse display products, and some studies reported their benefits, it is still unknown whether the effects of display curvature are presbyopia-specific. Method: Each of 64 individuals (eight nonpresbyopes and eight presbyopes per display curvature) performed four 15-min proofreading tasks at one display curvature radius setting (600R, 1140R, 4000R, and flat; mm). Diverse measurements were obtained to assess visual fatigue, task performance, and user satisfaction. Results: The mean pupil diameter was the largest with 1140R, indicating this curvature radius was associated with the least development of visual fatigue; 600R was comparable with 1140R in terms of pupil diameter. The presbyopic group showed a 28.5% slower proofreading speed compared with the nonpresbyopic group, whereas their proofreading accuracy was comparable. For both groups, the mean visual fatigue increased significantly during the first 15 min of proofreading, as indicated by a decrease of 0.11 mm in the mean pupil diameter, an increase of 3.8 in the mean bulbar conjunctival redness, and an increase of 9.13 in the mean eye complaint questionnaire score. Conclusion: The effect of display curvature was not presbyopia-specific. Low visual fatigue was observed with 1140R and 600R. Application: Display curvature radii near or in the range of 600R and 1140R and frequent breaks are recommended for both presbyopic and nonpresbyopic groups to reduce their visual fatigue due to visual display terminal tasks.

For ergonomic design and product evaluation, a digital human model simulation (DHMS) system is widely used in many areas. In this study, a systematic method was proposed to create dynamic motions of digital human model (DHM) in the RAMSIS software, one of the DHMS systems and a case study was implemented to create ingress and egress motions in a car mockup; a motion capture system collected the trajectory data of markers attached to the participants' body parts. In the RAMSIS software, a digital human model, "Manikin," was created with their anthropometric data. Also, the dynamic motions of Manikin were created by the Actor and the Character, DHMs from another DHMS system (MotionBuilder) by using the trajectory data of its joint points. In a case study, participants performed experiments to enter and exit the car mockup with 37 markers attached to their bodies for the motion capture system. Through the proposed systematic method, ingress and egress motions of its Manikin were successfully created.