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This paper examines the impact of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on China's political influence in international affairs, as mediated by Chinese economic integration with the BRI countries. We propose that the BRI plays a role in influencing partner countries to support China's presence in the international community, and the economic integration of the BRI positively mediates the willingness of partner countries to align with China in international affairs. This paper uses panel data from 147 BRI countries collected between 2009 and 2020, and the difference-in-differences method, to estimate the political influence of the BRI. The results suggest that the BRI motivates partner countries to support the growth of China's influence in international affairs. The results of the causal mechanism analysis indicate that a significant and positive association between the implementation of the BRI and China's influence is mediated by promoting Chinese contracts, trade overseas, and outward FDI. The examinations of heterogeneity demonstrate that BRI countries that are developing, non-landlocked, non-neighboring, having signed the memorandum of understanding or cooperation memorandum of understanding, or lacking a Chinese investment guide are more likely to support China's political presence. This paper concludes with insights into how China implements the BRI to enhance its political ascent in the global order by facilitating economic integration of the BRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: A total of 90,000 capture probes derived from wheat and Thinopyrumelongatum were integrated into one chip, which served as an economical genotype for explorating Thinopyrumspecies and their derivatives. Thinopyrum species play a crucial role as a source of new genetic variations for enhancing wheat traits, including resistance to both abiotic and biotic factors. Accurate identification of exogenous chromosome(s) or chromosome segments or genes is essential following the introduction of alien genetic material into wheat, but this task remains challenging. This study aimed to develop a high-resolution wheat–Thinopyrum elongatum array, named GenoBaits®WheatplusEE, to trace alien genetic information by genotyping using a target sequencing system. This GenoBaits®WheatplusEE array included 90,000 capture probes derived from two species and integrated into one chip, with 10,000 and 80,000 originating from wheat and Th. elongatum, respectively. The capture probes were strategically positioned in genes and evenly distributed across the genome, facilitating the development of a roadmap for identifying each alien gene. The array was applied to the high-throughput identification of the alien chromosomes or segments in Thinopyrum and distantly related species and their derivatives. Our results demonstrated that the GenoBaits®WheatplusEE array could be used for direct identification of the breakpoint of alien segments, determine copy number of alien chromosomes, and reveal variations in wheat chromosomes by a single round of target sequencing of the sample. Additionally, we could efficiently and cost-effectively genotype, supporting the exploration of subgenome composition, phylogenetic relationships, and polymorphisms in essential genes (e.g., Fhb7 gene) among Thinopyrum species and their derivatives. We hope that GenoBaits®WheatplusEE will become a widely adopted tool for exporting wild germplasm for wheat improvement in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic mechanism of favorable allele variation in germplasm resources was revealed to fully exploit their excellent agronomic and drought resistance traits. For many years, phenotypic evaluation and quality analysis were used to identify 66 strong drought-resistant varieties and one strong gluten variety from 323 wheat local germplasm resources. The 55 K SNP marker was used to investigate the association between major agronomic traits. Under irrigation conditions, 17 SNP loci were significantly correlated with major agronomic characteristics, 8 related candidate genes were annotated. Under drought stress and irrigation conditions, 32 SNP loci were significantly correlated with major agronomic characteristics, 24 related candidate genes were annotated. Three SNP loci were significantly associated with multiple traits, one SNP loci was stable and correlated considerably with spike length in multiple environments.154 significant association sites with drought resistance-related traits in wheat maturity were identified using whole gene association analysis of drought tolerance coefficient of yield-related characteristics, 50 functional candidate genes were annotated and six candidate genes were screened out that may participate in the drought stress response of yield-related traits at the adult stage. These findings also served as a foundation for subsequent gene cloning and molecular marker-assisted drought-resistant wheat breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Flanking markers useful for identifying hybrid necrosis alleles were identified by fine mapping Ne1 and Ne2 and the distribution of the two necrosis genes was investigated in Chinese elite wheat varieties. Hybrid necrosis of wheat is caused by the interaction of two dominant complementary genes Ne1 and Ne2 present separately in normal parents and is regarded as a barrier to gene transfer in wheat breeding. However, the necrosis alleles still occur at a high frequency in modern wheat varieties. In this study, we constructed two high-density genetic maps of Ne1 and Ne2 in winter wheat. In these cultivars, Ne1 was found to be located in a span interval of 0.50 centimorgan (cM) on chromosome 5BL delimited by markers Nwu_5B_4137 and Nwu_5B_5114, while Ne2 co-segregated with markers Lseq102 and TC67744 on 2BS. Statistical analysis confirmed that the dosage effect of Ne1 and Ne2 also existed in moderate and severe hybrid necrosis systems, and the symptoms of necrosis can also be affected by the genetic background. Furthermore, we clarified the discrete distribution and proportion of the Ne1 and Ne2 in the 10 China's agro-ecological production zones. We concluded that 26.2% and 33.2% of the 1364 cultivars (lines) were genotyped with Ne1Ne1ne2ne2 and ne1ne1Ne2Ne2, respectively and introduced modern cultivars should directly affect the frequencies of necrosis genes in modern Chinese cultivars (lines), especially that of Ne2. Taking investigations in spring wheat together, we proposed that hybrid necrosis alleles could positively affect breeding owing to their linked excellent genes such as Lr13. Additionally, based on the pedigrees and hybridization tests, we speculated that the Ne1 and Ne2 in winter wheat may directly originate from wild emmer and introduced cultivars or hexaploid triticale, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psathyrostachys huashanica Keng f. ex P.C.Kuo (2n = 2x = 14, NsNs) harbor numerous useful genes and exhibit application prospects as a breeding resource via distant hybridization. Here, a Wheat-P. huashanica alien substitution line, derived from common wheat 7182 and P. huashanica, was characterized by Multiple experimental evidences. The cytological results showed the chromosome number of the line was 42. Genomic in situ hybridization and fluorescence in situ hybridization (GISH-FISH) analysis indicated the line had a pair of chromosomes Ns from P. huashanica, and 40 chromosomes from common wheat. Verification using expressed sequence tag–sequence tagged site (EST-STS) (BE497584, BE443796, BG313767), polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based landmark unique gene (PLUG) (TNAC1026-HaeIII, TNAC1043-TaqI, TNAC1091-HaeIII) and high molecular weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) markers confirmed that a pair of wheat chromosomes 1D in the line were substituted by a pair of P. huashanica chromosomes 1Ns. Therefore, we can conclude that the alien chromosome line was a wheat- P. huashanica 1Ns(1D) disomic substitution line and named as wheat-Ph1D. In comparison to the common wheat parent 7182, agronomic trait evaluations showed that wheat-Ph1D exhibited significant improvements, including plant height, grain length, thousand-grain weight, the contents of crude protein and gluten protein, starch content, dough stability time and resistant to stripe rust at the adult stage. Consequently, wheat-Ph1D could be a potential bridge material in wheat breeding with specific agronomic traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distant hybridizations are important for developing common wheat germplasm. Thinopyrum ponticum (2n = 10x = 70), which is a wild relative of wheat, has numerous advantages for enhancing the tolerance of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses. ES-11 and ES-12 are two stable lines derived from a cross between the Triticum aestivum–Th. ponticum partial amphiploid line Xiaoyan784 (2n = 8x = 56) and the wheat Abbondanza nullisomic lines (2n = 40) involving consecutive self-crosses and cytological marker-assisted selection. Lines ES-11 and ES-12 were characterized by a cytogenetic analysis, a sequential fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)–genomic in situ hybridization (GISH), and a multicolor GISH (mc-GISH) combined with an analysis of functional molecular markers. Moreover, their agronomic traits and disease resistance were evaluated. The cytogenetic results suggested that ES-11 and ES-12 contained 42 chromosomes. In ES-12, wheat chromosome 3D was replaced by a pair of Th. ponticum 3St chromosomes for a genome composition of 14A + 14B + 12D + 2(3St). In ES-11, wheat chromosome 3B and 4D were replaced by chromosomes 3St and 4 J, respectively, for a genome composition of 14A + 12B + 12D + 2(3St) +2(4J). The detected recombination between chromosomes 3St and 4J and the structural variation of chromosome 2A were due to the introduction of two pairs of Th. ponticum chromosomes. Additionally, ES-11 and ES-12 were resistant to stripe rust at the seedling and adult stages. Thus, the highly disease-resistant wheat–Th. ponticum disomic substitution line (ES-12) and double substitution line (ES-11) are potentially useful germplasms for breeding disease-resistant wheat lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New anti- Candida albicans drugs are needed due to the emergence of resistant cases in recent years. Perillaldehyde (PAE) is a natural monoterpenoid compound derived from Perilla frutescens. The minimum inhibitory concentration of PAE against C. albicans was 0.4 μL/mL. We aimed to elucidate the antifungal mode of action of PAE against C. albicans. The antifungal activity of PAE against C. albicans was found to correlate with an elevation in intracellular Ca and accumulation of ROS. Several downstream apoptosis events such as the disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential, phosphatidylserine externalization, cytochrome c release, and metacaspase activation were observed in PAE-treated cells. DNA damage and nuclear fragmentation assays also revealed apoptosis of C. albicans cells. In summary, by means of fluorescent microscopy, flow cytometer analysis, and Western blot, our data uncovered that PAE exerts its antifungal activity through Ca and oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis mechanisms. This study deciphered the mode of action of PAE, which will be useful in the design of improved antifungal therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we are concerned with discontinuous elliptic problems with VMO-coefficients in divergence form under natural and controllable growth conditions. We obtain that the weak solution u is locally Hölder continuous besides a singular set by using $$\mathcal {A}$$ -harmonic approximation, where the Hölder exponent $$\alpha \in (0,1)$$ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robots are developing in much the same way that personal computers did 40 years ago, and robot operating system is the critical basis. Current robot software is mainly designed for individual robots. We present in this paper the design of micROS, a morphable, intelligent and collective robot operating system for future collective and collaborative robots. We first present the architecture of micROS, including the distributed architecture for collective robot system as a whole and the layered architecture for every single node. We then present the design of autonomous behavior management based on the observe-orient-decide-act cognitive behavior model and the design of collective intelligence including collective perception, collective cognition, collective game and collective dynamics. We also give the design of morphable resource management, which first categorizes robot resources into physical, information, cognitive and social domains, and then achieve morphability based on self-adaptive software technology. We finally deploy micROS on NuBot football robots and achieve significant improvement in real-time performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluated pulping performance of 3-year-old field-grown transgenic poplar (Populus tremula x Populus alba). The transgenic poplar with anti-sense CCoAOMT had an about 13% decreased lignin content, in which a slight increment was found in SIG ratio. Chemical analysis showed that the transgenic poplar had significantly less benezene-ethanol extractive than that of control wood, but no significant differences were found in contents of ash, cold water extractive, hot water extractive, 1% NaOH extractive, holocellulose, pentosans and cellulose. Fiber assay demonstrated that down-regulation of CCoAOMT expression improved the fiber quality in transgenic poplar. Kraft pulping showed that lower lignin in transgenic poplar led to remarkable improved pulp quality and increased pulp yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Calcium and oxidative stress mediate perillaldehyde-induced apoptosis in Candida albicans,"