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Economic globalization in the 21st century has been characterized by the rise and spread of global value chains (GVCs). It faces significant challenges due to increasing domestic and international policy uncertainty in the context of emerging mega risks like geopolitical tensions and climate change. This paper begins by constructing a theoretical model for an open economy to study how risk‐averse firms make decisions regarding the sourcing of intermediate inputs in an uncertain environment. Our model solution proposes that firms will source fewer intermediate inputs from countries with more economic uncertainty. An increase in domestic and foreign uncertainty will have opposite impacts on a country's position in GVCs. In this sense, we argue that a country tends to move downstream along GVCs if its own economic policies become more uncertain, and it tends to move upstream with an increase in the uncertainty of its trading partner countries. Our regression analyses, based on data including the World Input–Output Database, World Development Indicators, the UN Comtrade database, and the Economic Policy Uncertainty Index, provide empirical support for this model‐based conclusion. Our findings highlight that a nation must consider foreign economic policy uncertainty and maintain domestic policy stability to participate in GVCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Gibberellins (GAs) play crucial roles in regulating plant architecture and grain yield of crops. In rice, the inactivation of endogenous bioactive GAs and their precursors by GA 2‐oxidases (GA2oxs) regulates stem elongation and reproductive development. However, the regulatory mechanisms of GA2ox gene expression, especially in rice reproductive organs, are unknown. The BEL1‐like homeodomain protein OsBLH4, a negative regulatory factor for the rice OsGA2ox1 gene, was identified in this study. Loss of OsBLH4 function results in decreased bioactive GA levels and pleiotropic phenotypes, including reduced plant height, decreased grain number per panicle, and delayed heading date, as also observed in OsGA2ox1‐overexpressing plants. Consistent with the mutant phenotype, OsBLH4 was predominantly expressed in shoots and young spikelets; its encoded protein was exclusively localized in the nucleus. Molecular analysis demonstrated that OsBLH4 directly bound to the promoter region of OsGA2ox1 to repress its expression. Genetic assays revealed that OsBLH4 acts upstream of OsGA2ox1 to control rice plant height, grain number, and heading date. Taken together, these results indicate a crucial role for OsBLH4 in regulating rice plant architecture and yield potential via regulation of bioactive GA levels, and provide a potential strategy for genetic improvements of rice. Significance Statement: GA 2‐oxidases (GA2oxs) play crucial roles in regulating plant architecture and yield by inactivating endogenous bioactive GAs and their precursors, but the regulatory mechanisms of GA2ox gene expression remain unclear. This study identifies that OsBLH4, a member of the BEL1‐like homeodomain proteins, acts upstream of OsGA2ox1, modulates endogenous bioactive GA levels, and regulates stem elongation and reproductive development in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an increasingly urbanized world, there is an urgent need to examine how cities may evolve and achieve sustainability. This paper systematically looks at the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the Poyang Lake Region (PLR) in China to examine the spatial processes for insights into cities and urbanization, balancing the environmental and socio‐economic dimensions. A total of 226 805 cells are analyzed to unveil the relationship between sustainability changes in 2015–2019 period and urban form indicators, considering sociodemographic variables, geographical features, and city size as control variables. Two tree‐based machine learning models (Random Forest and XGBoost) are developed. This study provides evidence that a monocentric urban form and a high share of small activity clusters are not good for sustainability. For each urban form indicator, there is a non‐linear relationship with sustainability. The results of the machine learning models reconfirm the sustainability benefits of having a strong second activity cluster comparable to the largest one. When planning cities, some forms of land use buffering are desirable. There is also support for developing relatively large activity nodes and promoting compactness in urban form. Beyond urban form characteristics, the levels of urbanization, economic development, and population are still highly relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deserts play an important role in the climate system, which is closely associated with the emission and transport of dust aerosols. Based on the intensive observation experiment in the Taklimakan Desert, the potential physical processes between the deep convective boundary layer (CBL) and dust emission are revealed in this study. Deep CBL enables the formation of clouds in the late afternoon, leading to significant cooling of surface. Large‐scale buoyant coherent structures thereby transform into the mechanical coherent structures confined near the surface. The responses promote the earlier occurrence of low‐level jet (LLJ) than in cloudless conditions, which allows the downward transport of LLJ momentum and substantially increases surface wind. Therefore, dust emission is initiated by strong wind at dusk and lasts for several hours. The results are useful to predict dust emissions and improve our understanding of distinctive boundary‐layer processes in desert regions. Plain Language Summary: Desert is a key component of regional/global climate system, which is closely associated with the emission and transport of dust aerosols. A better understanding of dust emission mechanisms and their interaction with atmospheric physical processes is of great significance for improving numerical weather and climate models. This study investigates possible physical mechanisms of the dust emission related to deep atmosphere boundary layer, based on the field experiment in the Taklimakan Desert. It is found that the formation of late‐afternoon clouds and the occurrence of wind maxima at 400–600 m are crucial during the processes. Initially, the formation of clouds is enabled by deep atmosphere boundary layer that developed in the late afternoon. After cloud formation, surface becomes cooling, and then the upper part of the boundary layer is gradually released from the surface frictional restraint, which promotes the development of wind maxima at 400–600 m. As the momentum of the wind maxima is transported downwards, surface wind substantially increases, which systematically blows dust particles up. Consequently, dust emission happens at dusk in desert regions. Key Points: Deep convective boundary layer enables the lifting condensation of moisture and the formation of boundary‐layer clouds in desert regionsThe emergence of late‐afternoon clouds strengthens the surface cooling and thus advances the development of low‐level jetDownward momentum transfer from low‐level jet to near‐surface wind is crucial to initiate dust emission at dusk [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turbulent fluxes play a critical role in atmospheric science and are usually calculated from the eddy covariance system. However, the presence of motions of larger scale and the bias from observational instruments often affects the procurement of turbulent fluxes. Based on the Hilbert–Huang transform, the properties of transport can be defined and used to distinguish non‐turbulent motions from the observational data, and a new way of decomposing the variables is thereby put forward to reconstruct the turbulent flux series. To quantify the influence of non‐turbulent motions on the calculation of turbulent flux, the non‐turbulent motions extracted from the five‐level turbulence data of the Tianjin 255‐m meteorological tower from July 1 to August 31, 2017 are examined. The results reveal that the presence of non‐turbulent motion can lead to a universal overestimation of turbulent flux, and the degree of overestimation increases with the complexity and the intensity of non‐turbulent motion. According to the consequences above, an empirical relationship, together with the corresponding coefficients, is given to provide a guidance on the correction of turbulent fluxes in practical use, such as the simulation of atmospheric turbulence and the parameterization in meteorological and climate models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinity has a major impact on rice seed germination, severely limiting rice production. Herein, a rice germination defective mutant under salt stress (gdss) was identified by using chemical mutagenesis. The GDSS gene was detected via MutMap and shown to encode potassium transporter OsHAK9. Phenotypic analysis of complementation and mutant lines demonstrated that OsHAK9 was an essential regulator responsible for seed germination under salt stress. OsHAK9 is highly expressed in germinating seed embryos. Ion contents and non‐invasive micro‐test technology results showed that OsHAK9 restricted K+ efflux in salt‐exposed germinating seeds for the balance of K+/Na+. Disruption of OsHAK9 significantly reduced gibberellin 4 (GA4) levels, and the germination defective phenotype of oshak9a was partly rescued by exogenous GA3 treatment under salt stress. RNA sequencing (RNA‐seq) and real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that the disruption of OsHAK9 improved the GA‐deactivated gene OsGA2ox7 expression in germinating seeds under salt stress, and the expression of OsGA2ox7 was significantly inhibited by salt stress. Null mutants of OsGA2ox7 created using clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR‐associated nuclease 9 approach displayed a dramatically increased seed germination ability under salt stress. Overall, our results highlight that OsHAK9 regulates seed germination performance under salt stress involving preventing GA degradation by mediating OsGA2ox7, which provides a novel clue about the relationship between GA and OsHAKs in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertical exchange between the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and free troposphere (FT) is a key link in coupling the earth's surface and upper atmosphere. This process is usually quantified by numerical simulations, while its reliability is not well assessed until now. Using space‐time intensified ABL observations, we evaluate the ABL‐FT air mass exchange flux derived from the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model. A six‐site sounding experiment is conducted in the North China Plain during the wintertime of 2019. The measured data is processed to provide enough information to derive the vertical exchange flux corresponding to the model‐based result, so that a systematic comparison is conducted. Three physical processes involved in ABL‐FT vertical exchange are quantitatively evaluated, that is, temporal variation of ABL height, advection across the inclined ABL top, and vertical motion at the ABL‐FT interface. Results show that the model‐based and observation‐based fluxes are generally agreed in temporal evolution (R = 0.67, p < 0.01), both characterized by 4–6 days periodicity and diurnal cycle. Their relative mean error was about 45% during the whole study period, mainly stemming from the vertical motion term and the advection crossing term. The model inaccuracy in representing these relevant processes at the ABL top is largely responsible for the discrepancy. Besides, the difference may also be attributed to the observational uncertainty (∼22%) that is caused by the measurement's difficulties in determining ABL spatial variation and acquiring vertical velocity. Through this study, the credibility and limitation of the WRF model in deriving ABL‐FT exchange flux are quantified. Plain Language Summary: The vertical exchange between the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and free troposphere (FT) plays a crucial role in atmospheric matter transport and energy flow, affecting weather systems, atmospheric chemistry, air pollution and climate change. This process is usually quantified by numerical simulation. This work aims to evaluate the reliability of the air exchange flux derived from a meteorological model, using comprehensive observation data in 1 month. The result shows that the model‐based exchange flux can reproduce the temporal evolution of the observation‐based exchange flux, including 4–6 days periodicity and diurnal variation. The overall relative difference between simulated and observed fluxes is about 45% during the whole study period. A more detailed comparison of each component term is conducted to investigate the causes of the discrepancy. We found that the difference is partly attributed to the model inaccuracy in representing the ABL top spatial variation and the vertical velocity at this layer. Additionally, a 22% uncertainty in observation‐based flux introduced by the relevant data processing is also an important reason. The evaluation result provides a quantitative reference to understand the biases in the meteorological model and their impact on ABL‐FT vertical exchange simulation study. Key Points: The air exchange flux between the boundary layer and free troposphere is reproduced by the WRF model with synoptic and diurnal variationsThe model‐derived exchange flux deviates from observation‐derived flux with a relative difference of 45%The deviation is mainly attributed to simulation‐observation differences in vertical motion and spatial gradient at the boundary layer top [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turbulence intermittency driven by submeso motions limits the progress of turbulence theory. Field observations from the Horqin Atmospheric Boundary‐Layer and Environment Experimental Station, China were used to investigate turbulence intermittency. An automated algorithm to Separate and reconstruct Submeso and Turbulent motions (SST) was improved for more accurately extraction and quantitative characterization of submeso motions. The existing intermittency intensity indexes, the local intermittency strength of turbulence (LIST) and intermittency strength (IS), which are based on kinetic energy only, are revised by considering the potential energy of submeso and turbulent motions to quantify intermittency intensity more comprehensively. The analysis of eight cases revealed that turbulent intermittency events are characterized by quiescent (pulsation, material, and energy transportation are weak) and burst (pulsation, material, and energy transportation fluctuate violently) periods. The conversion of both the kinetic and potential energy of submeso to turbulent motion contributes to the transition from quiescent to burst periods. The transition always occurs after ∆TE$$ \Delta \mathrm{TE} $$ <0 (the total energy difference between the submeso motion and turbulence), followed by a significant increase in ∆TE$$ \Delta \mathrm{TE} $$. Atmospheric stability decreases during the transition from quiescent to burst periods in most cases. In a totally intermittent night, the burst periods take up most of the material and energy transport, and the amount transported is not smaller than that during a totally turbulent night. The weaker the intermittency at night, the greater the capacity of turbulent transport. A comparison of five types of turbulence intermittency intensity indexes highlights the consistency and advantages between LIST (IS) and indexes in the literature. Finally, we found that turbulent intermittency events tended to occur more easily in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) with small winds (U < 2 m s−1) or stable stratification (Rib > 1), although they can also occur in ABL with unstable stratification and in the non‐stationary state of the day–night transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field campaign was carried out in the North China Plain (NCP) spanning 4 years and formed a dataset of more than 2,700 planetary boundary layer (PBL) sounding samples (872 in summer and 1,841 in winter). Based on these data, fundamental aspects of the PBL climatology over this region were investigated. First, the ensemble mean features of the PBL were revealed. The maximum PBL height in the daytime reaches 1,079 versus 786 m (summer vs. winter, hereafter the same), while about 200 m at nighttime. The bulk mean temperature and specific humidity across the PBL in summer are significantly higher than those in winter (24.0 vs. −0.5°C; 8.9 vs. 1.7 g⋅kg−1, respectively). Mean wind speed within the PBL keeps almost the same in winter and summer (4.5 m⋅s−1) but with a seasonal difference in wind direction (southerly vs. northwesterly). Second, significant diurnal variations within/above the PBL were quantified. Day‐night temperature contrast is largest near the ground (7.9 vs. 5.1°C), and it decreases with height to almost a constant above the PBL. Diurnal variation amplitude of specific humidity is about 1.0 versus 0.3 g⋅kg−1. Diurnal variation of winds also supports the extended influence of the earth surface across the PBL. Third, the local influence on the PBL over the NCP is also presented. PBL height is higher in the plain centre; temperature is lower in coast than inland; winds in the PBL are strongly modulated by local or mesoscale circulations including the plain wind and sea breeze; low‐level jets are common at summer night over the central and eastern parts of the NCP. Analysis reveals possible energy and water vapour exchange across the PBL, and additional heating mechanism above the PBL (e.g., solar radiation absorption). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dissimilarity between the turbulent transport of momentum and heat under unstable conditions and its physical mechanisms are investigated in this study, based on the multiple‐level turbulence observation from the Tianjin 255‐m meteorological tower. The transport dissimilarity is observed from the surface layer to the lower part of mixed layer as atmospheric instability increases. Although the transport dissimilarity is accompanied by the development of plumes and thermals under unstable conditions, plumes and thermals can produce intense transport both of momentum and heat simultaneously. It is convective circulations induced by vigorous thermals that cause transport dissimilarity. The horizontal divergence generated by convective circulations imposes a dominant large‐scale reduction in the along‐wind velocity component near the surface, which is related to increased counter gradient transport of momentum, while the temporal variations in temperature mainly reflect the role of plumes and thermals and thus the transport of heat is predominantly down‐gradient. This difference in respective physical processes subsequently leads to dissimilar transport between momentum and heat under unstable conditions. Therefore, it is of great interest to represent the influence of convective circulations on the momentum‐flux estimation in future investigations, aiming to improve the boundary‐layer parameterization schemes for mesoscale numerical weather models. Plain Language Summary: The turbulent transport of momentum and scalars (e.g., heat, water vapor, carbon dioxide) between the land surface and the atmosphere is crucial for the prediction of weather and climate. It has been considered that turbulence transports momentum and scalars similarly in atmospheric numerical models. However, an increasing number of studies have shown that there is often the dissimilarity between the turbulent transport of momentum and scalars in the actual atmosphere. Specially, the transport dissimilarity between the momentum and heat is more significant with increasing atmospheric instability, and it coincides with the appearance of plumes and thermals (i.e., a kind of turbulent coherent structures). Until now, how the coherent structures physically cause the transport dissimilarity is still debated. Using the multiple‐level turbulence observation from the Tianjin 255‐m meteorological tower, it is clarified that it is not the presence of plumes and thermals that directly causes the transport dissimilarity, but other physical processes relevant to them, which is proved to be convective circulations in this study. The horizontal divergence generated by convective circulations affects the wind field in the surface layer, and then modifies the transport of momentum, leading to the dissimilar transport between momentum and heat under unstable conditions. Key Points: Transport dissimilarity between momentum and heat exists from the surface layer to the lower part of mixed layer under unstable conditionsPlumes and thermals induce intense transport both of momentum and heatTransport dissimilarity links to the horizontal divergence caused by convective circulations as the atmospheric instability increases [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind climatology is significant for applications from weather forecasting to air pollution control. Investigation of wind climates in the North China Plain (NCP) region is insufficient yet. Based on hourly observational data at 94 surface weather stations from 2014 to 2020, wind climatic features in the NCP region were examined using statistical and clustering methods. The seasonal average wind speed over this region is the highest in spring (2.7 m·s−1), followed by winter (2.5 m·s−1), and weakest in summer and autumn (2.0 and 1.9 m·s−1). The annual mean wind speed is higher in the mountainous and coastal areas (2.0–2.5 m·s−1) but lower in the plains (1.5–2.0 m·s−1). Mountain–plain/valley winds and sea–land breezes are important in the associated areas. Wind fields in the plains are variable, possibly due to the coexistence of multiple synoptic winds and regional thermal circulations. Monthly mean background wind fields display that northwesterly and southeasterly winds prevail over this region in winter and summer, respectively. Local winds, that is, mountain–plain winds and sea–land breezes, vary diurnally, but a time lag of about 3 hr exists between them. Synoptic winds act as a mediate wind system between local and background winds, being identified into eight patterns using a hierarchical clustering method. Among them, two patterns featuring a weak wind convergence zone along the mountains (36%) and three patterns featuring southerlies (55%) are major synoptic winds in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study estimates long‐term PM2.5 exchange flux between the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and free troposphere (FT) in the North China Plain. The effect of PM2.5 long‐range transport (LRT) on air quality in downwind regions is also assessed. The PM2.5 exchange fluxes are calculated based on a mass budget method with data from WRF‐Chem simulations, during wintertime months (November, December, and January) in 2014, 2016, and 2017 (represent moderate, heavier, and less polluted years). The overall PM2.5 exchange exhibits clear topographical correlation and diurnal variation. The plain area is characterized by a considerable upward flux of −0.13 μg m−2 s−1 (in a 3‐year average), acting as an effective source for LRT. ABL height variation contributes significantly to the diurnal cycle of PM2.5 vertical exchange. Over the mountainside and ridge areas, the PM2.5 exchange flux is downward and its diurnal variation is weak, due to the dominant cross‐mountain descent flows. Four LRT patterns in the FT are identified, that is, eastward, southward, recirculation, and local stagnation. They can affect air quality in Northeast China, Yangtze River Delta, South Korea, and Japan. Indicating with averages and standard deviations, the PM2.5 concentration increases (relative contribution) for these four target regions over the 3‐year winter period are respectively 5.5 ± 4.8 μg m−3 (12.6 ± 10.9%), 4.6 ± 4.5 μg m−3 (8.4 ± 6.4%), 4.4 ± 3.9 μg m−3 (5.2 ± 4.4%), and 1.6 ± 0.9 μg m−3 (2.6 ± 1.6%). While the maximum impacts can be 36.7 μg m−3 (59%), 31.1 μg m−3 (41%), 25.7 μg m−3 (30%), and 7.2 μg m−3 (13%), respectively. Plain Language Summary: The PM2.5 exchange between the boundary layer and the free troposphere is a key process directly affecting air pollution transport and influence scale. This study estimates the PM2.5 vertical exchange flux over the North China Plain (NCP) during wintertime in 2014, 2016, and 2017, and quantifies the impact of the subsequent long‐range transport on air quality in downstream areas. The long‐term average PM2.5 exchange flux is closely related to the topographic distribution and has diurnal variation characteristics. The plain area is characterized by considerable PM2.5 vertical outflow, allowing the pollutants to be transported long distances in the free troposphere. There are four transport patterns with the main affected areas being the Yangtze River Delta, Northeast China, South Korea, and Japan, as well as the NCP itself. PM2.5 concentration increases due to the long‐range transport for these areas are quantified. These results provide a more solid understanding of atmospheric transport and large‐scale air pollution. Key Points: PM2.5 vertical exchange flux over the North China Plain is characterized by topographical distribution and diurnal variationThe plain area provides an effective PM2.5 source for long‐range transport in the free troposphere with a seasonal average upward flux of −0.13 μg m−2 s−1Four long‐range transport patterns are identified and PM2.5 concentration contributions to downstream regions are quantified [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Mangrove forests are important coastal wetlands for the blue carbon budget and play a significant role in mitigating global climate change. However, spatial patterns of carbon stocks in mangrove forests on an island scale have not been quantified owing to methodological limitations and lack of understanding of controlling factors. We took the entire Hainan Island as a case study and aimed to carry out a comprehensive investigation of the spatial patterns and driving factors of carbon stocks in mangrove forests. Location: Southern China. Time period: 2017–2020. Major taxa studied: Mangrove forest. Methods: The upscaling method combined with field surveys and Sentinel‐2 imagery analysis were used to compare different models for optimization of mangrove ecosystem carbon stock estimations. We also used structural equation modelling (SEM) to evaluate the factors driving the distributional patterns of mangrove carbon stocks on an island scale. Results: The current total mangrove carbon stock of the entire Hainan Island was estimated to be 703,181 Mg C (with a mean density of 192 Mg C/ha), with the above‐ and below‐ground carbon stocks averaging at 44.7 and 147.3 Mg C/ha, respectively. The mangrove carbon storage in the north‐eastern region of the island was the highest and in the west region the lowest. Sediment nitrogen content and plant species diversity had the most positive driving effects on the distribution of total carbon stock for Hainan Island mangroves. Main conclusions: The combination of field surveys and Sentinel‐2 imagery analysis can be applied to regional‐scale estimations of carbon stocks for mangrove forests. Spatial pattens of mangrove carbon stocks vary among locations on Hainan Island, and soil nutrient (especially nitrogen) availability is the dominant factor regulating carbon stock variations along the land‐to‐sea gradient. Our findings have significant implications for better understanding the distribution of mangrove carbon stocks and quantification of the global blue carbon budget. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deep convective boundary layer (CBL) in the Taklimakan Desert plays an important role in the climate system in East Asia. Based on the observation experiment and large‐eddy simulation, turbulent mechanisms for its formation were revealed in this study. This explained why the daily maximum CBL depth was independent of surface heating. In the late‐morning, there was a weak temperature inversion and a near‐neutral residual layer (RL) above the CBL. With the development of the CBL, stronger convection could penetrate the RL and even overshoot the top of the RL. The distinctive boundary‐layer process entrained free‐tropospheric air to warm the RL and then promoted the entrainment of the warmed air in the RL into the CBL. This extra energy supply effectively contributed to the growth of the CBL. With further positive feedback between the CBL and RL depths, a deeper CBL would form in consecutive fair‐weather conditions. Plain Language Summary: The atmospheric boundary layer controls the exchange of momentum, heat, and mass between the land surface and the free atmosphere. Contrary to the typical 1,000–2,000 m over land, the convective boundary layer (CBL) in the Taklimakan Desert can reach 5,000 m. By coupling with the Tibetan Plateau, the deep CBL becomes a key component of the climate system in East Asia. Traditionally, it is considered that intense surface heating is the primary reason for its formation, but our correlation analysis shows that surface heating can only maintain a CBL of ∼1,800 m. To understand the potential physical processes, we further modeled the development of the deep CBL and found that the presences of weak temperature inversion and near‐neutral residual layer (RL) above the CBL are crucial. The distinctive vertical structure leads to a unique boundary‐layer process, which entrains warm air from the higher level into the RL and further promotes the warmed air in the RL to be entrained into the CBL. The special energy supply is key to the formation of deep CBL. The results are helpful to understand the land‐atmosphere interactions under climate change and improve the numerical weather prediction in northern China and even East Asia. Key Points: The convective boundary layer (CBL) in the Taklimakan Desert commonly developed to 3,000 m and even reached over 5,000 m in summerStrongly penetrative convection could overshoot the top of near‐neutral residual layer (RL) and entrain free‐tropospheric air into the RLThe warmed RL strengthened the entrainment heating, which supplied extra energy for the further development of deep CBL [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The cultivation of rice varieties with high seed vigour is vital for the direct seeding of rice, and the molecular basis of regulation of seed vigour remains elusive. Here, we cloned a new gene OsHIPL1, which encodes hedgehog‐interacting protein‐like 1 protein as a causal gene of the major QTL qSV3 for rice seed vigour. OsHIPL1 was mainly localized in the plasma membrane and nucleus. RNA sequencing (RNA‐seq) revealed that the ABA‐related genes were involved in the OsHIPL1 regulation of seed vigour in rice. The higher levels of endogenous ABA were measured in germinating seeds of OsHIPL1 mutants and NIL‐qsv3 line compared to IR26 plants, with two up‐regulated ABA biosynthesis genes (OsZEP and OsNCED4) and one down‐regulated ABA catabolism gene OsABA8ox3. The expression of abscisic acid‐insensitive 3 (OsABI3), OsABI4 and OsABI5 was significantly up‐regulated in germinating seeds of OsHIPL1 mutants and NIL‐qsv3 line compared to IR26 plants. These results indicate that the regulation of seed vigour of OsHIPL1 may be through modulating endogenous ABA levels and altering OsABIs expression during seed germination in rice. Meanwhile, we found that OsHIPL1 interacted with the aquaporin OsPIP1;1, then affected water uptake to promote rice seed germination. Based on analysis of single‐nucleotide polymorphism data of rice accessions, we identified a Hap1 haplotype of OsHIPL1 that was positively correlated with seed germination. Our findings showed novel insights into the molecular mechanism of OsHIPL1 on seed vigour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Oryza sativa L. (rice) is one of the most important crops in the world, and grain size is a major component determining rice yield. Recent studies have identified a number of grain size regulators, which are involved in phytohormone signaling, G protein signaling, the mitogen‐activated protein kinase signaling pathway, the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway or transcriptional regulation. In a previous study, we cloned qGL3/OsPPKL1 encoding a rice protein phosphatase that negatively modulates brassinosteroid (BR) signaling and grain length. Here, to further explore the qGL3‐mediated BR signaling network, we performed phosphoproteomic screenings using two pairs of rice materials: the indica rice cultivar 9311 and its near‐isogenic line NILqgl3 and the japonica rice cultivar Dongjin and its qGL3 knockout mutant m‐qgl3. Together with qGL3‐interacting proteins, we constructed the qGL3‐mediated network, which reveals the relationships between BR signaling and other critical signaling pathways. Transgenic plants of these network components showed BR‐related alterations in plant architecture. From this network, we validated a qGL3‐interacting protein, O. sativa VERNALIZATION INSENSITIVE 3‐LIKE 1 (OsVIL1), and demonstrated that qGL3 dephosphorylates OsVIL1 to modulate BR signaling. The qGL3‐dependent network uncovered in this study increases our understanding of BR signaling and provides a profound foundation for addressing how BR modulates plant architecture in rice. Significance Statement: To enrich the rice brassinosteroid (BR) signaling pathway, the qGL3‐dependent network was constructed with phosphoproteomic and interactomic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The luminescence characteristics of the hexagonal GaN (h‐GaN) and cubic GaN (c‐GaN) on micropatterned Si(100) substrates are explored. Microstripes of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells in the cubic and hexagonal phases are grown on V‐grooved Si(100) substrate. The crystal phases are identified by X‐ray diffraction and selective area electron diffraction, which shows the top surface is c‐GaN(001) phase at the center and h‐GaN(11¯01) at the side regions. Then, the energy dispersive X‐ray spectra of the indium content demonstrate the indium content in cubic InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (c‐MQWs) is higher than that in hexagonal InGaN/GaN MQWs (h‐MQWs). In addition, photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence measurements reveal that a cubic InGaN/GaN quantum well has produced longer wavelengths. The c‐MQWs could incorporate higher indium content and realize longer wavelength emissions, which has great potential to realize red light emitting diode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the role of cross‐border e‐commerce on China's import growth, using the promulgation of cross‐border e‐commerce‐related policies since 2012 as a quasi‐natural experiment and using the 'Cross‐border E‐commerce Retail Import Commodity List' to identify cross‐border e‐commerce industries. Our difference‐in‐difference results show that cross‐border e‐commerce has significantly boosted China's import growth. Dynamic effects show that while China's imports were low prior to 2012, cross‐border e‐commerce has increased China's imports significantly since 2012, verifying the validity of our baseline results. Placebo tests and a series of robustness checks further confirm the validity and robustness of the baseline results. Further analysis reveals that cross‐border e‐commerce has mainly promoted imports from developed countries, and primarily facilitated imports of clothing, food and daily necessities. Mechanism analysis shows that cross‐border e‐commerce not only stimulated both the intensive and extensive margins in import growth, but also reduced cultural distances and increased China's imports from countries with larger cultural distances substantially. However, geographical and institutional distances still matter and exhibit significantly negative effects on China's cross‐border e‐commerce imports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice false smut is an important rice seed‐borne disease caused by the fungus Ustilaginoidea virens. It is vital to develop assays for the detection and identification of U. virens in rice seeds. Here, we present a simple and visual detection method for the rapid diagnosis of U. virens in rice seeds based on a loop‐mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay. This LAMP assay was optimized using a set of six primers targeting a specific region of the APN1 (aminopeptidase N1) gene, which encodes a peptide‐terminated enzyme. Compared with the previously reported LAMP methods, a metal ion indicator dye hydroxy naphthol blue (HNB) was added to the prereaction solution in this study to reduce the contamination risks. Among the genomic DNA of 5 strains of U. virens and 13 other fungi, only the five tubes containing U. virens DNA showed a colour change from violet to sky blue. The sensitivity of the LAMP assay with the HNB dye was 100 pg of DNA, which was 10 times more sensitive than that of conventional PCR. This LAMP approach was also verified by testing rice seed samples, including infested seeds, and the U. virens in the rice seeds could be detected. These results indicate that this LAMP assay with a group of six primers targeting a specific region of the APN1 gene is a simple and visual detection method that can be applied for the rapid detection of U. virens in rice seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of cation‐exchanged RHO zeolites, including H‐RHO, Li‐RHO, Na‐RHO, K‐RHO, Cs‐RHO, Cd‐RHO and Pb‐RHO, were prepared, and the samples were characterised by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, inductive coupled plasma emission spectrometer and N2‐BET. The CO2 and CO adsorption behaviours of the samples were measured at 298 K and 0–10 bar. The Langmuir equation was used to fit adsorption isotherms to compare the separation effect of these RHO zeolites. The results show that extra‐framework cations can effectively adjust the pore size of RHO. Not only it depends on the size of the cation radius, but other factors also play an important role, such as the position of the cation. Besides, compared with CHA structure, RHO structure has better CO2/CO separation performance. In all researched cationic forms of RHO, Li‐RHO, Cd‐RHO and Pb‐RHO have excellent CO2/CO separation effects. Among them, the pore size of Cd‐RHO is significantly reduced, thereby restricting the entry of CO more effectively, ultimately leading to greater shape selectivity. Cd‐RHO not only has the highest CO2 saturated adsorption capacity and CO2 working capacity but also has relatively excellent CO2/CO selectivity, resulting in the sorbent selection parameter (S) is also the largest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mangrove forests, one of the highest carbon density ecosystems, are very different from other forests as they occupy saline and tidal habitats. Although previous studies in forests, shrublands and grasslands have shown a positive effect of biodiversity on plant biomass and carbon storage, it remains unclear whether this relation to biodiversity also exists in mangrove forests.Here, we evaluate the possible effects of mangrove species diversity, structural characteristics and environmental factors on mangrove biomass production and carbon storage, using survey data from 234 field plots of 30 transects in the mangrove forests along the coastlines of Hainan Island, China, during 2017 and 2018.We found that mangrove species diversity had a positive effect, not only on mangrove biomass production but also on soil carbon storage. This positive effect was more strongly evident in the forest communities than in either the shrub communities or forest‐shrub mixed communities, with the forest type having the biggest mangrove biodiversity and carbon storage. Besides, the diversity effect was affected by structural characteristics, namely, mangrove biomass increased exponentially with tree stem diameter and decreased with tree density. Furthermore, we observed a resource‐dependent mediation of the mangrove ecosystem when linking diversity to biomass. The areas with high soil Nitrogen content and Mean annual precipitation (MAP) showed higher mangrove biomass and carbon storage. This suggests that the spatial pattern of mangrove carbon storage and diversity was driven by both climate factors (MAP) and soil fertility (soil N).To our knowledge, this is the first study based on an intensive field survey that has verified the positive effect of biodiversity on mangrove biomass and carbon storage. Our findings suggest that mangrove forests with greater diversity also have higher carbon storage capacities and conservation potential. Thus, biodiversity conservation is crucial for mangroves to mitigate the greenhouse effect. Our findings strengthen the understanding of the diversity effects on mangrove ecosystem services and have important implications for mangrove restoration and conservation. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By analyzing the data collected over a rice paddy field in China, the occurrence of large drag coefficient in light winds (U ≤ 1ms−1) under near‐neutral conditions (−0.1 ≤ z/L ≤ 0.1) is analyzed in this study. It is found that, with the use of either vector‐ or scalar‐averaged wind speed, the drag coefficient under near‐neutral conditions (CDN) always increases with the decrease of wind speed. Such behavior of CDN cannot be interpreted by the change of aerodynamic roughness length z0 because it would need to be enlarged by an order of magnitude. While in light winds, the nonlocal transport, which is caused by large‐scale eddies and overlooked by traditional Monin‐Obukhov Similarity theory, is found to be the main cause of increased CDN. At last, a fixing term related to nonlocal effects is proposed based on our observation, and its applicability is verified with two AmeriFlux observation sites with a landscape of forest and savanna, respectively. Plain Language Summary: According to the Monin‐Obukhov Similarity (MOS) theory, the drag coefficient over land under near‐neutral conditions (CDN) should be a constant and independent of wind speed because of the static surface roughness elements. However, the abnormal increase of CDN in light winds has been reported in many observations. In this study, we first examine the characteristics and mechanisms of the increased CDN in light winds. We conclude that the nonlocal transport caused by large‐scale eddies is the major cause for the increased CDN in light winds. Furthermore, to successfully predict the variation of CDN with wind speed within MOS framework, we propose a fixing term related to nonlocal effects with our rice paddy observations, and the applicability of this fixing term is verified by two AmeriFlux observation sites with a landscape of forest and savanna, respectively. Key Points: The increase of drag coefficient under near‐neutral conditions (CDN) with the decrease of wind speed in light winds is observedThe nonlocal transport caused by large‐scale eddies in light winds is found as the main cause of the associated large CDNA fixing term related to nonlocal effects to improve the calculation of CDN is proposed and verified [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The plant Shaker K+ channel AtAKT2 has been identified as a weakly rectifying channel that can stabilize membrane potentials to promote photoassimilate phloem loading and translocation. Thus, studies on functional characterization and regulatory mechanisms of AtAKT2‐like channels in crops are highly important for improving crop production. Here, we identified the rice OsAKT2 as the ortholog of Arabidopsis AtAKT2, which is primarily expressed in the shoot phloem and localized at the plasma membrane. Using an electrophysiological assay, we found that OsAKT2 operated as a weakly rectifying K+ channel, preventing H+/sucrose‐symport‐induced membrane depolarization. Three critical amino acid residues (K193, N206, and S326) are essential to the phosphorylation‐mediated gating change of OsAKT2, consistent with the roles of the corresponding sites in AtAKT2. Disruption of OsAKT2 results in delayed growth of rice seedlings under short‐day conditions. Interestingly, the lipid second messenger phosphatidic acid (PA) inhibits OsAKT2‐mediated currents (both instantaneous and time‐dependent components). Lipid dot‐blot assay and liposome‐protein binding analysis revealed that PA directly bound with two adjacent arginine residues in the ANK domain of OsAKT2, which is essential to PA‐mediated inhibition of OsAKT2. Electrophysiological and phenotypic analyses also showed the PA‐mediated inhibition of AtAKT2 and the negative correlation between intrinsic PA level and Arabidopsis growth, suggesting that PA may inhibit AKT2 function to affect plant growth and development. Our results functionally characterize the Shaker K+ channel OsAKT2 and reveal a direct link between phospholipid signaling and plant K+ channel modulation. Significance Statement: Phospholipids function as second messengers, modulating some kinds of ion channels in animal cells, but in plants, phospholipid‐mediated modulation of ion channels remains unclear. Herein, we identified OsAKT2 (a Shaker family member in rice) as a weakly rectifying K+ channel and found that phosphatidic acid, a lipid mediator, inhibited OsAKT2 activity by binding with two adjacent arginine residues in the ANK domain, revealing a direct link between phospholipid signaling and plant K+ channel modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) has been used to predict adverse outcomes in different clinical settings. This meta-analysis aimed to compare the prognostic value of different electrocardiographic criteria of LVH at baseline in hypertensive patients. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed and Embase databases until December 3, 2019. Cohort studies that reported the association of baseline electrocardiographic LVH (Sokolow-Lyon voltage, Cornell voltage or Cornell product) with all-cause mortality or major cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients were included. The prognostic value of LVH was expressed by the risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Nine studies involving 41 870 hypertensive patients were identified. Comparison with those with and without LVH patients indicated that the pooled RR value of all-cause mortality was 1.30 (95% CI 1.01-1.66) for the Sokolow-Lyon voltage criteria, 1.33 (95% CI 1.20-1.47) for the Cornell voltage criteria, and 1.31 (95% CI 0.97-1.78) for the Cornell product criteria. In addition, the pooled RR of major cardiovascular events was 1.53 (95% CI 1.27-1.86) for the Sokolow-Lyon criteria and 1.46 (95% CI 1.22-1.76) for the Cornell voltage criteria, respectively. This meta-analysis suggests that different electrocardiographic criteria for detecting LVH at baseline differ in prediction of all-cause mortality in patients with hypertension. LVH detected by the Cornell voltage and Sokolow-Lyon criteria can independently predict the major cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper links the sharp drop in China's manufacturing servitisation (MS) in early 21st century to China's accession to WTO featured by conspicuous input trade liberalisation (ITL). The results show that manufacturing industries exposed to higher degree of ITL suffer more MS declines after China's accession to the WTO. Heterogeneous analysis shows that industries with high import intensity, capital intensity or technology intensity suffer more MS declines following input trade liberalisation. Further analysis shows that input trade liberalisation increases the import of intermediate inputs while significantly reduces the proportion of service imports for manufacturing industries. The results are robust to a series of robustness checks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an extension of traditional trade, digital trade is a new type of trade in the era of the digital economy. In this paper, we first analyze the digital trade‐related strategies of eight leading economies through word clouds and dissect China's digital trade‐related policies using the word frequency method by sorting through the digital trade‐related policy documents of 26 economies and Chinese provinces. We then evaluate the status quo of digital trade development in 111 countries and Chinese provinces by building a digital trade index system to determine the development environment and market potential. The results show that all countries attach great importance to digital technology, data and government guidance in the development of digital trade. The results also reveal that "development," "service" and "construction" are the three most frequently used words in various Chinese documents. The overall level of China's digital trade is at the global vanguard, but is characterized by uneven regional development. In the era of digital trade, traditional international trade theory is also in urgent need of breakthroughs and innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Seed germination is a complex trait determined by both quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and environmental factors and also their interactions. In this study, we mapped one major QTLqSE3 for seed germination and seedling establishment under salinity stress in rice. To understand the molecular basis of this QTL, we isolated qSE3 by map‐based cloning and found that it encodes a K+ transporter gene, OsHAK21. The expression of qSE3 was significantly upregulated by salinity stress in germinating seeds. Physiological analysis suggested that qSE3 significantly increased K+ and Na+ uptake in germinating seeds under salinity stress, resulting in increased abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis and activated ABA signaling responses. Furthermore, qSE3 significantly decreased the H2O2 level in germinating seeds under salinity stress. All of these seed physiological changes modulated by qSE3 might contribute to seed germination and seedling establishment under salinity stress. Based on analysis of single‐nucleotide polymorphism data of rice accessions, we identified a HAP3 haplotype of qSE3 that was positively correlated with seed germination under salinity stress. This study provides important insights into the roles of qSE3 in seed germination and seedling establishment under salinity stress and facilitates the practical use of qSE3 in rice breeding. Significance Statement: One major QTL qSE3 for rice seed germination and seedling establishment under salinity stress was map‐based cloned, which promotes seed germination under salinity stress by enhancing K+ and Na+ uptake, increasing ABA biosynthesis and ABA signaling responses and reducing H2O2 levels in germinating seeds. The application of qSE3 might be useful for improving salinity tolerance and breeding varieties suitable for direct seeding in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Seed vigour is an imperative trait for the direct seeding of rice. Isopropylmalate synthase (IPMS) catalyses the committed step of leucine (Leu) biosynthesis, but its effect on seed vigour remains unclear. In this study, rice OsIPMS1 and OsIPMS2 was cloned, and the roles of OsIPMS1 in seed vigour were mainly investigated. OsIPMS1 and OsIPMS2 catalyse Leu biosynthesis, and Leu feedback inhibits their IPMS activities. Disruption of OsIPMS1 resulted in low seed vigour under various conditions, which might be tightly associated with the reduction of amino acids in germinating seeds. Eleven amino acids that associated with stress tolerance, GA biosynthesis and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle were significantly reduced in osipms1 mutants compared with those in wide type (WT) during seed germination. Transcriptome analysis indicated that a total of 1209 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were altered in osipms1a mutant compared with WT at the early germination stage, wherein most of the genes were involved in glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, protein processing, pyruvate, carbon, fructose and mannose metabolism. Further analysis confirmed that the regulation of OsIPMS1 in seed vigour involved in starch hydrolysis, glycolytic activity and energy levels in germinating seeds. The effects of seed priming were tightly associated with the mRNA levels of OsIPMS1 in priming seeds. The OsIPMS1 might be used as a biomarker to determine the best stop time‐point of seed priming in rice. This study provides novel insights into the function of OsIPMS1 on seed vigour and should have practical applications in seed priming of rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: China's cross‐border e‐commerce industry has demonstrated stable and rapid development thanks to the implementation of appropriate policy support and the progressive establishment of e‐commerce platforms. The industry's prosperity suggests unique advantages of cross‐border e‐commerce, which are a result of promoting industrial transformation and accelerating economic restructuring. Due to asymmetric information and insufficient data, little research has been conducted on the current status and the trends of the industry as well as the magnitude of risk in cross‐border e‐commerce. Using the cross‐border e‐commerce hosting service database of BizArk, the present study has constructed an index for China's export e‐commerce prosperity and magnitude of risk which reveals that the industry: (i) generally presents a tendency of solid growth; (ii) has had a relatively stable situation for logistics facilitation but a drastic fluctuation in customs facilitation; (iii) has gradually shifted to competing for cheaper and more efficient marketing techniques as well as channels; and (iv) has experienced a remarkable amelioration of risk magnitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Eddy correlation measurements have been carried out at six different heights above the urban canopy in three cities of China, that is, Nanjing, Changzhou, and Suzhou. Observations at these heights are used to evaluate the dependence of normalized standard deviations of velocity components σi/u*l ( i = u, v, w) and temperature σ T v / T v * l on local atmospheric stability ζ ( =(z − zd)/Λ), where u*l is the local friction velocity, Tv*l is the local temperature scale, zd is the displacement height, and Λ is the local Obukhov length. It is found that the universal functions ai(1 + bi| ζ| )1/3 and b T v ζ − 1 / 3, in which ai, bi, and b T v are empirical coefficients, are suitable for describing the behaviors of σi/u*l and σ T v / T v * l, respectively. Under neutral conditions ( |ζ| < 0.05), the value of σi/u*l (approximately equal to ai) decreases with height. On the other hand, bi increases with height under both unstable ( ζ <  − 0.05) and stable ( ζ > 0.05) conditions, suggesting that the thermal effect of stratification on the standard deviations of velocity components increases with height in the urban roughness sublayer. However, the behavior of σ T v / T v * l is different from that of σi/u*l. b T v remains constant with height under unstable conditions but increases with height under stable conditions. Vertical variations of these coefficients in the universal functions are consistent with the concept of local similarity, suggesting that the turbulence behavior in the urban roughness sublayer is different from that over the flat terrain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid composite moulding (LCM) has been successfully used to manufacture natural fiber reinforced composites. Effects of liquid absorption and swelling on the permeability of natural fiber fabrics in LCM were investigated. It shows that the saturated permeability measured in the corn syrup is 23.1%-69.5% smaller than that in the motor oil because of reduced porosity and flow paths caused by liquid absorption and swelling. Based on traditional models by considering the effects of liquid absorption and swelling of jute fibers, a mathematic model was developed to predict the variable permeability during the mold filling. Experimental results demonstrate excellent agreement with the prediction. The effects of flow rate and fiber volume fraction on permeability were also analyzed. It is found that liquid absorption and swelling may dominate the permeation when the flow rate is low while the flow rate may contribute more when it is large. Furthermore, fiber volume fraction is more sensitive to permeability in the syrup than is the case in the motor oil because of the absorption and swelling of natural fibers. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:996-1004, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel and generic Huffman code table (HCT) transform and a simple parallel Huffman decoding method. Codes of the original HCT are left-aligned, reordered in value, and partitioned into sub-bands. Two kinds of modification to the codes are introduced in order to reduce the number of sub-bands. The Huffman decoder can be implemented with a minimized size of single LUT, and the parallel decoding can be completed easily, at a constant rate of up to one code per cycle. An example of MP3 decoder and AAC decoder has been designed to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chloroplasts maintain their lipid balance through a tight interplay with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The outer envelope membrane of chloroplasts contains a large proportion of the phospholipid phosphatidylcholine (PC), which is synthesized in the ER and also a possible precursor for thylakoid galactolipids. The mechanism for PC transport from the ER to chloroplasts is not known. Using isolated chloroplasts and liposomes containing radiolabeled PC we investigated non-vesicular transport of PC in vitro. PC uptake in chloroplasts was time and temperature dependent, but nucleotide independent. Increased radius of liposomes stimulated PC uptake, and protease treatment of the chloroplasts impaired PC uptake. This implies that the chloroplast outer envelopes contains an exposed proteinaceous machinery for the uptake of PC from closely apposed membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY The characterization of Tn5 transposon insertional mutants of Agrobacterium vitis strain F2/5 revealed a gene encoding a predicted LysR-type transcriptional regulator, lhnR (for 'LysR-type regulator associated with HR and necrosis'), and an immediate upstream operon consisting of three open reading frames ( lhnABC) required for swarming motility, surfactant production and the induction of a hypersensitive response (HR) on tobacco and necrosis on grape. The operon lhnABC is unique to A. vitis among the sequenced members in Rhizobiaceae. Mutagenesis of lhnR and lhnABC by gene disruption and complementation of Δ lhnR and Δ lhnABC confirmed their roles in the expression of these phenotypes. Mutation of lhnR resulted in complete loss of HR, swarming motility, surfactant production and reduced necrosis, whereas mutation of lhnABC resulted in loss of swarming motility, delayed and reduced HR development and reduced surfactant production and necrosis. The data from promoter- green fluorescent protein ( gfp) fusions showed that lhnR suppresses the expression of lhnABC and negatively autoregulates its own expression. It was also shown that lhnABC negatively affects its own expression and positively affects the transcription of lhnR. lhnR and lhnABC constitute a regulatory circuit that coordinates the transcription level of lhnR, resulting in the expression of swarming, surfactant, HR and necrosis phenotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (R-PET) was blended with four types of polyethylene (PE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE; LL0209AA, Fs150), low density polyethylene (LDPE; F101-1), and metallocene-LLDPE (m-LLDPE; Fv203) by co-rotating twin-screw extruder. Maleic anhydride-grafted poly(styrene-ethylene/butyldiene-styrene) (SEBS-g-MA) was added as compatibilizer. R-PET/PE/SEBS-g-MA blends were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and mechanical property testing. The results indicated that the morphology and properties of the blends depended to a great extent on the miscibility between the olefin segments of SEBS-g-MA and PE. Due to the proper interaction between SEBS-g-MA and LDPE (F101-1), most SEBS-g-MA, located at the interface between two phases of PET and LDPE to increase the interfacial adhesion, lead to better mechanical properties of R-PET/LDPE (F101-1) blend. However, both the poor miscibility of SEBS-g-MA with LLDPE (LL0209AA) and the excessive miscibility of SEBS-g-MA with LLDPE (Fs150) and m-LLDPE (Fv203) reduced the compatibilization effect of SEBS-g-MA. DSC results showed that the interaction between SEBS-g-MA and PE obviously affected the crystallization of PET and PE. DMA results indicated that PE had more influence on the movement of SEBS-g-MA than PE did. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which set to improve the thermal and mechanical properties of recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate)/ linear low-density polyethylene (R-PET/LLDPE) blends with the use of poly(styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene) (SEBS) as a compatibilizer. Low-temperature solid-state extrusion was used to prepare the blends. It was found that the addition of 10 weight (wt) % SEBS led to the deformation of dispersed phase from spherical to fibrous structure.

This article discusses a study which examined the thermal properties and morphology of recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) blended with maleic anhydride grafted linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE-g-MA). The study initiated low-temperature solid-state extrusion in the examination. It showed the effects of (LLDPE-g-MA) on crystallinity of the blends and the incompatibility of LLDPE-g-MA phase and PET phase.