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Chinese opera has a long history and unique charm and is an important carrier of traditional Chinese culture. So, the teaching requirements for opera courses have gradually increased to ensure the vigorous development and inheritance of opera culture. To adapt to the reform and development of opera course teaching, this paper analyzes the basic concepts of scaffolding theory. It constructs an optimized framework for teaching modes based on scaffolding theory. On this basis, combined with the needs of college opera courses, it builds the framework of the opera teaching system based on scaffolding theory. It proposes the unique “modern teacher-apprentice system” based on the studio for the teaching mode of opera. Through the empirical analysis of teaching opera courses in colleges and universities based on the scaffolding theory, it can be seen that in the teaching of nine types of opera, including Beijing opera, Sichuan opera, Gui opera, Kunqu opera, Huangmei opera, Yueju opera, Cantonese opera, Yu opera, and Flower Drum Opera, the learning effect of this paper’s teaching of opera courses improves by 0.37~1.1 points compared with that of the traditional teaching of opera. The student’s ability in all dimensions improves by an average of 1.087 points. In addition, during the analysis of teaching satisfaction, the average score of learning satisfaction was 1.037, indicating that students acknowledged the reform of teaching opera in this paper. This study has significant results in the reform of teaching opera courses, which provides a reference value for the reform of opera courses in colleges and universities.

Abstract Core collections display a large fraction of the diversity contained in large collections in smaller germplasm panels. We used historical data (1973–2015) collected at the World Vegetable Center, Taiwan, for developing soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) core collections representing the diversity of the whole collection of 7853 accessions held by the Center. The collection was split into two groups on the basis of the 100 seed weight: large seeded (>25 g or equal to 25 g) and small seeded (

Photochemical synthesis, in which light is used as an indispensable reagent, is recognized as a green technique for organic synthesis and has been paid extensive attention. In this laboratory experiment for chemistry classes, a photoinduced C-C coupling reaction is introduced, which can be conducted under mild conditions at room temperature. Generally, this reaction requires no photoredox catalyst and only 2 equiv of triethylamine with common LED light (400 nm) as the light source. Here, we report the photochemical synthesis of a favorable fluorophore (4MPB) with high yields (~80%) using 4-iodobenzoate and N-methylpyrrole as the representative reagents in an undergraduate laboratory experiment. Importantly, all participating students were excited about the fluorophores that they synthesized and gained the basic principles of photoluminescence. This experiment is safe, easy to conduct, and cost-effective, and it received positive feedback from the students. The exercise reinforces their skills in photochemical synthesis and introduces students to the significance and importance of light in chemistry, which is a fascinating field in chemical research.

Vegetable soybean, popularly known as edamame in Japan and mao dou in China is a specialty soybean. Green pods with physiologically mature beans are harvested, and whole pods or shelled beans are used as a fresh or frozen vegetable. Vegetable soybeans are prepared in diverse ways, and they are highly nutritious, with excellent taste properties. Unlike grain soybeans, it is perishable. In this review, the chronological progression of area, production, export, import, and expansion of vegetable soybeans and potential for further expansion is discussed. Available information on current ongoing research and development activities in various countries around the world are presented, and their relevance is discussed. At present, the production and consumption of vegetable soybeans are mainly in East and Southeast Asia, with Japan as the largest importing country that dictates the global market. However, interest and trend in cultivation of this crop in other regions has increased significantly. Lack of germplasm or suitable varieties is a major constraint in vegetable soybean production and expansion in countries outside East and Southeast Asia. Most of the vegetable soybean varieties are genetically related and are susceptible to biotic and abiotic stresses. Extensive research and breeding of vegetable soybeans are still restricted in a few countries such as China, Japan, Taiwan and the USA. The need for focused research and development activities with concern for the environment, farmers’ and processors’ profit, consumers’ preference, quality, and nutrition are emphasized.

In the increasing pervasiveness of today's digital society, mobile devices are changing the face of education. Students can interact with mobile devices in context-aware environment. This paper presents a mobile application based on expert system (Plant-E) for students to acquire knowledge about plant classification by answering decision-making questions. In order to study effectiveness of Plant-E and cognitive load of students who experience different kinds of interaction in learning process, another mobile application (Plant-G) only providing information pages of plants was developed. A quasi-experiment was conducted with three classes of 137 seventh graders. The three classes, Class A with 46 students using Plant-E in campus, Class B with 44 students using Plant-G in campus, and Class C with 47 students using Plant-G in a traditional classroom, constitute three groups with different interaction complexity. The research conducted pretest, posttest, and delayed test to evaluate learning performance of students in three classes and used a questionnaire to investigate their perceptions and attitudes towards proposed system. Results show that interaction complexity has an impact on students' learning performance and mental effort in mobile learning; the higher the interaction complexity is, the higher mental effort and the better learning performance in mobile learning will be.

An organelle-selective vision provides insights into the physiological response of plants and crops to environmental stresses in sustainable agriculture ecosystems. Biological applications often require two-photon excited fluorophores with low phototoxicity, high brightness, deep penetration, and tuneable cell entry. We obtained three aniline-based squaraines (SQs) tuned from hydrophobic to hydrophilic characteristics by modifying terminal pendant groups and substituents, and investigated their steady-state absorption and far-red-emitting fluorescence properties. The SQs exhibited two-photon absorption (2PA) ranging from 750 to 870 nm within the first biological spectral window; their structure–property relationships, corresponding to the 2PA cross sections (δ2PA), and structure differences were demonstrated. The maximum δ2PA value was ∼1220 GM at 800 nm for hydrophilic SQ3. Distinct biological staining efficiency and selective SQ bioimaging were evaluated utilizing the onion epidermal cell model. Contrary to the hydrophobic SQ1 results in the onion epidermal cell wall, amphiphilic SQ2 tagged the vacuole and nucleus and SQ3 tagged the vacuole. Distinguishable staining profiles in the roots and leaves were achieved. We believe that this study is the first to demonstrate distinct visualisation efficiency induced by the structure differences of two-photon excited SQs. Our results can help establish the versatile roles of novel near-infrared-emitting SQs in biological applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Endosperm is the main storage organ in cereal grain and determines grain yield and quality. The molecular mechanisms of heat shock proteins in regulating starch biosynthesis and endosperm development remain obscure.Here, we report a rice floury endosperm mutant flo24 that develops abnormal starch grains in the central starchy endosperm cells. Map‐based cloning and complementation test showed that FLO24 encodes a heat shock protein HSP101, which is localized in plastids. The mutated protein FLO24T296I dramatically lost its ability to hydrolyze ATP and to rescue the thermotolerance defects of the yeast hsp104 mutant.The flo24 mutant develops more severe floury endosperm when grown under high‐temperature conditions than normal conditions. And the FLO24 protein was dramatically induced at high temperature. FLO24 physically interacts with several key enzymes required for starch biosynthesis, including AGPL1, AGPL3 and PHO1. Combined biochemical and genetic evidence suggests that FLO24 acts cooperatively with HSP70cp‐2 to regulate starch biosynthesis and endosperm development in rice.Our results reveal that FLO24 acts as an important regulator of endosperm development, which might function in maintaining the activities of enzymes involved in starch biosynthesis in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorogenic dyes with high brightness, large turn‐on ratios, excellent photostability, favorable specificity, low cytotoxicity, and high membrane permeability are essential for high‐resolution fluorescence imaging in live cells. In this study, we endowed these desirable properties to a rhodamine derivative by simply replacing the N, N‐diethyl group with a pyrrole substituent. The resulting dye, Rh‐NH, exhibited doubled Stokes shifts (54 nm) and a red‐shift of more than 50 nm in fluorescence spectra compared to Rhodamine B. Rh‐NH preferentially exists in a non‐emissive but highly permeable spirolactone form. Upon binding to lysosomes, the collective effects of low pH, low polarity, and high viscosity endow Rh‐NH with significant fluorescence turn‐on, making it a suitable candidate for wash‐free, high‐contrast lysosome tracking. Consequently, Rh‐NH enabled us to successfully explore stimulated emission depletion (STED) super‐resolution imaging of lysosome dynamics, as well as fluorescence lifetime imaging of lysosomes in live cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bright and colorful fluorescent polymers are ideal materials for a variety of applications. Although polymers could be made fluorescent by physical doping or chemical binding of fluorescent units, it is a great challenge to get colorful and highly emissive polymers with a single fluorophore. Here the development of a general and facile method to synthesize ultrabright and colorful polymers using a single twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) probe is reported. By incorporating polymerizable, highly fluorescent, and environmental sensitive TICT probe, a series of colorful acrylic polymers (emission from 481 to 543 nm) with almost 100% fluorescence quantum yields are prepared. Like the solvatochromic effect, functional groups within side chains of acrylic polymers (including alkyl chain, tetrahydrofurfuryl group, and hydroxyl group) provide varied environmental polarity for the incorporated fluorophore, resulting in a series of colorful polymeric materials. Benefiting from the excellent photophysical properties, the polymers show great potential in encryption, cultural relics protection, white light‐emitting diode bulb making, and fingerprint identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pursuit of sensitive fluorescent chromophores with integrated aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) and twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) properties are attractive due to the tunable emission properties and increased intensity. However, this type of chromophore has yet to be exemplified mechanistically. In this study, a strategy is presented for manipulating the formation of TICT and the AIE effect through molecular engineering. The feasibility of TICT properties is validated by theoretical calculations and ultrafast spectroscopies. By precisely adjusting the hydrophobicity of the donor group, the fluorescence is significantly enhanced through the addition of poor solvent. These findings not only provide mechanistic elucidation for chromophores exhibiting integrated TICT and AIE properties in various environmental conditions but also underscore the critical factors for the systematic design of chromophores with high tunability and strong emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naphthalimide derivatives composed of donor–acceptor type structures hold significant promise across a wide range of applications. Here, the solvent polarity and viscosity controlled excited-state dynamics of a naphthalimide derivative with a donor–acceptor structure were studied using multiple spectroscopic techniques. From the stationary spectroscopic investigations, large Stokes shift and low fluorescence quantum yield were observed with increasing the solvent polarity, suggesting a more polar excited state relative to the ground state, which is evidenced by the Lippert–Mataga relationship. We also observe an enhanced fluorescence with a prolonged lifetime in a more viscous solution due to the restriction of excited-state molecular rearrangement. These observations result from the emerged twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) state. The ultrafast spectroscopy studies further unravel a solvent polarity dependent excited state evolution from the intramolecular charge transfer state to the TICT state, revealing that the TICT state can be populated only in strong polar solvents. Control experiments by tuning the solvent viscosity in ultrafast experiments were employed to verify the excited state molecular rearrangement subsequently. These observations collectively emphasize how fine-tuning the photophysical properties of naphthalimide derivatives can be achieved through strategic manipulation of solvent polarity and viscosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants are vulnerable to many abiotic stresses, resulting in reduced plant productivity. Its adaptation to unfavorable environments relies on transmitting external stress signals into internal signaling pathways. A series of stress response mechanisms have been developed. Among them, brassinosteroids (BRs) are a class of steroid hormones that are widely involved in plant growth, development, and stress response. Via genetics, proteomics, and genomics studies, the major components of signaling and signaling pathways through a series of phosphorylation cascade reactions have been identified in model plants such as Arabidopsis. Numerous studies have shown that BRs play important roles in plant responses to drought, temperature, salt, heavy metals, and other environmental stresses. The application of BRs to improve plant stress resistance has become the focus of research in recent years, especially the regulation of stress via endogenous BRs. Therefore, this paper systematically summarizes the research progress related to endogenous BR levels and provides an overview of BR biosynthesis and the signaling pathway, as well as the function of endogenous BRs in the response to abiotic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feature selection has been an important research area in data mining, which chooses a subset of relevant features for use in the model building. This paper aims to provide an overview of feature selection methods for big data mining. First, it discusses the current challenges and difficulties faced when mining valuable information from big data. A comprehensive review of existing feature selection methods in big data is then presented. Herein, we approach the review from two aspects: methods specific to a particular kind of big data with certain characteristics and applications of methods in classification analysis, which are significantly different to the existing review work. This paper also highlights the current issues of feature selection in big data and suggests the future research directions.