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Abstract Background Breeding polled goats is a welfare-friendly approach for horn removal in comparison to invasive methods. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the genetic basis underlying polledness in goats, we conducted whole-genome sequencing of 106 Xinong Saanen dairy goats, including 33 horned individuals, 70 polled individuals, and 3 polled intersexuality syndrome (PIS) individuals. Methods The present study employed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis to precisely map the genetic locus underlying the polled phenotype in goats. Results The analysis conducted in our study revealed a total of 320 genome-wide significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the horned/polled phenotype in goats. These SNPs exhibited two distinct peaks on chromosome 1, spanning from 128,817,052 to 133,005,441 bp and from 150,336,143 to 150,808,639 bp. The present study identified three genome-wide significant SNPs, namely Chr1:129789816, Chr1:129791507, and Chr1:129791577, as potential markers of PIS-affected goats. The results of our LD analysis suggested a potential association between MRPS22 and infertile intersex individuals, as well as a potential association between ERG and the polled trait in goats. Conclusion We have successfully identified three marker SNPs closely linked to PIS, as well as several candidate genes associated with the polled trait in goats. These results may contribute to the development of SNP chips for early prediction of PIS in goats, thereby facilitating breeding programs aimed at producing fertile herds with polled traits.

The milk flavor can be attributed to the presence of numerous flavor molecules and precursors. In this study, we employed widely targeted metabolomic analysis techniques to analyze the metabolic profiles of various milk samples obtained from goats, sheep, dairy cows, and buffaloes. A total of 631 metabolites were identified in the milk samples, which were further categorized into 16 distinct classes. Principal component analysis (PCA) suggested that the metabolite profiles of samples from the same species exhibit clustering, while separated patterns of metabolite profiles are observed across goat, sheep, cow, and buffalo species. The differential metabolites between the groups of each species were screened based on fold change and variable importance in projection (VIP) values. Five core differential metabolites were subsequently identified, including 3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxypropanoic acid, inosine 5′-triphosphate, methylcysteine, N-cinnamylglycine, and small peptide (L-tyrosine–L-aspartate). Through multiple comparisons, we also screened biomarkers of each type of milk. Our metabolomic data showed significant inter-species differences in the composition and concentration of some compounds, such as organic acids, amino acids, sugars, nucleotides, and their derivatives, which may affect the overall flavor properties of the milk sample. These findings provided insights into the molecular basis underlying inter-species variations in milk flavor.

Children living in rural areas may potentially experience low levels of life satisfaction and face challenges in developing self-confidence. The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of a mental health education intervention on the life satisfaction and self-confidence of children residing in rural areas of China. A total of 1,001 children from grades 4 to 6 were randomly assigned to an intervention group (475 children, 250 boys, M = 11.57 years, SD = 1.082 years) and a control group (526 children, 279 boys, M = 11.38 years, SD = 0.980 years). Over 16 weeks, the intervention group received a mental health education program, while the control group did not. The levels of life satisfaction (including five dimensions: family, school, environmental, friends, and self-satisfaction) and self-confidence (including three dimensions: self-efficacy, self-assurance, and self-competence) were rated by all children at baseline and post-intervention. Results from paired samples t-test showed that post-intervention, the intervention group exhibited significant improvements in the areas of family, environmental, school, and self-satisfaction as well as self-efficacy, self-assurance, and self-competence. However, there was no significant improvement in friend satisfaction. Conversely, the control group showed decreases in school, environmental, and friend satisfaction, along with decreases in self-efficacy, self-assurance, and self-competence. No significant change was observed in family and self-satisfaction in this group. These findings emphasize the importance of implementing mental health education interventions for rural children, who are at risk for low life satisfaction and self-confidence. Some specific recommendations are provided for policymakers and practitioners.

Croplands play a critical role in regulating terrestrial water and carbon cycles and provide essential social services for humans. Investigating the characteristics of water and carbon flux in cropland ecosystems offers valuable information for advancing sustainable agriculture management. Combining the up-to-date Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer and cropland distribution data, this study quantified the temporal-spatial variations of evapotranspiration (ET), gross primary productivity (GPP), and ecosystem-scale water use efficiency (WUE) in paddy (PF) and non-paddy field (NPF) over China from 2000 to 2021. The results showed that annual ET in both PF and NPF presented an increasing trend from northwest to southeast of China, with mean annual ET totaling 625 ± 43 mm yr−1 and 487 ± 45 mm yr−1 in PF and NPF, respectively. The Sen’s slope showed that annual ET presented significantly increasing trends (p

A fast and efficient recognition method of transgenic lines will greatly improve detection efficiency and reduce cost. In this study, we successfully identified the transgenic soybean plants by the color. We isolated a GmW1 gene encoding a flavonoid 3′5′-hydroxylase from a soybean cultivar ZH42 (purple flower). We found that purple flowers occurred in the overexpression lines in the Jack and Williams 82 backgrounds (white flower). All plants with purple flowers were positive, and this trait seems stably inherited in the offspring. We have also obtained the editing plants, which were classified into three types according to the different flower colors appeared. We analyzed the phenotype and the homozygous types of the T1 mutants. We also found that a correspondence between flower color and stem color. This study provides a visible color reporter on soybean transformation. It can be quickly and early to identify the transgenic soybean plants by stem color of seedlings, which substantially reduces the amount of labor and cost.

Individual fish are vulnerable in hydropower reservoirs due to spillway and intake operations. It is essential to understand how reservoir forebay fish ecosystems respond to water levels, intake, and spillway regulation. This study aims to explore the fish entrainment risk of the Dawei Reservoir operation on the Dadu River in Sichuan, China, accounting for both intake and spillway operations under wet, normal, and dry seasonal reservoir water levels. Hydrodynamic variables, reservoir operation scenarios, and two fish species were used as indexes to analyze the fish entrainment risk. The simulation results showed that the fish entrainment risk was low under the Dawei intake operation schemes ranging from 0.84 × 103 to 5.97 × 103 m2. The results also showed that the fish entrainment risk was very high under the Dawei spillway operation in fish entrainment areas ranging from 3.90 × 104 to 2.08 × 105 m2. Based on the simulation results, the lowest fish entrainment risk happened with two intakes open and the reservoir water level at 2,640 m. The highest fish entrainment risk happened with five intakes open and the reservoir water level at 2,670 m. The results indicate that the long-term Dawei Reservoir regulation would not modify the fish entrainment risk at significant levels under the Dawei Reservoir operation schemes. HIGHLIGHTS A model was proposed to determine the fish entrainment risk.; The fish entrainment risk was low during the seasonal operation of intakes.; The maximum and minimum fish entrainment risks were established.; The fish entrainment risk was high under the spillway operation.; The long-term reservoir operation would not significantly affect the fish entrainment risk.;

In recent years, the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been increasing worldwide. Hepatic lipid deposition is a major feature of NAFLD, and insulin resistance is one of the most important causes of lipid deposition. Insulin resistance results in the disruption of lipid metabolism homeostasis characterized by increased lipogenesis and decreased lipolysis. Estrogen receptor α (ERα) has been widely reported to be closely related to lipid metabolism. Activating ERa may be a promising strategy to improve lipid metabolism. Here, we used computer-aided drug design technology to discover a highly active compound, YRL-03, which can effectively reduce lipid accumulation. Cellular experimental results showed that YRL-03 could effectively reduce lipid accumulation by targeting ERα, thereby achieving alleviation of insulin resistance. We believe this study provides meaningful guidance for future molecular development of drugs to prevent and treat NAFLD.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive neurodegenerative brain disorder with no effective therapeutic drugs currently. The complicated pathophysiology of AD is not well understood, although beta-amyloid (Aβ) cascade and hyperphosphorylated tau protein were regarded as the two main causes of AD. Other mechanisms, such as oxidative stress, deficiency of central cholinergic neurotransmitters, mitochondrial dysfunction, and inflammation, were also proposed and studied as targets in AD. This review aims to summarize the small-molecule drugs that were developed based on the pathogenesis and gives a deeper understanding of the AD. We hope that it could help scientists find new and better treatments to gradually conquer the problems related to AD in future.

Background Lipid synthesis is an indispensable process during embryo and growth development. Abnormal lipid synthesis metabolism can cause multiple metabolic diseases including obesity and hyperlipidemia. Stearoyl-Coenzyme A desaturase 1 (SCD1) is responsible for catalyzing the synthesis of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and plays an essential role in lipid metabolism. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of SCD1 on embryo development and lipid synthesis in a knockout mice model. Methods We used the CRISPR/Cas9 system together with microinjection for the knockout mouse model generation. Ten-week-old female C57BL/6 mice were used for zygote collection. RNase-free water was injected into mouse zygotes at different cell phases in order to select the optimal time for microinjection. Five sgRNAs were designed and in vitro transcription was performed to obtain sgRNAs and Cas9 mRNA. RNase-free water, NC sgRNA/Cas9 mRNA, and Scd1 sgRNA/Cas9 mRNA were injected into zygotes to observe the morula and blastocyst formation rates. Embryos that were injected with Scd1 sgRNA/Cas9 mRNA and developed to the two-cell stage were used for embryo transfer. Body weight, triacylglycerol (TAG), and cholesterol in Scd1 knockout mice serum were analyzed to determine the effects of SCD1 on lipid metabolism. Results Microinjection performed during the S phase presented with the highest zygote survival rate (P < 0.05). Of the five sgRNAs targeted to Scd1, two sgRNAs with relatively higher gene editing efficiency were used for Scd1 knockout embryos and mice generation. Genome sequence modification was observed at Scd1 exons in embryos, and Scd1 knockout reduced blastocyst formation rates (P < 0.05). Three Scd1 monoallelic knockout mice were obtained. In mice, the protein level of SCD1 decreased (P < 0.05), and the body weight and serum TAG and cholesterol contents were all reduced (P < 0.01).

With the rapid development of the tourism industry, the water resource consumption in tourism has largely increased and gets more complicated, making water resource management in tourism more difficult. To achieve sustainable water utilization in tourism, water resource management has to take full account of the local natural, social, and industrial conditions, both satisfying the demands of water resource protection and tourism development. To analyze this coupling relationship, an integrated index system comprised of 15 indices is designed, and a coupling degree model between tourism-related water resource management and local conditions is introduced. The result revealed that tourism-related water resource management is generally congruent with the local conditions in China, and provinces at the very high/low coupling stage presented four clusters. A discussion combining the change of water policies and the water use efficiency of hotels in Beijing revealed that water-saving policies are proven to be necessary for the tourism development. Furthermore, a discussion of the four clusters revealed the advanced experience and deficiency of water policies in substantial tourism areas. The results could provide references for the improvement of water policies in the tourism industry in China. Highlights An index system and a coupling degree model are introduced to analyze tourism-related water management and local conditions in China.; Water management in tourism is generally congruent with the local conditions in China, and their coupling relationship presented a cluster pattern.; Water-saving priority is necessary for tourism in China.; The provinces on the east coast should take the strictest water management in tourism.;

Ecological rivers or ecological channels are being widely used. Precious measurement and estimation of flow in irrigation areas are important issues in agricultural engineering. For the sustainable development of vegetation, it is necessary to consider how to use sensors to measure flow more easily in the river to protect both plants and sensors from damage. This article selects smooth channels and ecological channels of different shapes for research and presents a simplified method for arming ultrasonic sensors to obtain channel flow velocity. The flow characteristics along the normal line direction are obtained by theoretical analysis. The method uses the average flow velocity based on the normal to the channel wall to determine the location of the sensors. It combines the flow velocity determined by the sensors with the flow calculation method, thus simplifying the flow estimation steps. Experiments under flow conditions validate the efficacy of the proposed ultrasonic sensor arrangement method. This article not only simplifies the arrangement of sensors in channel flow but also improves the accuracy of the flow measurement method, which is important to promote the construction of ecological channels.

It is crucial to consider regional heterogeneity while analyzing drivers of changes in sectoral water use for developing differentiated and effective demand-regulation strategies in China. By using the logarithmic mean Divisia index method, this study compares dynamic influences of intensity, structure and scale factors on changes in productive and domestic water use during 2003–2017 between Tianjin (a socio-economic developed region) and Hebei (less-developed). The results show that the scale effect stimulated the growth of productive water use in both regions, while structure and intensity effects restrained such growth. The three effects all stimulated the growth of domestic water use in most years in both regions. In both regions, the largest contributor to changes in productive and domestic water use was the scale and intensity effect, respectively. However, in the two regions, the synergies of three effects resulted in different change trends of productive water use, and cumulative contributions of sub-sectors to the intensity, structure and scale effects were not exactly the same. Tianjin and Hebei need to keep on adjusting industrial structure and lowering water-use intensity to control future growth of productive water use and take strict measures to tackle the increasing trend of domestic water use but should have different policy implementation focuses. Highlights The drivers of water-use changes of regions at different socio-economic development stages were compared.; The forces of driving-factors of productive and domestic water use changed with time.; The root cause of changes in productive and domestic water use was not exactly the same in the two regions.; The results are helpful for formulating differentiated water-demand management policies.;

Abstract Non‐obstructive azoospermia is one of the most common causes of male infertility, but there is still no specific treatment drug. Given that the Oct4 (Octamer‐binding transcription factor 4) has an important regulatory effect on spermatogenesis, activating it can effectively promote spermatogenesis, so it is of great value to develop Oct4‐targeted drug design and elucidating its mechanism of action. Here, we screened out the Oct4‐targeted drug molecule NBMA (N‐benzyl‐4‐methoxy‐2‐(1‐(4‐(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)vinyl)aniline) by computer‐assisted technology, and found that it has a significant promoting effect on spermatogenesis in the established mouse azoospermia model. Subsequently, through transcriptome sequencing and enrichment analysis, real‐time fluorescent quantitative PCR (qPCR) and western blot experiments revealed that NBMA promotes the differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells by activating the Oct4 pathway, thereby promoting spermatogenesis. This study proves that NBMA is a molecule with great potential to be developed as a therapeutic drug for azoospermia. It also shows that computer‐assisted, chemical and biological multidisciplinary methods play a very important role in innovative drug discovery.

Increased attention has been paid to the high-capacity variable-speed pumped storage to stabilize the large-scale renewable energy. Nevertheless, the optimum reference values of variable-speed units (i.e., the optimum speed and optimum gate opening) come from the actual operating data from power plants or the model pump-turbine test from manufacturers. It is generally a commercial secret, and no historical data is available for a new power plant. For general researchers, it is not easy to obtain relevant data. Therefore, this paper proposes an optimization method for the variable-speed unit and establishes a simplified steady-state model that can be used for medium and long-term power system research. First, based on the pump-turbine's performance curves, this paper presents an optimization method for the variable-speed unit in turbine and pump mode without additional tests, aiming to optimize the turbine's efficiency and track the input power of the pump. Second, the concept of “steady operation area in non-optimum condition” is proposed based on the non-linear characteristics of the optimum operating condition curve. Finally, simplified steady-state models of the variable-speed unit are established, and the model validation has been tested in typical scenario analysis. The results show that the variable-speed unit's steady-state operating characteristic can be described by this simplified linear model, based on the power, the head, and the optimum speed (or the gate opening). This simplified model's percentage error is less than 5%, which meets engineering accuracy requirements. The error mainly comes from the linear correlation coefficient of the optimum operating condition curve and the operating head's deviation from the design head. This model is available for power system planning and dispatch.

Embryos contain a large number of lipid droplets, and lipid metabolism is gradually activated during embryonic development to provide energy. However, the regulatory mechanisms remain to be investigated. Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (Scd1) is a fatty acid desaturase gene that is mainly involved in intracellular monounsaturated fatty acid production, which takes part in many physiological processes. Analysis of transcripts at key stages of embryo development revealed that Scd1 was important and expressed at an increased level during the cleavage and blastocyst stages. Knockout Scd1 gene by CRISPR/Cas9 from zygotes revealed a decrease in lipid droplets (LDs) and damage in the inner cell mass (ICM) formation of blastocyst. Comparative analysis of normal and knockout embryo transcripts showed a suppression of ribosome protein (RPs) genes, leading to the arrest of ribosome biogenesis at the 2-cell stage. Notably, the P53-related pathway was further activated at the blastocyst stage, which eventually caused embryonic development arrest and apoptosis. In summary, Scd1 helps in providing energy for embryonic development by regulating intra-embryonic lipid droplet formation. Moreover, deficiency activates the RPs-Mdm2-P53 pathway due to ribosomal stress and ultimately leads to embryonic development arrest. The present results suggested that Scd1 gene is essential to maintain healthy development of embryos by regulating energy support.

Soybean provides superior and readily available protein for human and livestock. However, nutritional value of soybean is limited due to the deficiency of an essential amino acid, methionine. To improve total methionine content of soybean, a methionine-rich seed storage protein, β-zein, was introduced into soybean cultivar ’Jack’ under the control of legumin B4 promoter or CaMV 35S promoter. Totally 4 T3 transgenic lines exhibited higher expression levels of foreign genes, and legumin B4 promoter directed a stronger accumulation of β-zein protein than CaMV 35S promoter. Compared to wild type plant, total methionine content in transgenic soybean seeds significantly increased by up to approximately 15%. Although the introduction of β-zein gene improved total methionine content, the level was negligible compared to native soybean storage proteins, implying that the inadequate soluble methionine is the limiting factor. Based on these observations, a new strategy for simultaneously increasing the “source” and “sink” of methionine metabolism is proposed to further improvement of total methionine content in soybean seed.

The uncertainty of the wind power generation and complex constraints of the hydropower pose challenges for the short-term scheduling of coordinated wind power, thermal power, and cascaded hydroelectric system (WTHS). In this paper, a robust security-constrained unit commitment model is established for a WTHS. The proposed model ensures the utilization of wind power and economic return from the scheduling. Conservative adjustable uncertainty sets are used to characterize the uncertainty of wind power over temporal and spatial dimensions. In this model, pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) is incorporated to cope with the wind power fluctuations. A simplified affine policy is developed for the decision making of the adjustable variables. Based on a series of linearization techniques, the proposed model is formulated as a single-level mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) problem, where the numerical tests performed on the modified IEEE 30-bus, IEEE 118-bus, and Polish 2736-bus systems verify the effectiveness of the model. The comparative analyses quantitatively evaluate the contributions of the PHES in terms of economic performance and wind power accommodation. The test results reveal that the robustness of scheduling plans is enhanced by the use of the PHES, and the proposed approach is applicable to the large-scale power systems.

Malonyl/acetyltransferase (MAT) is a crucial functional domain of fatty acid synthase (FASN), which plays a vital role in the de novo synthesis of fatty acids in vivo. Milk fatty acids are secreted by mammary epithelial cells. Mammary epithelial cells are the units of mammary gland development and function, and it is a common model for the study of mammary gland tissue development and lactation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of MAT deletion on the synthesis of triacylglycerol and medium-chain fatty acids. The MAT domain was knocked out by CRISPR/Cas9 in the goat mammary epithelial cells (GMECs), and in MAT knockout GMECs, the mRNA level of FASN was decreased by approximately 91.19% and the protein level decreased by 51.83%. The results showed that MAT deletion downregulated the contents of triacylglycerol and medium-chain fatty acids (p < 0.05) and increased the content of acetyl-Coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) (p < 0.001). Explicit deletion of MAT resulted in significant drop of FASN, which resulted in downregulation of LPL, GPAM, DGAT2, PLIN2, XDH, ATGL, LXRα, and PPARγ genes in GMECs (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, mRNA expression levels of ACC, FASN, DGAT2, SREBP1, and LXRα decreased following treatment with acetyl-CoA (p < 0.05). Our data reveals that FASN plays critical roles in the synthesis of medium-chain fatty acids and triacylglycerol in GMECs.

MicroRNA (miRNA)-130b, as a regulator of lipid metabolism in adipose and mammary gland tissues, is actively involved in lipogenesis, but its endogenous role in fatty acid synthesis remains unclear. Here, we aimed to explore the function and underlying mechanism of miR-130b in fatty acid synthesis using the CRISPR/Cas9 system in primary goat mammary epithelial cells (GMEC). A single clone with deletion of 43 nucleotides showed a significant decrease in miR-130b-5p and miR-130b-3p abundances and an increase of target genes PGC1α and PPARG. In addition, knockout of miR-130b promoted triacylglycerol (TAG) and cholesterol accumulation, and decreased the proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) C16:1, C18:1 and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) C18:2, C20:3, C20:4, C20:5, C22:6. Similarly, the abundance of fatty acid synthesis genes ACACA and FASN and transcription regulators SREBP1c and SREBP2 was elevated. Subsequently, interference with PPARG instead of PGC1α in knockout cells restored the effect of miR-130b knockout, suggesting that PPARG is responsible for miR-130b regulating fatty acid synthesis. Moreover, disrupting PPARG inhibits PGC1α transcription and translation. These results reveal that miR-130b directly targets the PPARG–PGC1α axis, to inhibit fatty acid synthesis in GMEC. In conclusion, miR-130b could be a potential molecular regulator for improving the beneficial fatty acids content in goat milk.

Ecohydraulics often requires the use of advanced numerical models and ecological theories, which are used for river and aquatic organism management. In this study, a 2D ecohydraulic model system was proposed and used to evaluate the habitat suitability index, weighted useable areas, overall suitability index, fish population number, and fish population density of Colorado River. The 2D ecohydraulic model system comprised hydrodynamic, hydromorphology, habitat, and population models. Three fish species were selected as target fish, which included rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), brown trout (Salmo trutta), and flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis). Five computational domains of the Colorado River were selected for the ecohydraulic model. The surveyed fish data from 2000 to 2009 were used to calibrate the model system. Results indicated that the predicted fish number showed a good agreement with the surveyed fish. It is indicated that the rainbow trout and brown trout fish number showed decreasing trends from 2000 to 2009, while flannelmouth sucker showed increasing trend from 2000 to 2009. The proposed approach demonstrates that the ecohydraulic model system can be used to accurately simulate the river habitat quality and population status. The ecohydraulic model can be an efficient tool to improve understanding of the different scenarios and to assistant for multiple fish habitat and population prediction in river system. It can also provide decision-makers with valuable information to optimize their management.

Triclosan (TCS) has been widely used as an antibacterial agent for the last several decades in personal care products. The toxicological effect of TCS has attracted more and more attention of researchers. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of TCS in HepG2 cells and to elucidate the molecular mechanism focusing on regulation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/forkhead box O (FoxO) pathway in the glycolytic metabolism. In this study, we evaluated the adverse effect of TCS exposure on cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). In addition, the glycolysis process in HepG2 cells exposed to TCS was examined in terms of glucose consumption, lactate production and ATP generation. Furthermore, Affymetrix Human U133 plus 2.0 gene chips and gene function enrichment analysis were conducted to screen differential expression genes (DEGs) and potential signaling pathway. Expressions of the glycolysis-related proteins were measured and quantified with Western Blotting. The results showed that TCS could suppress the cell viability, induce oxidative stress, and cause mitochondrial damage. In addition, TCS exposure promoted the glycolysis process, as manifested by accelerated conversion of glucose to lactate and increased energy release. Western Blotting results confirmed that the expression levels of glycolysis related proteins were significantly elevated. The PI3K/Akt/FoxO pathway was identified to play a pivot role in TCS-induced glycolysis, which was further confirmed by inhibitor tests using specific inhibitors LY294002 and MK2206. In general, TCS can induce oxidative stress, cause oxidative damages and promote glycolysis in HepG2 cells, which was mediated by the PI3K/Akt/FoxO pathway. Keywords: Glycolysis, Molecular mechanism, PI3K/Akt/FoxO pathway

At present, the application of CRISPR/Cas9 in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) has been mainly focused on knocking out target genes, and most site-directed mutagenesis has occurred at single cleavage sites and resulted in short deletions and/or insertions. However, the use of multiple guide RNAs for complex genome editing, especially the deletion of large DNA fragments in soybean, has not been systematically explored. In this study, we employed CRISPR/Cas9 technology to specifically induce targeted deletions of DNA fragments in GmFT2a (Glyma16g26660) and GmFT5a (Glyma16g04830) in soybean using a dual-sgRNA/Cas9 design. We achieved a deletion frequency of 15.6% for target fragments ranging from 599 to 1618 bp in GmFT2a. We also achieved deletion frequencies of 12.1% for target fragments exceeding 4.5 kb in GmFT2a and 15.8% for target fragments ranging from 1069 to 1161 bp in GmFT5a. In addition, we demonstrated that these CRISPR/Cas9-induced large fragment deletions can be inherited. The T2 ‘transgene-free’ homozygous ft2a mutants with a 1618 bp deletion exhibited the late-flowering phenotype. In this study, we developed an efficient system for deleting large fragments in soybean using CRISPR/Cas9; this system could benefit future research on gene function and improve agriculture via chromosome engineering or customized genetic breeding in soybean.

As a genetically modified crop, transgenic soybean occupies the largest global scale with its food, nutritional, industrial, and pharmaceutical uses.Efficient transformation is a key factor for the improvement of genetically modified soybean. At present, the Agrobacterium-mediated method is primarily used for soybean transformation, but the efficiency of this method is still relatively low (below 5%) compared with rice (above 90%). In this study, we examined the influence of l-glutamine and/or l-asparagine on Agrobacterium-mediated transformation in soybean and explored the probable role in the process of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The results showed that when the amino acids l-glutamine and l-asparagine were added separately or together to the culture medium, the shoot induction frequency, elongation rate, and transformation frequency were improved. The combined effects of l-glutamine and l-asparagine were better than those of l-glutamine and l-asparagine alone. The 50 mg/L l-glutamine and 50 mg/L l-asparagine together can enhance the transformation frequency of soybean by attenuating the expression level of GmPRs (GmPR1, GmPR4, GmPR5, and GmPR10) and suppression of the plant defense response. The transgene was successfully transmitted to the T1 generation. This study will be useful in genetic engineering of soybean.

Membrane separation is an alternative separation technology to the conventional method of filtration. Hence, it has attracted use in the purification and concentration of Chinese Herbal Medicine Extracts (CHMEs). The purpose of this work was to study the process of microfiltration of Tongbi liquor (TBL), a popular Chinese herbal drink, using ceramic membranes. Zirconium oxide and aluminum oxide membranes with pore mean sizes of 0.2 μm and 0.05 μm, respectively, are used for comparisons in terms of flux, transmittance of the ingredients, physical-chemical parameters, removal of macromolecular materials and fouling resistance. The results show that 0.2 μm zirconium oxide membrane is more suitable. The stable permeate flux reaches 135 L·h−1·m−2, the cumulative transmittance of the indicator is 65.53%. Macromolecular materials, such as starch, protein, tannin, pectin and total solids were largely eliminated in retentate after filtration using 0.2 μm ZrO2 ceramic membrane, resulting in clearer TBL. Moreover, this work also reveals that continuous ultrasound could strengthen membrane process that the permeate flux increases significantly. This work demonstrates that the purification of CHME with ceramic membranes is possible and yielded excellent results.

In micro grid (MG), active/reactive power sharing for all dis-patchable units is an important issue. To meet fluctuating loads’ active and reactive power demands, the units generally adopt primary P-f and Q-U droop control methods. However, at different state of charge (SOC) values, the capability of Lead Acid Battery Bank (LABB) based units to take loads varies in a large range; active power should not be shared according to the units P capacities in a constant ratio. Besides, influenced by the output and line impedance between units, reactive power is not able to be shared in proportion to the units Q capacities. Another problem, after MG power balance requirement is satisfied, frequency and voltage are deviating from their rated values thus power quality is reduced. This paper presents a new smart MG which is based on the multi agent system. To solve the problems mentioned above, P-f and Q-U droop curves are adjusted dynamically and autonomously in local agents. To improve the power quality, secondary restoration function is realized in a decentralized way, the computation tasks are assigned to local, the computation capability and communication reliability requirements for central PC are low, and operation reliability is high. Simulation results back the proposed methods.

Microbial contamination is now more common than chemical contamination in Tibet, and water-borne microbes can cause a number of diseases that threaten public health. Thus, in order to clarify the spatiotemporal distribution of bacteria in small watersheds for which there is no data in Tibet, four sampling points were set up along an upstream-downstream transect of the Xincang River Basin. A total of 239 water samples were collected in 2014 and 2015, and their total constituent numbers of bacteria (TB) and coliforms (TC) were evaluated. The results of this study show that the microbial contamination of the Xincang River Basin is mild-to-moderate in terms of TB and TC contents, and that these concentrations vary significantly in different seasons. The results show that in summer, TB and TC concentrations and microbial contamination are almost at the same level in upstream, midstream, and downstream sections; however, in the other three seasons, microbial contamination in the downstream section is more serious than in the upstream and midstream sections. The data also demonstrates that concentrated precipitation and local contamination sources are important factors underlying increases in TB and TC concentrations during the summer months. The results of this study are likely to reflect the basic characteristics of small watersheds for which there is no data to some extent, and are thus of significant practical importance for protecting their ecological environments and promoting sustainable development.

High flow generates significant alterations in downstream river reaches, resulting in physical condition changes in the downstream regions of the river such as water depth, flow velocity, water temperature and river bed. These alterations will lead to change in fish habitat configuration in the river. This paper proposes a model system to evaluate the high flow effects on river velocity, water depth, substrates changes, temperature distribution and consequently assess the change in spawning and juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) habitats in the downstream region of the Glen Canyon Dam. Firstly, based on the 2 dimensional (2D) depth-averaged CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) model and heat transfer equation applied for simulation, three indices were simulated, namely depth, flow velocity and temperature distribution. Then, the spawning and juvenile fish preference curves were obtained based on these three indices and substrates distribution. After that, the habitat model was proposed and used to simulate the high flow effects on juvenile and spawning rainbow trout habitat structure. Finally, the weighted usable area (WUA) and overall suitability index (OSI) of the spawning and juvenile fish species were quantitatively simulated to estimate the habitat sensitivity. The results illustrate that the high flow effect (HFE) increased the juvenile rainbow trout habitat quality but decreased the spawning rainbow trout habitat quality. The juvenile trout were mainly affected by the water depth while the spawning rainbow trout were dominated by the bed elevation.

Context. The construction of dams on the Chin-sha River will affect fish spawning sites, leading to a decline in fish species. Aims. This paper presents a model to evaluate the ecological status of restoration strategies aimed at fish species living at a spawning site. Methods. The model comprises hydro-morphodynamic and habitat modules. The modelling approach was applied with two restoration strategies (side-channel addition and riverbank reconstruction) and their corresponding post-restoration effects. Key results. Three indicators were utilised to assess the ecological status of the spawning site. Modelling results showed poor ecological status under current hydrological conditions, with weighted usable area and overall suitability index values of 1.07 x 106 m² and 0.41. Without implementing a restoration strategy, the ecological status would continue to fragment and deteriorate. Conclusions. Theweighted usable area can be recovered to 2.86 x 10[sup 6] and 1.67 x 106 m² in scenarios of side-channel and bank construction respectively. The overall suitability index values increase to 0.67 and 0.63 respectively. Implications. It is also noted that the ecological restoration strategy (side-channel addition) can considerably enhance the freshwater Reeves shad's habitat status. Additionally, the restoration strategy illustrated the feasibility of the side-channel addition restoration strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]