Search

Powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt), is one of the most destructive diseases that pose a great threat to wheat production. Wheat landraces represent a rich source of powdery mildew resistance. Here, we report the map-based cloning of powdery mildew resistance gene Pm24 from Chinese wheat landrace Hulutou. It encodes a tandem kinase protein (TKP) with putative kinase-pseudokinase domains, designated WHEAT TANDEM KINASE 3 (WTK3). The resistance function of Pm24 was validated by transgenic assay, independent mutants, and allelic association analyses. Haplotype analysis revealed that a rare 6-bp natural deletion of lysine-glycine codons, endemic to wheat landraces of Shaanxi Province, China, in the kinase I domain (Kin I) of WTK3 is critical for the resistance function. Transgenic assay of WTK3 chimeric variants revealed that only the specific two amino acid deletion, rather than any of the single or more amino acid deletions, in the Kin I of WTK3 is responsible for gaining the resistance function of WTK3 against the Bgt fungus.

Background: With the implementation of China's three-child policy, an increasing number of Chinese women are not opting for cesarian delivery (CD), with particular concern about intrapartum CD. At the same time, reducing the rate of intrapartum CD is closely associated with a decrease in maternal and neonatal complications, as well as an improvement in maternal satisfaction. Therefore, it is essential to develop a predictive model specifically tailored to Chinese pregnant women to reduce the rate of intrapartum CD. Objective: This study aimed to develop a predicting model for intrapartum CD at admission using the coefficients of Lasso regression analysis, multi-factor logistic regression and a nomogram. Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study involved singleton pregnancies of women willing to undergo vaginal delivery (VD) at admission between August 2021 to March 2022 at the Department of Obstetrics in our hospital. The study cohort comprised 3,025 pregnant women who underwent a trial of vaginal labor at admission, with 378 cases in the intrapartum CD group and 2,647 cases in the VD group. These cohorts were divided into a training and a test cohort (7:3 ratio). A predictive model was developed using the training cohort to estimate the risk of intrapartum CD, incorporating coefficients of Lasso regression analysis, a nomogram and multivariate logistic regression (MLR). A Decision Curve Analysis (DCA) was conducted to evaluate the clinical utility and net benefit of the nomogram in the training cohort. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, along with sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), accuracy and precision were used to evaluate clinical utility of the prediction models in both the training and test cohorts. Results: Nine factors in the training cohort were identified as independent predictors of intrapartum CD, including BMI before labor (OR = 1.07, p = 0.006), maternal height(OR = 0.94, p < 0.001), gestational age at delivery(OR = 1.13, p = 0.120), fetal weight by last ultrasound before labor (OR = 1.00, p = 0.003), previous VD history (OR = 0.09, p < 0.001), previous CD history (OR = 2.53, p = 0.020), spontaneous labor(OR = 2.01, p < 0.001), cervical Bishop scores(OR = 0.73, p < 0.001), and Hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy(OR = 2.08, p = 0.001). Additionally, a DCA was conducted to evaluate the clinical utility and net benefit of the nomogram in the training cohort. The area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, accuracy and precision were 0.793 (95%CI 0.768–0.819), 84.9%, 60.1%, 23.8%, 96.4%, 63.2% and 23.8%, respectively in the training cohort, and 0.753(95%CI 0.703–0.798), 81.3%, 59.3%, 21.0%, 96.0%, 61.9% and 21.1% respectively in the test cohort. These results indicate that the mode demonstrated good predictive performance in both datasets. Conclusion: Our model, which utilized admission indicators, performed well in predicting the risk of intrapartum CD using a nomogram. These findings have significant practical implications for physicians seeking to reduce the rate of intrapartum CD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The optimal timing of cranioplasty (CP) after decompressive craniectomy (DC) is inconclusive. This article aims to investigate the effect of different timing of CP on the neurologic prognosis of patients, and to explore the feasibility and safety of ultra-early CP (within 3 weeks) following DC. Methods: The duration time of surgery, intraoperative bleeding volume, surgery-related complications, and activities of daily living (ADL) scores were retrospectively analyzed in 23 patients underwent ultra-early CP performed within 3 weeks, and compared with 136 patients with non-ultra-early CP performed within the same time period. Results: The mean duration time of surgery in the ultra-early group was significantly shorter than that in the non-ultra-early group. ADL scores were significantly lower in the ultra-early group than in the non-ultra-early group both before and 1 month after CP, but there was no statistically significant difference in ADL scores between the two groups at long-term follow-up. The overall incidence of surgery-related complications was 17.39% (4/23) in the ultra-early group and 14.71% (20/136) in the non-ultra-early group, and there was no statistically significant difference in the comparison between the two groups (p = 0.739). Conclusion: Both ultra-early and non-ultra-early CP can significantly improve the neurological prognosis of patients. Ultra-early CP can significantly shorten the length of surgery and does not increase the incidence of surgery-related complications, which has a certain degree of safety and feasibility, and can be popularized under the premise of strict screening of indications, but further research is still needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass is considered as a desirable carbon source due to its abundance, low cost, environmental friendliness and sustainability. The traditional preparation methods of biomass-derived carbon materials, typically in-furnace pyrolysis, involve tedious and energy-consuming processes and require harsh operation conditions. In contrast, laser-induced carbonization is a facile, environmentally friendly and high-efficiency technique that can create an instantaneous thermal shock process for the rapid conversion of biomass into carbon, enabling it to more easily possess unique active sites that play powerful roles in energy storage and conversion applications. Besides, the microstructure and composition of laser-induced biomass-derived carbon materials (LIBCs) can be precisely regulated by adjusting precursor types and laser processing parameters. In this review, the current developments on LIBCs are elaborated. The laser-induced carbonization mechanism is first introduced, and the effects of laser parameters including laser power, scanning speed, laser spot defocus, and atmosphere on the carbonization process are discussed. A special focus is put on the functionalization treatment of LIBCs, including the doping of heteroatoms as well as the incorporation of metals or metal compounds. The applications of LIBCs in the fields of micro-supercapacitors, batteries, electrocatalysis, sensors, and so on are highlighted. Finally, the current challenges and future prospects of LIBCs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal sulfides with suitable morphology typically possess efficient solar light utilization and suitable band structures for photocatalytic hydrogen production. However, a significant challenge is faced in developing the optimal morphology of individual semiconductors and precisely modulating hybrid heterostructures. Herein, this work reports the superior photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance of hexagonal CdS pyramids compared to other nanostructured CdS catalysts. Additionally, ZnS nanoparticles with zinc vacancies are grown in situ on the surface of the hexagonal CdS pyramids, meticulously constructing a Z-scheme heterojunction of CdS/ZnS. By elaborately adjusting the ratio of Cd to Zn sources, the interfacial structure of the heterojunction can be optimized to significantly reduce the obstruction of charge transfer. With the same concentrations of Cd and Zn sources, the CdS/ZnS heterojunction hexagonal pyramid–nanoparticle morphology exhibits a significantly enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 4660 μmol h−1 g−1 under visible light, which is 4.6 and 84.72 times higher than those of pristine CdS pyramids and ZnS nanoparticles, respectively. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) results comprehensively demonstrate the promoted interfacial charge separation in the Z-scheme CdS/ZnS. This work provides an effective strategy for the rational design of catalyst morphology and construction of Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts for efficient photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The variation of configuration parameters in the insulation structure of transformers significantly impacts the distribution of electric fields. Current research on electric field distribution calculations often overlooks the influence of electric field intensity and temperature on this distribution. However, considering that the direct current conductivity of oil‐paper materials is easily affected by both electric field intensity and temperature, any changes in their conductivity will inevitably affect the electric field distribution. Therefore, this paper incorporates the influence of electric field intensity and temperature on the calculation process of the electric field distribution in the main insulation structure of the valve‐side winding. Additionally, it calculates the distribution of multi‐fields for a wide range of structural configuration parameters. Consequently, the influence law of insulation structure configuration parameters on the electric field distribution of the main insulation structure of valve‐side winding for converter transformer when considering electro‐thermal coupling is obtained. This finding can serve as a crucial reference for designing and optimising converter transformers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]