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Abstract Background The potential effects of global warming on soil fungal communities and their functions remain uncertain. To address this issue, we investigated the effects of 3-year simulated field warming on the community and function of fungi in a temperate steppe of Inner Mongolia, northern China. Methods The diversity and structure of the fungal community were measured by high-throughput sequencing. The functionality of fungal communities was identified by comparison with the ITS reference database. Results Our results showed that warming did not affect the diversity of fungi, but significantly increased the complexity of the fungal community, with fungal taxa more closely associating with each other. We observed that plant pathogens and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were the most abundant functional groups. Meanwhile, warming significantly decreased the relative abundance of animal pathogens. Conclusions Warming significantly increased the complexity of the fungal community, with soil pH being the main factor affecting soil fungal function. Our findings emphasize that the response of the fungal community and its functional groups to warming has significant implications for ecosystem biogeochemical cycling.

Abstract Background Rhododendron delavayi is a natural shrub that is distributed at different elevations in the karst region of Bijie, China, and that has an important role in preventing land degradation in this region. In this study, we determined the soil mineral element contents and soil enzyme activities. The composition of the soil bacterial community of R. delavayi at three elevations (1448 m, 1643 m, and 1821 m) was analyzed by high-throughput sequencing, and the interrelationships among the soil bacterial communities, mineral elements, and enzyme activities were determined. Results The Shannon index of the soil bacterial community increased and then decreased with increasing elevation and was highest at 1643 m. Elevations increased the number of total nodes and edges of the soil bacterial community network, and more positive correlations at 1821 m suggested stronger intraspecific cooperation. Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla at all three elevations. The Mantel test and correlation analysis showed that Fe and soil urease significantly affected bacterial communities at 1448 m; interestingly, Chloroflexi was positively related to soil urease at 1448 m, and Actinobacteria was positively correlated with Ni and Zn at 1821 m. Fe and soil urease significantly influenced the bacterial communities at lower elevations, and high elevation (1821 m) enhanced the positive interactions of the soil bacteria, which might be a strategy for R. delavayi to adapt to high elevation environments. Conclusion Elevation significantly influenced the composition of soil bacterial communities by affecting the content of soil mineral elements and soil enzyme activity.

IntroductionFlower color polymorphism is often attributed to selection pressures from Q9 pollinators or other non-pollinator stress factors. Generally, flower color polymorphism demonstrates effective acclimatization linked to either pollinator-mediated selection or pleiotropic effects.MethodsTo test these hypotheses in Ophiorrhiza japonica, we compared pollinator visitation frequencies and plant traits between pink and white morphs in Shibing, a dolomite Karst region recognized as a World Natural Heritage Site. We also assessed the ratio of flower morphs and the reproductive success of the two morphs during spring and winter. Additionally, we examined the effects of temperature shifts on the two morphs under various temperature treatments.Results and discussionOur results revealed no significant difference in visitation frequencies between the morphs. However, the ratio of pink to white morph differed significantly between spring and winter. The temperature of pink morph was higher than that of white morph at temperatures ranging from 0-24°C, while white morph had higher temperatures than pink morph at -4°C. Based on the aforementioned results, pollinators are not the primary factor influencing the distribution of flower colors in spring and winter. Furthermore, the response of different flower colors to temperature suggests that temperature is more likely the factor driving changes in flower coloration. Our study provides further evidence supporting the pleiotropic effect hypothesis, which posits that flower color polymorphism can be maintained by fluctuating temperatures in the dolomite Karst region. This study offers a potential model for explaining flower color polymorphism in Karst regions.

Lack of surface water is a key factor leading to agricultural drought in karst regions and exacerbates the karst rocky desertification, which is characterized by high rate of exposed bedrock. With the characteristics of impermeability, runoff collection, and wide distribution, stone bud and karren (SBK), a unique karst landscape type composed of exposed bedrock and gullies, has a great potential to solve water shortage in agricultural irrigation, especially in the rain-rich karst regions of Guizhou Province, China. Using unmanned aerial vehicle images to identify SBK and measured rainfall–runoff data for validation, we applied SBK as a basic unit to harvest rainfall water on rocky desertification slopes and analyzed the benefits of rainfall water collection and irrigation via SBK. The results showed the following: (1) Karrens on rocky desertification slopes could be identified using a method coupling terrain opening difference and depression filling, and the simulated runoff on SBK could achieved the average NSE and R2 of 0.82 and 0.86, with RMSE and RSR less than 0.03 m3 and 0.51, respectively. (2) The exposed bedrock utilization rate and rainfall water collection coefficient of SBK were 0.62 and 0.55, respectively, such that the area ratio of exposed bedrock to the cultivated land meeting irrigation water demand reached 1:3.1, 1:3.7 and 1:7.0 under 90 %, 80 % and 50 % possibilities of irrigation. (3) Implementing SBK for rainfall water harvesting and irrigation could efficiently avoid crop failure in the karst regions where crops faced drought within only one week after rainfall, and was at an affordable cost to local farmers with limited environmental damage. The use of SBK to harvest rainfall water could also alleviate surface water shortages in karst regions caused by problems such as uneven temporal distribution of rainfall and engineering water shortages. Consequently, SBK demonstrate a strong application potential to alleviate agricultural drought in karst rocky desertification regions.

IntroductionHeterostyly is a genetically controlled style polymorphism, that plays an important role in promoting outcrossing and improving reproductive fitness. Although distyly is often studied in plants of the Rubiaceae family, little attention has been paid to the reproductive strategies of distylous species in fragmented habitats. Here, We report for the first time the growth of Ophiorrhiza alatiflora, a type distylous species, in karst areas and evaluate its reciprocity between long styled morph and short one. We analyze the two distyly morph differences in the ancillary polymorphic of flowers and explore their reproductive strategy in fragmented habitats.MethodsIn this study, we measured the floral characteristics of different morphs and performed differential secondary metabolite analysis on different morphs and tissue organs; Different pollination treatments were carried out to observe the fruit set, pollen germination, and pollen tube elongation of O. alatiflora.Results and discussionOur research indicates that O. alatiflora is a typical distylous plant for the distyly has high reciprocity. Both morphs exhibit the highest fruit set of intermorph outcrossing; The pollen germination and pollen tube elongation experiments have also demonstrated that the affinity of pollen from intermorph outcrossing is highest, regardless of whether it is the long or short morph as the maternal parent; Meanwhile, O. alatiflora is an incompletely self-incompatible plant that exhibits a certain degree of self-pollination and intramorph outcrossing, which may be one of the important means to ensure sustainable reproduction in severely disturbed habitats. In the ancillary polymorphic of flowers, L-morphs flowers produce more pollen, and S-morph flowers produce more ovules to improve their male-female fitness and compensate for the asymmetry of pollen flow; Compared with S-morphs, L-morphs contain significantly higher levels of several kinds of terpenoids. S-morphs produce more flavonoids than L-morphs. The differences in secondary metabolites between L-morphs and S-morphs are mainly reflected in the different nutritional organs (including stems and leaves). Overall, our work has revealed the unique reproductive strategy of O. alatiflora in fragmented habitats based on the characteristics of distyly, verifying the hypothesis that the distyly of O. alatiflora promotes outcrossing and avoids male-female interference, improving male-female fitness and this is the first time in the Ophiorrhiza genus.

During the operation of nuclear fusion reactors, the plasma facing tungsten-based materials need to withstand a certain number of steady-state and transient thermal loads without cracking, melting, and other damage. It is very important to improve the mechanical properties and high temperature stability of plasma facing tungsten-based materials, the current modification methods mainly include alloy strengthening, dispersion strengthening, fiber toughening, second phase strengthening, composite strengthening, and so on. The effect of modification methods on the thermal load damage behavior of tungsten-based materials was investigated in this paper, such as alloy strengthening and dispersion strengthening, the advantages and disadvantages of those strengthening methods were summarized, and the thermal load damage behavior of plasma facing tungsten-based materials was prospected.

[Objective] High-frequency acoustic energy generated by gas passing through decompression devices induces high-order modes of the pipeline wall, leading to acoustic-induced vibrations of the pipeline structure. These vibrations can potentially trigger fatigue failures at discontinuous, such as welded supports, tees, and areas of pipeline corrosion defects, over a short period. [Methods] Initially, the infuence of sound source strength was quantified by calculating the noise spectrum and converting the sound power levels into sound pressure levels.A finite element model was created to simulate acoustic-induced vibrations in a gas pipeline featuring corrosion defects. Acoustic pressure was applied to the pipeline wall within the model to investigate the impact of corrosion defect dimensions on acoustic-induced vibrations,i.e. length, width, and depth. Subsequently, the obtained results were compared against the evaluation outcomes derived from the Energy Institute(EI) guidelines. [Results] Under varying dimensionless lengths of corrosion defects, the gas pipeline exhibited stress responses characterized by hump-like fuctuations. Specifically, the stress level initially increased and then decreased corresponding to increases in dimensionless defect length. However, the stress concentration weakened with increasing dimensionless defect lengths. As the defect width increased, the gas pipeline showed a uniform stress distribution. Additionally, the pipeline stress fuctuated in a saddle shape with increases in dimensionless defect depth. Specifically, the gas pipeline experienced initial decreases followed by rises in the stress level. [Conclusion] This study reveals the substantial impact of corrosion defects on gas pipeline's stress responses, highlighting the most noticeable impact from the length of corrosion defects. Furthermore, corrosion defects with dimensionless depths over 0.6 lead to significant increases in their infuence on the stress and vibration modes of gas pipelines. Consequently, future research should focus on investigating the impact of corrosion defect depths on acoustic-induced vibrations. The quantitative analysis outcomes of acoustic-induced vibration responses in gas pipelines with corrosion defects not only offer theoretical support for mitigating strong vibrations of gas pipelines but also serve as a reference basis for gas pipelines across design, construction, operation, and maintenance stages.

Over the past two decades, the tea plantation area in Meitan County, China, has expanded nearly 30-fold, driving significant land use and cover changes (LUCC) with unclear impacts on regional carbon storage. This study uses the PLUS-InVEST model to analyze LUCC impacts on carbon storage from 2000 to 2020 and predict future changes by 2060. Results show a decline in total carbon storage from 3977.83 × 104 t in 2000 to 3960.85 × 104 t in 2020, primarily due to reductions in cultivated land and grassland. Although carbon storage in forest land and tea plantations increased, the overall trend remained negative. Multi-scenario simulations indicate that the sustainable development scenario (SDS) mitigates carbon loss, with a decrease of 31.53 × 104 t, compared to larger reductions in the natural development (NDS) and economic development (EDS) scenarios. Under the SDS scenario, carbon storage in forest land and grassland increased while construction land expansion was controlled. This study emphasizes optimizing land use and agricultural management to enhance carbon sequestration and protect ecosystems, highlighting the need for a balance between ecological protection and economic development for sustainable carbon management in Meitan County.

With the highly anticipated results from the Beam Energy Scan II program at RHIC being recently revealed, an understanding of particle-number fluctuations and their significance as a potential signature of a possible QCD critical point is crucial. Early works that embarked on this endeavor sought to estimate the fluctuations due to the presence of a critical point assuming they stay in equilibrium. From these results came the proposal to focus efforts on higher, non-Gaussian, moments of the event-by-event distributions, in particular of the number of protons. These non-Gaussian moments are especially sensitive to critical fluctuations, as their magnitudes are proportional to high powers of the critical correlation length. As the equation of state provides key input for hydrodynamical simulations of heavy-ion collisions, we estimate equilibrium fluctuations from the BEST equation of state (EoS) that includes critical features from the 3D Ising Model. In particular, the proton factorial cumulants and their dependence on non-universal mapping parameters is investigated within the BEST EoS. Furthermore, the correlation length, as a central quantity for the assessment of fluctuations in the vicinity of a critical point, is also calculated in a consistent manner with the scaling equation of state. An understanding of the equilibrium estimates of proton factorial cumulants will be useful for further comparison to estimates of out-of-equilibrium fluctuations in order to determine the magnitude of the observable fluctuations to be expected in heavyion collision experiments, in which the time spent near a critical point is short.

The anomalies of cadmium (Cd) in karst region pose a severe threat to plant growth and development. In this study, the responses of Rhododendron decorum to Cd stress were investigated at physiological, molecular, and endophytic microbial levels, and the potential correlation among these responses was assessed. The Cd stress impeded R. decorum growth and led to an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels, as well as enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities. Meanwhile, Cd stress increased the Cd (up to 80 times compared to the control), sodium (Na), aluminum (Al), and zinc (Zn) contents, while decreased the magnesium (Mg) and manganese (Mn) contents in R. decorum leaves. Transcriptome suggested that Cd significantly regulated the pathways including “protein repair”, “hormone-mediated signaling pathway”, and “ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters”. Additionally, q-PCR analysis showed that Cd stress significantly up-regulated the expressions of ABCB19-like and pleiotropic drug resistance, while down-regulated the expressions of indole-3-acetic acid-amido synthetase and cytokinin dehydrogenase. The Cd stress influenced the composition of endophytic microbial communities in R. decorum leaves and enhanced the interspecific bacterial associations. Furthermore, the bacterial genera Achromobacter, Aureimonas and fungal genus Vishniacozyma exhibited a high degree of connectivity with other nodes in networks constructed by the metal element contents, differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and microbial communities, respectively. These findings provide a comprehensive insight into the response of R. decorum to Cd-induced stress, which might facilitate the breeding of the Cd-tolerant R. decorum.

Along with the development of science and technology, chemical reactions exhibit an important role in various fileds including synthesis, chemical engineering, energy, environment, biology and medicine. The effective intermediates monitoring and mechanism exploration of chemical reactions can promote their development and contribute to the design of new chemical reactions. However, in the complex reaction matrix, a variety of intermediates with different molecular weights, life and dynamic changes will be generated at different reaction conditions, the effective capture and structure determinations of the short-lived and active reaction intermediates are hard to be achieved. In recent years, ambient mass spectrometry (AMS) has been widely used in the detection of chemical intermediates to explore reaction mechanisms, due to its advantages of high sensitivity, high selectivity, rapid analysis and in-situ monitoring. Herein, the research progress and development of AMS for the detection of reaction intermediates were reviewed, which involved the reactions in the fields of electrochemistry, photochemistry, plasma chemistry and microdroplet chemistry. For different types of reactions, the designs of different AMS detection technologies were introduced in details. Upon the different ionization strategies, different kinds of techniques have been reported, including desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS), nano-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (nESI-MS), extraction electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (EESI-MS), Venturi easy ambient sonic spray ionization mass spectrometry (VEASI-MS), spray-dependent plasma mass spectrometry (SDP-MS), accelerated plasma degradation coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (APD-MS), field-induced droplet ionization mass spectrometry (FIDI-MS) and so on. Subsequently, the progress and application of these mass spectrometry techniques in capturing intermediates of different kinds of reactions as well as the exploration of mechanisms were reviewed. Finally, the development of mass spectrometry for the detection of transient reaction intermediates in different chemical reactions, including electrochemical reactions, photochemical reactions, plasma reactions and microdroplet reactions were summarized and prospected. As reviewed, based on the characteristics of high throughput virtual screening and online monitoring, as well as the diversification of ion sources, AMS would be widely used in various fields including industrial production, environmental protection, energy and so on. In the future, the improved AMS techniques will be encouraged for examining more highly active intermediates with the increasing requirements for the examination of complicated reactions.

Chemical traits (primary and secondary metabolites) are important features of plants. An increasing number of studies have focused on the ecological significance of secondary metabolites in plant parts, especially in pollen. Ericaceae species exhibit significant morphological variations and diverse colors, are widely distributed throughout China and are popular ornamental garden plants. The chemical trait of pollen in Ericaceae species and their potential ecological significance remain unclear. We selected a total of nine Ericaceae species from three nature reserves in southwestern China, which were the predominant flowering Ericaceae plants for each site, and measured their floral characteristics, nectar volume and sugar concentration. We determined the types of pollinators of these species based on a literature review and used UPLC-QTOF-MS to analyze the types and relative contents of primary metabolites (amino acids and fatty acids) and secondary metabolites (terpenoids, phenolics and nitrogenous compounds) in the pollen and other tissues, including the stems, leaves, petals and nectar. The results showed that each species exhibited unique floral characteristics. Enkianthus ruber, Pieris formosa, Rhododendron agastum, R. irroratum, R. virgatum and R. rubiginosum were pollinated by bees, and R. delavayi, R. decorum and R. excellens were pollinated by diverse animals (bees, birds and Lepidoptera). The pollen of these Ericaceae species was rich in phenolics and terpenoids, especially flavonoids. Grayanotoxin, andromedotoxin and asebotin (toxic diterpene compounds) were also detected in the pollen of some of the Ericaceae species in our study, and their response value was low. The relative contents and diversity of secondary metabolites in the pollen were higher than those in the nectar but lower than those in the leaves, petals and stems. The five chemical compounds with the highest content (four flavonoids, one triterpene) in the pollen were also detected in the stems, leaves and petals, and the response value of most of these chemicals in pollen was not significantly correlated with that in other tissues. Rhododendron species has a closer relationship with chemical traits in pollen compared with Enkianthus and Pieris species. The response value of total secondary metabolites in the pollen of species pollinated only by bees was higher than that of species pollinated by diverse animals. Our research indicates that the pollen of ericaceous species contains a wide array of metabolites, establishing a foundation for advancing the nutritional potential of the pollen of horticultural ericaceous species and deepening our understanding of its chemical and ecological significance.

Ecological connectivity in landscapes is crucial for plant diversity conservation. The barrier risk to ecological connectivity represents the risk to ecological connectivity loss or weakening, resulting from the barrier to biological information exchange among habitats. Therefore, clarifying the barrier risk to the ecological connectivity of plant diversity in space can reveal the spatial impacts of reduced ecological connectivity on plant diversity. This study analyzed effects of karst peak, river network, arable land, and impervious surface on plant diversity in karst natural, countryside, urban, and island landscapes in Guizhou Province with fragile environment. Then, we calculated the barrier distance of ecological connectivity to reveal the barrier risk to the ecological connectivity of plant diversity in space. The results showed that karst peak was the source of high plant diversity, and plant diversity could diffuse about 400 m around karst peaks. River network and arable land enhanced the connectivity among karst peaks to maintain plant diversity, and the effect on enhancing the connectivity was about 300 m and 450 m, respectively, while the weakening effect of impervious surface on connectivity was about 350 m. Based on the distance for plant diversity diffusing around karst peaks, the barrier distance of ecological connectivity was determined by the combination type of river network, arable land and impervious surface in landscapes. From low to high, the barrier risk to the ecological connectivity of plant diversity was about 1,110 m in the combination of river network and arable land, about 790 m in the combination of river network, arable land and impervious surface, about 520 min the combination of arable land and impervious surface, about 400 m in the combination of river network and impervious surface. Our findings clarify the barrier risk to the ecological connectivity of plant diversity in space, and provide a scientific basis for plant diversity conservation from the perspective of ecological connectivity.

With the continuous development of Evs (electric vehicles) and new energy, smart BESS (battery energy storage system) charging stations came into being, and the EV battery testing technology is particularly important. Improving the stability of the vehicle can not only reduce the accident rate of the vehicle, reduce casualties and economic losses, but also improve the traffic conditions and people’s living standards. To ensure safe battery use and reduce average lifecycle costs, EV battery inspection methods with real-time implementation are required in different applications. Therefore, this paper discusses the methods for the SOC (state of charge), SOH (state of health), and remaining life prediction of EV batteries, followed by an analysis of potential application techniques and practical application scenarios. A complete solution for the whole life cycle online inspection and fault detection of EV batteries is proposed, using the SOC, SOH algorithm and drive method for special scenario application described in the paper. In addition, a future life prediction method that may be applied to battery detection during charging of EV in EV charging stations with PV can be obtained based on the EV and battery aging model. And this paper provides a comparative analysis of the EV battery test reports provided by two charging post operators and gives corresponding charging recommendations. Finally, the future development prospects and applications of the testing technologies are extended by the real charging scenarios of EVs.

Uricase (or Urate oxidase), a key enzyme involved in purine metabolism, is commonly used in treating conditions such as gout, hyperuricemia, and tumor lysis syndrome. In this study, a uricase-producing strain (named CSAJ-16) was isolated from the soil sample of Cangshan Mountain, Yunnan Province, China. This strain was identified as Arthrobacter sp. CSAJ-16. Based on the gene sequence alignment, the uricase gene (named aruox) of Arthrobacter sp. CSAJ-16 was amplified and heterologously expressed. The recombinant uricase (ArUOX) was about 32 kDa. The optimal pH and temperature of ArUOX were pH 7 and 20°C, respectively. The ArUOX remained above 50% relative activity after incubation at 37°C for 100 min or at pH 6.0–8.6 for 24 h. Moreover, metal ions such as K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Ba2+ and Pb2+ can significantly enhance the activity of ArUOX (> 200%). These enzymatic properties indicate that ArUOX has potential applications in pharmaceutical enzymes and uric acid detection kits.

Abstract Background The diploid woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) is an excellent model plant for investigating economically significant traits and several genetic resources within the Rosaceae family. Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated hairy root transformation is an alternative for exploring gene functions, especially the genes specifically expressed in roots. However, the hairy root transformation has not been established in strawberry. Results Here, we described an efficient and rapid hairy root transgenic system for strawberry using A. rhizogenes. Strain of A. rhizogenes MSU440 or C58C1 was the most suitable for hairy root transformation. The transformation efficiency was highest when tissues contained hypocotyls as explants. The optimal procedure involves A. rhizogenes at an optical density (OD600) of 0.7 for 10 min and co-cultivation duration for four days, achieving a transgenic efficiency of up to 71.43%. An auxin responsive promoter DR5 ver2 carrying an enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) marker was transformed by A. rhizogenes MSU440, thereby generating transgenic hairy roots capable of high eGFP expression in root tip and meristem of strawberry where auxin accumulated. Finally, this system was applied for functional analysis using jGCaMP7c, which could sense calcium signals. A significant upsurge in eGFP expression in the transgenic hairy roots was displayed after adding calcium chloride. The results suggested that this approach was feasible for studying specific promoters and could be a tool to analyze gene functions in the roots of strawberries. Conclusion We established a rapid and efficient hairy root transformation in strawberry by optimizing parameters, which was adequate for promoter analysis and functional characterization of candidate genes in strawberry and other rosaceous plants.

Abstract Background Pectate lyase (PL, EC 4.2.2.2), as an endo-acting depolymerizing enzyme, cleaves α-1,4-glycosidic linkages in esterified pectin and involves a broad range of cell wall modifications. However, the knowledge concerning the genome-wide analysis of the PL gene family in Fragaria vesca has not been thoroughly elucidated. Results In this study, sixteen PLs members in F. vesca were identified based on a genome-wide investigation. Substantial divergences existed among FvePLs in gene duplication, cis-acting elements, and tissue expression patterns. Four clusters were classified according to phylogenetic analysis. FvePL6, 8 and 13 in cluster II significantly contributed to the significant expansions during evolution by comparing orthologous PL genes from Malus domestica, Solanum lycopersicum, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Fragaria×ananassa. The cis-acting elements implicated in the abscisic acid signaling pathway were abundant in the regions of FvePLs promoters. The RNA-seq data and in situ hybridization revealed that FvePL1, 4, and 7 exhibited maximum expression in fruits at twenty days after pollination, whereas FvePL8 and FvePL13 were preferentially and prominently expressed in mature anthers and pollens. Additionally, the co-expression networks displayed that FvePLs had tight correlations with transcription factors and genes implicated in plant development, abiotic/biotic stresses, ions/Ca2+, and hormones, suggesting the potential roles of FvePLs during strawberry development. Besides, histological observations suggested that FvePL1, 4 and 7 enhanced cell division and expansion of the cortex, thus negatively influencing fruit firmness. Finally, FvePL1-RNAi reduced leaf size, altered petal architectures, disrupted normal pollen development, and rendered partial male sterility. Conclusion These results provide valuable information for characterizing the evolution, expansion, expression patterns and functional analysis, which help to understand the molecular mechanisms of the FvePLs in the development of strawberries.

The toxicity of cadmium (Cd) not only affects the growth and development of plants but also has an impact on human health. In this study, high-throughput sequencing and LC-MS were conducted to analyze the effect of CdCl2 treatment on the microbial community and soil metabolomics of rhizosphere soil in Rhododendron decorum subsp. diaprepes. The results showed that CdCl2 treatment reduced the quality of the rhizosphere soil by significantly decreasing the soil organic carbon (SOC) content, urease, and invertase activities, increasing the percentage of the exchangeable Cd fraction. CdCl2 treatment did not significantly change the Chao1 and Shannon indices of bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizosphere soil. R. decorum was more likely to recruit Cd-resistant bacteria (e.g., Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi) and increase the abundance of Cd-resistant fungi (e.g., Basidiomycota, Rozellomycota). Moreover, CdCl2 treatment decreased the content of secondary metabolites associated with plants’ resistance to Cd. Rhizosphere soil urease, invertase activities, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), SOC, total potassium (TK), Cd, and nitrate nitrogen (NN) were the main drivers of the composition of rhizosphere bacterial and fungal communities. CdCl2 treatment weakened the relationships among bacterial/fungi, differential metabolites, and physicochemical properties in rhizosphere soil.

Many studies have attempted to explore the changes in the structure and function of symbiotic microbiomes, as well as the underlying genetic mechanism during crop domestication. However, most of these studies have focused on crop root microbiomes, while those on leaf and fruit are rare. In this study, we generated a comprehensive dataset including the metagenomic (leaf) and metatranscriptomic (fruit pericarp in the orange stage) data of hundreds of germplasms from three tomato clades: Solanum pimpinellifolium (PIM), cherry tomato (S. lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) (CER), and S. lycopersicum group (BIG). We investigated the effect of domestication and improvement processes on the structure of the symbiotic microbiome of tomato leaf and fruit pericarp, as well as its genetic basis. We were able to obtain the composition of the symbiotic microbiome of tomato leaf and fruit pericarp, based on which the tomato clade (PIM, CER, or BIG) was predicted with high accuracy through machine learning methods. In the processes of tomato domestication and improvement, changes were observed in the relative abundance of specific bacterial taxa, Bacillus for example, in the tomato leaf and fruit pericarp symbiotic microbiomes, as well as in the function of these symbiotic microbiomes. In addition, SNP loci that were significantly associated with microbial species that are characteristic of tomato leaf were identified. Our results show that domestication and genetic improvement processes alter the symbiotic microbiome structure and function of tomato leaf and fruit pericarp. We propose that leaf and fruit microbiomes are more suitable for revealing changes in symbiotic microbiomes during the domestication process and the underlying genetic basis for these changes due to the exclusion of the influence of environmental factors such as soil types on the microbiome structure.

Gleditsia sinensis, commonly known as Chinese Zaojiao, has important economic value and medicinal compounds in its fruits and thorns, making it widely cultivated artificially in China. However, the available literature on the impact of waterlogging on the growth of G. sinensis seedlings and the accumulation of metabolite compounds in its thorns is limited. To address this knowledge gap, G. sinensis seedlings were planted in soil supplemented with pindstrup substrate, which enhances the water-holding capacity of the soil. The analyses of morphological traits and nutrient elements in one-year-old G. sinensis seedlings grown naturally under ambient conditions and metabolite accumulation in its thorns were conducted. The results showed that the waterlogged soil significantly diminished the height, fresh weight, and dry weight of seedling roots and stems (P

Because of the rapid development of power electronics, DC loads, and distributed energy resources, the advantages of DC distribution systems are increasingly prominent. This paper provides a brief description of the concepts and functional advantages of DC distribution systems, introducing the main equipment of multi-terminal DC (MTDC) distribution system, the topologies, and the typical application scenarios of each topology. The coordinated control technology of MTDC distribution system is analysed and summarized in terms of control architecture, coordinated control, damping control, and operation mode. The existing MTDC distribution demonstration projects are summarized, and recent typical projects are introduced. Finally, the issues that can be studied regarding to the innovation and application of MTDC distribution system are pointed out.

Background With higher age, frailty escalates the risk of falls, unexpected physical dysfunction, hospitalization, and mortality. Polypharmacy in the older population is a major challenge that not only increases medical costs, but also may worsen the risk of hospitalization and death. More importantly, the properties of anti-cholinergic drugs contribute various negative effects. This study aimed to investigate the sex difference in the association of polypharmacy, anticholinergic burden, and frailty with mortality. Methods Participants older than 65 years who attended the geriatric outpatient clinic of the study center between January 2015 and July 2020 were invited to participate in this retrospective study. Comprehensive geriatric assessment data were collected and the phenotype of frailty was determined by Fried’s criteria. Cox regression and the Kaplan–Meier curve were used to identify risk factors of 5-year survival along with intergroup differences in the risks. Results Of the 2,077 participants, 47.5% were female. The prevalence of frailty and the rate of polypharmacy were 44.7% and 60.6%, respectively. Higher age, male sex, low body mass index, low Mini-Mental State Examination scores, low activities of daily living, frailty status, polypharmacy, and a high Charlson Comorbidity Index score, and greater anticholinergic burden were significant risk factors that were associated with the 5-year all-cause mortality. Male patients with frailty exhibited the highest risks of mortality compared with male patients without frailty and female patients with or without frailty. Polypharmacy was significantly associated with a higher 5-year mortality rate in the frail male group compared with the non-frail male. In frail female group, individuals with a higher anticholinergic burden (as indicated by the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden Scale) from drug usage exhibited an elevated 5-year mortality rate. Conclusions Polypharmacy and greater anticholinergic burden, synergistically interacted with frailty and intensified the 5-year mortality risk in a gender-specific manner. To mitigate mortality risks, clinicians should prudently identify polypharmacy and anticholinergic burden in the older population.

Abstract Nectar robbing can affect plant reproductive success directly by influencing female and male fitness, and indirectly by affecting pollinator behavior. Flowers have morphological and chemical features that may protect them from nectar robbers. Previous studies on nectar robbing have focused mainly on homotypic plants. It remains unclear how nectar robbing affects the reproductive success of distylous plants, and whether defense strategies of two morphs are different. Nectar‐robbing rates on the long‐ and short‐styled morph (L‐morph, S‐morph) of the distylous Tirpitzia sinensis were investigated. We compared floral traits, the temporal pattern of change in nectar volume and sugar concentration, nectar secondary metabolites, and sugar composition between robbed and unrobbed flowers of two morphs. We tested direct effects of nectar robbing on female and male components of plant fitness and indirect effects of nectar robbing via pollinators. Nectar‐robbing rates did not differ between the two morphs. Flowers with smaller sepals and petals were more easily robbed. The floral tube diameter and thickness were greater in L‐morphs than in S‐morphs, and the nectar rob holes were significantly smaller in L‐morphs than in S‐morphs. Nectar robbing significantly decreased nectar replenishment rate but did not affect nectar sugar concentration or sugar composition. After robbery, the quantities and diversity of secondary compounds in the nectar of S‐morphs increased significantly and total relative contents of secondary compounds in L‐morphs showed no obvious changes. Nectar robbing could decrease female fitness by decreasing pollen germination rate and thus decreasing seed set. Nectar robbing had no significant effects on male fitness. Robbed flowers were less likely to be visited by hawkmoth pollinators, especially in S‐morphs. These results suggest that nectar robbing could directly and indirectly decrease the female fitness of T. sinensis, and different morphs have evolved different defense mechanisms in response to nectar‐robbing pressure.

Flower color is an important ornamental feature that is often modulated by the contents of flavonoids. Chalcone synthase is the first key enzyme in the biosynthesis of flavonoids, but little is known about the role of R. delavayi CHS in flavonoid biosynthesis. In this paper, three CHS genes (RdCHS1-3) were successfully cloned from R. delavayi flowers. According to multiple sequence alignment and a phylogenetic analysis, only RdCHS1 contained all the highly conserved and important residues, which was classified into the cluster of bona fide CHSs. RdCHS1 was then subjected to further functional analysis. Real-time PCR analysis revealed that the transcripts of RdCHS1 were the highest in the leaves and lowest in the roots; this did not match the anthocyanin accumulation patterns during flower development. Biochemical characterization displayed that RdCHS1 could catalyze p-coumaroyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA molecules to produce naringenin chalcone. The physiological function of RdCHS1 was checked in Arabidopsis mutants and tobacco, and the results showed that RdCHS1 transgenes could recover the color phenotypes of the tt4 mutant and caused the tobacco flower color to change from pink to dark pink through modulating the expressions of endogenous structural and regulatory genes in the tobacco. All these results demonstrate that RdCHS1 fulfills the function of a bona fide CHS and contributes to flavonoid biosynthesis in R. delavayi.

Abstract Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic pollutant in soil and water that severely hampers the growth and reproduction of plants. Phytoremediation has been presented as a cost-effective and eco-friendly method for addressing heavy metal pollution. However, phytoremediation is restricted by the limited number of accumulators and the unknown mechanisms underlying heavy metal tolerance. In this study, we demonstrated that Erigeron canadensis (Asteraceae), with its strong adaptability, is tolerant to intense Cd stress (2 mmol/L CdCl2 solution). Moreover, E. canadensis exhibited a strong ability to accumulate Cd2+ when treated with CdCl2 solution. The activity of some antioxidant enzymes, as well as the malondialdehyde (MDA) level, was significantly increased when E. canadensis was treated with different CdCl2 solutions (0.5, 1, 2 mmol/L CdCl2). We found high levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities under 1 mmol/L CdCl2 treatment. Comparative transcriptomic analysis identified 5,284 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the roots and 3,815 DEGs in the shoots after E. canadensis plants were exposed to 0.5 mM Cd. Functional annotation of key DEGs indicated that signal transduction, hormone response, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism responded significantly to Cd. In particular, the DEGs involved in auxin (IAA) and ethylene (ETH) signal transduction were overrepresented in shoots, indicating that these genes are mainly involved in regulating plant growth and thus likely responsible for the Cd tolerance. Overall, these results not only determined that E. canadensis can be used as a potential accumulator of Cd but also provided some clues regarding the mechanisms underlying heavy metal tolerance.

Rosa sterilis S. D. Shi is an important economic tree in China that produces fruits with high nutritional and medicinal value. Many of R. sterilis’ organs are covered with different types of trichomes or prickles that directly affect fruit appearance and plant management. This study used RNA sequencing technology to analyze the transcriptomes of two parts of the inflorescence branch, namely inflorescence stems with flagellated trichomes and pedicels with both flagellated and glandular trichomes. Comparative transcriptomic analysis showed that many transcription factors (TFs) are potentially involved in the formation and development of trichomes. The accumulation of RsETC1, a TF of the R3-MYB family, was significantly higher in inflorescence stems than in pedicels; quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) verified that its expression was significantly higher in inflorescence stems than in pedicels during the first three development stages, indicating its inhibitory action on the initiation of glandular trichomes in R. sterilis. The mRNA level of RsETC1 accumulated to significantly higher levels in trichomeless tissues than in tissues with trichromes, suggesting that this gene may inhibit the formation of trichomes in R. sterilis. Over-expression of RsETC1 in Arabidopsis resulted in glabrous phenotypes, and the expression of trichome-related endogenous genes, except for TTG1, was markedly reduced. In addition, the contents of the phytohormones jasmonic acid (JA), gibberellin A3 (GA3), and cytokinins (CKs) in pedicels were significantly higher than those in inflorescence stems, and the expression patterns of the genes related to hormone biosynthesis and signal transduction presented consistent responses, suggesting that the transduction of these hormones might be crucial for trichome initiation and development. These data provide a new perspective for revealing the molecular mechanism of trichome formation in R. sterilis.

Two new species of tetragnathid spiders from Guizhou and Sichuang provinces of China are described: Diphya guiyang J. Zhang & H. Yu, sp. nov. (♂♀) and Diphya weimiani J. Zhang & H. Yu, sp. nov. (♀). Detailed descriptions, diagnoses, and photographs are provided for these two species, as well as a key and a distribution map for Chinese Diphya species. DNA barcodes (a partial fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene, COI) of both new species were obtained for species delimitation, matching of different sexes, and future use in molecular studies.

Root microbiota have a significant effect on plant health. However, the role of root microbiota in the resistance of Rhododendron against root rot is not known. In this study, we employed amplicon 16S and ITS sequencing to investigate the bacterial and fungal communities associated with four distinct niches (bulk soil, rhizosphere, rhizoplane, and endosphere) of both healthy and diseased Rhododendron plants in the Baili Rhododendron nature reserve in China. The amplicon data analysis identified 182 bacterial genera and 141 fungal genera that were impacted by root rot across all niches. Specifically, the rhizoplane appeared to exert a selective gating effect, resulting in a reduction in the complexity of bacterial communities, but not fungal communities, in wild Rhododendron delavayi Franch roots. Nevertheless, the stress induced by root rot led to alterations in the root microbiota and compromised the gating function of the rhizoplane, thereby significantly increasing the complexity of the bacterial community within the plant root. In the root tissue following root rot outbreak, the relative abundance of the pathogenic species Pezicula brunnea and Diaporthe helianthi was enriched by as much as 6.13% and 1.71%, respectively. These findings provide novel insights into the contribution of enrichment of root-associated microbiota to wild plant hosts under the disease stress of root rot. The root rot-causing pathogenic fungi may interact with beneficial bacteria and induce plants to send out “cry for help” signals, which may encourage the specific assembly of microbiota. In the Rhododendron delavayi Franch root microbiota, we found 23 potentially beneficial microbes. Notably, certain beneficial bacteria, such as Sporolactobacillus and Stenotrophomonas, were found to accumulate in the rhizoplane and endosphere under root rot disease stress. Overall, our results lend support to our hypothesis that Rhododendron recruits protective microbes as a strategy to suppress root rot outbreaks. Future endeavors in isolating beneficial microbes capable of mitigating root rot have the potential to enhance plant resilience against root diseases.

Abstract Background Floral morphs are characterized differentiations in reciprocal positions of sexual organs and ancillary floral traits in heterostylous plants. However, it remains unclear how differential floral morphs ensure reproductive success between morphs using the same pollinator. Results Measurements of floral traits in white-flowered Tirpitzia sinensis with long corolla tubes indicated that it is typically distylous, long-styled (L-) morph producing more but smaller pollen grains per flower than short-styled (S-) morph. Both morphs secreted more nectar volume at night than in the day and the sugar composition was rich in sucrose, potentially adaptive to pollination by hawkmoths (Macroglossum spp.) which were active at dusk. A bumblebee species functioned as the nectar robber in both morphs and a honeybee as the pollen feeder in the S-morph. The L-morph secreted more nectar volume but relatively lower sucrose/hexose ratio than the S-morph. Floral visitation rate by hawkmoths was higher but its pollination efficiency was lower in the S-morph than the L-morph. Hand pollination treatments indicated self-incompatibility in T. sinensis and seed set of open-pollinated flowers did not differ between morphs. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the two morphs differ with respect to traits relevant to pollination. The L-morph, with its exserted stigma, has more pollen grains per anther and a greater volume of nectar, which may prolong the foraging time and increase the pollination efficiency of hawkmoths. The S-morph has a higher sucrose/hexose ratio in its nectar which can be more attractive to hawkmoths and increase the visit rates. Ancillary polymorphic floral traits between two morphs are adaptive to hawkmoth and ensure reproductive success in distylous plant T. sinensis.

Surface flashover is an important accident threating the safe operation of gas-insulated switchgear (GIS). Non-invasive surface potential measurement for flashover test device with finger-shape electrodes is proposed,and the feasibility of this device is analyzed by finite element software. The results show that non-invasive measurement error is 2.42% under simulation parameter settings in this paper. Surface potential of epoxy with nano-SiO2 mass fraction of 2% is measured using this device and the ascending applied voltage step is 0.5 kV/5 min. When the applied voltage is unable to induce flashover phenomenon,Maxwell-Wagner interface polarization caused by nanoparticle addition causes surface potential decay process. When the applied voltage approaches flashover voltage,surface potential presents periodic rise phenomenon in the decay process and the frequency of rise phenomenon becomes faster as the applied voltage higher. Periodic rise phenomenon in surface potential decay process before flashover can be used as a signal for predicting surface flashover. Fluctuation of surface potential in the continuous flashover process is smaller than that of intermittent flashover and the interval between adjacent flashover becomes shorter,which is related to the fact that surface burning path in the continuous flashover is prone to flashover. Surface potential measurement of DC flashover provides guidance for flashover prevention and flashover severity evaluation.

Abstract It is hypothesized that in heterostylous plant species, standardization of signals of floral attraction between different morphs is advantageous, encouraging flower visitors to switch between morphs. It remains unclear whether signals of floral attraction (floral odor and properties of nectar) are similar between morphs in distylous species pollinated by hawkmoths, and how these relate to hawkmoth behavior. We observed the behavior of visitors to distylous Luculia pinceana (Rubiaceae), collected and analyzed floral odor, and examined properties of nectar (volume, sugar concentration, and composition) of long‐styled and short‐styled morphs during the day and night. Pollinator responses to the floral scent were tested with a Y‐tube olfactometer. We conducted diurnal and nocturnal pollination treatments and six other pollination treatments to test the importance of nocturnal pollinators and to examine the self‐incompatibility system. A species of hawkmoth, Cechenena lineosa, was the effective pollinator. The floral odor was rich in methyl benzoate, and sucrose was dominant in the nectar. There were no significant differences between the two morphs in the methyl benzoate content or the properties of nectar. Flowers released more methyl benzoate and secreted larger volumes of nectar with lower sugar concentration at night than during the day. The hawkmoth had a significant preference for methyl benzoate. Luculia pinceana was partially self‐incompatible and relied on nocturnal pollinators for reproductive success. This study verifies that floral attraction signals are consistent between different morphs in this distylous species, promoting compatible pollination, and the features and the diel pattern of these signals between day and night are adapted to hawkmoth behavior.

Introduction: A common problem in bone tissue engineering is that the burst release of active osteogenic factors is not beneficial for osteogenesis. This study aimed to prepare naringin (Ng) liposomes to reduce the burst release of Ng and improve new bone formation.Methods: We synthesized Ng liposomes using the thin-film hydration method. Drug-encapsulation efficacy experiments were conducted using the ultracentrifugation technique. The morphology and size distributions of freezedried liposomes were determined by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. The Ng liposomes and Ng-lipo/sucrose acetate isobutyrate (SAIB) depots were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and in vitro release studies. After implantation of the Ng-lipo/SAIB depots, in vitro osteoblast-liposome interactions and in vivo osteogenesis were tested.Results: The formulation of freeze-dried Ng liposomes via an optimized recipe yielded nanosized (136.9 nm) negatively charged particles with a high encapsulation efficiency (~76.3%). Their chemical structure did not change after adding SAIB to the Ng liposomes. The burst release was reduced dramatically from 74.4% to 23.7%. In vivo, after 8 weeks, the new bone formation rate in the calvarial defects of Sprague-Dawley rats receiving Ng-lipo/SAIB was 57% compared with 25.18% in the control group (p = .0003).Discussion: Our results suggested that Ng-lipo/SAIB hybrid depots could serve as candidate materials for drug delivery in bone regeneration applications.

Among ornamental plants, the colour of the petals is an important feature. However, the reason for the colour differences of Rhododendron liliiflorum remains unclear. To reveal the differences in the colour of R. liliiflorum, high-efficiency liquid chromatographic collar (UPLC–MS/MS) technology was used to study the yellow and white parts of R. liliiflorum. A total of 1187 metabolites were identified in R. liliiflorum petals, including 339 flavonoid metabolites. Seventy-eight types of flavonoids in these metabolites were found in the yellow and white parts of R. liliiflorum petals, along with 11 other significantly enriched substances. Combining gene expression-related data with differential metabolite data demonstrated effects of enrichment in the flavanonols (fustin), flavonols (epiafzelechin and afzelechin), and flavanones (pinocembrin) of flavonoid biosynthesis; glyccitin, 6″-O-malonylgenistin, and 6-hydroxydaidzein of isoflavonoid biosynthesis; and anthocyanin biosynthesis of malvidin-3-O-galactoside (primulin), delphinidin-3-O-rutinoside, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (kuromanin), and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside (keracyanin), which are potentially the contributing factors responsible for the differences in petal colour in R. liliiflorum. This study establishes a connection between the differential metabolites underlying the color differences in the petals of R. liliiflorum and the gene expression in R. liliiflorum. This will provide a foundation for subsequent research on the regulation of flower color in R. liliiflorum and have profound implications for horticultural applications of R. liliiflorum.

BackgroundThe electrostatic lens plays an important role in obtaining high quality focused electron/ion/slow positron beams with high spatial resolution and brightness. A novel electric lens, composed of simplified electrode structures with tube diameter gradually decreasing, is proposed for focusing charged particle beams with low energy and large spot size.PurposeThis study aims to investigate the beam dynamics of this designed electrostatic lens for validation.MethodsBased on overall structure of electric lens focusing system, the charged particle optical simulation software SIMION was employed to optimize the parameters of this focusing system. Then combined with electron beam experiments, the key technologies involved in the electronic lens were studied in detail, including influencing factors, their distributions, and the focusing performance of the lens.ResultsThe results show that the large transverse space of the initial electron beam can be compressed effectively by arranging the electrode structure and electric potential of the lens, with focusing efficiencies exceeding 80%.ConclusionsThe focusing method proposed in this study has significant lateral compression advantages with wide application prospects in many focusing scenarios of different charged particle beams, such as reactor positron sources.

Renewable energy complementary hydrogen production can enhance the full consumption of renewable energy and reduce the abandonment of wind and solar power. The integration of renewable energy and hydrogen production equipment through existing multi-terminal DC systems can reduce new power lines construction and save investment in distribution equipment. For integrated renewable energy/hydrogen energy in an existing multi-terminal DC system, this paper investigates its potential of hydrogen production based on renewable energy, while ensuring the normal performance of the existing system being not affected. The typical structure and control strategy of the integrated renewable energy/hydrogen energy in multi-terminal DC system are firstly described. Then the state space model of the system is constructed, and the key parameters affecting the hydrogen production capacity are studied by using the eigenvalues analysis method. Finally, the corresponding system simulation model and test platform are built, and the theoretical analysis results are verified, and the potential of using multi-terminal DC system to enhance hydrogen production is quantitatively analyzed. The proposed scheme can enhance the hydrogen production potential from renewable energy, meanwhile the normal performance of the existing system is not affected.

Residues of fipronil and its metabolites in paddy fish soil were detected using high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Samples were extracted with oscillation and acetonitrile in constant temperature, and subsequently purified by solid phase extraction using ENVI 18 column and 10 mg GCB. The target compounds were separated on an Agilent ZORBAX Extend C18 column (2.1 mm× 100 mm×1.8 μm), and determined using electrospray ionization (ESI) source at negative mode with multiple reation monitoring (MRM). The analytes were quantified with external standard using the matrix matched standard calibration curve method. The results indicated that the average spiked recoveries of fipronil, fipronil desulfinyl, fipronilsulfone and fipronilsulfide in paddyfish soil were 83.5%~110.3% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 1.9%~11.5%. Good linearities were obtained in the range of 0.5~100 μg/L, and the correlation coefficients were greater than 0.998, the limits of detection (LODs) were 1.0 μg/kg, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were 3.0 μg/kg. This method is simple, accurate and reliable, which can meet the detection requirements of fipronil and its metabolites in paddy fish soil.

Magnolia coriacea, Chang et B. L. (Magnoliaceae) is a critically endangered tree, endemic to Yunnan province, China. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome of M. coriacea was sequenced and analyzed. The total chloroplast genome size of M. coriacea is 160,113 bp, including a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRs, 26,576 bp) separated by a large single-copy (LSC, 88,175 bp) region and a small single-copy region (SSC, 18,786 bp). The complete chloroplast genome contains 86 protein-coding (PCGs), 37 transfer RNA (tRNAs), and 8 ribosomal RNA (rRNAs) genes. The phylogenetic analysis showed that M. coriacea is closely related to M. cathcartii. This study contributes to the bioinformatics on the evolution, genetic, conservation, and molecular biology for future studies of Magnoliaceae.

Fruit prickles are widely distributed on the pericarp and exhibit polymorphic traits at different developmental stages. Although they are multicellular appendages that are well-known for helping plants defend against biotic and abiotic stresses, their origination and molecular mechanism are still less known. Here, we studied the origination and molecular mechanism of fruit prickles in Rosa roxburghii. Using morphological and histological observations, we found that the fruit prickle primordium of R. roxburghii originated from the ground meristem that underwent cell division to form flagelliform prickles, continued to enlarge, and finally lignified to form mature fruit prickles. We amplified a homolog of candidate gene TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA1 (TTG1) from R. roxburghii, named RrTTG1. RrTTG1 harbored four conserved WD-repeat domains and was exclusively nuclear-localized. Using qRT-PCR and in situ hybridization, we found that RrTTG1 was constitutively expressed and highly expressed during the initiation and cell expansion phases of fruit prickles. Ectopic expression analysis in Arabidopsis proved that RrTTG1 substantially enhanced the number of trichome and pigmentation production and inhibited root hair formation. Besides, RrTTG1 complemented the phenotypes of the ttg1 mutant in Arabidopsis, thus indicating that RrTTG1 played pleiotropic roles akin to AtTTG1. We demonstrated that the RrTTG1 only interacted with RrEGL3, a homolog of ENHANCER OF GLABRA3 (EGL3), via yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays. Briefly, RrTTG1 might positively regulate the initiation of fruit prickle primordium and cell enlargement by forming the RrTTG1-RrEGL3-RrGL1 complex in R. roxburghii. Therefore, our results help characterize the RrTTG1 in R. roxburghii and also elucidate the establishment of the prickles regulatory system in the Rosaceae plants.

As a major environmental factor, salt stress substantially retards growth and reduces the productivity of rice (Oryza sativa). Members of the DUF1644 family, “the domains of unknown function 1644 motif” are predicted to play an essential regulatory role in response to abiotic stress. However, the specific molecular mechanisms of most members of this family remain elusive. Here, we report that the OsSIDP301 (stress-induced DUF1644 protein) was induced by salt stress and abscisic acid (ABA). We found that overexpression of OsSIDP301 (OE) in plants conferred salt hypersensitivity and reduced grain size, whereas plants with OsSIDP301 RNA interference (RNAi) exhibited salt tolerance and increased grain size in rice. OsSIDP301 determines salt stress tolerance by modulating genes involved in the salt-response and ABA signaling pathways. Further studies suggest that OsSIDP301 regulates grain size by influencing cell expansion in spikelet hulls. Moreover, OsSIDP301 interacts with OsBUL1 COMPLEX1 (OsBC1), which positively regulates grain size in rice. Our findings reveal that OsSIDP301 functions as a negative regulator of salt stress and grain size, and repressing its expression represents a promising strategy for improving salt stress tolerance and yield in rice.

Background A precise map of the metabolic fluxome, the closest surrogate to the physiological phenotype, is becoming progressively more important in the metabolic engineering of photosynthetic organisms for biofuel and biomass production. For photosynthetic organisms, the state-of-the-art method for this purpose is instationary 13C fluxomics, which has arisen as a sibling of transcriptomics or proteomics. Instationary 13C data processing requires solving high-dimensional nonlinear differential equations and leads to large computational and time costs when its scope is expanded to a genome-scale metabolic network. Result Here, we present a parallelized method to model instationary 13C labeling data. The elementary metabolite unit (EMU) framework is reorganized to allow treating individual mass isotopomers and breaking up of their networks into strongly connected components (SCCs). A variable domain parallel algorithm is introduced to process ordinary differential equations in a parallel way. 15-fold acceleration is achieved for constant-step-size modeling and ~ fivefold acceleration for adaptive-step-size modeling. Conclusion This algorithm is universally applicable to isotope granules such as EMUs and cumomers and can substantially accelerate instationary 13C fluxomics modeling. It thus has great potential to be widely adopted in any instationary 13C fluxomics modeling.

Flower color, largely determined by anthocyanin, is one of the most important ornamental values of Rhododendron delavayi. However, scant information of anthocyanin biosynthesis has been reported in R. delavayi. We found that anthocyanidin 3-O-glycosides were the predominant anthocyanins detected in R. delavayi flowers accounting for 93.68–96.31% of the total anthocyanins during its development, which indicated the key role of flavonoid 3-O-glycosyltransferase (3GT) on R. delavayi flower color formation. Subsequently, based on correlation analysis between anthocyanins accumulation and Rd3GTs expressions during flower development, Rd3GT1 and Rd3GT6 were preliminarily identified as the pivotal 3GT genes involved in the formation of color of R. delavayi flower. Tissue-specific expressions of Rd3GT1 and Rd3GT6 were examined, and their function as 3GT in vivo was confirmed through introducing into Arabidopsis UGT78D2 mutant and Nicotiana tabacum plants. Furthermore, biochemical characterizations showed that both Rd3GT1 and Rd3GT6 could catalyze the addition of UDP-sugar to the 3-OH of anthocyanidin, and preferred UDP-Gal as their sugar donor and cyanidin as the most efficient substrate. This study not only provides insights into the biosynthesis of anthocyanin in R. delavayi, but also makes contribution to understand the mechanisms of its flower color formation.

Exploring the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) phase diagram at finite bayron density regime through the beam energy scan (BES) program at the relativistic heavy-ion collider (RHIC) is one of the key frontiers in high energy nuclear physics. The high precision data anticipated from the second phase of the BES program would potentially enable the discovery of the conjectured QCD critical point, a landmark point on the phase diagram. In this paper, the progress made by the beam energy scan theory (BEST) collaboration, which was formed with the goal of providing a theoretical framework for analyzing data from BESII, is reviewed. In addition, the challenge of investigating the QCD phase diagram with future facilities is discussed.

Characterization of the alterations in leaf lipidome in Begonia (Begonia grandis Dry subsp. sinensis) under heat stress will aid in understanding the mechanisms of stress adaptation to high-temperature stress often occurring during hot seasons at southern areas in China. The comparative lipidomic analysis was performed using leaves taken from Begonia plants exposed to ambient temperature or heat stress. The amounts of total lipids and major lipid classes, including monoacylglycerol (MG), diacylglycerol (DG), triacylglycerols (TG), and ethanolamine-, choline-, serine-, inositol glycerophospholipids (PE, PC, PS, PI) and the variations in the content of lipid molecular species, were analyzed and identified by tandem high-resolution mass spectrometry. Upon exposure to heat stress, a substantial increase in three different types of TG, including 18:0/16:0/16:0, 16:0/16:0/18:1, and 18:3/18:3/18:3, was detected, which marked the first stage of adaptation processes. Notably, the reduced accumulation of some phospholipids, including PI, PC, and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) was accompanied by an increased accumulation of PS, PE, and phosphatidic acid (PA) under heat stress. In contrast to the significant increase in the abundance of TG, all of the detected lysophospholipids and sphingolipids were dramatically reduced in the Begonia leaves exposed to heat stress, suggesting that a very dynamic and specified lipid remodeling process is highly coordinated and synchronized in adaptation to heat stress in Begonia plants.

Tandem CCCH zinc finger (TZF) proteins are the essential components of processing bodies (PBs) and stress granules (SGs), which play critical roles in growth development and stress response in both animals and plants through posttranscriptional regulation of target mRNA. In this study, we characterized the biological and molecular functions of a novel tandem zinc finger protein, OsTZF7. The expression of OsTZF7 was upregulated by abiotic stresses, including polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000, NaCl, and abscisic acid (ABA) in rice. Accordingly, the overexpression of OsTZF7 increased drought tolerance and enhanced sensitivity to exogenous ABA in rice, whereas the knockdown of OsTZF7 resulted in the opposite phenotype. RNA-seq analysis revealed that genes related to “response to stress,” “abscisic acid signaling,” “methylated histone binding,” and “cytoplasmic mRNA processing body” are regulated by OsTZF7. We demonstrated that OsTZF7 can traffic between the nucleus and PBs/SGs, and the leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES) mediates the nuclear export of OsTZF7. Additionally, we revealed that OsTZF7 can bind adenine- and uridine-rich (AU-rich) element (ARE) or ARE-like motifs within the 3′ untranslated region of downregulated mRNAs, and interact with PWWP family proteins in vitro. Together, these results indicate that OsTZF7 positively regulates drought response in rice via ABA signaling and may be involved in mRNA turnover.

Abstract Aims Understanding the joint effects of plant development and environment on shifts of intraspecific leaf traits will advance the understandings of the causes of intraspecific trait variation. We address this question by focusing on a widespread species Clausena dunniana in a subtropical broad‐leaved forest. Methods We sampled 262 individuals of C. dunniana at two major topographic habitat types, the slope and hilltop, within the karst forests in Maolan Nature Reserve in southwestern China. We measured individual plant level leaf traits (i.e., specific leaf area (SLA), leaf area, leaf dry‐matter content (LDMC), and leaf thickness) that are associated with plant resource‐use strategies. We adopted a linear mixed‐effects model in which the plant size (i.e., the first principal component of plant basal diameter and plant height) and environmental factors (i.e., topographic habitat, canopy height, and rock‐bareness) were used as independent variables, to estimate their influences on the shifts of leaf traits. Key Results We found that (1) plant size and the environmental factors independently drove the intraspecific leaf trait shifts of C. dunniana, of which plant size explained less variances than environmental factors. (2) With increasing plant size, C. dunniana individuals had increasingly smaller SLA but larger sized leaves. (3) The most influential environmental factor was topographic habitat; it drove the shifts of all the four traits examined. Clausena dunniana individuals on hilltops had leaf traits representing more conservative resource‐use strategies (e.g., smaller SLA, higher LDMC) than individuals on slopes. On top of that, local‐scale environmental factors further modified leaf trait shifts. Conclusions Plant size and environment independently shaped the variations in intraspecific leaf traits of C. dunniana in the subtropical karst forest of Maolan. Compared with plant size, the environment played a more critical role in shaping intraspecific leaf trait variations, and potentially also the underlying individual‐level plant resource‐use strategies.

Rosa sterilis is an economically and important fruit that is extensively grown in Southwestern China. In this study, we determined the complete chloroplast genome of R. sterilis using high-throughput Illumina sequencing. The chloroplast genome of R. sterilis is 156,561 bp in size, containing a large single-copy region (LSC)(85,701 bp), a small single-copy region (SSC) (18,746 bp), and a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions (each one of 26,057 bp). The overall GC content of the chloroplast genome is 37.23%, while the corresponding values of GC contents of the LSC, SSC, and IR regions are 35.20%, 31.37%, and 42.70%, respectively. The chloroplast genome of R. sterilis contains 130 genes, including 84 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The phylogenetic maximum-likelihood tree revealed that Rosa chinensis or Rosa chinensis var. spontanea is the closest related to R. sterilis in the phylogenetic relationship. This complete chloroplast genome can be further used for genomic studies, evolutionary analyses, and genetic engineering studies of the family Rosaceae.