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The purpose of this paper was to study the evolution and dynamic characteristics of the helical gear system co-existence response considering the occurrence of de-meshing and reverse impact under lubrication conditions. The double-three tooth alternate meshing model of a helical gear was established, and the time-varying geometric parameters, motion parameters, and load distribution of positive meshing and reverse impact were analyzed, respectively. The variation of oil film parameters and the coupling between oil film stiffness and meshing stiffness of a gear system were studied according to the equivalent lubrication model of a helical gear. Considering the phenomenon that the meshing state changed from positive meshing to de-meshing and reverse impact, the dynamics model was established. The global bifurcation diagram, the attraction domain, the phase portrait, and the Poincaré section were used to analyze the evolution of a coexistence response and dynamic characteristics with helical gear system parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To mitigate Zn corrosion, dendrite growth and hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) in Zn-anode based electrochromic devices, hydrophobic CuZn5 alloy was coated on Zn@CuZn with lower nucleation potential, high coulombic efficiency, inhibited HER, and prolonged reversibility, enabling improved switching kinetics and cycling stability in an electrochromic Zn@CuZn‖‖Prussian Blue (PB) device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of cultural heritage is no longer exclusive to heritage professionals. The engagement of various stakeholders, particularly underrepresented groups in communities, is crucial to promote inclusiveness in heritage management practices. As future decision-makers, youth are vital to be engaged, yet their participation remains at a low level due to the underestimation of youth capacities and a lack of motivation among youth. Little research has been done to comprehensively conceptualise youth participation and frame it in the context of cultural heritage management. To fill this gap, an integrative literature review was conducted using academic and grey literature from participatory urban planning, design, governance, and heritage management fields. The results show that existing theories have made valuable insights into approaching youth participation by identifying the definition and roles of youth, levels of participation, and methods of engagement. However, they have so far failed to fully address the fluid nature of youth engagement and lack reflections from youth perspectives towards their initiatives to participatory practices. Drawing on the results, we propose a new conceptual framework consisting of four dimensions: purpose, positioning, perspectives, and power relations, which define youth participation theoretically and methodologically in cultural heritage management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on 10 multidisciplinary investigations conducted from February 2015 to January 2016, the phytoplankton community and its association with ambient seawater physicochemical parameters in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary (CE) and its adjacent waters were comprehensively examined. In total, 265 taxa were identified, belonging to 5 phyla and 94 genera. Diatoms (63.78%) and dinoflagellates (33.21%) were the dominant groups. The variation of diatom abundance showed a positive relationship with the nutrient concentrations while the dinoflagellate abundance showed a negative relationship. Two algal bloom events occurred during the investigation period. The Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) induced environmental gradients in the upper layer, favoring the diatom bloom in July. The invasion of the nearshore Kuroshio branch current could affect the formation of a bloom of Prorocentrum donghaiense. With the blooming and senescence of phytoplankton, low dissolved oxygen (DO) and hypoxia occurred in the bottom waters. The bottom DO concentration displayed a significantly negative correlation with phytoplankton carbon flux. The present study provides straightforward evidence for the source of organic matter for oxygen consumption in the CE and its adjacent waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought poses a significant constraint on rice production, and, in this study, we have discovered a novel drought-sensitive mutant, designated as dsm3, arising from the progenies of indica rice variety Zhonghui8015 treated with ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS). Under drought stress conditions, dsm3 exhibited characteristic withered leaf tips, accompanied by increased levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2O2, a reduced net photosynthetic rate (Pn), and decreased activity of peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Genetic analysis revealed that the withered leaf tip phenotype was governed by a single recessive gene, designated as Osdsm3. To begin with, Osdsm3 was initially mapped to the short arm of chromosome 1 through a cross involving dsm3 and 02428. Subsequently, utilizing a population of 2591 F2 individuals, we narrowed down the location of Osdsm3 to a 78 Kb interval, encompassing 13 open reading frames (ORFs). Sequencing analysis unveiled a mutation (1275G → A) in the exon of the candidate gene (LOC_Os01g10680), leading to premature translation termination. Moreover, a quantitative RT-PCR assay demonstrated a high expression of OsDSM3 in the panicle and sheath, with a significant upregulation of drought-stress-related genes under drought conditions. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that Osdsm3 shares evolutionary homology with UNE1, an intracellular transport protein found in Arabidopsis thaliana. Subcellular studies further confirmed that OsDSM3 resides in the cytoplasm. In conclusion, the forthcoming cloning of Osdsm3 holds promise for delving deeper into the molecular mechanisms governing rice drought resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The content of plant endogenous hormones could be influenced by fertilization, which play an important regulatory role in plant growth and yield formation. However, the effects of phosphate (P) application rates on the dynamical changes in the exogenous hormone content in maize plants to support high-yield production are still unclear. An experiment with six P application rates was designed (P1, 0 kg ha−1; P2, 20 kg ha−1; P3, 40 kg ha−1; P4, 60 kg ha−1; P5, 80 kg ha−1; and P6, 100 kg ha−1), aimed at determining the distribution or biosynthesis of phytohormones in maize roots and leaves, and clarifying the role of P fertilization in the formation of phytohormones. The results showed that P fertilization significantly increased the content of IAA, by 51.57%, and significantly decreased the contents of ABA and GA3, by 18.92% and 19.13% on average compared to P1. The highest increase in IAA was 99.02%, and the highest decreases in ABA and GA3 were 32.30% and 26.85%, respectively, in the P6 treatment in maize roots. Meanwhile, an increase in the IAA (41.34%), SA (27.58%), and GA3 (37.36%) contents and a decrease in the ABA (19.18%) content in maize leaves were observed. The highest increases in IAA, GA3, and SA in the P6 treatment in maize leaves were 57.5%, 62.50%, and 48.57%, respectively, and the highest decrease in ABA was 28.05%. Meanwhile, different contents of endogenous hormones in maize roots and leaves were observed at various maize growth stages. The maize phenotypes and soil available P content were increased with P application as well. A Pearson's correlation analysis showed that endogenous hormones were significantly correlated with maize phenotypes and yield. Our results confirmed that P fertilization could change the content of endogenous hormones in maize roots and leaves; P6 was the best treatment for improving the endogenous hormone contents in maize plants, P3 was the best for improving the maize grain yield. Overall, 40 kg ha−1 is recommended as the best P application rate under the experimental conditions, considering the economic cost and environmental effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • OsLUX regulates rice heading by repressing Hd1 and Ghd7. • Defect OsLUX causes extremely late heading phenotype dependent on Hd1 and Ghd7 under both photoperiod conditions. • The cytoplasm-nuclear shuttling mechanism explains the effect of OsELF3-1 on OsLUX. • The complete OsEC (OsELF4s–OsELF3-1–OsLUX) complex is required to regulate heading via binding to the promoters of Hd1 and Ghd7. • The repressive strength of OsEC to regulate Hd1 and Ghd7 explained the different flowering effects of OsEC components. Circadian clocks coordinate internal physiology and external environmental factors to regulate cereals flowering, which is critical for reproductive growth and optimal yield determination. In this study, we aimed to confirm the role of OsLUX in flowering time regulation in rice. Further research illustrates how the OsELF4s–OsELF3-1–OsLUX complex directly regulates flowering-related genes to mediate rice heading. We identified a circadian gene OsLUX by the MutMap method. The transcription levels of flowering-related genes were evaluated in WT and oslux mutants. OsLUX forms OsEC (OsELF4s–OsELF3-1–OsLUX) complex were supported by yeast two-hybrid, pull down, BiFC, and luciferase complementation assays (LCA). The EMSA, Chip-qPCR, luciferase luminescence images, and relative LUC activity assays were performed to examine the targeted regulation of flowering genes by the OsEC (OsELF4s–OsELF3-1–OsLUX) complex. The circadian gene OsLUX encodes an MYB family transcription factor that functions as a vital circadian clock regulator and controls rice heading. Defect in OsLUX causes an extremely late heading phenotype under natural long-day and short-day conditions, and the function was further confirmed through genetic complementation, overexpression, and CRISPR/Cas9 knockout. OsLUX forms the OsEC (OsELF4s–OsELF3-1–OsLUX) complex by recruiting OsELF3-1 and OsELF4s, which were required to regulate rice heading. OsELF3-1 contributes to the translocation of OsLUX to the nucleus, and a compromised flowering phenotype results upon mutation of any component of the OsEC complex. The OsEC complex directly represses Hd1 and Ghd7 expression via binding to their promoter's LBS (LUX binding site) element. Our findings show that the circadian gene OsLUX regulates rice heading by directly regulating rhythm oscillation and core flowering-time-related genes. We uncovered a mechanism by which the OsEC target suppresses the expression of Hd1 and Ghd7 directly to modulate photoperiodic flowering in rice. The OsEC (OsELF4s–OsELF3-1–OsLUX)– Hd1 / Ghd7 regulatory module provides the genetic targets for crop improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, many-objective optimization problems (MaOPs) have become a hot issue of interest in academia and industry, and many more many-objective evolutionary algorithms (MaOEAs) have been proposed. NSGA-II/SDR (NSGA-II with a strengthened dominance relation) is an improved NSGA-II, created by replacing the traditional Pareto dominance relation with a new dominance relation, termed SDR, which is better than the original algorithm in solving small-scale MaOPs with few decision variables, but performs poorly in large-scale MaOPs. To address these problems, we added the following improvements to the NSGA-II/SDR to obtain NSGA-II/SDR-OLS, which enables it to better achieve a balance between population convergence and diversity when solving large-scale MaOPs: (1) The opposition-based learning (OBL) strategy is introduced in the initial population initialization stage, and the final initial population is formed by the initial population and the opposition-based population, which optimizes the quality and convergence of the population; (2) the local search (LS) strategy is introduced to expand the diversity of populations by finding neighborhood solutions, in order to avoid solutions falling into local optima too early. NSGA-II/SDR-OLS is compared with the original algorithm on nine benchmark problems to verify the effectiveness of its improvement. Then, we compare our algorithm with six existing algorithms, which are promising region-based multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (PREA), a scalable small subpopulation-based covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy (S3-CMA-ES), a decomposition-based multi-objective evolutionary algorithm guided by growing neural gas (DEA-GNG), a reference vector-guided evolutionary algorithm (RVEA), NSGA-II with conflict-based partitioning strategy (NSGA-II-conflict), and a genetic algorithm using reference-point-based non-dominated sorting (NSGA-III).The proposed algorithm has achieved the best results in the vast majority of test cases, indicating that our algorithm has strong competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is one of the world's most burdensome diseases, with increasing prevalence and a high mortality rate threat. Tumor recurrence and metastasis due to treatment resistance are two of the primary reasons that cancers have been so difficult to treat. The epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is essential for tumor drug resistance. EMT causes tumor cells to produce mesenchymal stem cells and quickly adapt to various injuries, showing a treatment-resistant phenotype. In addition, multiple signaling pathways and regulatory mechanisms are involved in the EMT, resulting in resistance to treatment and hard eradication of the tumors. The purpose of this study is to review the link between EMT, therapeutic resistance, and the molecular process, and to offer a theoretical framework for EMT-based tumor-sensitization therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the physiological roles of various hormones in fish glucose metabolism have been elucidated. Spexin, a 14-amino acids polypeptide, is highly conserved in many species and has functions such as reducing body weight and improving insulin resistance. In this paper, the open reading frame (ORF) of spx2 1 in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) was cloned, and the tissue distribution of spx1 and spx2 , their direct and indirect regulatory effects on glucose metabolism of grass carp were investigated. The ORF of spx2 gene in grass carp was 279 bp in length. Moreover, spx1 was highly expressed in the adipose tissue, while spx2 was highly expressed in the brain. In vitr o, SPX1 and SPX2 showed opposite effects on the glycolytic pathway in the primary hepatocytes. In vivo , intraperitoneal injection of SPX1 and SPX2 significantly reduced serum glucose levels and increased hepatopancreas glycogen contents. Meanwhile, SPX1 and SPX2 promoted the expression of key genes of glycolysis (pk) and glycogen synthesis (gys) in the hepatopancreas at 3 h post injection. As for indirect effects, 1000 nM SPX1 and SPX2 significantly increased insulin-mediated liver type phosphofructokinase (pfkla) mRNA expression and enhanced the inhibitory effects of insulin on glucose-6-phosphatase (g6pase), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (pepck), glycogen phosphorylase L (pygl) mRNA expression. Our results show that SPX1 and SPX2 have similar indirect effects on the regulation of glucose metabolism that enhance insulin activity, but they exhibit opposite roles in terms of direct effects. [Display omitted] • SPX1 and SPX2 showed opposite effects on the glycolytic pathway in vitro. • SPX1/2 play a hypoglycemic role in vivo in grass carp. • SPX1 promotes glycolysis and glycogen synthesis, and inhibits gluconeogenesis in vivo. • SPX2 promotes glycolysis and glycogen synthesis in vivo. • SPX1/2 promote insulin-induced glycolysis and glycogen synthesis, inhibit gluconeogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytoplankton are central components of marine environments, and are major players in the production and respiration budgeting. However, their diversity and distribution patterns are still poorly understood due largely to their small sizes and inconspicuous morphology that have been determined via the application of traditional morphology methods over the past two decades. To better understand the composition and diversity of phytoplankton in Jiaozhou Bay, China, seasonal sampling was carried out in 2019 and samples were analyzed with morphological observations and high-throughput sequencing, from which obvious seasonal variations in phytoplankton composition and proportional abundances were uncovered. Metabarcoding revealed far more diversity and species richness of phytoplankton than morphological observations, especially with respect to dinoflagellates. Diatoms were the most dominant phytoplankton group throughout the year, of which Thalassionema and Skeletonema were co-dominant in the bay. Parasitic dinoflagellates (e.g. Amoebophrya), which is often overlooked in the morphological observations, were in dominance and high diversity in the metabarcoding dataset, thus more attention should be paid to exploring the potential role of parasitic dinoflagellates. Temperature, chlorophyll a, and nutrient levels were the main influential factors on the distribution of phytoplankton. This study provided a comprehensive morphological and molecular description of phytoplankton and clearly demonstrated the importance of molecular technology in exploring phytoplankton communities. More-widespread use of molecular technology will facilitate deeper understanding of the ecological importance of the different species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A comprehensive vertical dynamics model of the electric vehicle considering the integrated powertrain system is proposed. • The limitations of traditional vertical dynamics model of electric vehicle in the high frequency range are revealed. • The effects of mounting stiffness and damping on the vibration of chassis and integrated powertrain system are explored. • A multi-objective optimization model is designed to minimize the vibration of chassis and integrated powertrain system. Integrated powertrain system, mainly composed of driving motor and reducer, is one of the excitation sources to electric vehicle vibration but is limited in coupling with the vertical vehicle dynamic in the existing research, which restricts the reliability of dynamics investigation of vehicle and integrated powertrain system. This work proposes a novel vertical dynamic model of the electric vehicle considering the integrated powertrain system, enabling the way to access the coupled vibration among the chassis, unsprung mass, and integrated powertrain system. The road irregularity, unbalanced magnetic pull, and gear mesh excitation are developed and are further applied to the novel vehicle dynamic model with ten degrees of freedom (DOFs). Then, the dynamic response between the novel model and traditional one is compared. Further, the effects of the stiffness and damping of suspension and mounting on the vibration of chassis and integrated powertrain system are explored by numerical calculation. Finally, a multi-objective optimization model is proposed and is driven by the dragonfly algorithm to minimize the vibration of chassis and integrated powertrain system. The research results shown that there will be present the new complex dynamic characteristics with considering the excitation from the integrated powertrain system. The suspension and mounting parameters have the nonlinear effects on the vehicle vibration. And the system vibration can be globally optimized with the optimization algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely acknowledged that glucose serves as the primary energy source for organisms. However, fish exhibit persistent postprandial hyperglycemia and are thought to have low glucose tolerance. Glycolysis serves as the ubiquitous pathway for glucose catabolism, with phosphofructokinase (PFK) acting as a crucial rate-limiting enzyme in this process and playing an indispensable role. PFK is classified into three isoforms based on their major expression sites, i.e., PFKM (skeletal muscle type), PFKL (liver type) and PFKP (platelet type). In this study, grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) was used as animal model and the open reading frame (ORF) sequences of six PFK genetic isoforms of grass carp were cloned. Real-time PCR was used to detect its tissue distribution, and expression changes in oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), insulin and glucagon injection experiments. The results showed that the ORF of pfkla , pfklb , pfkma , pfkmb , pfkpa and pfkpb genes was 2343, 2340, 2355, 2331, 2364 and 2349 bp in length, respectively. The results of tissue distribution showed that pfkla and pfklb , homologous to mammalian pfkl , exhibited low expression levels in the liver of grass carp, but were expressed at the highest level in the brain. Muscle-type pfkma and pfkmb mRNA were found to be highly expressed in both red and white muscle, with pfkmb also exhibiting high expression levels in the heart, while platelet type pfkpa and pfkpb showed high mRNA abundances in the brain and heart. Oral glucose administration stimulated pfkma and pfkmb mRNA expression in the red muscle, and up-regulated pfklb mRNA levels in the liver at 3 h post treatment, but it suppressed liver-type and platelet-type PFK genes expression in the brain. The expression of pfkmb in white muscle and pfkmb and pfkpb in heart were promoted by insulin, whereas the expression of pfkla and pfkpb in the brain, pfkma and pfkmb in the red muscle, pfkma in the white muscle, and pfklb in the liver was suppressed by insulin. As for glucagon, it inhibited pfkma and pfkmb mRNA expression in the red muscle, as well as pfklb in the liver, but it up-regulated PFK genes expression in most tissues detected, such as brain (pfklb , pfkpa and pfkpb), white muscle (pfkma and pfkmb), liver (pfkla) and heart (pfkmb and pfkpb). Our results suggest that PFK family genes have different or even opposite expression patterns in response to glucose, insulin and glucagon stimulation in various tissues of grass carp, which may contribute to glucose intolerance in fish. [Display omitted] • Brain, heart, red and white muscle are the main tissues for PFK expression. • Glucose promoted PFK expression in muscle (M-type), liver (pfklb), heart (pfkpb). • Insulin up-regulated expression of pfkmb in white muscle, pfkmb and pfkpb in heart. • Glucagon up-regulated PFK expression in most tissues, except for red muscle. • PFK family genes have different or even opposite expression patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: During the bread wheat speciation by polyploidization, a series of genome rearrangement and sequence recombination occurred. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) sequences, predominately located in heterochromatic regions of chromosomes, are the effective marker for tracing the genomic DNA sequence variations. However, to date the distribution dynamics of SSRs on chromosomes of bread wheat and its donors, including diploid and tetraploid Triticum urartu, Aegilops speltoides, Aegilops tauschii, Triticum turgidum ssp. dicocoides, reflecting the genome evolution events during bread wheat formation had not been comprehensively investigated. Results: The genome evolution was studied by comprehensively comparing the distribution patterns of (AAC)n, (AAG)n, (AGC)n and (AG)n in bread wheat Triticum aestivum var. Chinese Spring and its progenitors T. urartu, A. speltoides, Ae. tauschii, wild tetroploid emmer wheat T. dicocoides, and cultivated emmer wheat T. dicoccum. Results indicated that there are specific distribution patterns in different chromosomes from different species for each SSRs. They provided efficient visible markers for identification of some individual chromosomes and SSR sequence evolution tracing from the diploid progenitors to hexaploid wheat. During wheat speciation, the SSR sequence expansion occurred predominately in the centromeric and pericentromeric regions of B genome chromosomes accompanied by little expansion and elimination on other chromosomes. This result indicated that the B genome might be more sensitive to the "genome shock" and more changeable during wheat polyplodization. Conclusions: During the bread wheat evolution, SSRs including (AAC)n, (AAG)n, (AGC)n and (AG)n in B genome displayed the greatest changes (sequence expansion) especially in centromeric and pericentromeric regions during the polyploidization from Ae. speltoides S genome, the most likely donor of B genome. This work would enable a better understanding of the wheat genome formation and evolution and reinforce the viewpoint that B genome was originated from S genome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: qRN5a, a novel QTL for increasing root number under low K in rice, was fine mapped to a 48.8-kb region on chromosome 5, and LOC_Os05g27980 is the most likely candidate gene. Potassium (K) is a mineral nutrient essential for plant growth and development, but the molecular mechanism for low-K (LK) tolerance in rice remains poorly understood. In our previous study, the quantitative trait locus (QTL) qRN5a for root number (RN) under LK was identified in the chromosome segment substitution line CSSL35 carrying segments from XieqingzaoB in the genetic background of Zhonghui9308 (ZH9308). CSSL35 developed more roots than ZH9308 under LK at the seedling stage, and qRN5a was initially located within a 1,023-kb genomic region. In this study, to understand the molecular basis of qRN5a, a large F2:3 (BC5F2:3) population obtained from crossing CSSL35 and ZH9308 was constructed for fine mapping. High-resolution linkage analysis narrowed down qRN5a to a 48.8-kb interval flanked by markers A99 and A139. Seven putative candidate genes were annotated in the delimited region, and three genes (Os05g0346700, LOC_Os05g27980, and LOC_Os05g28000) had nonsynonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the coding sequence between the two parents. Expression analysis suggests that LOC_Os05g27980, which encodes a LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES domain-containing protein, is a positive regulator of RN under LK and is the most likely candidate gene for qRN5a. Moreover, we found that qRN5a promotes expression of OsIAA23 and represses OsHAK5 expression in root tissues to promote root initiation in CSSL35 under LK conditions. Additional investigations on OsHAK5 in rice are needed to elucidate the basis of changing root architecture under different K+ concentrations. qRN5a is useful for marker-assisted selection to develop an ideotype with improved root architecture in rice under K deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has grown to be a global public health emergency since patients were first detected in Wuhan, China. Thus far, no specific drugs or vaccines are available to cure the patients with COVID-19 infection. The immune system and inflammation are proposed to play a central role in COVID-19 pathogenesis. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to possess a comprehensive powerful immunomodulatory function. Intravenous infusion of MSCs has shown promising results in COVID-19 treatment. Here, we report a case of a severe COVID-19 patient treated with human umbilical cord Wharton’s jelly-derived MSCs (hWJCs) from a healthy donor in Liaocheng People’s Hospital, China, from February 24, 2020. The pulmonary function and symptoms of the patient with COVID-19 pneumonia was significantly improved in 2 days after hWJC transplantation, and recovered and discharged in 7 days after treatment. After treatment, the percentage and counts of lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T cell) were increased, and the level of IL-6, TNF-α, and C-reactive protein is significantly decreased after hWJC treatment. Thus, the intravenous transplantation of hWJCs was safe and effective for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, especially for the patients in a critically severe condition. This report highlights the potential of hWJC infusions as an effective treatment for COVID-19 pneumonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, greatly enhanced Mn(II) adsorption was achieved by as-synthesized diethylenetriaminepentaacetate acid intercalated Mg/Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs-DTPA). The adsorption capacity of LDHs-DTPA was 83.5 mg/g, which is much higher than that of LDHs-EDTA (44.4 mg/g), LDHs-Oxalate (21.6 mg/g) and LDHs (28.8 mg/g). The adsorption data of aqueous Mn(II) using LDHs-DTPA could be well described by the pseudo-second order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm model. Thermodynamics study results also showed that the adsorption process of Mn(II) by LDHs-DTPA was exothermic as indicated by the negative ΔH value. Furthermore, based on the structural, morphological and thermostable features, as well as FT-IR and XPS characterizations of LDHs-DTPA and the pristine LDHs, the adsorption mechanism of Mn(II) was proposed. The carboxyl groups of DTPA were proposed to be the main binding sites for Mn(II), and the hydroxyl groups of LDHs also played a minor role in the adsorption process. Among the three common regeneration reagents, 0.1 mol/L Na 2 CO 3 was the best for reusing LDHs-DTPA in Mn(II) adsorption. Besides, the Mn(II) adsorption performance could be hindered in the presence of typical inorganic ions, especially cations. Further specific modifications of LDHs-DTPA are suggested to get more selective adsorption of Mn(II) in practical applications. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to improve the tribocorrosion properties of 316L, thus WC/Ni60 coated 316L was prepared by thermal spraying technique. Design/methodology/approach: Composition and microstructure of WC/Ni60 coating was investigated, and tribological properties of 316 L and WC/Ni60 coating were studied under dry sliding, deionized water and artificial seawater. Findings: The results showed that WC/Ni60 coating was lamellar structure, and the phase composition consisted of γ-Ni solid solution, carbides and borides. Furthermore, the hardness and corrosion resistance of 316 L in static seawater and wear resistance in dry sliding were improved by WC reinforced nickel-based coating. Furthermore, tribocorrosion results demonstrated that wear resistance of WC/Ni60 coating was also significantly better than 316 L, especially for higher load at artificial seawater. The reason can be attributed to the fact that the passive film of WC/Ni60 coating consisted of tungsten carbide, Ni(OH)2 and FeOOH for WC/Ni60 coating and only FeOOH for 316 L. Originality/value: According to this study, it can be concluded that WC phases acted as a role in resisting the wear damages. Meanwhile, Ni-based materials performed well in corrosion resistance. Thus, the combined-effect Ni-based alloys and WC phases in WC/Ni60 coating showed better tribocorrosion performance than 316 L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the discovery of electrochemical coloration phenomenon, electrochromic devices capable of monitoring transmittance, reflectance, and absorption at designated wavelengths have embraced great achievements. The marriage of electrochemistry and optical modulation has infused fascinating properties in electrochromic devices, which find applications in thermal management, display, smart windows, and camouflage. Inspired by the multipronged advancements in electrochemical devices, the incorporation of multivalent metal ions having rich electrochemistry into electrochromic devices is bloomed in recent years. Zinc, distinguished by its high crustal abundance, suitable standard redox potential, and inherent safety, has facilitated the assembly of highly efficient electrochromic devices. Zinc anode-based electrochromic devices with dual-band (visible and near-infrared) tunability, energy retrieval functions, multi-color options, multiple working modes (transmittance mode and reflectance mode), and scalability have been prominently showcased. Here in this review, the birth of zinc anode-based electrochromic devices will be systematically narrated, starting from the discovery of electrochromic phenomenon, to the evolution of electrochromic devices, and to the latest achievements in zinc anode-based electrochromic devices. Additionally, this review delves into the future development trends and perspectives of zinc anode-based electrochromic devices. This review serves as a handbook, which summarizes the history of electrochromism, introduces the physics behind it, highlights the development in zinc anode-based electrochromic devices, and aims to inspire future endeavors into this field, particularly those focused on developing energy-efficient electrochromic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The family with sequence similarity 175 member A gene (FAM175A ; also known as ABRAXAS1, CCDC98 and ABRA1), a member of the DNA repair family, contributes to the BRCA1 (BRCA1 DNA repair associated)-dependent DNA damage response and is associated with age at natural menopause. However, it remains poorly understood whether sequence variants in FAM175A are causative for premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). The aim of this study was to investigate whether mutations in the gene FAM175A were present in patients with POI. A total of 400 women with idiopathic POI and 498 control women with regular menstruation (306 age-matched women and 192 women over 40 years old) were recruited. After Sanger sequencing of FAM175A , functional experiments were carried out to explore the deleterious effects of the identified variation. DNA damage was subsequently induced by mitomycin C (MMC), and DNA repair capacity and G2–M checkpoint activation were evaluated by examining the phosphorylation level of H2AX (H2A histone family, member X) and the percentage of mitotic cells, respectively. One rare single-nucleotide polymorphism, rs755187051 in gene FAM175A , c.C727G (p.L243V), was identified in two patients but absent in the 498 controls. The functional experiments demonstrated that overexpression of variant p.L243V in HeLa cells resulted in a similar sensitivity to MMC-induced damage compared with cells transfected with wild-type FAM175A. Moreover, after treatment with MMC, there were no differences in DNA repair capacity and G2–M checkpoint activation between the mutant and wild-type genes. Our results suggest that the p.L243V variant of FAM175A may not be causative for POI. The contribution of FAM175A to POI needs further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nitrogen (N) is a major input cost in rice production, in addition to causing severe pollution to agricultural and ecological environments. Root dry weight has been considered the most important component related to crop yields than the other root traits. Therefore, development of rice varieties/lines with low input of N fertilizer and higher root traits are essential for sustainable rice production. Results: In this context, a main effect quantitative trait locus qRDWN6XB on the long arm of chromosome 6 which positively confers tolerance to N deficiency in the Indica rice variety XieqingzaoB, was identified using a chromosomal segment substitution line (CSSL) population. qRDWN6XB was determined to be located near marker InD90 on chromosome 6 based on association analysis of phenotype data from three N levels and 120 polymorphic molecular markers. The target chromosomal segment substitution line CSSL45, which has the higher root dry weight (RDW) than indica cultivar Zhonghui9308 and carry qRDWN6XB, was selected for further study. A BC5F2:3 population derived from a cross between CSSL45 and Zhonghui9308 was constructed. To fine-map qRDWN6XB, we used the homozygous recombinant plants and ultimately this locus was narrowed to a 52.3-kb between markers ND-4 and RM19771, which contains nine candidate genes in this region. One of these genes, LOC_Os06g15910 as a potassium transporter was considered a strong candidate gene for the RDWN6XB locus. Conclusions: The identification of qRDWN6XB provides a new genetic resource for breeding rice varieties and a starting point to improve grain yield despite the decreased input of N fertilizers. The newly developed and tightly linked InDel marker ND-4 will be useful to improve the root system architecture under low N by marker-assisted selection (MAS) in rice breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Premature leaf senescence in rice is one of the most common factors affecting the plant's development and yield. Although methyltransferases are involved in diverse biological functions, their roles in rice leaf senescence have not been previously reported. In this study, we identified the premature leaf senescence 3 (pls3) mutant in rice, which led to early leaf senescence and early heading date. Further investigations revealed that premature leaf senescence was triggered by the accumulation of reactive oxygen species. Using physiological analysis, we found that chlorophyll content was reduced in the pls3 mutant leaves, while hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde levels were elevated. Consistent with these findings, the pls3 mutant exhibited hypersensitivity to exogenous hydrogen peroxide. The expression of other senescence‐associated genes such as Osh36 and RCCR1 was increased in the pls3 mutant. Positional cloning indicated the pls3 phenotype was the result of a mutation in OsMTS1, which encodes an O‐methyltransferase in the melatonin biosynthetic pathway. Functional complementation of OsMTS1 in pls3 completely restored the wild‐type phenotype. We found leaf melatonin content to be dramatically reduced in pls3, and that exogenous application of melatonin recovered the pls3 mutant's leaf senescence phenotype to levels comparable to that of wild‐type rice. Moreover, overexpression of OsMTS1 in the wild‐type plant increased the grain yield by 15.9%. Our results demonstrate that disruption of OsMTS1, which codes for a methyltransferase, can trigger leaf senescence as a result of decreased melatonin production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A theoretical method for predicting the acoustic impedance of rectangular micro-perforated membranes with membrane vibration. • Numerical modeling implements the linearized Navier-Stokes equations for coupled vibrations in the frequency domain. • The effects of membrane geometry parameters on the absorption performance of micro-perforated absorbers are investigated. A theoretical method base on the zero-slip boundary and a finite element model with thermoviscous membrane-acoustic interaction are proposed for investigating a viscously damped micro-perforated rectangular membrane. Both the theoretical and finite element methods well predicted the sound absorption performance of a dielectric elastomer micro-perforated membrane, and the results agree with those from experiments. The thermoviscous membrane-acoustic interaction is further explored. The properties which lead to better acoustic performance are studied using the developed numerical model. With the optimized parameters, a duct silencer with high transmission loss (>10 dB) and broad noise attenuation band (from 300 Hz to 1700 Hz) is designed, fabricated, and tested. The potential engineering application and the background physical mechanism are also addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anther cuticle and pollen exine are two elaborated lipid-soluble barriers protecting pollen grains from environmental and biological stresses. However, less is known about the mechanisms underlying the synthesis of these lipidic polymers. Here, we identified a no-pollen male-sterility mutant cyp703a3-3 from the indica restorer line Zhonghui 8015 (Zh8015) mutant library treated with 60 Coγ-ray radiation. Histological analysis indicated that cyp703a3-3 underwent abnormal tapetal cells development, produced few orbicules and secreted less sporopollenin precursors to anther locule, as well as cutin monomers on anther. Genetic analysis revealed that cyp703a3-3 was controlled by a single recessive gene. Map-based cloning was performed to narrow down the mutant gene to a 47.78-kb interval on the chromosome 8 between two markers S15-29 and S15-30. Sequence analysis detected three bases (GAA) deletion in the first exon of LOC_Os08g03682 , annotated as CYP703A3 with homologous sequences related to male sterility in Arabidopsis , causing the Asparagine deletion in the mutant site. Moreover, we transformed genomic fragment of CYP703A3 into cyp703a3-3 , which male-sterility phenotype was recovered. Both the wild-type and cyp703a3-3 mutant 3D structure of CYP703A3 protein were modeled. Results of qPCR suggested CYP703A3 mainly expressed in anthers with greatest abundance at microspore stage, and genes involved in sporopollenin precursors formation and transportation, such as GAMYB , TDR , CYP704B2 , DPW2 , OsABCG26 and OsABCG15 , were significantly reduced in cyp703a3-3 . Collectively, our results further elaborated CYP703A3 plays vital role in anther cuticle and pollen exine development in rice ( Oryza sativa L.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photoperiodic flowering pathway is one of the most important regulatory networks controlling flowering time in rice ( Oryza sativa L.). Rice is a facultative short-day (SD) plant; flowering is promoted under inductive SD conditions and delayed under non-inductive long-day (LD) conditions. In rice, flowering inhibitor genes play an important role in maintaining the trade-off between reproduction and yield. In this study, we identified a novel floral inhibitor, OsCOL15 , which encodes a CONSTANS-like transcription factor. Consistent with a function in transcriptional regulation, OsCOL15 localized to the nucleus. Moreover, OsCOL15 had transcriptional activation activity, and the central region of the protein between the B-box and CCT domains was required for this activity. We determined that OsCOL15 is most highly expressed in young organs and exhibits a diurnal expression pattern typical of other floral regulators. Overexpression of OsCOL15 resulted in a delayed flowering phenotype under both SD and LD conditions. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR analysis of flowering regulator gene expression suggested that OsCOL15 suppresses flowering by up-regulating the flowering repressor Grain number , plant height and heading date 7 ( Ghd7 ) and down-regulating the flowering activator Rice Indeterminate 1 ( RID1 ), thus leading to the down-regulation of the flowering activators Early heading date 1 , Heading date 3a , and RICE FLOWERING LOCUS T1 . These results demonstrate that OsCOL15 is an important floral regulator acting upstream of Ghd7 and RID1 in the rice photoperiodic flowering-time regulatory network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil-water emulsions stabilized by surfactants are fine dispersions of oil in water or of water in oil and difficult to separate which will lead to serious water pollution. A more recent development is the ability to fabricate oleophobic-hydrophilic surfaces in air, which are not easy to construct due to the difference surface tension between water and oil. Herein, a cellulose sponge with multipore structure is fabricated to increase the removal efficiency. Amphiphilic molecular brushes of polyethylene glycol with short perfluorinated end caps (F-PEG) are grafted on cellulose sponges to solve the contradictory relation of hydrophilicity and oleophobicity and improve oil/water selective wettability and fouling resistance. Besides, stable superhydrophilicity and superoleophobicity under water, corrosive liquids, and high oleophobicity in air conditions are exhibited in the F-PEG grafted porous cellulose sponges with textured surfaces (F-g-CS). And the separation efficiency and rate of F-g-CS with surface of nanopores are 99.92% and 180 L m−2 h−1, while that of micropores are 99.83% and 297 L m−2 h−1 only under gravity. It is demonstrated that the grafting F-PEG molecules imparted F-g-CS of micropores surface with high flux and separation efficiency simultaneously. Furthermore, antifouling property and collection of water in oil-water mixture without fouling are possessed in F-g-CS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glutamate synthase (GOGAT) is a key enzyme for nitrogen metabolism and ammonium assimilation in plants. In this study, an early senescence 7 ( es7 ) mutant was identified and characterized. The leaves of the es7 mutant begin to senesce at the tillering stage about 60 day after sowing, and become increasingly senescent as the plants develop at the heading stage. When es7 plants are grown under photorespiration-suppressed conditions (high CO 2 ), the senescence phenotype and chlorophyll content are rescued. qRT-PCR analysis showed that senescence- associated genes were up-regulated significantly in es7 . A map-based cloning strategy was used to identify ES7 , which encodes a ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase (Fd-GOGAT). ES7 was expressed constitutively, and the ES7 protein was localized in chloroplast. qRT-PCR analysis indicated that several genes related to nitrogen metabolism were differentially expressed in es7 . Further, we also demonstrated that chlorophyll synthesis-associated genes were significantly down-regulated in es7 . In addition, when seedlings are grown under increasing nitrogen concentrations (NH 4 NO 3 ) for 15 days, the contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll were significantly lower in es7 . Our results demonstrated that ES7 is involved in nitrogen metabolism, effects chlorophyll synthesis, and may also associated with photorespiration, impacting leaf senescence in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floral organ identity and specific number directly affect anthesis habits, fertilization and grain yield. Here, we identified a deformed interior floral organ 1 ( difo1) mutant from selfing progenies of indica cv. Zhonghui8015 (Zh8015) after Co γ-ray treatment. Compared with the Zh8015 spikelet, the interior floral organs of the difo1 mutant present various numbers of stamens and stigmas, with no typical filament and no mature pollen grains. Most difo1 flowers exhibited an increased number of stigmas that were attached to the stamens and an intumescent ovule-like cell mass in addition to the ovary. Transverse sections of spikelets and scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed an indeterminate number of interior floral organs and abnormal early spikelet development for the difo1 mutant. Instead of the linear-shaped surface of wild-type stamens, difo1 displayed a glossy stamen surface resulting in immature stamens and complete sterility. In addition, the difo1 mutant exhibited delayed anthesis, rapid anthesis and non-extended stamens compared with wild type. Genetic analysis and gene mapping revealed that difo1 was controlled by a single recessive gene, which was fine-mapped to a 54-kb interval on the short arm of chromosome 4 between markers S22 and RM16439 harboring nine ORFs. Sequence analysis revealed that the mutant carried a single nucleotide deletion in its promoter region, which likely corresponded to the phenotype, in a CH-type zinc finger protein gene ( LOC_Os04g08600). Moreover, qRT-PCR analysis showed a significantly down-regulated expression pattern for DIFO1 and many floral organ identity genes in the interior floral organs of difo1. DIFO1 is therefore an important floral organ development gene in rice, particularly with regard to interior organ meristem identity and floret primordium differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The dynamic model of a non-orthogonal face gear-bearing transmission system is established. • The global bifurcation characteristics of the system with the change of control parameters are studied. • The evolution of the global behavior of the system is studied by the cell mapping method. • The multi-initial value phase diagram was used to verify the global dynamic behavior of the system. The nonlinear global behavior evolution process of the non-orthogonal face gear-bearing system was studied in this paper. Firstly, a multi-degree-of-freedom coupled vibration model of the non-orthogonal face gear-bearing system was established, which took into account factors such as time-varying meshing stiffness, tooth backlash, bearing clearance, and transmission error. Then the cell mapping method was used to calculate the phase trajectory of each cell on the Poincaré section to 1000 steps, and observed the influence of the initial state of the system on the dynamic behavior of the system after a long time history. This paper used the global bifurcation diagram, the global behavior diagram obtained by the cell mapping method, the multi-initial value phase diagram and the Poincaré section to illustrate the evolution process of the global behavior of the system with the excitation frequency, meshing damping and load fluctuation. The research results show that with the change of control parameters, the system gradually changed from periodic response to chaos after a long time history, and presented complex phenomena such as the coexistence of multiple periodic responses and the coexistence of periodic responses and chaotic responses in the evolution process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We theoretically investigate the angular displacement measurement based on a hybrid interferometer combining two optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs), which are used to amplify the phase-sensing intensity and squeeze shot noise. We obtain significant improvement in sensitivity for this modified hybrid interferometer over the Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) combining two OPAs. Finally, the effect of losses on sensitivity is discussed and we find that our scheme has more robust compared with the modified MZI. Our results provide a more accurate angular displacement estimation which has potential applications in precision measurements and quantum sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seed-setting rate has a significant effect on grain yield in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Embryo sac development is essential for seed setting; however, the molecular mechanism underlying this process remains unclear. Here, we isolated defective embryo sac1 (des1), a rice mutant with a low seed-setting rate. Cytological examination showed degenerated embryo sacs and reduced fertilization capacity in des1. Map-based cloning revealed a nonsense mutation in OsDES1 , a gene that encodes a putative nuclear envelope membrane protein (NEMP)-domain-containing protein that is preferentially expressed in pistils. The OsDES1 mutation disrupts the normal formation of functional megaspores, which ultimately results in a degenerated embryo sac in des1. Reciprocal crosses showed that fertilization is abnormal and that the female reproductive organ is defective in des1. OsDES1 interacts with LONELY GUY (LOG), a cytokinin-activating enzyme that acts in the final step of cytokinin synthesis; mutation of LOG led to defective female reproductive organ development. These results demonstrate that OsDES1 functions in determining the rice seed-setting rate by regulating embryo sac development and fertilization. Our study sheds light on the function of NEMP-type proteins in rice reproductive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel rice mutant, lesion mimic and early senescence 1 (lmes1), was induced from the rice 93-11 cultivar in a γ-ray field. This mutant exhibited spontaneous disease-like lesions in the absence of pathogen attack at the beginning of the tillering stage. Moreover, at the booting stage, lmes1 mutants exhibited a significantly increased MDA but decreased chlorophyll content, soluble protein content and photosynthetic rate in the leaves, which are indicative of an early senescence phenotype. The lmes1 mutant was significantly more resistant than 93-11 against rice bacterial blight infection, which was consistent with a marked increase in the expression of three resistance-related genes. Here, we employed a map-based cloning approach to finely map the lmes1 gene. In an initial mapping with 94 F2 individuals derived from a cross between the lmes1 mutant and Nipponbare, the lmes1 gene was located in a 10.6-cM region on the telomere of the long arm of chromosome 7 using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. To finely map lmes1, we derived two F2 populations with 940 individuals from two crosses between the lmes1 mutant and two japonica rice varieties, Nipponbare and 02428. Finally, the lmes1 gene was mapped to an 88-kb region between two newly developed inDel markers, Zl-3 and Zl-22, which harbored 15 ORFs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, the Cr(III)-formate, Cr(III)-oxalate and Cr(III)-glycine electrolytes are used as sources for electrodepositing the Cr coatings. The deposition rate and brightness range of the electroplating process in these electrolytes are investigated. The geometric structures of the Cr complex ions are optimized, using density functional theory with General Gradient Approximation/Perdew-Wang 91 (GGA/PW91) calculation. It is found that the deposition rate and brightness range significantly depend on the geometric structure of the Cr(III)-ligand complex ions. The expansion of the distance between Cr and H2O induced by the introduced complexing ligand is a necessary condition for the electrochemical reduction of Cr(III) to metal Cr. The dehydration rate of Cr(III)-ligand complex ions determines the electroplating characteristics of electrolytes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A novel series of CHK1 inhibitors based on thienopyridine template has been designed and synthesized. These inhibitors maintain critical hydrogen bonding with the hinge and conserved water in the ATP binding site. Several compounds show single digit nanomolar CHK1 activities. Compound 70 shows excellent enzymatic activity of 1nM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Via sites 1 and 2, erythropoietin binds asymmetrically to two identical receptor monomers, although it is unclear how asymmetry affects receptor activation and signaling. Here we report the design and validation of two mutant erythropoietin receptors that probe the role of individual members of the receptor dimer by selectively binding either site 1 or site 2 on erythropoietin. Ba/F3 cells expressing either mutant receptor do not respond to erythropoietin, but cells co-expressing both receptors respond to erythropoietin by proliferation and activation of the JAK2-Stat5 pathway. A truncated receptor with only one cytosolic tyrosine (Y343) is sufficient for signaling in response to erythropoietin, regardless of the monomer on which it is located. Similarly, only one receptor in the dimer needs a juxtamembrane hydrophobic L253 or W258 residue, essential for JAK2 activation. We conclude that despite asymmetry in the ligand-receptor interaction, both sides are competent for signaling, and appear to signal equally. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this report a recombinant bifunctional phosphomannose isomerase/GDP-D-mannose pyrophosphorylase from Helicobacter pylori has been studied. The enzyme catalyzes the first and third steps of GDP-D-mannose biosynthesis from D-fructose-6-phosphate. The first step, isomerization from D-fructose-6-phosphate to D-mannose-6-phosphate, is found to be rate-limiting in GDP-D-mannose biosynthesis due to feedback inhibition. The inhibition is of non-competitive (mixed) type. As the enzyme is found only in bacteria probably participating in capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis, it could be a specific therapeutic target against bacterial infection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Key message: OsCOL5, an ortholog ofArabidopsis COL5, is involved in photoperiodic flowering and enhances rice yield through modulation ofGhd7andEhd2and interactions withOsELF3-1andOsELF3-2. Heading date, also known as flowering time, plays a crucial role in determining the adaptability and yield potential of rice (Oryza sativa L.). CONSTANS (CO)-like is one of the most critical flowering-associated gene families, members of which are evolutionarily conserved. Here, we report the molecular functional characterization of OsCOL5, an ortholog of Arabidopsis COL5, which is involved in photoperiodic flowering and influences rice yield. Structural analysis revealed that OsCOL5 is a typical member of CO-like family, containing two B-box domains and one CCT domain. Rice plants overexpressing OsCOL5 showed delayed heading and increases in plant height, main spike number, total grain number per plant, and yield per plant under both long-day (LD) and short-day (SD) conditions. Gene expression analysis indicated that OsCOL5 was primarily expressed in the leaves and stems with a diurnal rhythm expression pattern. RT-qPCR analysis of heading date genes showed that OsCOL5 suppressed flowering by up-regulating Ghd7 and down-regulating Ehd2, consequently reducing the expression of Ehd1, Hd3a, RFT1, OsMADS14, and OsMADS15. Yeast two-hybrid experiments showed direct interactions of OsCOL5 with OsELF3-1 and OsELF3-2. Further verification showed specific interactions between the zinc finger/B-box domain of OsCOL5 and the middle region of OsELF3-1 and OsELF3-2. Yeast one-hybrid assays revealed that OsCOL5 may bind to the CCACA motif. The results suggest that OsCOL5 functions as a floral repressor, playing a vital role in rice’s photoperiodic flowering regulation. This gene shows potential in breeding programs aimed at improving rice yield by influencing the timing of flowering, which directly impacts crop productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) stands as a prevalent subtype of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, leading to disease recurrence and low survival rates. PPARγ, a ligand-dependent nuclear transcription factor, holds significance in tumor development. However, the role of PPARγ in the development of OSCC has not been fully elucidated. Through transcriptome sequencing analysis, we discovered a notable enrichment of ferroptosis-related molecules upon treatment with PPARγ antagonist. We subsequently confirmed the occurrence of ferroptosis through transmission electron microscopy, iron detection, etc. Notably, ferroptosis inhibitors could not completely rescue the cell death caused by PPARγ inhibitors, and the rescue effect was the greatest when disulfidptosis and ferroptosis inhibitors coexisted. We confirmed that the disulfidptosis phenotype indeed existed. Mechanistically, through qPCR and Western blotting, we observed that the inhibition of PPARγ resulted in the upregulation of heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX1), thereby promoting ferroptosis, while solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11) was also upregulated to promote disulfidptosis in OSCC. Finally, a flow cytometry analysis of flight and multiplex immunohistochemical staining was used to characterize the immune status of PPARγ antagonist-treated OSCC tissues in a mouse tongue orthotopic transplantation tumor model, and the results showed that the inhibition of PPARγ led to ferroptosis and disulfidptosis, promoted the aggregation of cDCs and CD8+ T cells, and inhibited the progression of OSCC. Overall, our findings reveal that PPARγ plays a key role in regulating cell death in OSCC and that targeting PPARγ may be a potential therapeutic approach for OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lesion mimic mutants (LMMs) are ideal materials for studying cell death and resistance mechanisms. Here, we identified and mapped a novel rice LMM, g380. The g380 exhibits a spontaneous hypersensitive response-like cell death phenotype accompanied by excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and upregulated expression of pathogenesis-related genes, as well as enhanced resistance to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). Using a map-based cloning strategy, a 184,916 bp deletion on chromosome 2 that overlaps with the diterpenoid biosynthetic gene cluster was identified in g380. Accordingly, the content of diterpenoids decreased in g380. In addition, lignin, one of the physical lines of plant defense, was increased in g380. RNA-seq analysis showed 590 significantly differentially expressed genes (DEG) between the wild-type 9311 and g380, 585 of which were upregulated in g380. Upregulated genes in g380 were mainly enriched in the monolignol biosynthesis branches of the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway, the plant–pathogen interaction pathway and the phytoalexin-specialized diterpenoid biosynthesis pathway. Taken together, our results indicate that the diterpenoid biosynthetic gene cluster on chromosome 2 is involved in immune reprogramming, which in turn regulates cell death in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To increase the potentiality of crop production for future food security, new technologies for plant breeding are required, including genome editing technology—being one of the most promising. Genome editing with the CRISPR/Cas system has attracted researchers in the last decade as a safer and easier tool for genome editing in a variety of living organisms including rice. Genome editing has transformed agriculture by reducing biotic and abiotic stresses and increasing yield. Recently, genome editing technologies have been developed quickly in order to avoid the challenges that genetically modified crops face. Developing transgenic-free edited plants without introducing foreign DNA has received regulatory approval in a number of countries. Several ongoing efforts from various countries are rapidly expanding to adopt the innovations. This review covers the mechanisms of CRISPR/Cas9, comparisons of CRISPR/Cas9 with other gene-editing technologies—including newly emerged Cas variants—and focuses on CRISPR/Cas9-targeted genes for rice crop improvement. We have further highlighted CRISPR/Cas9 vector construction model design and different bioinformatics tools for target site selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the previous research on the energy absorption of foam metal materials with different structures, a composite blast-resistant energy-absorbing material with a flexible core layer was designed. The material is composed of three different fiber materials (carbon fiber, aramid fiber, and glass fiber) as the core layer and foamed iron–nickel metal as the front and rear panels. The energy absorption characteristics were tested using a self-built gas explosion tube network experimental platform, and the energy absorption effects of different combinations of blast-resistant materials were analyzed. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the performance of blast-resistant materials designed with flexible fiber core layers. The experimental results show that the composite structure blast-resistant material with a flexible core layer has higher energy absorption performance. The work performed in this paper shows that the use of flexible core layer materials has great research potential and engineering research value for improving energy absorption performance, reducing the mass of blast-resistant materials, and reducing production costs. It also provides thoughts for the research of biomimetic energy-absorbing materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) and gene isolation approaches, such as positional- or map-based cloning, are time-consuming and low-throughput methods. Understanding and detecting the genetic material that controls a phenotype is a key means to functionally analyzing genes as well as to enhance crop agronomic traits. In this regard, high-throughput technologies have great prospects for changing the paradigms of DNA marker revealing, genotyping, and for discovering crop genetics and genomic study. Bulk segregant analysis, based on whole genome resequencing approaches, permits the rapid isolation of the genes or QTL responsible for the causative mutation of the phenotypes. MutMap, MutMap Gap, MutMap+, modified MutMap, and QTL-seq methods are among those approaches that have been confirmed to be fruitful gene mapping approaches for crop plants, such as rice, irrespective of whether the characters are determined by polygenes. As a result, in the present study we reviewed the progress made by all these methods to identify QTL or genes in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stigma exsertion is a key determinant to increase the efficiency of commercial hybrid rice seed production. The major quantitative trait locus (QTL) qSE7 for stigma exsertion rate was previously detected on the chromosome 7 using 75 Chromosome Segment Substitution Lines (CSSLs) derived from a cross between the high stigma exsertion indica maintainer XieqingzaoB (XQZB) and low stigma exsertion indica restorer Zhonghui9308 (ZH9308). The C51 line, a CSSL population with an introgression from XQZB, was backcrossed with ZH9308 to produce the secondary F2 (BC5F2) and F2:3 (BC5F2:3) populations. As a result, the Near Isogenic Line (NIL qSE7XB) was developed. Analysis indicated qSE7 acted as a single Mendelian factor and decreased the stigma exsertion. We hypothesized qSE7 regulates single, dual, and total stigma exsertion rate, provided experimental support. qSE7 was mapped and localized between RM5436 and RM5499 markers, within a physical distance of 1000-kb. With use of new insertion-deletion (InDel) markers and analysis of the heterozygous and phenotypic data, it was ultimately dissected to a 322.9-kb region between InDel SER4-1 and RM5436. The results are useful for additional identification and isolation of this candidate gene controlling stigma exsertion rate, and provide a basis for further fine mapping, gene cloning, and Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) breeding later. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abnormally developed endosperm strongly affects rice (Oryza sativa) appearance quality and grain weight. Endosperm formation is a complex process, and although many enzymes and related regulators have been identified, many other related factors remain largely unknown. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of a recessive mutation of White Belly 1 (WB1), which regulates rice endosperm development, using a modified MutMap method in the rice mutant wb1. The wb1 mutant develops a white-belly endosperm and abnormal starch granules in the inner portion of white grains. Representative of the white-belly phenotype, grains of wb1 showed a higher grain chalkiness rate and degree and a lower 1000-grain weight (decreased by ~34%), in comparison with that of Wild Type (WT). The contents of amylose and amylopectin in wb1 significantly decreased, and its physical properties were also altered. We adopted the modified MutMap method to identify 2.52 Mb candidate regions with a high specificity, where we detected 275 SNPs in chromosome 4. Finally, we identified 19 SNPs at 12 candidate genes. Transcript levels analysis of all candidate genes showed that WB1 (Os04t0413500), encoding a cell-wall invertase, was the most probable cause of white-belly endosperm phenotype. Switching off WB1 with the CRISPR/cas9 system in Japonica cv. Nipponbare demonstrates that WB1 regulates endosperm development and that different mutations of WB1 disrupt its biological function. All of these results taken together suggest that the wb1 mutant is controlled by the mutation of WB1, and that the modified MutMap method is feasible to identify mutant genes, and could promote genetic improvement in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochromic technology has witnessed numerous achievements in recent years both in research and commercialization. Electrochromic devices (ECD) based on different electrochemical mechanism have been developed for various applications, ranging from smart windows, thermal management, rear views, display, camouflage, etc. Compared to conventional ECDs based on monovalent charge carriers (e.g., H+, Li+), incorporating multivalent ions with rich electrochemistry, high charge density, and small ionic radius has opened new possibilities in novel ECDs. The merits of multivalent ions are harvested in ECDs activated by ion intercalation/deintercalation (e.g., Zn2+, Al3+, Ca2+, Mg2+), reversible metal electrodeposition (e.g., Cu2+, Bi3+, Zn2+), and dynamic metal–ligand interactions (e.g., Cu2+, Fe2+). Herein, the working mechanism, characteristics, and up‐to‐date achievements in multivalent ECDs are summarized and classified accordingly. The applications of multivalent ECDs for smart windows, energy storage, thermal management, multicolor displays, etc., are exemplified. The issues and challenges encountered by multivalent ECDs are emphasized, and the future directions for developing multivalent ECDs are also summarized. The aim of this review is to inspire more efforts in the exploration and the proliferation of multivalent ECDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus (P) is the essential macro-element supporting rice productivity. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) underlying related traits at the seedling stage under two different phosphorus levels was investigated in rice using a population of 76 Chromosomal Sequence Substitution Lines (CSSLs) derived from a cross between the maintainer variety XieqingzaoB (P stress tolerant) and the restorer variety Zhonghui9308 (P stress sensitive); the parents of super hybrid rice Xieyou9308. A genetic linkage map with 120 DNA marker loci was constructed. At logarithmic odd (LOD) value of 2.0, a total of seven QTLs were detected for studied traits under two P levels and their relative ratio. The LOD values ranged from 2.00 to 3.32 and explaining 10.82% to 18.46% of phenotypic variation. Three QTLs were detected under low phosphorus (P−), one under normal (P+) and three under their relative ratio (P−/P+) on the rice chromosomes 3, 5, 6, 8 and 10. No significant QTLs were found for shoot dry weight (SDW) and total dry weight (TDW). The pleiotropic QTLs influencing root number (qRN5) and root dry weight (qRDW5) as novel QTLs under P− level were detected near marker RM3638 on chromosome 5, which considered to directly contributing to phosphorus deficiency tolerance in rice. These QTLs need further analysis, including the fine mapping and cloning, which may use in molecular marker assisted breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudomonas parafulva (formerly known as Pseudomonas fulva ) is an antagonistic bacterium against several rice bacterial and fungal diseases. The total genome size of P. parafulva CRS01-1 is 5,087,619 bp with 4389 coding sequences (CDSs), 77 tRNAs, and 7 rRNAs. The annotated full genome sequence of the P. parafulva CRS01-1 strain might shed light on its role as an antagonistic bacterium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) were prepared by biocompatible and biodegradable solid-phase lipids. β-elemene is a safe natural essential oil with broad-spectrum anti-tumor activity. However, its clinical application has been adversely affected by its poor water solubility and limited bioavailability. SLN incorporation is a potential strategy to bypass the blood-brain barrier, the most important factor limiting the bioactivity of neurotherapeutics. The SLNs-β has the same efficacy as commercially available elemene in vitro and an enhanced brain drug accumulation in vivo. The survival rate data was promising and acute toxicity experiment proved its safety. All these data suggested that SLN-β is a safe and effective drug delivery system, especially for brain tumor therapy, and warrants further development. • Solid lipid nanoparticle is potential and espically for brain drug delivery system. • Solid lipid nanoparticle has the advantage of improving blood–brain barrier permeability of loaded drugs. • Different types of models were selected to test the ability of increasing drug accumulation in brain. • The solid lipid nanoparticle loaded with β-elemene which we prepared had a better performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mutation of CS3 leads to rice seedling chlorotic lethal phenotype. • CS3 interacts with YGL8 and form the MgPME-cyclase complex. • S136 F of CS3 affects its chloroplast localization and the interaction with YGL8. Chlorophyll plays a vital role in harvesting light and turning it into chemical energy. In this study, we isolated and characterized a chlorophyll-deficient mutant, which we named cs3 (chlorotic seedling 3). The cs3 mutant seedlings exhibit a yellowish phenotype at germination, and they do not survive at the seedling stage. In addition, brown necrotic spots appear on the surface of the leaves and leaf sheaths during development. DAB staining and H 2 O 2 content measurement showed that there was excessive H 2 O 2 accumulation in the cs3 mutant leaf. Accompanying the chlorophyll deficiency, the chloroplasts in cs3 leaf cells were abnormal. Using a map-based cloning strategy, we mapped the CS3 gene, which encodes a Ycf54 domain-containing protein, to a locus on chromosome 3. CS3 is mainly expressed in green tissues and the S136 F would influence CS3 interacting with YGL8 and its chloroplast localization. qRT-PCR analysis revealed the changes in the expression of genes involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis and degradation, chloroplast development, senescence, and photosynthesis in the cs3 mutant. In addition, our study also supports the notion that the mutation in the CS3 / Ycf54 gene arrests chlorophyll biosynthesis by negatively affecting the activity of magnesium protoporphyrin IX monomethylester cyclase (MgPME-cyclase). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]