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Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp., RKN) are responsible for extensive crop losses worldwide. During infection, they penetrate plant roots, migrate between plant cells, and establish feeding sites, known as giant cells, near the root vasculature. Previously, we found that nematode perception and early responses in plants were similar to those of microbial pathogens and required the BRI1-ASSOCIATED KINASE1/SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS RECEPTOR KINASE3 (BAK1/SERK3) coreceptor in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Here, we implemented a reverse genetic screen for resistance or sensitivity to RKN using Arabidopsis T-DNA alleles of genes encoding transmembrane receptor-like kinases to identify additional receptors involved in this process. This screen identified a pair of allelic mutations with enhanced resistance to RKN in a gene we named ENHANCED RESISTANCE TO NEMATODES1 (ERN1). ERN1 encodes a G-type lectin receptor kinase (G-LecRK) with a single-pass transmembrane domain. Further characterization showed that ern1 mutants displayed stronger activation of MAP kinases, elevated levels of the defense marker MYB51, and enhanced H2O2 accumulation in roots upon RKN elicitor treatments. Elevated MYB51 expression and ROS bursts were also observed in leaves of ern1 mutants upon flg22 treatment. Complementation of ern1.1 with 35S- or native promoter-driven ERN1 rescued the RKN infection and enhanced defense phenotypes. Our results indicate that ERN1 is an important negative regulator of immunity.

Despite advancements in information technology, rural e-commerce distribution continues to struggle, characterized by inefficient capacity resource allocation and exorbitantly high logistics costs. These challenges severely impede the growth of the rural e-commerce industry and the economic performance of logistics and distribution firms. This study delves into the specific dynamics of rural e-commerce logistics and the prominent issue of the “last kilometer” bottleneck. It constructs a multi-objective planning model aimed at minimizing both distribution costs and time, incorporating constraints such as the load capacity of distribution vehicles, as well as the number and routes of service vehicles. Utilizing the simulated annealing algorithm, this research addresses the shortcomings of genetic algorithms, particularly their tendency to converge on local optima. This enhancement enables the genetic algorithm to effectively identify optimal solutions for distance, cost, and profit within the operational constraints of rural e-commerce distribution. The model’s efficacy was validated and subsequently applied to a case study involving a rural e-commerce enterprise in a county. The findings reveal that the combined genetic algorithm-simulated annealing (GA-SA) approach yields an average optimal solution error of 0.25 and an average solution error of 0.46. Furthermore, the optimized distribution strategy for the four vehicles resulted in total travel distances of 47.46 km, 40.47 km, 28.36 km, and 3.1 km, respectively, culminating in a substantial reduction of 61.29 km compared to the pre-optimization scenario. The reduced iteration count of the algorithms also contributes to enhanced profit outcomes. This research offers valuable insights for rural e-commerce distribution companies seeking to bolster their market competitiveness through upgraded information technology, reasonable resource allocation, cost efficiencies, and enhanced operational effectiveness.

Fully understanding the environmental implications of engineered nanomaterials is crucial for their safe and sustainable use. Cyanobacteria, as the pioneers of the planet earth, play important roles in global carbon and nitrogen cycling. Here, we evaluated the biological effects of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets on a N2-fixation cyanobacteria (Nostoc sphaeroides) by monitoring growth and metabolome changes. MoS2 nanosheets did not exert overt toxicity to Nostoc at the tested doses (0.1 and 1 mg/L). On the contrary, the intrinsic enzyme-like activities and semiconducting properties of MoS2 nanosheets promoted the metabolic processes of Nostoc, including enhancing CO2-fixation-related Calvin cycle metabolic pathway. Meanwhile, MoS2 boosted the production of a range of biochemicals, including sugars, fatty acids, amino acids, and other valuable end products. The altered carbon metabolism subsequently drove proportional changes in nitrogen metabolism in Nostoc. These intracellular metabolic changes could potentially alter global C and N cycles. The findings of this study shed light on the nature and underlying mechanisms of bio-nanoparticle interactions, and offer the prospect of utilization bio-nanomaterials for efficient CO2 sequestration and sustainable biochemical production.

This article explores the need to change the bureaucratic leadership structure which has bedeviled state-owned enterprises for many decades and how they compete in the 21st-century business environment where there are uncertainty and chaos. The SOEs suppose provide employment, meet social and political needs, and operate in the sectors of the economy that are of strategic importance to the state. Therefore, SOEs are critical to economic development in emerging economies. The pace of change confronting organizations today has added complexity to the organizational landscape and now calls for more flexible and adaptive leadership. Adaptive leaders can work more effectively in the unstable global business environment and are also able to adopt a proactive approach in order to keep abreast of the increasing stakeholder pressures in the enterprises. However, inadequate applicability of traditional leadership models has indicated the need to develop new leadership models to solve the complex organizational challenges. Hence complexity leadership approach seeks to combine these dynamics to the bureaucratic hierarchies in order to explain the way informal organizational dynamics function correctly and also to describe how these valuable adaptive functions can be promoted to better the operations of SOEs in Ghana.