Ethylene is a gaseous hormone which plays important roles in both plant growth and development and stress responses. Based on studies in the dicot model plant species Arabidopsis, a linear ethylene ...signaling pathway has been established, according to which ethylene is perceived by ethylene receptors and transduced through CONSTITUTIVE TRIPLE RESPONSE 1 (CTR1) and ETHYLENE‐INSENSITIVE 2 (EIN2) to activate transcriptional reprogramming. In addition to this canonical signaling pathway, an alternative ethylene receptor‐mediated phosphor‐relay pathway has also been proposed to participate in ethylene signaling. In contrast to Arabidopsis, rice, a monocot, grows in semiaquatic environments and has a distinct plant structure. Several novel regulators and/or mechanisms of the rice ethylene signaling pathway have recently been identified, indicating that the ethylene signaling pathway in rice has its own unique features. In this review, we summarize the latest progress and compare the conserved and divergent aspects of the ethylene signaling pathway between Arabidopsis and rice. The crosstalk between ethylene and other plant hormones is also reviewed. Finally, we discuss how ethylene regulates plant growth, stress responses and agronomic traits. These analyses should help expand our knowledge of the ethylene signaling mechanism and could further be applied for agricultural purposes.
Ethylene plays vital roles in plant growth and development and stress responses. In this review, we summarize the latest progress and compare the conserved and divergent aspects of the ethylene signaling pathway between Arabidopsis and rice. The agricultural significance of ethylene signaling in crops is also discussed.
Associated with the prime number
p
=
3
, a combined model of generalized bilinear Kadomtsev–Petviashvili and Boussinesq equation (gbKPB for short) in terms of the function
f
is proposed, which ...involves four arbitrary coefficients. To guarantee the existence of lump solutions, a constraint among these four coefficients is presented firstly, and then, the lump solutions are constructed and classified via searching for positive quadratic function solutions to the gbKPB equation. Different conditions posed on lump parameters are investigated to keep the analyticity and rational localization of the resulting solutions. Finally, 3-dimensional plots, density plots and 2-dimensional curves with particular choices of the involved parameters are given to show the profile characteristics of the presented lump solutions for the potential function
u
=
2
(
ln
f
)
x
.
We investigated the soil microbiologic characteristics, and the yield and sustainable production of winter wheat, by conducting a long-term fertilization experiment. A single application of N, P and ...K （NPK） fertilizer was taken as the control （CK） and three organic fertilization treatments were used： NPK fertilizer＋pig manure （T1）, NPK fertilizer＋straw return （T2）, NPK fertilizer＋pig manure＋straw return （T3）. The results showed that all three organic fertilization treatments （T1, T2 and T3） significantly increased both soil total N （STN） and soil organic carbon （SOC） from 2008 onwards. In 2016, the SOC content and soil C/N ratios for T1, T2 and T3 were significantly higher than those for CK. The three organic fertilization treatments increased soil microbial activity. In 2016, the activity of urease （sucrase） and the soil respiration rate （SRS） for T1, T2 and T3 were significantly higher than those under CK. The organic fertilization treatments also increased the content of soil microbial biomass carbon （SMBC） and microbial biomass nitrogen （SMBN）, the SMBC/SMBN ratio and the microbial quotient （qMB）. The yield for T1, T2 and T3 was significantly higher than that of CK, respectively. Over the nine years of the investigation, the average yield increased by 9.9, 13.2 and 17.4% for T1, T2 and T3, respectively, compared to the initial yield for each treatment, whereas the average yield of CK over the same period was reduced by 6.5%. T1, T2, and T3 lowered the coefficient of variation （CV） of wheat yield and increased the sustainable yield index （SYI）. Wheat grain yield was significantly positively correlated with each of the soil microbial properties （P〈0.01）. These results showed that the long-term application of combined organic and chemical fertilizers can stabilize crop yield and make it more sustainable by improving the properties of the soil.
A generalized Calogero–Bogoyavlenskii–Schiff equation is considered, and based on its Hirota bilinear form, a class of lump solutions is explicitly generated via symbolic computations with Maple, ...together with plots of a specific lump solution. The result enlarges the category of nonlinear partial differential equations which possess lump solutions.
•This structure incorporates gas sensing and LED light functions to form a 3D-like heterogeneous device with an integrated structure.•In this study, ITO is used for the electrodes and the micro ...heater. The thermal image shows that the micro heater provides a heat source.•To allow highly sensitive gas sensing, the ZnO NWs are integrated directly on the electrodes and a suspension layer using a hydrothermal method.•The blue light increases the carrier concentration in the ZnO NWs. The response value to 50 ppb NO gas is increased from 48% to 86%.
This sturdy constructs a 3D-like heterogeneous device integrated structure using a transparent ZnO nanowire MEMS gas sensor and a blue LED. For the transparent gas sensor, ITO is used for the electrodes and the micro heater. The thermal image shows that the micro heater provides a heat source. The sensors exhibit a higher sensitivity to NO than other gases (C2H5OH, HCHO, H2S) at the optimal operating temperature of 200 ℃. For the MEMS gas sensor with blue light illumination from the bottom of the sensors, the results show that the blue light increases the carrier concentration in the ZnO nanowires. The response value to 50 ppb NO gas is increased from 48.13% to 86.17%.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly affected medical education in addition to clinical systems. Residency training has probably been the most affected aspect of medical ...education during the pandemic, and research on this topic is crucial for educators and clinical teachers. The aim of this study was to understand the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic comprehensively through a systematic review and analysis of related published articles.
A systematic review was conducted based on a predesigned protocol. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE databases until November 30, 2020, for eligible articles. Two independent reviewers extracted data by using a customized form to record crucial information, and any conflicts between the two reviewers were resolved through discussion with another independent reviewer. The aggregated data were summarized and analyzed.
In total, 53 original articles that investigated the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on residency training were included. Studies from various regions were included in the research, with the largest percentage from the United States (n = 25, 47.2%). Most of these original articles were questionnaire-based studies (n = 44, 83%), and the research target groups included residents (79.55%), program directors (13.64%), or both (6.82%). The majority of the articles (n = 37, 84.0%) were published in countries severely affected by the pandemic. Surgery (n = 36, 67.92%) was the most commonly studied field.
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected residency training globally, particularly surgical and interventional medical fields. Decreased clinical experience, reduced case volume, and disrupted education activities are major concerns. Further studies should be conducted with a focus on the learning outcomes of residency training during the pandemic and the effectiveness of assisted teaching methods.
This quantitative study explores the antecedents of service employees' work engagement and the impacts of these antecedents, from the perspective of positive organizational behavior and the job ...demands-resources model. Survey data were collected from frontline service employees and managers at selected branches of a chain restaurant in Northern Taiwan. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that frontline employees' psychological capital mediated the positive relationship between branch managers' servant leadership and employees' work engagement. Moreover, nonmanagerial employees' work engagement mediated the relationship between their psychological capital and their service performance. The implications of this study for theory and practice are discussed, along with possible directions for future research.
Summary
NAC transcription factors play important roles in plant growth, development and stress responses. Previously, we identified multiple NAC genes in soybean (Glycine max). Here, we identify the ...roles of two genes, GmNAC11 and GmNAC20, in stress responses and other processes. The two genes were differentially induced by multiple abiotic stresses and plant hormones, and their transcripts were abundant in roots and cotyledons. Both genes encoded proteins that localized to the nucleus and bound to the core DNA sequence CGTG/A. In the protoplast assay system, GmNAC11 acts as a transcriptional activator, whereas GmNAC20 functions as a mild repressor; however, the C‐terminal end of GmANC20 has transcriptional activation activity. Over‐expression of GmNAC20 enhances salt and freezing tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis plants; however, GmNAC11 over‐expression only improves salt tolerance. Over‐expression of GmNAC20 also promotes lateral root formation. GmNAC20 may regulate stress tolerance through activation of the DREB/CBF–COR pathway, and may control lateral root development by altering auxin signaling‐related genes. GmNAC11 probably regulates DREB1A and other stress‐related genes. The roles of the two GmNAC genes in stress tolerance were further analyzed in soybean transgenic hairy roots. These results provide a basis for genetic manipulation to improve the agronomic traits of important crops.
• Soybean (Glycine max) production is severely affected in unfavorable environments. Identification of the regulatory factors conferring stress tolerance would facilitate soybean breeding.
• In this ...study, through coexpression network analysis of salt-tolerant wild soybeans, together with molecular and genetic approaches, we revealed a previously unidentified function of a class B heat shock factor, HSFB2b, in soybean salt stress response.
• We showed that HSFB2b improves salt tolerance through the promotion of flavonoid accumulation by activating one subset of flavonoid biosynthesis-related genes and by inhibiting the repressor gene GmNAC2 to release another subset of genes in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway. Moreover, four promoter haplotypes of HSFB2b were identified from wild and cultivated soybeans. Promoter haplotype II from salt-tolerant wild soybean Y20, with high promoter activity under salt stress, is probably selected for during domestication. Another promoter haplotype, III, from salt-tolerant wild soybean Y55, had the highest promoter activity under salt stress, had a low distribution frequency and may be subjected to the next wave of selection.
• Together, our results revealed the mechanism of HSFB2b in soybean salt stress tolerance. Its promoter variations were identified, and the haplotype with high activity may be adopted for breeding better soybean cultivars that are adapted to stress conditions.
This letter proposes an improved version of Zhang's reversible data hiding method in encrypted images. The original work partitions an encrypted image into blocks, and each block carries one bit by ...flipping three LSBs of a set of pre-defined pixels. The data extraction and image recovery can be achieved by examining the block smoothness. Zhang's work did not fully exploit the pixels in calculating the smoothness of each block and did not consider the pixel correlations in the border of neighboring blocks. These two issues could reduce the correctness of data extraction. This letter adopts a better scheme for measuring the smoothness of blocks, and uses the side-match scheme to further decrease the error rate of extracted-bits. The experimental results reveal that the proposed method offers better performance over Zhang's work. For example, when the block size is set to 8 8, the error rate of the Lena image of the proposed method is 0. 34%, which is significantly lower than 1.21% of Zhang's work.
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