Softening, a common phenomenon in many fruits, is a well coordinated and genetically determined process. However, the process of flesh softening during ripening has rarely been described in hawthorn. ...In this study, we found that 'Ruanrou Shanlihong 3 Hao' fruits became softer during ripening, whereas 'Qiu JinXing' fruits remained hard. At late developmental stages, the firmness of 'Ruanrou Shanlihong 3 Hao' fruits rapidly declined, and that of 'Qiu JinXing' fruits remained essentially unchanged. According to transmission electron microscopy, the middle lamella of 'Qiu JinXing' and 'Ruanrou Shanlihong 3 Hao' fruit flesh was largely degraded as the fruits matured. Microfilaments in 'Qiu JinXing' flesh were arranged close together and were deep in color, whereas those in 'Ruanrou Shanlihong 3 Hao' fruit flesh were arranged loosely, partially degraded and light in color. RNA-Seq analysis yielded approximately 46.72 Gb of clean data and 72,837 unigenes. Galactose metabolism and pentose and glucuronate interconversions are involved in cell wall metabolism, play an important role in hawthorn texture. We identified 85 unigenes related to the cell wall between hard- and soft-fleshed hawthorn fruits. Based on data analysis and real-time PCR, we suggest that β
and
have important functions in early fruit softening. The genes
,
,α
,
,
, and CWP, which are involved in cell wall degradation, are responsible for the different textures of hawthorn fruits. Thus, we hypothesize that the different textures of 'Qiu JinXing' and 'Ruanrou Shanlihong 3 Hao' fruits at maturity mainly result from cellulose/hemicelluloses degradation rather than from lamella degradation. Overall, we propose that different types of hydrolytic enzymes in cells interact to degrade the cell wall, resulting in ultramicroscopic Structure changes in the cell wall and, consequently, fruit softening. These results provide fundamental insight regarding the mechanisms by which hawthorn fruits acquire different textures and also lay a solid foundation for further research.
The effect of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with body mass index (BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters ...squared) higher than 25 kg/m2 but lower than 32.5 kg/m2, especially in East Asian population characterized by abdominal obesity, are still unclear. This study aims to explore the effect of LSG in T2D patients with BMI higher than 25 kg/m2 but lower than 32.5 kg/m2.
A total of 49 T2D patients with BMI(25–32.5 kg/m2) treated successfully with LSG were included in our study. The effect of LSG on T2D remission outcomes at 12 and 24 months after operation was analyzed.
All patients were treated successfully with LSG without conversion. The mean preoperative body weight,BMI, fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c) and fasting C-peptide were 81.7 ± 10.0 kg, 29.1 ± 2.4 kg/m2, 10.4 ± 3.9 mmol/L,8.2 ± 1.5%, and 2.3 ± 1.1 nmol/L,respectively.The age, duration of diabetes and ABCD score were 48.6 ± 9.6 years,6.6 ± 5.1 years, and 2.9 ± 1.5. The mean fasting plasma glucose,A1c, and C-peptide levels were significantly decreased at 12 and 24 months after operation. At postoperative 24 months, 18 out of 49 patients (36.7%) reached diabetes complete remission (A1c levels≤6.0%).14 out of 49 patients (28.6%) reached partial remission (6.0% < A1c levels<6.5%). 8 out of 49 patients (16.3%) reached notable improvement (6.5% < A1c levels<7%). At 24 months after LSG, the complete remission rate of T2D patients with a BMI of 25–27.5 kg/m2 was 35.3%, the complete remission rate of patients with a BMI of 27.5–30 kg/m2 was 11.1%, and the complete remission rate of patients with a BMI of 30–32.5 kg/m2 was 47.8%.At postoperative 24 months, the complete remission rate of T2D patients with ABCD score≤2 was 5.0%, the complete remission rate of patients with ABCD score 3 to 4 was 52.4%, and the complete remission rate of patients with ABCD score≥5 was 75.0%.
Our study demonstrates that LSG could result in a significant effect on T2D in patients with BMI 30–32.5 kg/m2. In addition, our study indicates that higher ABCD score can predict a better diabetes remission outcome in diabetes patients with BMI ≤32.5 kg/m2.
The intrusion of Kuroshio into the South China Sea through Luzon Strait has been of enormous interest in western boundary current studies. Here we show that this intrusion can be remotely influenced ...by the downstream intrusion of the Kuroshio northeast of Taiwan into the East China Sea, at a lead time of about 220 days. This remarkable finding is first revealed by a quantitative causality analysis which is rigorously established from first principles in physics; it is originally motivated by the observation of a wake southeast of Taiwan, whose influence on the loop current, also revealed by causality analysis, is traced downstream to the Kuroshio intrusion into the East China Sea. Further analysis suggests that the two important Kuroshio intrusions are connected via a coastal trapped wave mode with a period of 1.5 years propagating southward along the eastern Taiwan coast, as supported by both theoretical and numerical models. Upon approaching the Luzon Strait, its negative (positive) phase functions to intensify (reduce) the loop current. At a speed of 1.37 km day−1, the mode takes about 220 days for the disturbances northeast of Taiwan to travel along the coast to Luzon Strait, leading to the same time delay for the downstream‐upstream causal relation.
Plain Language Summary
Kuroshio is the western boundary current of the North Pacific. When the Kuroshio current passes marginal seas including the South China Sea and the East China Sea, branches of the Kuroshio may penetrate into the seas, leading to the well known Kuroshio intrusions. Using a rigorous causality analysis based on information flow, we find that the Kuroshio intrusion into the South China Sea through Luzon Strait can be remotely influenced by the downstream Kuroshio intrusion into the East China Sea. Results show that the influence from the downstream intrusion first reaches a wake structure southeast of Taiwan which usually accompanies the Kuroshio intrusion into the South China Sea, then reaches the upstream intrusion. The causal relation is attributed to one mode of the southward propagating coastal trapped waves along the east coast of Taiwan. Upon approaching the Luzon Strait, its negative (positive) phase functions to intensify (reduce) the loop current, regulating the Kuroshio intrusion on a 1.5‐year time scale. Since the speed of the mode is 1.37 km day−1, it takes about 220 days to travel along the coast to Luzon Strait. As a result, the downstream‐upstream causal relation has a time delay of about 220 days.
Key Points
A wake structure southeast of Taiwan usually accompanies the Kuroshio intrusion into the South China Sea
Influence of the downstream Kuroshio on the wake and further on the upstream Kuroshio intrusion is revealed by a rigorous causality analysis
Coastal trapped waves are responsible for the counterintuitive downstream‐to‐upstream causal relation
Genetic maps are important tools in plant genomics and breeding. We report a large-scale discovery of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using the specific length amplified fragment sequencing ...(SLAF-seq) technique for the construction of high-density genetic maps for two elite wine grape cultivars, 'Chardonnay' and 'Beibinghong', and their 130 F1 plants. A total of 372.53 M paired-end reads were obtained after preprocessing. The average sequencing depth was 33.81 for 'Chardonnay' (the female parent), 48.20 for 'Beibinghong' (the male parent), and 12.66 for the F1 offspring. We detected 202,349 high-quality SLAFs of which 144,972 were polymorphic; 10,042 SNPs were used to construct a genetic map that spanned 1,969.95 cM, with an average genetic distance of 0.23 cM between adjacent markers. This genetic map contains the largest molecular marker number of the grape maps so far reported. We thus demonstrate that SLAF-seq is a promising strategy for the construction of high-density genetic maps; the map that we report here is a good potential resource for QTL mapping of genes linked to major economic and agronomic traits, map-based cloning, and marker-assisted selection of grape.
Abstract
Mesoscale eddies play a crucial role in the dynamical balance of the Southern Ocean (SO) circulation. Yet, it remains unclear why the SO transient eddy activity has significant variations on ...interannual time scales, and to what extent these low‐frequency variations are attributed to wind forcing changes. Here we use a functional analysis tool, namely, the multiscale window transform (MWT), the MWT‐based theory of canonical transfer and a time‐dependent energetics framework to investigate these issues. Our focus is on the central Pacific sector of the SO in which there is a significant time‐mean and interannual variability of the eddy kinetic energy (EKE). It is found that wind stress does not directly contribute to the interannual EKE variability through wind power injection to the eddies; instead, the influence is fulfilled indirectly through two internal pathways. First, the baroclinic pathway in which the wind‐generated mean kinetic energy (MKE) is converted to the mean available potential energy (APE), and is further released to eddy APE and finally to EKE through baroclinic instability, is the dominant one. Second, the barotropic pathway, in which MKE directly fuels EKE through barotropic instability, is faster but secondary, and its influence is only concentrated along the axis of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Our results highlight the dynamical connections between the internal and external processes in the SO energy system, and provide insights into the predictability of the SO eddies on interannual time scales.
Plain Language Summary
The strength of the transient eddy activity in the Southern Ocean (SO) exhibits considerable variability on interannual time scales. Although the SO eddies respond to wind forcing, it remains unclear how the wind stress modulates the internal oceanic processes, for example, instabilities, and how it determines the low‐frequency variability of the eddy activity. Using a novel time‐dependent energetics framework, we find that wind stress does not directly control the interannual eddy kinetic energy (EKE) variability by wind power injection to the eddies; instead, we identify two possible internal energy pathways in the central Pacific sector of the SO. First, the baroclinic pathway is the dominant, in which the wind‐generated mean kinetic energy (MKE) is converted to the available potential energy, and finally released to EKE through baroclinic instability. Second, the barotropic pathway, in which the MKE directly fuels EKE through barotropic instability, is much faster but secondary. This study provides insights into understanding the energy pathways by connecting the external forcing and internal processes that together determine the low‐frequency variation of the eddy activity in the SO.
Key Points
Eddy kinetic energy (EKE) displays significant interannual variation in the central Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean (CPSSO)
Interannual EKE variation in the CPSSO is strongly modulated by wind stress
Wind stress impacts the interannual EKE variation indirectly via baroclinic and barotropic pathways
Cerebral infarction can cause secondary damage to nonischemic brain regions. However, whether this phenomenon will appear in central nervous system regions outside the brain remains unclear. Here we ...investigated pathological changes in the spinal cord and ventral root after ischemic stroke. All rats exhibited apparent neurological deficits post-MCAO, which improved gradually but could still be detected 12-weeks. Neuronal filaments in the corticospinal tract (CST) and neurons in the ventral horn were significantly declined in the contralateral cervical and lumbar enlargement 1-week post-MCAO. These decreases remained stable until 12-weeks, accompanied by progressively increased glial activation in the ventral horn. Axonal degeneration and structural derangement were evident in the contralateral cervical and lumbar ventral root 1-week post-MCAO; these changes spontaneously attenuated over time, but abnormalities could still be observed 12-weeks. The number of neural fibers in the contralateral CST and neurons in the contralateral ventral horn were positively correlated with neurological scores 12-weeks post-MCAO. Additionally, GFAP(+)cell density in the contralateral CST and ventral horn was negatively correlated with neurological scores. Our results suggest that cerebral infarction can elicit secondary degeneration in the cervical and lumbar spinal cord, as well as the projecting ventral root, which may hamper functional recovery after stroke.
•In small asteroids, rare energetic impactors can excite seismic waves with frequencies near those of the asteroid’s slowest normal modes. The distribution of seismic reverberation is not evenly ...distributed.•With mass-spring model elastic simulations, we model excitation of seismic waves on asteroids with different shapes. The simulations exhibit antipodal focusing and normal mode excitation.•Seismic reverberation on asteroid Bennu could have raised the height of its equatorial ridge by a few meters and raised a peak on near the impact’s antipode.
We consider an impact on an asteroid that is energetic enough to cause resurfacing by seismic reverberation and just below the catastrophic disruption threshold, assuming that seismic waves are not rapidly attenuated. In asteroids with diameter less than 1 km we identify a regime where rare energetic impactors can excite seismic waves with frequencies near those of the asteroid’s slowest normal modes. In this regime, the distribution of seismic reverberation is not evenly distributed across the body surface. With mass-spring model elastic simulations, we model impact excitation of seismic waves with a force pulse exerted on the surface and using three different asteroid shape models. The simulations exhibit antipodal focusing and normal mode excitation. If the impulse excited vibrational energy is long lasting, vibrations are highest at impact point, its antipode and at high surface elevations such as an equatorial ridge. A near equatorial impact launches a seismic impulse on a non-spherical body that can be focused on two additional points on an the equatorial ridge. We explore simple flow models for the morphology of vibration induced surface slumping. We find that the initial seismic pulse is unlikely to cause large shape changes. Long lasting seismic reverberation on Bennu caused by a near equatorial impact could have raised the height of its equatorial ridge by a few meters and raised two peaks on it, one near impact site and the other near its antipode.
Highlights • The duck tembusu virus (DTMUV) that causes egg-drop has been affecting ducks in China. • No vaccine is currently available for this disease. • A live attenuated duck enteritis virus ...(DEV) vaccine is widely used in ducks. • A recombinant DEV expresses both the TE and PrM proteins of DTMUV were constructed. • The recombinant rDEV-PrM/TE vaccination prevents DTMUV infection in ducks.
White rot is one of the most dangerous fungal diseases and can considerably affect grape berry production and quality. However, few studies have focused on this disease, and thus, finding candidate ...white rot resistance genes is of great importance for breeding resistant grapevine cultivars. Based on field observations and indoor experiments, the cultivars "Victoria" and "Zhuosexiang" showed significant differences in white rot resistance. For understanding the molecular mechanisms behind it, different phenotypes of grapevine leaves were used for RNA sequencing via Illumina and single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing technology.
A transcript library containing 53,906 reads, including known and novel transcripts, was constructed following the full-length transcriptome sequencing of the two grapevine cultivars. Genes involved in salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) synthesis pathways showed different expression levels. Furthermore, four key transcription factors (TFs), NPR1, TGA4, Pti6, and MYC2, all involved in the SA and JA signal pathways were identified, and the expression profile revealed the different regulation of the pathogenesis related protein1 (PR1) resistance gene, as mediated by the four TFs.
Full-length transcript sequencing can substantially improve the accuracy and integrity of gene prediction and gene function research in grapevine. Our results contribute to identify candidate resistance genes and improve our understanding of the genes and regulatory mechanisms involved in grapevine resistance to white rot.
The combination of additive manufacturing and conventional metal forming processes provides the possibility for improvements of forming efficiency and flexibility. Substrate preheating is an ...implementable technique to improve the interface adhesion properties of the hybrid forming method. The present experiment investigates the adhesion of additive manufactured 316 L steel on P20 and 1045 steel substrates under two substrate temperatures, and the geometrical characterization, interfacial microstructure and mechanical property of the hybrid specimens were compared. As a result, it was found that the ratio of deposition height to the width was reduced and the width was increased under substrate preheating. Tensile results show that the ultimate strength of 1045 and 316 L hybrid specimens was obviously increased, while the properties of hybrid specimens P20 and 316 L were similar, under different substrate temperature conditions. For the hybrid specimens with the metallurgically bonding characteristic, the tensile properties can reach the level of 316 L depositioned specimens fabricated by laser metal deposition (LMD). Furthermore, substrate preheating had little effect on the microstructure of the laser metal deposition zone, and significant influence on the microstructure of the heat affected zone, which was reflected in the difference of the hardness distribution.
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