Low-temperature tolerance during the bud-bursting stage is an important characteristic of direct-seeded rice. The identification of cold-tolerance quantitative trait loci (QTL) in species that can ...stably tolerate cold environments is crucial for the molecular breeding of rice with such traits. In our study, high-throughput QTL-sequencing analyses were performed in a 460-individual F
mapping population to identify the major QTL genomic regions governing cold tolerance at the bud-bursting (CTBB) stage in rice. A novel major QTL,
, which controls seed survival rate (SR) under low-temperature conditions of 5°C/9 days, was mapped on the 5.40-Mb interval on chromosome 9. Twenty-six non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphism (nSNP) markers were designed for the
region based on re-sequencing data and local QTL mapping conducted using traditional linkage analysis. We mapped
to a 483.87-kb region containing 58 annotated genes, among which six predicted genes contained nine nSNP loci. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed that only Os09g0444200 was strongly induced by cold stress. Haplotype analysis further confirmed that the SNP 1,654,225 bp in the Os09g0444200 coding region plays a key role in regulating the cold tolerance of rice. These results suggest that Os09g0444200 is a potential candidate for
. Our results are of great significance to explore the genetic mechanism of rice CTBB and to improve the cold tolerance of rice varieties by marker-assisted selection.
Developing new smart hydrogel systems and new fabrication methods is critical for fundamental research and industrial applications, particularly in the intelligent human-machine field, but still ...faces great challenges. In this work, we present bilayer poly(
N
-isopropylacrylamide)/graphene oxide (polyNIPAM/GO) hydrogels with dual thermo- and near-infrared (NIR)-responsive properties using a simple,
in situ
polymerization-centrifugation method. By tuning the GO concentration and centrifugation speed, a transparent polyNIPAM layer and a dark-brown GO-rich layer are formed, where each layer displays distinct network structures and swelling behavior. Due to the asymmetric double-layer structure, the polyNIPAM/GO bilayer hydrogels enable one to realize fast, controllable, bidirectional bending under thermal or NIR stimulation within 1 min, and the bending orientation and degree can be reversibly, repeatedly, and precisely controlled by the temperature- or NIR-induced cooperative swelling-shrinking properties of both layers. Based on the reversible, bi-directional bending nature of polyNIPAM/GO hydrogels, we further design two proof-of-concept hydrogel actuators to highlight the advantages of this hydrogel system: one acts as a wiggler to mimic robot arms to move objects, while the other serves as an electric switch to turn on/off a light. In addition, our polymerization-centrifugation method can also be used to prepare polyNIPAM/SiO
2
bilayer hydrogels, demonstrating its general applicability to other polyNIPAM-nanoparticle hydrogels with a bilayer structure. This work provides both a new fabrication method and hybrid hydrogel systems for the development of smart, programmable, and versatile hydrogel-based actuators.
Bilayer poly(
N
-isopropylacrylamide)/graphene oxide hydrogels with dual thermo- and near-infrared-responsive properties were prepared by a simple,
in situ
polymerization centrifugation method.
Background
Urban ecological health is crucial for the long-term sustainable development of watershed. Accurately evaluating the health level of the ecological environment helps to develop reasonable ...strategies for ecological environment restoration and resource management. This paper constructed a comprehensive evaluation index system based on the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) framework and evaluated the ecological health of eleven administrative regions in the Wei River Basin (WRB), northwest China in 1980, 2000, and 2020 using an evaluation model established by fuzzy mathematics. Further, obstacle degrees were used to quantify the contribution of pressure, state, and response modules, as well as individual indicators to ecological health.
Results
The comprehensive evaluation system constructed based on the PSR framework could effectively reflect the ecological health conditions of different regions in the WRB. During the study period, the ecological health went through a process of first deterioration and then improvement. By 2020, the ecological health of seven administrative regions reached healthy levels. The state module was the main obstacle module of the PSR framework to the ecological health of the most regions. The population density (P1), patch density of construction land (S5), comprehensive elasticity index (S8), soil erosion index (R1), and per capital GDP (R3) were the most crucial individual indicators affecting the ecological health. For different cities, the main obstacle factors varied. In economically developed cities, the limiting effect of P1 was more significant, while in economically underdeveloped cities, the limiting effect of R3 was stronger.
Conclusions
In response to the special natural environment and socio-economic conditions of arid and semi-arid areas in the WRB, an ecological health evaluation index system suitable for the characteristics of the basin was constructed. The results indicated that, to improve the levels of urban ecological health, it is necessary to restore the natural ecological environment and control population size while accelerating economic construction. Our results can provide scientific support for the ecological health evaluation and protection of the WRB and even the arid and semi-arid areas in northwest China.
4-Hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3 (2H)-furanone (HDMF) is widely used in the food industry as a spice and flavoring agent with high market demand. In this study, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBA) and ...triose phosphate isomerase (TPI) were overexpressed in
in the form of single and double genes, respectively, via electroporation. High-yield HDMF-engineered yeast strains were constructed by combining the analysis of gene expression levels obtained by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR technology and HDMF production measured by HPLC. The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between the production of HDMF and the expression levels of the
and
genes in yeast; the expression levels of the
and
genes were also positively correlated (
< 0.05). Compared with the wild type (WT), the engineered strains F10-D, T17-D, and TF15-A showed marked increases in HDMF production and
and
gene expression (
< 0.05) and exhibited great genetic stability with no obvious differences in biomass or colony morphology. In addition, the exogenous addition of d-fructose promoted the growth of
. Among the engineered strains, when fermented in YPD media supplemented with d-fructose for 5 days, TF15-A (overexpressing the
and
genes) generated the highest HDMF production of 13.39 mg/L, which is 1.91 times greater than that of the wild-type strain. The results above indicated that FBA and TPI, which are key enzymes involved in the process of HDMF biosynthesis by
, positively regulate the synthesis of HDMF at the transcriptional level. d-fructose can be used as a precursor for the biosynthesis of HDMF by engineered yeast in industrial production.
S-scheme heterojunctions have promising applications in photocatalytic CO2 reduction due to their unique structure and interfacial interactions, but improving their carrier separation efficiency and ...CO2 adsorption capacity remains a challenge. In this work, highly dispersed MOF-BiOBr/Mn0.2Cd0.8S (MOF-BiOBr/MCS) S-scheme heterojunctions with high photocatalytic CO2 reduction performance were constructed. The intimate contact between the MCS nano-spheres and the nanosheet-assembled MOF-BiOBr rods, driven by the internal electric field, accelerates the charge transfer along the S-scheme pathway. Moreover, the high specific surface area of MOFs is preserved to provide abundant active sites for reaction/adsorption. The formation of MOF-BiOBr/MCS S-scheme heterojunction is confirmed by theoretical calculations. The optimum MOF-BiOBr/MCS shows excellent activity in CO2 reduction, affording a high CO evolution rate of 60.59 µmol h−1 g−1. The present work can inspire the exploration for the construction of effective heterostructure photocatalysts for photoreduction CO2.
Doxorubicin (DOX) remains the most effective anticancer agent which is widely used in several adult and pediatric cancers, but its application is limited for its cardiotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. ...Hydrogen, as a selective antioxidant, is a promising potential therapeutic option for many diseases. In this study, we found that intraperitoneal injection of hydrogen-rich saline (H2 saline) ameliorated the mortality, cardiac dysfunction, and histopathological changes caused by DOX in rats. Meanwhile, serum brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), albumin (ALB), tissue reactive oxygen species (ROS), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were also attenuated after H2 saline treatment. What is more, we further demonstrated that H2 saline treatment could inhibit cardiac and hepatic inflammation and apoptosis relative proteins expressions by western blotting test. In conclusion, our results revealed a protective effect of H2 saline on DOX-induced cardiotoxicity and hepatotoxicity in rats by inhibiting inflammation and apoptosis.
It is of great importance to develop new broadband red phosphors since they have possible applications like plant cultivation, indoor lighting and non-destructive sensing. Herein, we report a series ...of Eu2+, Mn2+ activated NaSrSc(BO3)2 phosphors via a conventional solid-state reaction route. It has been found that both Mn2+ and Eu2+ solo-doped NaSrSc(BO3)2 show weak or no luminescence, while Eu2+, Mn2+ co-doped NaSrSc(BO3)2 exhibits wide-band absorption and intense deep-red emission at 680 nm with color purity of 89%. Analysis of the absorption, excitation and emission spectra of Eu2+, Mn2+ solo- and co-doped NaSrSc(BO3)2 indicates that this deep-red broadband emission originates from Eu2+ sensitization of the octahedron Mn2+ 4T1–6A1 transition. It was found that the photoionization process led by energetic similarity of the host band-gap and the Eu2+ lowest 5d excited state was mainly responsible for the vanished luminescence of Eu2+. The values of internal quantum efficiency (IQE) and absorption efficiency (AE) for the optimal NSSO:0.007Eu2+,0.05Mn2+ sample are 24.5% and 61.8%, respectively. This work could provide new insights into exploring novel Mn-activated deep-red luminescent materials.
It is of great importance to develop new broadband red phosphors since they have possible applications like plant cultivation, indoor lighting and non-destructive sensing. Herein, we report a series ...of Eu
, Mn
activated NaSrSc(BO
)
phosphors
a conventional solid-state reaction route. It has been found that both Mn
and Eu
solo-doped NaSrSc(BO
)
show weak or no luminescence, while Eu
, Mn
co-doped NaSrSc(BO
)
exhibits wide-band absorption and intense deep-red emission at 680 nm with color purity of 89%. Analysis of the absorption, excitation and emission spectra of Eu
, Mn
solo- and co-doped NaSrSc(BO
)
indicates that this deep-red broadband emission originates from Eu
sensitization of the octahedron Mn
T
-
A
transition. It was found that the photoionization process led by energetic similarity of the host band-gap and the Eu
lowest 5d excited state was mainly responsible for the vanished luminescence of Eu
. The values of internal quantum efficiency (IQE) and absorption efficiency (AE) for the optimal NSSO:0.007Eu
,0.05Mn
sample are 24.5% and 61.8%, respectively. This work could provide new insights into exploring novel Mn-activated deep-red luminescent materials.
It is of great importance to develop new broadband red phosphors since they have possible applications like plant cultivation, indoor lighting and non-destructive sensing. Herein, we report a series ...of Eu
2+
, Mn
2+
activated NaSrSc(BO
3
)
2
phosphors
via
a conventional solid-state reaction route. It has been found that both Mn
2+
and Eu
2+
solo-doped NaSrSc(BO
3
)
2
show weak or no luminescence, while Eu
2+
, Mn
2+
co-doped NaSrSc(BO
3
)
2
exhibits wide-band absorption and intense deep-red emission at 680 nm with color purity of 89%. Analysis of the absorption, excitation and emission spectra of Eu
2+
, Mn
2+
solo- and co-doped NaSrSc(BO
3
)
2
indicates that this deep-red broadband emission originates from Eu
2+
sensitization of the octahedron Mn
2+ 4
T
1
-
6
A
1
transition. It was found that the photoionization process led by energetic similarity of the host band-gap and the Eu
2+
lowest 5d excited state was mainly responsible for the vanished luminescence of Eu
2+
. The values of internal quantum efficiency (IQE) and absorption efficiency (AE) for the optimal NSSO:0.007Eu
2+
,0.05Mn
2+
sample are 24.5% and 61.8%, respectively. This work could provide new insights into exploring novel Mn-activated deep-red luminescent materials.
A deep-red sensitized Mn
2+
emission from an NaSrSc(BO
3
)
2
:Eu
2+
,Mn
2+
phosphor through Eu
2+
-Mn
2+
energy transfer with vanished Eu
2+
emission.
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