Yield and ifber quality of cotton even varies within locules in a bol, but it is not clear how yield components and quality parameters are altered across seed positions of a locule （SPL）. A ifeld ...experiment was arranged in a split plot design with transgenic insect resistant Bt （Bacilus thuringiensis） cotton hybrid cultivar CRI75 and conventional cultivar SCRC28 as the main plots, and three plant densities （15000, 51000 and 87000 plants ha–1） as the subplots in 2012 and 2013 at Anyang, Henan Province, China. Cotton was hand harvested by node and fruiting position, and then seeds of the ifrst fruiting posi-tion bols from nodes 6–10 were separated by SPL. The effects of plant density on lint yield, ifber quality, especialy across SPL were determined. It was showed that plant densities of 51000 and 87000 plants ha–1 increased lint yield by 61.3 and 65.3% in 2012 and 17.8 and 15.5% in 2013 relative to low plant density （15000 plants ha–1）, however, no signiifcant differ-ence was observed between 51000 and 87000 plants ha–1. The number of bols （bol density） increased while bol weight decreased as plant density raised, and no signiifcant changes occured in lint percentage in 2013 but increased with plant density in 2012. The number of bols in upper nodes and distal fruiting positions, the number of seeds per bol, seed area （SA） and seed vigor index increased with decreasing plant density. Seed area was found to be greater from the base to the middle compared to the apex of a locule. Mote frequency （MF） increased as plant density increased, and ifber quality was the best at the middle of the locule regardless of plant density. As the number of ifbers per seed area is geneticaly determined, adjusting plant density to produce more seeds and greater seed area can be a potentialy promising alternative to improve lint yield in cotton. These ifndings might be of great importantance to cotton breeding and ifled management.
This study investigated the effects of oxygen enrichment and the resulting heat release generated by the N2O-decomposition reaction on the soot formation of C2H4/N2O diffusion flames. The effects of ...N2O decomposition on flame structure and pollutant emission were examined through a numerical study with the USM mechanism. The aforementioned simulation was performed to analyze the effects of C2H4/N2O and C2H4/N2/0.5 O2 on diffusion flames. The N2O-decomposition effect was examined partly to explore the effect of heat release on the overall temperature, combustion characteristics, and alteration of chemical reaction pathways and especially to predict soot formation by observing the concentration of precursor C2 to C4 species. To eliminate the thermal effect of the N2O-decomposition reaction on soot formation, a C2H4/N2/0.5O2 mixture was preheated to a compensated temperature of 1800 K, which was inherited from the exothermic release of heat in the N2O-decomposition reaction. Furthermore, the concentration of C6H6 formation was lower for the preheated C2H4/N2/0.5 O2 flame than for the C2H4/N2O flame. Compared with the C2H4/N2O case, the mole fractions of key soot precursors such as propargyl, benzene, and pyrene were significantly lower in the preheated C2H4/N2/0.5 O2 case, which led to enhanced soot inception.
•N2O self-decomposition on soot formation characteristics was numerically studied.•N2O self-decomposition accompanies with oxy-riched condition and exothermicity.•Simulation was to analyze the effects of C2H4/N2O and C2H4/N2/0.5O2 on diffusion flames.•The increase of C4H2, C3H3, and CH3 led to a trend of benzene (C6H6) formation.•Soot precursors such as propargyl, benzene, and pyrene were higher in the C2H4/N2/0.5 O2 case.
Plant‐associated microbes have been reported as important but overlooked drivers of plant–herbivorous insect interactions. Influence of plant‐associated microbes on plant–insect interactions is ...diverse, including beneficial, detrimental, and neutral. Here, we determined the effects of three Penicillium fungi, including Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium sumatrense, and Penicillium digitatum, on the oviposition selection and behavior of the yellow peach moth (YPM), Conogethes punctiferalis (Guenée). Compared with fungi noninfected apples (NIA), mechanically damaged apples (MDA), and P. citrinum in potato dextrose agar medium (PC), the oviposition selection and four‐arm olfactometer experiments both showed that mated YPM females preferred to P. citrinum‐infected apples (PCA). For P. sumatrense or P. digitatum, we also found that mated YPM females preferred to P. sumatrense‐infected apples (PSA) or P. digitatum‐infected apples (PDA), respectively. Among three Penicillium fungi‐infected apples, the selection rates including oviposition and olfactometer behavior of mated YPM females on PDA were both higher than those on PSA and PCA. Further analyses of host plant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by GC‐MS showed that the absolute contents of ethyl hexanoate and (Z, E)‐α‐farnesene in PCA, PSA, and PDA were all higher than those in NIA, and a total of 16 novel VOCs were detected in fungi‐infected apples (PCA, PSA, and PDA), indicating that fungi infection changed the components and proportions of apple VOCs. Taken together, three Penicillium fungi play significant roles in mediating the host selection of YPMs via altering the emissions of VOCs. These findings will be beneficial for developing formulations for field trapping of YPMs in the future.
Compared with Penicillium fungi noninfected apples (NIA), mechanically damaged apples (MDA), and Penicillium in PDA medium, the yellow peach moth (YPM) preferred to Penicillium fungi‐infected apples. Further analyses of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) showed that the absolute contents of ethyl hexanoate and (Z, E)‐α‐farnesene in Penicillium fungi‐infected apples were higher than those in NIA, and 16 novel VOCs were detected in Penicillium fungi‐infected apples. Taken together, Penicillium fungi could alter the host plant VOCs, and consequently affect the oviposition and foraging behavior of YPMs.
•Fabrication of a novel sensing material of mesoporous WO3-TiO2.•The hydrogen gas sensor at room working temperature to save energy.•This sensor possesses high sensor response, good selectivity and ...stability.
In this study, the WO3-TiO2 composite was fabricated as a hydrogen gas sensing element, and the heterojunction effect produced by the combination of WO3 and TiO2 was applied to hydrogen sensing under room temperature. X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy-dispersive spectrometry, multipoint Brunner-Emmet-Teller model and transmission electron microscopy were used to examine the structure and morphology of the samples. The fabricated 4.0 wt% WO3-TiO2 possessing mesoporous structure was obtained with a high surface area of 109.8 m2/g. 4.0 wt% WO3-TiO2 -based sensor exhibited a high sense response of 5.26–10,000 ppm H2 with a short recovery time (5 s). The sensing time required for a complete single cycle was 182 s, a drop of 90.8 % from that for the TiO2-based sensor (1974s). Additionally, good stability, repeatability, and selectivity of the sensing material were observed. These experimental results reveal that the 4.0 wt% WO3-TiO2 heterojunction with mesoporous structure exhibits considerable potential as a hydrogen sensing element. A possible sensing mechanism was proposed.
Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is one of the most common types of intractable epilepsy, characterized by hippocampal neuron damage and hippocampal sclerosis. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been ...increasingly recognized as posttranscriptional regulators. However, their expression levels and functions in TLE remain largely unknown. In the present study, TLE rat model is used to explore the expression profiles of lncRNAs in the hippocampus of epileptic rats using microarray analysis. Our results demonstrate that H19 is the most pronouncedly differentiated lncRNA, significantly upregulated in the latent period of TLE. Moreover, the in vivo studies using gain- and loss-of-function approaches reveal that the overexpression of H19 aggravates SE-induced neuron apoptosis in the hippocampus, while inhibition of H19 protects the rats from SE-induced cellular injury. Finally, we show that H19 might function as a competing endogenous RNA to sponge microRNA let-7b in the regulation of cellular apoptosis. Overall, our study reveals a novel lncRNA H19-mediated mechanism in seizure-induced neural damage and provides a new target in developing lncRNA-based strategies to reduce seizure-induced brain injury.
Ischemic strokes cause devastating brain damage and functional deficits with few treatments available. Previous studies have shown that the ischemia-hypoxia rapidly induces clinically similar ...thrombosis and neuronal loss, but any resulting behavioral changes are largely unknown. The goal of this study was to evaluate motor and cognitive deficits in adult HI mice. Following a previously established procedure, HI mouse models were induced by first ligating the right common carotid artery and followed by hypoxia. Histological data showed significant long-term neuronal losses and reactive glial cells in the ipsilateral striatum and hippocampus of the HI mice. Whereas the open field test and the rotarod test could not reliably distinguish between the sham and HI mice, in the tapered beam and wire-hanging tests, the HI mice showed short-term and long-term deficits, as evidenced by the increased number of foot faults and decreased hanging time respectively. In cognitive tests, the HI mice swam longer distances and needed more time to find the platform in the Morris water maze test and showed shorter freezing time in fear contextual tests after fear training. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that adult HI mice have motor and cognitive deficits and could be useful models for preclinical stroke research.
ABSTRACT
Abscisic acid (ABA) is a key regulator of plant responses to abiotic stresses, such as drought. Abscisic acid receptors and coreceptors perceive ABA to activate Snf1‐related protein kinase2s ...(SnRK2s) that phosphorylate downstream effectors, thereby activating ABA signaling and the stress response. As stress responses come with fitness penalties for plants, it is crucial to tightly control SnRK2 kinase activity to restrict ABA signaling. However, how SnRK2 kinases are inactivated remains elusive. Here, we show that NUCLEAR PORE ANCHOR (NUA), a nuclear pore complex (NPC) component, negatively regulates ABA‐mediated inhibition of seed germination and post‐germination growth, and drought tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. The role of NUA in response to ABA depends on SnRK2.2 and SnRK2.3 for seed germination and on SnRK2.6 for drought. NUA does not directly inhibit the phosphorylation of these SnRK2s or affects their abundance. However, the NUA‐interacting protein EARLY IN SHORT DAYS 4 (ESD4), a SUMO protease, negatively regulates ABA signaling by directly interacting with and inhibiting SnRK2 phosphorylation and protein levels. More importantly, we demonstrated that SnRK2.6 can be SUMOylated in vitro, and ESD4 inhibits its SUMOylation. Taken together, we identified NUA and ESD4 as SnRK2 kinase inhibitors that block SnRK2 activity, and reveal a mechanism whereby NUA and ESD4 negatively regulate plant responses to ABA and drought stress possibly through SUMOylation‐dependent regulation of SnRK2s.
NUCLEAR PORE ANCHOR and EARLY IN SHORT DAYS4 block SnRK2 activity to negatively regulate plant responses to abscisic acid and drought stress, possibly through SUMOylation‐dependent regulation of SnRK2 protein stability.
•Effect of N2O decomposition on soot formation in N2O/C2H4 flame was examined.•Thermal effect of N2O decomposition on soot formation increased with the R value.•The oxy-enrichment effect on soot ...formation increased gradually.•Soot formation and oxidation rate rebalances under the N2O decomposition effect.
This study experimentally investigated the effect of nitrous oxide (N2O) decomposition on soot formation in N2O/ethylene diffusion flames. The effect of N2O decomposition on the soot formation mechanism was examined in three oxidation cases (Cases Case I–III). In Case I, N2O was used as the oxidant; in Case II, an oxygen-enriched N2/O2 mixture (67 % N2 + 33 % O2) was used as the oxidant; and in Case III, standard air (79 % N2 + 21 % O2) was used as the oxidant. A triple-port burner was used to generate diffusion flames with various R (ratio of the oxidizer flow velocity to the fuel flow velocity) values (R = 0–6). The soot concentration was measured through laser-induced incandescence, and the soot temperature was determined using two-color pyrometry. The measured soot temperatures increased significantly due to the thermal effect in the upstream position of the N2O/C2H4 flames. The oxygen-enrichment effect on soot formation increased gradually from 10 % to 60 % as R increased from 0.5 to 6. The integration of the soot concentration along the flame length revealed that the soot formation rate and soot oxidation rate might rebalance under the N2O decomposition effect.
Increasing frequency of human exposure to PEG-related products means that healthy people are likely to have pre-existing anti-PEG antibodies (pre-αPEG Ab). However, the influence of pre-αPEG Abs on ...the pharmacokinetics (PK) and therapeutic efficacy of LipoDox is unknown.
We generated two pre-αPEG Ab mouse models. First, naïve mice were immunized with PEGylated protein to generate an endogenous αPEG Ab titer (endo αPEG). Second, monoclonal αPEG Abs were passively transferred (αPEG-PT) into naïve mice to establish a αPEG titer. The naïve, endo αPEG and αPEG-PT mice were intravenously injected with
in-labeled LipoDox to evaluate its PK. Tumor-bearing naïve, endo αPEG and αPEG-PT mice were intravenously injected with
in-labeled LipoDox to evaluate its biodistribution. The therapeutic efficacy of LipoDox was estimated in the tumor-bearing mice.
The areas under the curve (AUC)
of LipoDox in endo αPEG and αPEG-PT mice were 11.5- and 15.6- fold less, respectively, than that of the naïve group. The biodistribution results suggested that pre-αPEG Ab can significantly reduce tumor accumulation and accelerate blood clearance of
In-labeled LipoDox from the spleen. The tumor volumes of the tumor-bearing endo αPEG and αPEG-PT mice after treatment with LipoDox were significantly increased as compared with that of the tumor-bearing naïve mice.
Pre-αPEG Abs were found to dramatically alter the PK and reduce the tumor accumulation and therapeutic efficacy of LipoDox. Pre-αPEG may have potential as a marker to aid development of personalized therapy using LipoDox and achieve optimal therapeutic efficacy.
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