Evolution of the SPX gene family and its role in the response mechanism to low phosphorus stress in self-rooted apple stock.

BACKGROUND: Phosphorus plays a key role in plant adaptation to adversity and plays a positive role in the yield and quality formation of apples. Genes of the SPX domain-containing family are widely involved in the regulation of phosphorus signalling networks. However, the mechanisms controlling phosphorus deficiency are not completely understood in self-rooted apple stock. RESULTS: In this study, 26 members of the apple SPX gene family were identified by genome-wide analysis, and further divided into four subfamilies (SPX, SPX-MFS, SPX-EXS, and SPX-RING) based on their structural features. The chromosome distribution and gene duplications of MdSPXs were also examined. The promoter regions of MdSPXs were enriched for multiple biotic/abiotic stresses, hormone responses and typical P1BS-related elements. Analysis of the expression levels of 26 MdSPXs showed that some members were remarkably induced when subjected to low phosphate (Pi) stress, and in particular MdSPX2, MdSPX3, and MdPHO1.5 exhibited an intense response to low Pi stress. MdSPX2 and MdSPX3 showed significantly divergent expression levels in low Pi sensitive and insensitive apple species. Protein interaction networks were predicted for 26 MdSPX proteins. The interaction of MdPHR1 with MdSPX2, MdSPX3, MdSPX4, and MdSPX6 was demonstrated by yeast two-hybrid assay, suggesting that these proteins might be involved in the Pi-signaling pathway by interacting with MdPHR1. CONCLUSION: This research improved the understanding of the apple SPX gene family and contribute to future biological studies of MdSPX genes in self-rooted apple stock.

Quantitative regulation of electron-phonon coupling.

Electron-phonon (e-p) coupling plays a crucial role in various physical phenomena, and regulation of e-p coupling is vital for the exploration and design of high-performance materials. However, the current research on this topic lacks accurate quantification, hindering further understanding of the underlying physical processes and its applications. In this work, we demonstrate quantitative regulation of e-p coupling, by pressure engineering andin-situspectroscopy. We successfully observe both a distinct vibrational mode and a strong Stokes shift in layered CrBr3, which are clear signatures of e-p coupling. This allows us to achieve precise quantification of the Huang-Rhys factorSat the actual sample temperature, thus accurately determining the e-p coupling strength. We further reveal that pressure efficiently regulates the e-p coupling in CrBr3, evidenced by a remarkable 40% increase inSvalue. Our results offer an approach for quantifying and modulating e-p coupling, which can be leveraged for exploring and designing functional materials with targeted e-p coupling strengths.

Tuning and exploiting interlayer coupling in two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures.

Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials can stack into new material systems, with van der Waals (vdW) interaction between the adjacent constituent layers. This stacking process of 2D atomic layers creates a new degree of freedom-interlayer interface between two adjacent layers-that can be independently studied and tuned from the intralayer degree of freedom. In such heterostructures (HSs), the physical properties are largely determined by the vdW interaction between the individual layers,i.e.interlayer coupling, which can be effectively tuned by a number of means. In this review, we summarize and discuss a number of such approaches, including stacking order, electric field, intercalation, and pressure, with both their experimental demonstrations and theoretical predictions. A comprehensive overview of the modulation on structural, optical, electrical, and magnetic properties by these four approaches are also presented. We conclude this review by discussing several prospective research directions in 2D HSs field, including fundamental physics study, property tuning techniques, and future applications.

Multichromosomal mitochondrial genome of Punica granatum: comparative evolutionary analysis and gene transformation from chloroplast genomes.

BACKGROUND: Punica granatum is a fundamentally important fruit tree that has important economic, medicinal and ornamental properties. At present, there are few reports on the mitochondrial genome of pomegranate. Hence, in this study the P. granatum mitogenome was sequenced and assembled to further understanding of organization, variation, and evolution of mitogenomes of this tree species. RESULTS: The genome structure was multi-chromosomes with seven circular contigs, measuring 382,774 bp in length with a 45.91% GC content. It contained 74 genes, including 46 protein-coding genes, 25 tRNA genes, and three rRNA genes. There were 188 pairs of dispersed repeats with lengths of 30 or greater, primarily consisting of reverse complementary repeats. The mitogenome analysis identified 114SSRs and 466 RNA editing sites. Analyses of codon usage, nucleotide diversity and gene migration from chloroplast to mitochondrial were also conducted. The collinear and comparative analysis of mitochondrial structures between P. granatum and its proximal species indicated that P. granatum 'Taishanhong' was closely related to P. granatum 'Qingpitian' and Lagerstroemia indica. Phylogenetic examination based on the mitogenome also confirmed the evolutionary relationship. CONCLUSION: The results offered crucial information on the evolutionary biology of pomegranate and highlighted ways to promote the utilization of the species' germplasm.

Identifying, Resolving, and Quantifying Anisotropy in ReS2 Nanomechanical Resonators.

As an emerging two-dimensional semiconductor, rhenium disulfide (ReS2 ) is renowned for its strong in-plane anisotropy in electrical, optical, and thermal properties. In contrast to the electrical, optical, optoelectrical, and thermal anisotropies that are extensively studied in ReS2 , experimental characterization of mechanical properties has largely remained elusive. Here, it is demonstrated that the dynamic response in ReS2 nanomechanical resonators can be leveraged to unambiguously resolve such disputes. Using anisotropic modal analysis, the parameter space for ReS2 resonators in which mechanical anisotropy is best manifested in resonant responses is determined. By measuring their dynamic response in both spectral and spatial domains using resonant nanomechanical spectromicroscopy, it is clearly shown that ReS2 crystal is mechanically anisotropic. Through fitting numerical models to experimental results, it is quantitatively determined that the in-plane Young's moduli are 127 and 201 GPa along the two orthogonal mechanical axes. In combination with polarized reflectance measurements, it is shown that the mechanical soft axis aligns with the Re-Re chain in the ReS2 crystal. These results demonstrate that dynamic responses in nanomechanical devices can offer important insights into intrinsic properties in 2D crystals and provide design guidelines for future nanodevices with anisotropic resonant responses.

High-sensitivity and high extinction ratio fiber strain sensor with temperature insensitivity by cascaded MZI and FPI.

Low extinction ratio (ER) and high temperature cross-sensitivity are serious but common problems for most strain sensors based on Vernier effect. In this study, a hybrid cascade strain sensor of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) and a Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) with high sensitivity and high ER based on Vernier effect is proposed. The two interferometers are separated by a long single-mode fiber (SMF). The MZI is used as the reference arm, which can be flexibly embedded in the SMF. The FPI is used as the sensing arm and the hollow-core fiber (HCF) as the FP cavity to reduce optical loss. Simulation and experiments have proven that this method can significantly increase ER. At the same time, the second reflective face of the FP cavity is indirectly spliced to increase the active length to improve the strain sensitivity. Through the amplification of Vernier effect, the maximum strain sensitivity is -649.18p m/µ ε, and the temperature sensitivity is only 5.76pm/∘C. The magnetic field was measured by combining the sensor with a Terfenol-D (magneto-strictive material) slab to verify the strain performance, and the magnetic field sensitivity is -7.53nm/mT. The sensor has many advantages and has potential applications in the field of strain sensing.

The relationship between patient-family caregiver congruence/incongruence in acceptance of illness and family caregivers' anticipatory grief.

OBJECTIVE: Cancer is a family affair that negatively impacts the lives of patients and their family caregivers. This study takes a dyadic perspective to investigate the effect of patient-family caregiver illness acceptance congruence/incongruence on family caregivers' anticipatory grief (AG) and examine whether caregivers' resilience moderates the abovementioned relationship. METHODS: For the study, 304 dyads of advanced lung cancer patients and their family caregivers from three tertiary hospitals in Jinan, Shandong Province, China were recruited. The data were analyzed using polynomial regressions and response surface analyses. RESULTS: Family caregivers' AG was lower when patient-family caregiver illness acceptance was congruent rather than incongruent. Lower patient-caregiver illness acceptance congruence was associated with higher AG in family caregivers compared with higher illness acceptance congruence. Family caregivers reported significantly higher AG only if their illness acceptance was lower than that of their patients. In addition, caregivers' resilience moderated the effects of patient-caregiver illness acceptance congruence/incongruence on family caregivers' AG. CONCLUSIONS: Patient-family caregiver illness acceptance congruence was beneficial to family caregivers' AG; resilience can be a protective factor for buffering the impact of illness acceptance incongruence on family caregivers' AG.

Frequency Scaling, Elastic Transition, and Broad-Range Frequency Tuning in WSe2 Nanomechanical Resonators.

Nanomechanical resonators based on atomic layers of tungsten diselenide (WSe2) offer intriguing prospects for enabling novel sensing and signal processing functions. The frequency scaling law of such resonant devices is critical for designing and realizing these high-frequency circuit components. Here, we elucidate the frequency scaling law for WSe2 nanomechanical resonators by studying devices of one-, two-, three-, to more than 100-layer thicknesses and different diameters. We observe resonant responses in both mechanical limits and clear elastic transition in between, revealing intrinsic material properties and devices parameters such as Young's modulus and pretension. We further demonstrate a broad frequency tuning range (up to 230%) with a high tuning efficiency (up to 23% V-1). Such tuning efficiency is among the highest in resonators based on two-dimensional (2D) layered materials. Our findings can offer important guidelines for designing high-frequency WSe2 resonant devices.

A pH-/Enzyme-Responsive Nanoparticle Selectively Targets Endosomal Toll-like Receptors to Potentiate Robust Cancer Vaccination.

Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists are potent immune-stimulators that hold great potential in vaccine adjuvants as well as cancer immunotherapy. However, TLR agonists in free form are prone to be eliminated quickly by the circulatory system and cause systemic inflammation side effects. It remains a challenge to achieve precise release of TLR7/8 agonist in the native form at the receptor site in the endosomal compartments while keeping stable encapsulation and inactive in nontarget environment. Here, we report a pH-/enzyme-responsive TLR7/8 agonist-conjugated nanovaccine (TNV), which responds intelligently to the acidic environment and cathepsin B in the endosome, precisely releases TLR7/8 agonist to activate its receptor signaling at the endosomal membrane, stimulates DCs maturation, and provokes specific cellular immunity. In vivo experiments demonstrate outstanding prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy of TNV in mouse melanoma and colon cancer. The endosome-targeted responsive nanoparticle strategy provides a potential delivery toolbox of adjuvants to advance the development of tumor nanovaccines.

PgMYB1 Positively Regulates Anthocyanin Accumulation by Activating PgGSTF6 in Pomegranate.

The peel color of pomegranates is an important exterior quality that determines market value. Anthocyanins are biosynthesized in the cytosol and then transported to the vacuole for storage. However, the molecular mechanism that determines the color variation between red and white pomegranates remains unclear. In this study, we identified an R2R3-MYB protein (PgMYB1) that interacts with the PgGSTF6 promoter and regulates its transcriptional expression, thus promoting the accumulation of anthocyanins in pomegranate. The expression of PgMYB1 and PgGSTF6 was positively correlated with the anthocyanin content in red and white pomegranates. Further investigation showed that the knockdown of PgMYB1 in red pomegranate 'Taishanhong' (TSH), by the virus-induced gene-silencing system, inhibited anthocyanin accumulation. Together, our results indicate that PgMYB1 controls the transport of anthocyanin via PgGSTF6 and thus promotes anthocyanin accumulation in red pomegranates. Our results have a certain reference value for further clarifying the regulation of anthocyanin synthesis and transport in pomegranate fruits.

Identification of LsLAZY1 gene in Leymus secalinus and validation of its function in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Root systems anchor plants to the substrate in addition to transporting water and nutrients, playing a fundamental role in plant survival. The LAZY1 gene mediates gravity signal transduction and participates in root and shoot development and auxin flow in many plants. In this study, a regulator, LsLAZY1, was identified from Leymus secalinus based on previous transcriptome data. The conserved domain and evolutionary relationship were further analyzed comprehensively. The role of LsLAZY1 in root development was investigated by genetic transformation and associated gravity response and phototropism assay. Subcellular localization showed that LsLAZY1 was localized in the nucleus. LsLAZY1 overexpression in Arabidopsis thaliana (Col-0) increased the length of the primary roots (PRs) and the number of lateral roots (LRs) compared to Col-0. Furthermore, 35S:LsLAZY1 transgenic seedlings affected auxin transport and showed a stronger gravitational and phototropic responses. It also promoted auxin accumulation at the root tips. These results indicated that LsLAZY1 affects root development and auxin transport. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-023-01326-4.

Tacrolimus alleviates LPS-induced AKI by inhibiting TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signalling in mice.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) is a model of clinical serious care syndrome, with high morbidity and mortality. Tacrolimus (TAC), a novel immunosuppressant that inhibits inflammatory response, plays a pivotal role in kidney diseases. In this study, LPS treated mice and cultured podocytes were used as the models of SA-AKI in vivo and in vitro, respectively. Medium- and high-dose TAC administration significantly attenuated renal function and renal pathological manifestations at 12, 24 and 48 h after LPS treatment in mice. Moreover, the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differential protein-88 (MyD88)/nuclear factor-kappa (NF-κB) signalling pathway was also dramatically inhibited by medium- and high-dose TAC administration at 12, 24 and 48 h of LPS treatment mice. In addition, TAC reversed LPS-induced podocyte cytoskeletal injury and podocyte migratory capability. Our findings indicate that TAC has protective effects against LPS-induced AKI by inhibiting TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signalling pathway and podocyte dysfunction, providing another potential therapeutic effects for the LPS-induced SA-AKI.

Comprehensive analysis of cucumber C-repeat/dehydration-responsive element binding factor family genes and their potential roles in cold tolerance of cucumber.

BACKGROUND: Cold stress is one of the main abiotic stresses limiting cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) growth and production. C-repeat binding factor/Dehydration responsive element-binding 1 protein (CBF/DREB1), containing conserved APETALA2 (AP2) DNA binding domains and two characteristic sequences, are key signaling genes that can be rapidly induced and play vital roles in plant response to low temperature. However, the CBF family has not been systematically elucidated in cucumber, and the expression pattern of this family genes under cold stress remains unclear. RESULTS: In this study, three CsCBF family genes were identified in cucumber genome and their protein conserved domain, protein physicochemical properties, gene structure and phylogenetic analysis were further comprehensively analyzed. Subcellular localization showed that all three CsCBFs were localized in the nucleus. Cis-element analysis of the promoters indicated that CsCBFs might be involved in plant hormone response and abiotic stress response. Expression analysis showed that the three CsCBFs could be significantly induced by cold stress, salt and ABA. The overexpression of CsCBFs in cucumber seedlings enhanced the tolerance to cold stress, and importantly, the transcript levels of CsCOR genes were significantly upregulated in 35S:CsCBFs transgenic plants after cold stress treatment. Biochemical analyses ascertained that CsCBFs directly activated CsCOR genes expression by binding to its promoter, thereby enhancing plant resistance to cold stress. CONCLUSION: This study provided a foundation for further research on the function of CsCBF genes in cold stress resistance and elucidating its mechanism.

Analyzing Anisotropy in 2D Rhenium Disulfide Using Dichromatic Polarized Reflectance.

In-plane anisotropy in 2D rhenium disulfide (ReS2 ) offers intriguing opportunities for designing future electronic and optical devices, and toward such applications, it is crucial to identify the crystal orientation in such 2D anisotropic materials. Existing spectroscopy or electron microscopy methods for determining the crystalline orientation often require complicated sample preparing procedures and specialized equipment, which could sometimes limit their application. In this work, a dichromatic polarized reflectance method is demonstrated, which can quickly and accurately resolve the crystal orientation (Re-Re chain) in 2D ReS2 crystals with different thicknesses. Furthermore, it can be readily extended to multi-chromatic schemes to achieve greater measurement capability and can be easily tailored to work for different 2D materials. The method offers a simple and effective approach for studying anisotropy in 2D materials.

Conservative dynamics in a novel class of 3D generalized thermostatted systems.

This paper reports a method to derive a novel class of 3D generalized thermostatted oscillators from a simple damped harmonic oscillator. Its detailed procedure is obtained through a mathematical derivation. Then, we propose an example system to show the effectiveness of the method. Furthermore, the numerical analysis is performed to investigate its rich conservative dynamics, including chaotic sea, hierarchical invariant tori, and the coexistence of chaotic seas and invariant tori with islands-around-islands hierarchy, even if there are three dissipative terms in the example system. To verify the existence of conservative chaos at the physical level, an analog circuit is presented to observe the existing conservative chaotic flows in National Instruments multisim. We finally provide two systems, which can produce conservative chaotic flows with more complicated topologies, and draw our conclusions.

An Experimental Safety Response Mechanism for an Autonomous Moving Robot in a Smart Manufacturing Environment Using Q-Learning Algorithm and Speech Recognition.

The industrial manufacturing sector is undergoing a tremendous revolution moving from traditional production processes to intelligent techniques. Under this revolution, known as Industry 4.0 (I40), a robot is no longer static equipment but an active workforce to the factory production alongside human operators. Safety becomes crucial for humans and robots to ensure a smooth production run in such environments. The loss of operating moving robots in plant evacuation can be avoided with the adequate safety induction for them. Operators are subject to frequent safety inductions to react in emergencies, but very little is done for robots. Our research proposes an experimental safety response mechanism for a small manufacturing plant, through which an autonomous robot learns the obstacle-free trajectory to the closest safety exit in emergencies. We implement a reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm, Q-learning, to enable the path learning abilities of the robot. After obtaining the robot optimal path selection options with Q-learning, we code the outcome as a rule-based system for the safety response. We also program a speech recognition system for operators to react timeously, with a voice command, to an emergency that requires stopping all plant activities even when they are far away from the emergency stops (ESTOPs) button. An ESTOP or a voice command sent directly to the factory central controller can give the factory an emergency signal. We tested this functionality on real hardware from an S7-1200 Siemens programmable logic controller (PLC). We simulate a simple and small manufacturing environment overview to test our safety procedure. Our results show that the safety response mechanism successfully generates paths without obstacles to the closest safety exits from all the factory locations. Our research benefits any manufacturing SME intending to implement the initial and primary use of autonomous moving robots (AMR) in their factories. It also impacts manufacturing SMEs using legacy devices such as traditional PLCs by offering them intelligent strategies to incorporate current state-of-the-art technologies such as speech recognition to improve their performances. Our research empowers SMEs to adopt advanced and innovative technological concepts within their operations.

Cooperative Self-Assembled Nanoparticle Induces Sequential Immunogenic Cell Death and Toll-Like Receptor Activation for Synergistic Chemo-immunotherapy.

Anticancer immunotherapy is hampered by poor immunogenicity and a profoundly immunosuppressive microenvironment in solid tumors and lymph nodes. Herein, sequential pH/redox-responsive nanoparticles (SRNs) are engineered to activate the immune microenvironment of tumor sites and lymph nodes. The two-modular SRNs could sequentially respond to the acidic tumor microenvironment and endosome compartments of dendritic cells (DCs) to precisely deliver doxorubicin (DOX) and imidazoquinolines (IMDQs). In the tumor microenvironment, released DOX triggers immunogenic cell death. In sentinel lymph nodes, the IMDQ nanoparticle module is dissociated in the acidic endosome compartment to specifically stimulate toll-like receptor 7/8 for DC maturation. Thus, the orchestrated nanoparticle system could enhance the infiltration of CD8α+ T cells in tumors and provoke a strong antitumor immune response toward primary and abscopal tumors in B16-OVA and CT26 tumor-bearing mice models. The cooperative self-assembled nanoparticle strategy provides a potential candidate of nanomedicine to advance the synergistic cancer chemo-immunotherapy.

A pH-Responsive Nanoparticle Library with Precise pH Tunability by Co-Polymerization with Non-Ionizable Monomers.

Precise monitoring of the subtle pH fluctuation during biological events remains a big challenge. Previously, we reported an ultra-pH-sensitive (UPS) nanoprobe library with a sharp pH response using co-polymerization of two tertiary amine-containing monomers with distinct pKa . Currently, we have generalized the UPS nanoparticle library with tunable pH transitions (pHt ) by copolymerization of a tertiary amine-containing monomer with a series of non-ionizable monomers. The pHt of nanoparticles is fine-tuned by the non-ionizable monomers with different hydrophobicity. Each non-ionizable monomer presents a constant contribution to pH tunability regardless of tertiary amine-containing monomers. Based on this strategy, we produced two libraries of nanoprobes with continuous pHt covering the entire physiological pH range (5.0-7.4) for fluorescent imaging of endosome maturation and cancers. This generalized strategy provides a powerful toolkit for biological studies and cancer theranostics.

pH-Amplified CRET Nanoparticles for In Vivo Imaging of Tumor Metastatic Lymph Nodes.

Noninvasive imaging strategies have been extensively investigated for in vivo mapping of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs). However, the current imaging strategies fail to accurately assess tumor metastatic status in SLNs with high sensitivity. Here we report pH-amplified self-illuminating near-infrared nanoparticles, which integrate chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) and signal amplification strategy, enabling accurate identification of metastatic SLNs. After draining into lymph nodes, the nanoparticles were phagocytosed and dissociated in acidic phagosomes of inflammatory macrophages to emit near-infrared luminescent light. Using these nanoparticles, we successfully differentiated tumor metastatic lymph nodes from benign ones. These nanoparticles also exhibited excellent imaging capability for early detection of metastatic SLNs in diverse animal tumor models with small tumor volume (100-200 mm3 ).

A generic method for constructing n-fold covers of 3D conservative chaotic systems.

This paper reports a generic method for constructing n-fold covers of 3D conservative chaotic systems, which is derived from the theory of the generalized Hamiltonian system. Three typical example systems are constructed based on the proposed method, and their different n-fold cover chaotic flows are investigated theoretically and numerically. For each example system, the motion trajectories are both conservative and chaotic, which can be verified by the Lyapunov exponents, and it is interesting to find that the emergence of n-fold cover conservative chaos mainly relays on the corresponding Hamiltonian. Numerical results show that the proposed generic method is effective to construct n-fold covers of 3D conservative chaotic systems, such as a 3-fold cover in the direction of the y-axis, 2×3-fold cover on the x-y plane, and 2×3×2-fold cover in the 3D phase space. This study also demonstrates that based on appropriate skew-symmetric nonconstant matrices, the n-fold cover conservative chaos can be obtained by changing the Hamiltonian.