Bioinspired Robust Gas-Permeable On-Skin Electronics: Armor-Designed Nanoporous Flash Graphene Assembly Enhancing Mechanical Resilience.

Soft on-skin electrodes play an important role in wearable technologies, requiring attributes such as wearing comfort, high conductivity, and gas permeability. However, conventional fabrication methods often compromise simplicity, cost-effectiveness, or mechanical resilience. In this study, a mechanically robust and gas-permeable on-skin electrode is presented that incorporates Flash Graphene (FG) integrated with a bioinspired armor design. FG, synthesized through Flash Joule Heating process, offers a small-sized and turbostratic arrangement that is ideal for the assembly of a conductive network with nanopore structures. Screen-printing is used to embed the FG assembly into the framework of polypropylene melt-blown nonwoven fabrics (PPMF), forming a soft on-skin electrode with low sheet resistance (125.2 ± 4.7 Ω/□) and high gas permeability (≈10.08 mg cm⁻2 h⁻¹). The "armor" framework ensures enduring mechanical stability through adhesion, washability, and 10,000 cycles of mechanical contact friction tests. Demonstrating capabilities in electrocardiogram (ECG) and electromyogram (EMG) monitoring, along with serving as a self-powered triboelectric sensor, the FG/PPMF electrode holds promise for scalable, high-performance flexible sensing applications, thereby enriching the landscape of integrated wearable technologies.

Preoperative Blood Transfusion Requirements for Hemorrhoidal Severe Anemia: A Retrospective Study of 128 Patients.

BACKGROUND Severe anemia caused by hemorrhoidal hematochezia is typically treated preoperatively with reference to severe anemia treatment strategies from other etiologies. This retrospective cohort study included 128 patients with hemorrhoidal severe anemia admitted to 3 hospitals from September 1, 2018, to August 1, 2023, and aimed to evaluate preoperative blood transfusion requirements. MATERIAL AND METHODS Of 5120 patients with hemorrhoids, 128 (2.25%; male/female: 72/56) experienced hemorrhoidal severe anemia, transfusion, and Milligan-Morgan surgery. Patients were categorized into 2 groups based on their preoperative hemoglobin (PHB) levels after transfusion: PHB ≥70 g/L as the liberal-transfusion group (LG), and PHB <70 as the restrictive-threshold group (RG). The general condition, bleeding duration, hemoglobin level on admission, transfusion volume, length of stay, immune transfusion reaction, surgical duration, and hospitalization cost were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS Patients with severe anemia (age: 41.07±14.76) tended to be younger than those with common hemorrhoids (age: 49.431±15.59 years). The LG had a significantly higher transfusion volume (4.77±2.22 units), frequency of immune transfusion reactions (1.22±0.58), and hospitalization costs (16.69±3.31 thousand yuan) than the RG, which had a transfusion volume of 3.77±2.09 units, frequency of immune transfusion reactions of 0.44±0.51, and hospitalization costs of 15.00±3.06 thousand yuan. Surgical duration in the LG (25.69±14.71 min) was significantly lower than that of the RG (35.24±18.72 min). CONCLUSIONS Patients with hemorrhoids with severe anemia might require a lower preoperative transfusion threshold than the currently recognized threshold, with an undifferentiated treatment effect and additional benefits.

A distal enhancer guides the negative selection of toxic glycoalkaloids during tomato domestication.

Steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs) are major plant defense metabolites against pests, while they are considered poisonous in food. The genetic basis that guides negative selection of SGAs production during tomato domestication remains poorly understood. Here, we identify a distal enhancer, GAME Enhancer 1 (GE1), as the key regulator of SGAs metabolism in tomato. GE1 recruits MYC2-GAME9 transcriptional complex to regulate the expression of GAME cluster genes via the formation of chromatin loops located in the neighboring DNA region. A naturally occurring GE176 allelic variant is found to be more active in stimulating GAME expression. We show that the weaker GE1 allele has been the main driver for selecting reduced SGAs levels during tomato domestication. Unravelling the "TFs-Enhancer-Promoter" regulatory mechanism operating in SGAs metabolism opens unprecedented prospects for SGAs manipulation in Solanaceae via precision breeding strategies.

Ethylene-MPK8-ERF.C1-PR module confers resistance against Botrytis cinerea in tomato fruit without compromising ripening.

The plant hormone ethylene plays a critical role in fruit defense against Botrytis cinerea attack, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we showed that ethylene response factor SlERF.C1 acts as a key regulator to trigger the ethylene-mediated defense against B. cinerea in tomato fruits without compromising ripening. Knockout of SlERF.C1 increased fruit susceptibility to B. cinerea with no effect on ripening process, while overexpression enhanced resistance. RNA-Seq, transactivation assays, EMSA and ChIP-qPCR results indicated that SlERF.C1 activated the transcription of PR genes by binding to their promoters. Moreover, SlERF.C1 interacted with the mitogen-activated protein kinase SlMPK8 which allowed SlMPK8 to phosphorylate SlERF.C1 at the Ser174 residue and increases its transcriptional activity. Knocking out of SlMPK8 increased fruit susceptibility to B. cinerea, whereas overexpression enhanced resistance without affecting ripening. Furthermore, genetic crosses between SlMPK8-KO and SlERF.C1-OE lines reduced the resistance to B. cinerea attack in SlERF.C1-OE fruits. In addition, B. cinerea infection induced ethylene production which in turn triggered SlMPK8 transcription and enhanced the phosphorylation of SlERF.C1. Overall, our findings reveal the regulatory mechanism of the 'Ethylene-MPK8-ERF.C1-PR' module in resistance against B. cinerea and provide new insight into the manipulation of gray mold disease in fruits.

Hydrangeaxinfeniae (Hydrangeaceae), a new species from Sichuan, China.

Hydrangeaxinfeniae W.B.Ju & J.Ru, a new species of Hydrangeaceae from Sichuan Province, China, is described and illustrated. The new species belongs to Hydrangeasect.Dichroa (Lour.) Y.De Smet & Samain, with its distinctive characteristic being the nearly superior ovary. It shares morphological similarities with H.yaoshanensis (Y.C.Wu) Y.De Smet & C.Granados, but can be distinguished by its hirsute trichomes densely covered on the branchlets, leaves, peduncles and pedicels, broadly elliptic to rectangular-elliptic leaf blade with nearly rounded base, coarse teeth leaf margins, 3-4 pairs of lateral veins, corymbose cyme with few and loose branches, lanceolate bract, the calyx tube and lobes margin with sparsely hirsute trichomes, adaxially glabrous and abaxially sparsely hirsute petal, outer whorl filaments are linear, inner ones are awl-shaped, glabrous styles, and the nearly superior ovary. H.xinfeniaesp. nov. currently known from only three relatively small populations of the type locality, and its conservation status is assessed as Data Deficient (DD).

Gibberellins involved in fruit ripening and softening by mediating multiple hormonal signals in tomato.

The phytohormone ethylene is well known for its important role in the ripening of climacteric fruit, such as tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). However, the role and mode of action of other plant hormones in climacteric fruit ripening regulation are not fully understood. Here, we showed that exogenous GA treatment or increasing endogenous gibberellin content by overexpressing the gibberellin synthesis gene SlGA3ox2 specifically in fruit tissues delayed tomato fruit ripening, whereas treatment with the GA biosynthesis inhibitor paclobutrazol (PAC) accelerated fruit ripening. Moreover, exogenous ethylene treatment cannot completely reverse the delayed fruit ripening phenotype. Furthermore, exogenous GA treatment of ethylene signalling mutant Never ripe (Nr) or SlEBF3-overexpressing lines still delayed fruit ripening, suggesting that GA involved in fruit ripening partially depends on ethylene. Transcriptome profiling showed that gibberellin affect the ripening of fruits by modulating the metabolism and signal transduction of multiple plant hormones, such as auxin and abscisic acid, in addition to ethylene. Overall, the results of this study provide new insight into the regulation of gibberellin in fruit ripening through mediating multiple hormone signals.

ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5a modulates FLOWERING LOCUS T2 and gibberellin levels to control dormancy and bud break in poplar.

Photoperiod is a crucial environmental cue for phenological responses, including growth cessation and winter dormancy in perennial woody plants. Two regulatory modules within the photoperiod pathway explain bud dormancy induction in poplar (Populus spp.): the circadian oscillator LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 2 (LHY2) and GIGANTEA-like genes (GIs) both regulate the key target for winter dormancy induction FLOWERING LOCUS T2 (FT2). However, modification of LHY2 and GIs cannot completely prevent growth cessation and bud set under short-day (SD) conditions, indicating that additional regulatory modules are likely involved. We identified PtoHY5a, an orthologs of the photomorphogenesis regulatory factor ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5) in poplar (Populus tomentosa), that directly activates PtoFT2 expression and represses the circadian oscillation of LHY2, indirectly activating PtoFT2 expression. Thus, PtoHY5a suppresses SD-induced growth cessation and bud set. Accordingly, PtoHY5a knockout facilitates dormancy induction. PtoHY5a also inhibits bud-break in poplar by controlling gibberellic acid (GA) levels in apical buds. Additionally, PtoHY5a regulates the photoperiodic control of seasonal growth downstream of phytochrome PHYB2. Thus, PtoHY5a modulates seasonal growth in poplar by regulating the PtoPHYB2-PtoHY5a-PtoFT2 module to determine the onset of winter dormancy, and by fine-tuning GA levels to control bud-break.

Mazusmotuoensis (Mazaceae), a new species from Xizang, China.

Mazusmotuoensis W.B.Ju, Bo Xu bis & X.F.Gao is a newly described species found in Xizang Autonomous Region, China. Morphologically, this species differs from all the other known Mazus species by having erect perennial herb form with a rhizome, presence of multicellular hairs, without basal leaves, opposite arrangement of stem leaves, and corolla lobes with erose-toothed margins. Molecular phylogenetic analysis using nuclear and cpDNA genes suggests that this new species occupies a basal position within Mazus. In conclusion, both morphological evidence and molecular phylogenetic analyses support that this species belongs to Mazus and represents an as-yet-unreported new species with distinct differences from other species within the genus.

Evaluation of the mechanical properties and clinical application of nickel-titanium shape memory alloy anal fistula clip.

Objective: The study investigates the mechanical properties of a nickel-titanium shape memory alloy anal fistula clip (NiTi-AFC), studies the surgical method of treating anal fistula, and evaluates its clinical efficacy. Methods: The anal fistula clip was formed in nickel-titanium alloy with a titanium content of 50.0%-51.8%. The mechanical properties and chemical properties were tested. A total of 31 patients with anal fistula were enrolled between 1 January 2020 and 1 January 2023. All patients underwent internal orifice closure surgery using NiTi-AFC, and anorectal magnetic resonance or ultrasound was performed before surgery and 6 months after surgery for diagnosis and evaluation. Fistula cure rates, length of stay, perianal pain, and Wexner incontinence scores were retrospectively compared between patients treated with NiTi-AFC and patients treated with other surgical methods. Result: NiTi-AFC has a density of 6.44-6.50 g·cm-3, with a shape-restoring force of 63.8 N. The corrosion rate of NiTi-AFC in 0.05% hydrochloric acid solution at atmospheric pressure and 20°C is approximately 6.8 × 10-5 g·(m·h)-1. A total of 31 patients (male/female: 19/12, age: 43.7 ± 17.8 years) were included. Among them, 22.6% (7) had multiple anal fistula, 16.1% (5) had high anal fistula, and 48.3% (15) had perianal fistula Crohn's disease. In total, 12.9% (4/31) did not achieve primary healing, underwent fistula resection, and eventually recovered. A retrospective analysis showed that the fistula healing rate, length of stay, and anal pain of NiTi-AFC treatment were similar to those of other traditional surgeries, but the Wexner incontinence score was significantly lower. Conclusion: NiTi-AFC has shape memory properties, corrosion resistance, superelastic effect, and surface cell adhesion. It is applied to internal orifice closure surgery of anal fistula, with good therapeutic effect, and can protect the anal function.

Baseline whole-lung CT features deriving from deep learning and radiomics: prediction of benign and malignant pulmonary ground-glass nodules.

Objective: To develop and validate the model for predicting benign and malignant ground-glass nodules (GGNs) based on the whole-lung baseline CT features deriving from deep learning and radiomics. Methods: This retrospective study included 385 GGNs from 3 hospitals, confirmed by pathology. We used 239 GGNs from Hospital 1 as the training and internal validation set; 115 and 31 GGNs from Hospital 2 and Hospital 3 as the external test sets 1 and 2, respectively. An additional 32 stable GGNs from Hospital 3 with more than five years of follow-up were used as the external test set 3. We evaluated clinical and morphological features of GGNs at baseline chest CT and extracted the whole-lung radiomics features simultaneously. Besides, baseline whole-lung CT image features are further assisted and extracted using the convolutional neural network. We used the back-propagation neural network to construct five prediction models based on different collocations of the features used for training. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) was used to compare the prediction performance among the five models. The Delong test was used to compare the differences in AUC between models pairwise. Results: The model integrated clinical-morphological features, whole-lung radiomic features, and whole-lung image features (CMRI) performed best among the five models, and achieved the highest AUC in the internal validation set, external test set 1, and external test set 2, which were 0.886 (95% CI: 0.841-0.921), 0.830 (95%CI: 0.749-0.893) and 0.879 (95%CI: 0.712-0.968), respectively. In the above three sets, the differences in AUC between the CMRI model and other models were significant (all P < 0.05). Moreover, the accuracy of the CMRI model in the external test set 3 was 96.88%. Conclusion: The baseline whole-lung CT features were feasible to predict the benign and malignant of GGNs, which is helpful for more refined management of GGNs.

Honokiol induces apoptosis-like death in Cryptocaryon irritans Tomont.

BACKGROUND: Cryptocaryon irritans, a common parasite in tropical and subtropical marine teleost fish, has caused serious harm to the marine aquaculture industry. Honokiol was proven to induce C. irritans tomont cytoplasm shrinkage and death in our previous study, but the mechanism by which it works remains unknown. METHODS: In this study, the changes of apoptotic morphology and apoptotic ratio were detected by microscopic observation and AnnexinV-FITC/PI staining. The effects of honokiol on intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) concentration, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), reactive oxygen species (ROS), quantity of DNA fragmentations (QDF) and caspase activities were detected by Fluo-3 staining, JC-1 staining, DCFH-DA staining, Tunel method and caspase activity assay kit. The effects of honokiol on mRNA expression levels of 61 apoptosis-related genes in tomonts of C. irritans were detected by real-time PCR. RESULTS: The results of the study on the effects of honokiol concentration on C. irritans tomont apoptosis-like death showed that the highest levels of prophase apoptosis-like death rate (PADR), [Ca2+]i concentration, ROS, the activities of caspase-3/9 and the lowest necrosis ratio (NER) were obtained at a concentration of 1 µg/ml, which was considered the most suitable for inducing C. irritans tomont apoptosis-like death. When C. irritans tomonts were treated with 1 µg/ml honokiol, the [Ca2+]i concentration began to increase significantly at 1 h. Following this, the ROS, QDF and activities of caspase-3/9 began to increase significantly, and the ΔΨm began to decrease significantly at 2 h; the highest PADR was obtained at 4 h. The mRNA expression of 14 genes was significantly upregulated during honokiol treatment. Of these genes, itpr2, capn1, mc, actg1, actb, parp2, traf2 and fos were enriched in the pathway related to apoptosis induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. CONCLUSIONS: This article shows that honokiol can induce C. irritans tomont apoptosis-like death. These results suggest that honokiol may disrupt [Ca2+]i homeostasis in ER and then induce C. irritans tomont apoptosis-like death by caspase cascade or mitochondrial pathway, which might represent a novel therapeutic intervention for C. irritans infection.

Primulamedogensis, a new species of Primulaceae from Tibet of China.

We present a description of a newly discovered species, Primulamedogensis, found in southern Xizang, China. Additionally, we explore distinctive morphological characteristics that aid in its taxonomy. The new species belongs to sect. Cordifoliae and exhibits morphological similarities to P.baileyana and P.rotundifolia. However, it can be distinguished by its densely grayish-haired roots, petioles that are 3-7 times longer than the leaf blades, a short stock surrounded by straight and withered petioles, reniform leaf blades with revolute margins, scapes shorter than or equal to leave and both at flowering and in fruiting, flowers solitary on the scapes.

Internal Orifice Alloy Closure: A New Procedure for Treatment of Perianal Fistulizing Crohn's Disease.

BACKGROUND The high recurrence rate of perianal fistula Crohn's disease (PFCD) increases the need to protect the anal sphincter during each surgical treatment of fistulas. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of internal orifice alloy closure in patients with PFCD. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fifteen patients with PFCD were enrolled in the study between July 6, 2021, and April 27, 2023. All patients underwent preoperative colonoscopy and anal magnetic resonance examination for diagnosis and evaluation. Internal orifice alloy closure (IOAC) was performed only when Crohn's disease was in remission. The external sphincter had not been severed. Perianal magnetic resonance imaging examination was used for postoperative evaluation after 6 months. Fistula cure rate, length of stay, perianal pain, and Wexner incontinence score were retrospectively compared between 15 patients treated with IOAC and 40 patients treated with other surgical methods. RESULTS Fifteen patients (male/female: 9/6, age: 23.6±14.3 years) with PFCD were included (follow-up: 24 months). In total, 20.0% (3) had multiple tracts, and 13.3% (2) had a high anal fistula. Among them, 10 patients received biologics for induction for mucosal healing before surgery. The fistula healed completely in 80.0% (12/15) and did not heal in 20.0% (3/15). Three patients who did not heal underwent fistulotomy and eventually recovered. IOAC is not superior in terms of fistula healing rates, length of stay, and anal pain, but its Wexner incontinence scores are significantly lower than with other surgical methods. CONCLUSIONS IOAC is a novel sphincter-saving surgery that is effective and safe for the treatment of PFCD.

The MADS-box protein SlTAGL1 regulates a ripening-associated SlDQD/SDH2 involved in flavonoid biosynthesis and resistance against Botrytis cinerea in post-harvest tomato fruit.

3-Dehydroquinate dehydratase/shikimate dehydrogenase (DQD/SDH) is a key rate-limiting enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of the shikimate, which is an important metabolic intermediate in plants and animals. However, the function of SlDQD/SDH family genes in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit metabolites is still unknown. In the present study, we identified a ripening-associated SlDQD/SDH member, SlDQD/SDH2, that plays a key role in shikimate and flavonoid metabolism. Overexpression of this gene resulted in an increased content of shikimate and flavonoids, while knockout of this gene by CRISPR/Cas9 mediated gene editing led to a significantly lower content of shikimate and flavonoids by downregulation of flavonoid biosynthesis-related genes. Moreover, we showed that SlDQD/SDH2 confers resistance against Botrytis cinerea attack in post-harvest tomato fruit. Dual-luciferase reporter and EMSA assays indicated that SlDQD/SDH2 is a direct target of the key ripening regulator SlTAGL1. In general, this study provided a new insight into the biosynthesis of flavonoid and B. cinerea resistance in fruit tomatoes.

Screen printing and laser-induced flexible sensors for the simultaneous sensitive detection of uric acid, tyrosine, and ascorbic acid in sweat.

A wearable sweat sensor, which could continuously monitor biomolecules related to the human physiological state, is emerging as a promising piece of health surveillance equipment. However, current sensors cannot simultaneously achieve a detection performance that equates to that of traditional sensors and satisfactory mechanical strength. Herein, a wearable sweat sensor with excellent detection performance and mechanical stability is designed and fabricated. Based on the integration of laser-induced graphene electrodes and a screen printing technique, this wearable sweat sensor could realize both the separate and simultaneous detection of uric acid (UA), tyrosine (Tyr), and ascorbic acid (AA) with high sensitivity. Good UA sensing performance in artificial sweat could be maintained even after 20 000 bends. In addition, the sensor can operate well in the wearing state or in a complex bovine whole blood sample. For the detection of human sweat, the changes in UA concentration after a purine-rich meal are continuously monitored and the results are in accordance with the corresponding serum UA detection results tested with a commercial serum UA meter. These results suggest its application potential in health monitoring for both gout patients and healthy humans.

ß-1,3-GLUCANASE10 regulates tomato development and disease resistance by modulating callose deposition.

ß-1,3-Glucanases are considered key regulators responsible for the degradation of callose in plants, yet little is known about the role and mode of action of their encoding genes in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). In the present study, we identified the ß-1,3-glucanase encoding gene ß-1,3-GLUCANASE10 (SlBG10) and revealed its regulation in tomato pollen and fruit development, seed production, and disease resistance by modulating callose deposition. Compared with wild-type (WT) or SlBG10 overexpressing (SlBG10-OE) lines, knockout of SlBG10 caused pollen arrest and failure to set fruit with reduced male rather than female fecundity. Further analyses showed that SlBG10-knockout promoted callose deposition in anther at the tetrad-to-microspore stages, resulting in pollen abortion and male sterility. Moreover, loss-of-function SlBG10 delayed degradation of endosperm cell wall calloses during cellularization and impeded early seed development. We also uncovered that Botrytis cinerea infection induces SlBG10 expression in WT tomato, and the knockout lines showed increased callose accumulation in fruit pericarps, reduced susceptibility to B. cinerea, and enhanced antioxidant capacity to maintain tomato fruit quality. However, the expression of genes encoding cell wall hydrolases decreased in SlBG10-knockout tomatoes and thus led to an increase in pericarp epidermal thickness, enhancement in fruit firmness, reduction of fruit water loss, and extension of tomato shelf life. These findings not only expand our understanding of the involvement of ß-1,3-glucanases as callose regulators in multiple developmental processes and pathogen resistance but also provide additional insight into the manipulation of multiagronomic traits for targeted tomato breeding.

A comprehensive metabolic map reveals major quality regulations in red-flesh kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis).

Kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) is one of the popular fruits world-wide, and its quality is mainly determined by key metabolites (sugars, flavonoids, and vitamins). Previous works on kiwifruit are mostly done via a single omics approach or involve only limited metabolites. Consequently, the dynamic metabolomes during kiwifruit development and ripening and the underlying regulatory mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, using high-resolution metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses, we investigated kiwifruit metabolic landscapes at 11 different developmental and ripening stages and revealed a parallel classification of 515 metabolites and their co-expressed genes into 10 distinct metabolic vs gene modules (MM vs GM). Through integrative bioinformatics coupled with functional genomic assays, we constructed a global map and uncovered essential transcriptomic and transcriptional regulatory networks for all major metabolic changes that occurred throughout the kiwifruit growth cycle. Apart from known MM vs GM for metabolites such as soluble sugars, we identified novel transcription factors that regulate the accumulation of procyanidins, vitamin C, and other important metabolites. Our findings thus shed light on the kiwifruit metabolic regulatory network and provide a valuable resource for the designed improvement of kiwifruit quality.

Primulawolongensis (Primulaceae), a new species of the primrose from Sichuan, China.

This paper describes and illustrates a new species of Primulaceae, Primulawolongensis sp. nov. from Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province, China. It is very rare and currently only known from its type locality. The new species belongs to subsection Chartacea of the section Petiolares on account of lacking bud scales at flowering, being efarinose and having distinct petiolate leaves with more or less rounded lamina. The new species can be differentiated from other members of the subsection by leaf blade margin dentate, and leaf veins which are not raised, scape shorter than or equal to pedicels, yellow flowers and location of stamens of the corolla tube at thrum flower. Molecular phylogenetic analysis based on nuclear ribosome internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) demonstrated that P.wolongensis was sister to subgen. Auriculastrum. Primulawolongensis is currently known from a single location in Wolong Town, and its conservation status is assessed as Data Deficient (DD).

Genome-wide characterization of the tomato GASA family identifies SlGASA1 as a repressor of fruit ripening.

Gibberellins (GAs) play crucial roles in a wide range of developmental processes and stress responses in plants. However, the roles of GA-responsive genes in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit development remain largely unknown. Here, we identify 17 GASA (Gibberellic Acid-Stimulated Arabidopsis) family genes in tomato. These genes encode proteins with a cleavable signal peptide at their N terminus and a conserved GASA domain at their C terminus. The expression levels of all tomato GASA family genes were responsive to exogenous GA treatment, but adding ethylene eliminated this effect. Comprehensive expression profiling of SlGASA family genes showed that SlGASA1 follows a ripening-associated expression pattern, with low expression levels during fruit ripening, suggesting it plays a negative role in regulating ripening. Overexpressing SlGASA1 using a ripening-specific promoter delayed the onset of fruit ripening, whereas SlGASA1-knockdown fruits displayed accelerated ripening. Consistent with their delayed ripening, SlGASA1-overexpressing fruits showed significantly reduced ethylene production and carotenoid contents compared to the wild type. Moreover, ripening-related genes were downregulated in SlGASA1-overexpressing fruits but upregulated in SlGASA1-knockdown fruits compared to the wild type. Yeast two-hybrid, co-immunoprecipitation, transactivation, and DNA pull-down assays indicated that SlGASA1 interacts with the key ripening regulator FRUITFULL1 and represses its activation of the ethylene biosynthesis genes ACS2 and ACO1. Our findings shed new light on the role and mode of action of a GA-responsive gene in tomato fruit ripening.

Development of a two-layer dense-pixel LYSO Compton camera prototype for prompt gamma imaging.

Objective.Lutetium-yttrium orthosilicate (LYSO)-based Compton camera (CC) has been proposed for prompt gamma imaging due to its high detection efficiency and position resolution. However, very few LYSO CC prototypes have been built and used for practical evaluation. In this study, we built a lightweight dense-pixel silicon photomultiplier-based two-layer LYSO CC prototype for future prompt gamma imaging.Approach.We attempt the first-ever effort to use the double-encoding with the thick light guide and coding circuit structure for 46 × 46 dense-pixel LYSO detectors construction and use pixel segmentation based on centroid mapping to obtain 4232 spectral calibrations. We also present a framework for list-mode projection data acquisition based on the decoding of the time series data obtained by data acquisition card in this study. Finally, the standard source calibration, ring-like22Na source with non-uniform intensity, and mixed point-like source with a wide energy spectrum experiments were implemented to evaluate the resolution metrics and imaging performance of the prototype.Main results.The lateral position resolution of the prototype was 1 mm, and the maximum measurement deviation is 2.5 mm and 5 mm in the depth direction for the scatterer and absorber, respectively. In the experiments, the measured energy resolution was 9.63% @ 1.33 MeV for the scatterer and 10.8% @ 1.33 MeV for the absorber. And the detection efficiency of the prototype for a spherical60Co source with a diameter of 2.8 mm at 10 cm far was 5.7 × 10-3@ 1.33 MeV and the full width at half maximum of the reconstruction was 5.5 mm. Besides, the spatial position offset within 2 mm of the radioactive source at 10 cm can be distinguished.Signification.The developed two-layer dense-pixel LYSO CC contributes to incorporating Compton imaging techniques for prompt gamma detection and multiple energy sources into nuclear medical imaging.