Comprehensive genome-wide analysis of wheat xylanase inhibitor protein (XIP) genes: unveiling their role in Fusarium head blight resistance and plant immune mechanisms.

In this comprehensive genome-wide study, we identified and classified 83 Xylanase Inhibitor Protein (XIP) genes in wheat, grouped into five distinct categories, to enhance understanding of wheat's resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB), a significant fungal threat to global wheat production. Our analysis reveals the unique distribution of XIP genes across wheat chromosomes, particularly at terminal regions, suggesting their role in the evolutionary expansion of the gene family. Several XIP genes lack signal peptides, indicating potential alternative secretion pathways that could be pivotal in plant defense against FHB. The study also uncovers the sequence homology between XIPs and chitinases, hinting at a functional diversification within the XIP gene family. Additionally, the research explores the association of XIP genes with plant immune mechanisms, particularly their linkage with plant hormone signaling pathways like abscisic acid and jasmonic acid. XIP-7A3, in particular, demonstrates a significant increase in expression upon FHB infection, highlighting its potential as a key candidate gene for enhancing wheat's resistance to this disease. This research not only enriches our understanding of the XIP gene family in wheat but also provides a foundation for future investigations into their role in developing FHB-resistant wheat cultivars. The findings offer significant implications for wheat genomics and breeding, contributing to the development of more resilient crops against fungal diseases.

The heterochronic gene Oryza sativa LIKE HETEROCHROMATIN PROTEIN 1 modulates miR156b/c/i/e levels.

The juvenile-to-adult transition in plants involves changes in vegetative growth and plant architecture; the timing of this transition has important implications for agriculture. The microRNA miR156 regulates this transition and shoot maturation in plants. In Arabidopsis thaliana, deposition of histone H3 trimethylation on lysine 27 (H3K27me3, a repressive mark) at the MIR156A/C loci is regulated by Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) or PRC2, depending on the developmental stage. The levels of miR156 progressively decline during shoot maturation. The amount of H3K27me3 at MIR156A/C loci affects miR156 levels; however, whether this epigenetic regulation is conserved remains unclear. Here, we found that in rice (Oryza sativa), the putative PRC1 subunit LIKE HETEROCHROMATIN PROTEIN 1 (OsLHP1), with the miR156-SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) module, affects developmental phase transitions. Loss of OsLHP1 function results in ectopic expression of MIR156B/C/I/E, phenocopy of miR156 overexpression, and reduced H3k27me3 levels at MIR156B/C/I/E. This indicates that OsLHP1 has functionally diverged from Arabidopsis LHP1. Genetic and transcriptome analyses of wild-type, miR156b/c-overexpression, and Oslhp1-2 mutant plants suggest that OsLHP1 acts upstream of miR156 and SPL during the juvenile-to-adult transition. Therefore, modifying the OsLHP1-miR156-SPL pathway may enable alteration of the vegetative period and plant architecture.

Reduced Graphene Oxide/Au Nanocomposite for NO2 Sensing at Low Operating Temperature.

A reduced grapheme oxide (rGO)/Au hybrid nanocomposite has been synthesized by hydrothermal treatment using graphite and HAuCl4 as the precursors. Characterization, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectra, X-ray photoelecton spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), indicates the formation of rGO/Au. A gas sensor fabricated with rGO/Au nanocomposite was applied for NO2 detection at 50 °C. Compared with pure rGO, rGO/Au nanocomposite exhibits higher sensitivity, a more rapid response-recovery process and excellent reproducibility.

Simultaneous production of high-frequency synthetic apomixis with high fertility and improved agronomic traits in hybrid rice.

The current apomixis system used in fixing heterozygosity suffers from the problems of low fertility and limited apomixis induction rate. This study implies that egg-cell-specific expression of dandelion's PAR combined with MiMe in hybrid rice can efficiently trigger highly fertile synthetic apomixis for effective clonal propagation of hybrids.

Observations of three types of pulses in an erbium-doped fiber laser by incorporating a graphene saturable absorber.

We experimentally observed three types of pulses generated in an erbium-doped fiber laser by incorporating a homemade graphene saturable absorber (GSA). The generated pulses from the laser oscillator include dual-wavelength dark pulses, fundamentally step-like pulses, and non-soliton second-harmonic pulses. These operation regimes are first reported by using graphene as the saturable absorber. Our results will further indicate that the GSA can function well for obtaining various ultrafast pulse phenomena, highlighting the practical potential of graphene in ultrafast photonics technologies.

High-stability erbium-doped photonic crystal fiber source.

A single-pass backward configuration superfluorescent fiber source (SFS) based on erbium-doped photonic crystal fiber (EDPCF) with a high mean wavelength stability was proposed. The EDPCF was used to improve the intrinsic temperature dependence of the SFS. Using the optimal EDPCF length of 24.2 m and pump power of 204 mW, a 20.7 ppm mean wavelength stability of a prototype SFS was demonstrated with increased temperature from -40 °C to 60 °C. The mean wavelength had an ultra stability of 10.3 ppm with increased temperature from -20 °C to 60 °C.

Theoretical and experimental analysis of splicing between the photonic crystal fiber and the conventional fiber using grin fibers.

Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) are widely used in all-fiber, high-power lasers and supercontinuum sources. However, the splice loss between PCFs and conventional fibers limits its development. Grin fibers and coreless fibers were used as a fiber lens to achieve low-loss, high-strength splicing between PCFs and single-mode fibers (SMFs). The beam propagation method was used to optimize the lengths of grin fibers and coreless fibers for a minimum splice loss. The splice loss changing with the lengths of grin fiber, coreless fiber, and the air-hole collapsed region was systematically studied theoretically and experimentally. Ultimately, a minimum splice loss of 0.26 dB at 1064 nm was realized between a high-nonlinear PCF and a conventional SMF with this method.

[Surgical correction of penoscrotal transposition with hypospadias: experience with 83 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the techniques of surgical correction of penoscrotal transposition with hypospadias. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 83 cases of penoscrotal transposition with hypospadias treated by surgery from January 2003 to June 2009, and analyzed the surgical techniques and follow-up results. RESULTS: The patients underwent urethroplasty with simultaneous or staged surgical correction of penoscrotal transposition. Postoperative follow-up was conducted for 0.5-5 years. Eighty-one of the patients were satisfied with the appearance of the reconstructed penis and scrotum, and satisfactory outcomes were achieved in the other 2 with severe hypospadias after a second surgical correction of penoscrotal transposition. CONCLUSION: Urethroplasty with simultaneous or staged surgical correction of penoscrotal transposition is recommendable for its resultant penile straightness, desirable penoscrotal appearance, good surgical prognosis and few postoperative complications.

Application and efficacy of reconstructing forked corpus spongiosum in distal/midshaft hypospadias repair.

We reviewed our experience in reconstructing forked corpus spongiosum (FCS) in distal/midshaft hypospadias repair and analyzed the efficacy of this surgical technique. From August 2013 to December 2018, 137 consecutive cases of distal/midshaft hypospadias operated by the same surgeon in Urology Department, Children's Hospital of Fudan University (Shanghai, China), were retrospectively analyzed. Sixty-four patients who underwent routine tubularized incised plate (TIP) or onlay island flap (ONLAY) surgery were included in the nonreconstructing group, and 73 patients who underwent reconstructing FCS during TIP or ONLAY surgery were included as the reconstructing group. Thirty-eight cases underwent TIP, and 26 underwent ONLAY in the nonreconstructing group, with a median follow-up of 44 (range: 30-70) months. Twenty-seven cases underwent TIP, and 46 underwent ONLAY in the reconstructing group, with a median follow-up of 15 (range: 6-27) months. In the nonreconstructing/reconstructing groups, the mean age at the time of surgery was 37.55 (standard deviation [s.d.]: 29.65)/35.23 (s.d.: 31.27) months, the mean operation duration was 91.95 (s.d.: 12.17)/93.84 (s.d.: 14.91) min, the mean neourethral length was 1.88 (s.d.: 0.53)/1.94 (s.d.: 0.53) cm, and the mean glans width was 11.83 (s.d.: 1.32)/11.56 (s.d.: 1.83) mm. Twelve (18.8%)/5 (6.8%) postoperative complications occurred in the nonreconstructing/reconstructing groups. These included fistula (5/2), glans dehiscence (3/0), diverticulum (1/2), residual chordee (3/0), and meatus stenosis (0/1) in each group. There was a significant difference in the overall rate of complications (P= 0.035). These results indicate that the technique of reconstructing FCS provides excellent outcomes with fewer complications in distal/midshaft hypospadias repair.

[Diagnosis and treatment of ovotesticular disorders of sex development in children].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the diagnosis and treatment of ovotesticular disorders of sex development (DSD) in children. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical data of 9 cases of ovotesticular DSD admitted in our department from 1988 to 2007. RESULTS: The patients ranged in age from 9 months to 9 years, 7 raised as males and 2 as females. As for the karyotype, 4 cases were 46,XX, 2 were 46,XX/46,XY, 1 was 46,XY, and the other 2 had no karyotype data. All of them presented with obscure external genitalia: perineal or penoscrotal hypospadias with or without cryptorchidism in males and hypertrophy of the clitoris in females. They were diagnosed with ovotesticular DSD by gonad biopsy and underwent genitoplasty. CONCLUSION: The gender assignment of the ovotesticular DSD patient was chiefly based on the development of external genitalia, dominant gonad, karyotype and the parent's will. Laparoscopic technology is recommended in gonad biopsy and orchiopexy during the treatment of ovotesticular DSD.

Electronic Band Structures and Native Point Defects of Ultrafine ZnO Nanocrystals.

Ultrafine ZnO nanocrystals with a thickness down to 0.25 nm are grown by a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition method. Electronic band structures and native point defects of ZnO nanocrystals are studied by a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and first-principles density functional theory calculations. Below a critical thickness of ∼1 nm ZnO adopts a graphitic-like structure and exhibits a wide band gap similar to its wurtzite counterpart. The hexagonal wurtzite structure, with a well-developed band gap evident from scanning tunneling spectroscopy, is established for a thickness starting from ∼1.4 nm. With further increase of the thickness to 2 nm, VO-VZn defect pairs are easily produced in ZnO nanocrystals due to the self-compensation effect in highly doped semiconductors.

Co-Rich ZnCoO Nanoparticles Embedded in Wurtzite Zn1-xCoxO Thin Films: Possible Origin of Superconductivity.

Co-rich ZnCoO nanoparticles embedded in wurtzite Zn0.7Co0.3O thin films are grown by pulsed laser deposition on a Si substrate. Local superconductivity with an onset Tc at 5.9 K is demonstrated in the hybrid system. The unexpected superconductivity probably results from Co3+ in the Co-rich ZnCoO nanoparticles or from the interface between the Co-rich nanoparticles and the Zn0.7Co0.3O matrix.

Geometry, phase stability, and electronic properties of isolated selenium chains incorporated in a nanoporous matrix.

We report the fabrication process of isolated one-dimensional Se chains incorporated in the matrix of AlPO4-5 single crystals and the experimental investigation of the geometry, phase stability, electronic properties, and electron-phonon coupling effect of these Se chains. The structure of the helical Se chains inside the channels is discussed on the basis of X-ray scattering measurements. Thermal analysis and temperature-dependent micro-Raman measurements show that Se single chains are flexible and can convert from a weak distorted phase into another phase with strongly disordered structure ("melting" state) around 340 K. Since the electrons are confined in the one-dimensional channels, the absorption band of the Se chain is obviously blue shifted compared with that of trigonal Se. With increasing temperature, this band shifts linearly to the lower energy side, in sharp contrast to the nonlinear temperature coefficient of trigonal Se, which is attributed to the greatly diminished interchain interaction and the weakening of the electron-optical phonon coupling in a low-dimensional system. In the vicinity of the absorption band, both first-order and second-order Raman signals for the Se chain are enhanced, due to the strong electron-phonon coupling when the excitation laser energy matches the electronic transition in isolated Se chains.

Design and modeling of a photonic crystal fiber gas sensor.

We report the modeling results of an all-fiber gas detector that uses photonic crystal fiber (PCF). The relative sensitivity of the PCF as a function of the fiber parameters is calculated. Gas-diffusion dynamics that affect the sensor response time is investigated theoretically and experimentally. A practical PCF sensor aiming for high sensitivity gas detection is proposed.