Integrated omic analysis provides insights into the molecular regulation of stress tolerance by partial root-zone drying in rice.

Partial root-zone drying (PRD) is an effective water-saving irrigation strategy that improves stress tolerance and facilitates efficient water use in several crops. It has long been considered that abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent drought resistance may be involved during partial root-zone drying. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying PRD-mediated stress tolerance remain unclear. It's hypothesized that other mechanisms might contribute to PRD-mediated drought tolerance. Here, rice seedlings were used as a research model and the complex transcriptomic and metabolic reprogramming processes were revealed during PRD, with several key genes involved in osmotic stress tolerance identified by using a combination of physiological, transcriptome, and metabolome analyses. Our results demonstrated that PRD induces transcriptomic alteration mainly in the roots but not in the leaves and adjusts several amino-acid and phytohormone metabolic pathways to maintain the balance between growth and stress response compared to the polyethylene glycol (PEG)-treated roots. Integrated analysis of the transcriptome and metabolome associated the co-expression modules with PRD-induced metabolic reprogramming. Several genes encoding the key transcription factors (TFs) were identified in these co-expression modules, highlighting several key TFs, including TCP19, WRI1a, ABF1, ABF2, DERF1, and TZF7, involved in nitrogen metabolism, lipid metabolism, ABA signaling, ethylene signaling, and stress regulation. Thus, our work presents the first evidence that molecular mechanisms other than ABA-mediated drought resistance are involved in PRD-mediated stress tolerance. Overall, our results provide new insights into PRD-mediated osmotic stress tolerance, clarify the molecular regulation induced by PRD, and identify genes useful for further improving water-use efficiency and/or stress tolerance in rice.

Experimental Investigation of the Rapid Fabrication of Micron and Submicron Structures on Polymers Utilizing Ultrasonic Assisted Embossing.

Small-scale optical components with micron or submicron features have grown in popularity in recent years. High-quality, high-efficient, and cost-effective processing approaches for polymer optics mass production are an urgent need. In this study, ultrasonic vibration will be introduced in embossing. The major advantage is that the required energy can be provided for process times ranging from a few hundred milliseconds to a few seconds, and that the process energy is provided at exactly the required location so that the structures in the surrounding area are not affected. Due to the strong correlation between electrical impedance and the temperature of the material, a novel impedance-based control strategy has been utilized for precisely controlling ultrasonic vibration during the embossing process. The investigation used two types of stamps with grating line widths of 4 µm and 500 nm, respectively. As a result, an embossing time of less than a few seconds was accomplished and a uniform embossed surface with an average fill rate of more than 75% could be achieved.

Ag2O-decorated electrospun BiVO4 nanofibers with enhanced photocatalytic performance.

Semiconductor photocatalysts are emerging as tools for pollutant degradation in industrial wastewater, air purification, antibacterial applications, etc. due to their use of visible light, which is abundant in sunlight. Here, we report a new type of p-n junction Ag2O/BiVO4 heterogeneous nanostructured photocatalyst with enhanced photocatalytic performance. P-type Ag2O nanoparticles were in situ reduced and assembled on the surface of electrospun BiVO4 nanofibers using ultraviolet (UV) irradiation; this process hindered the recombination of localized photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and hence resulted in the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the BiVO4/Ag2O nanocomposites. The photocatalytic activities of the obtained BiVO4 and BiVO4/Ag2O nanocomposites were assessed by measuring the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light. The 10 wt% Ag2O/BiVO4 sample yielded the optimum degradation of RhB (98.47%), much higher than that yielded by pure BiVO4 nanofibers (64.67%). No obvious change in the XRD pattern of an Ag2O/BiVO4 sample occurred as a result of its use in the photocatalytic reaction, indicating its excellent stability. The high photocatalytic performance observed was attributed to the large surface-to-volume ratio of the essentially one-dimensional electrospun BiVO4 nanofibers and to the in situ growth of p-type Ag2O on the surface of the n-type BiVO4 nanofibers.

Despair-associated memory requires a slow-onset CA1 long-term potentiation with unique underlying mechanisms.

The emotion of despair that occurs with uncontrollable stressful event is probably retained by memory, termed despair-associated memory, although little is known about the underlying mechanisms. Here, we report that forced swimming (FS) with no hope to escape, but not hopefully escapable swimming (ES), enhances hippocampal α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR)-dependent GluA1 Ser831 phosphorylation (S831-P), induces a slow-onset CA1 long-term potentiation (LTP) in freely moving rats and leads to increased test immobility 24-h later. Before FS application of the antagonists to block S831-P or N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR) or glucocorticoid receptor (GR) disrupts LTP and reduces test immobility, to levels similar to those of the ES group. Because these mechanisms are specifically linked with the hopeless of escape from FS, we suggest that despair-associated memory occurs with an endogenous CA1 LTP that is intriguingly mediated by a unique combination of rapid S831-P with NMDAR and GR activation to shape subsequent behavioral despair.

Design and performance evaluation of a linear ion trap mass analyzer featuring half round rod electrodes.

A novel linear ion trap mass analyzer featuring half round rod electrodes (HreLIT) has been built. It is mainly composed of two pairs of stainless steel electrodes which have a cross-section of half round rod and a pair of end electrodes. The HreLIT has a simple structure and so it could be assembled by hand with relatively high mechanical accuracy. The external dimension of HreLIT is 50 mm × 29.5 mm × 28 mm (length × width × height) and its internal volume is about 3.8 cm(3). A home-made HreLIT mass spectrometer with three-stage vacuum system was built and the performance of HreLIT was characterized using reserpine solution and PPG standard solution. When the scan rate was 254 u/s, mass peak with FWHM of 0.14 u was achieved for ions with m/z 609, which corresponds to a mass resolution of 4350. The HreLIT was also operated at a low q value of 0.28 to extend its mass range. The experiment result showed a mass range of over 2800 u and the amplitude of radio frequency (rf) signal was only 1560 V (0-p). Three-stage tandem mass spectrometry was successfully performed in the HreLIT, and the collision-induced dissociation (CID) efficiencies of MS(2) (CID of ions with m/z 609) and MS(3) (CID of ions with m/z 448) were 78% and 59%, respectively.

Requirement for the endocannabinoid system in social interaction impairment induced by coactivation of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in the piriform cortex.

The dopamine receptor family consists of D1-D5 receptors (D1R-D5R), and we explored the contributions of each dopamine receptor subtype in the piriform cortex (PirC) to social interaction impairment (SII). Rats received behavioral tests or electrophysiological recording of PirC neuronal activity after injection of the D1R/D5R agonist SKF38393, the D2R/D3R/D4R agonist quinpirole, or both, with or without pretreatment with dopamine receptor antagonists, D1R or D5R antisense oligonucleotides, the cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist AM281, or the endocannabinoid transporter inhibitor VDM11. Systemic injection of SKF38393 and quinpirole together, but not each one alone, induced SII and increased PirC firing rate, which were blocked by D1R or D2R antagonist. Intra-PirC microinfusion of SKF38393 and quinpirole together, but not each one alone, also induced SII, which was blocked by D1R antisense oligonucleotides or D2R antagonist but not by D3R or D4R antagonist or D5R antisense oligonucleotides. SII induced by intra-PirC SKF38393/quinpirole was blocked by AM281 and enhanced by VDM11, whereas neither AM281 nor VDM11 alone affected social interaction behavior. Coadministration of SKF38393 and quinpirole produced anxiolytic effects without significant effects on locomotor activity, olfaction, and acquisition of olfactory short-term memory. These findings suggest that SII induced by coactivation of PirC D1R and D2R requires the endocannabinoid system.

[Effect of maternal antepartum psychological therapy upon early infant temperament].

OBJECTIVE: To find out whether there was any change in early infant temperament after mothers had received group psychological therapy on depression and anxiety during pregnancy period. METHODS: A total of 800 subjects meeting the inclusion criteria, without the exclusion criteria and willing to sign the informed consent were recruited randomly from Shanghai International Peace Maternity & Child Health Hospital in their l6th-20th weeks of pregnancy. They were randomized into the therapy group and the control group by the doll randomization table. Women in the therapy group would have a group psychological therapy for 6 times, 1.5 hours each time, while the control group not. The group psychological therapy included therapist introduction and participatory discussion. The therapy concerned the antepartum and postpartum depression, the risk factors concerned with antepartum and postpartum depression, antepartum and postpartum anxiety, psychological defense theory, reflex training and spouse lesson. Mothers reported their babies' infant temperament by filling the early infant temperament questionnaire (EITQ) within 3 months post-delivery. RESULTS: The percent of easy infant temperament type was 87.9% in the psychological therapy group and 81.7% in the hard group. And there was significant difference between two groups (chi2 = 4.530, upsilon=1, P = 0.033). And there were significant differences in the dimensions of approach-withdrawal and threshold of responsiveness in infant temperament between two groups. CONCLUSION: The maternal antepartum psychological therapy can increase the ratio of easy infant temperament. And it has effects upon the temperament dimensions of approach-withdrawal and threshold of responsiveness.