A Robust Anti-Thermal-Quenching Phosphor Based on Zero-Dimensional Metal Halide Rb3InCl6:xSb3.

High-power phosphor-converted white light-emitting diodes (hp-WLEDs) have been widely involved in modern society as outdoor lighting sources. In these devices, due to the Joule effect, the high applied currents cause high operation temperatures (>500 K). Under these conditions, most phosphors lose their emission, an effect known as thermal quenching (TQ). Here, we introduce a zero-dimensional (0D) metal halide, Rb3InCl6:xSb3+, as a suitable anti-TQ phosphor offering robust anti-TQ behavior up to 500 K. We ascribe this behavior of the metal halide to two factors: (1) a compensation process via thermally activated energy transfer from structural defects to emissive centers and (2) an intrinsic structural rigidity of the isolated octahedra in the 0D structure. The anti-TQ phosphor-based WLEDs can stably work at a current of 2000 mA. The low synthesis cost and nontoxic composition reported here can herald a new generation of anti-TQ phosphors for hp-WLED.

PfERF106, a novel key transcription factor regulating the biosynthesis of floral terpenoids in Primula forbesii Franch.

BACKGROUND: Flowers can be a source of essential oils used in the manufacture of substances with high economic value. The ethylene response factor (ERF) gene family plays a key role in regulating secondary metabolite biosynthesis in plants. However, until now, little has been known about the involvement of ERF transcription factors (TFs) in floral terpenoid biosynthesis. RESULTS: In this study, an aromatic plant, Primula forbesii Franch., was used as research material to explore the key regulatory effects of PfERF106 on the biosynthesis of terpenoids. PfERF106, which encodes an IXb group ERF transcription factor, exhibited a consistent expression trend in the flowers of P. forbesii and was transcriptionally induced by exogenous ethylene. Transient silencing of PfERF106 in P. forbesii significantly decreased the relative contents of key floral terpenes, including (z)-ß-ocimene, sabinene, ß-pinene, γ-terpinene, linalool, eremophilene, α-ionone, and α-terpineol. In contrast, constitutive overexpression of PfERF106 in transgenic tobacco significantly increased the relative contents of key floral terpenes, including cis-3-hexen-1-ol, linalool, caryophyllene, cembrene, and sclareol. RNA sequencing of petals of PfERF106-silenced plants and empty-vector control plants revealed 52,711 expressed unigenes and 9,060 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). KEGG annotation analysis revealed that the DEGs were enriched for involvement in secondary metabolic biosynthetic pathways, including monoterpene and diterpene synthesis. Notably, 10 downregulated DEGs were determined to be the downstream target genes of PfERF106 affecting the biosynthesis of terpenoids in P. forbesii. CONCLUSION: This study characterized the key positive regulatory effects of PfERF106 on the biosynthesis of terpenoids, indicating high-quality genetic resources for aroma improvement in P. forbesii. Thus, this study advances the artificial and precise directional regulation of metabolic engineering of aromatic substances.

Unraveling Key Factors for Hypoxia Tolerance in Contrasting Varieties of Cotton Rose by Comparative Morpho-physiological and Transcriptome Analysis.

The cotton rose (Hibiscus mutabilis) is a plant species commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions. It is remarkably resilient to waterlogging stress; however, the underlying mechanism behind this trait is yet unknown. This study used hypoxia-tolerant "Danbanhong" (DBH) and more hypoxia-sensitive "Yurui" (YR) genotypes and compared their morpho-physiological and transcriptional responses to hypoxic conditions. Notably, DBH had a higher number of adventitious roots (20.3) compared to YR (10.0), with longer adventitious roots in DBH (18.3 cm) than in YR (11.2 cm). Furthermore, the formation of aerenchyma was 3-fold greater in DBH compared to YR. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that DBH had more rapid transcriptional responses to hypoxia than YR. Identification of a greater number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for aerenchyma, adventitious root formation and development, and energy metabolism in DBH supported that DBH had better morphological and transcriptional adaptation than YR. DEG functional enrichment analysis indicated the involvement of variety-specific biological processes in adaption to hypoxia. Plant hormone signaling transduction, MAPK signaling pathway and carbon metabolism played more pronounced roles in DBH, whereas the ribosome genes were specifically induced in YR. These results show that effective multilevel coordination of adventitious root development and aerenchyma, in conjunction with plant hormone signaling and carbon metabolism, is required for increased hypoxia tolerance. This study provides new insights into the characterization of morpho-physiological and transcriptional responses to hypoxia in H. mutabilis, shedding light on the molecular mechanisms of its adaptation to hypoxic environments.

Analysis of functional connectivity changes in attention networks and default mode networks in patients with depression and insomnia.

PURPOSE: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Insomnia Disorder (ID) are prevalent psychiatric conditions often occurring concurrently, leading to substantial impairment in daily functioning. Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of these disorders and their comorbidity is crucial for developing effective interventions. This study aims to analyze changes in functional connectivity within attention networks and default mode networks in patients with depression and insomnia. METHODS: The functional connectivity alterations in individuals with MDD, ID, comorbid MDD and insomnia (iMDD), and healthy controls (HC) were assessed from a cohort of 174 participants. They underwent rs-fMRI scans, demographic assessments, and scale evaluations for depression and sleep quality. Functional connectivity analysis was conducted using region-of-interest (ROI) and whole-brain methods. RESULTS: The MDD and iMDD groups exhibited higher Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) scores compared to HC and ID groups (P < 0.001). Both ID and MDD groups displayed enhanced connectivity between the left and right orbital frontal cortex compared to HC (P < 0.05), while the iMDD group showed reduced connectivity compared to HC and ID groups (P < 0.05). In the left insula, reduced connectivity with the right medial superior frontal gyrus was observed across patient groups compared to HC (P < 0.05), with the iMDD group showing increased connectivity compared to MDD (P < 0.05). Moreover, alterations in functional connectivity between the left thalamus and left temporal pole were found in iMDD compared to HC and MDD (P < 0.05). Correlation analyses revealed associations between abnormal connectivity and symptom severity in MDD and ID groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate distinct patterns of altered functional connectivity in individuals with MDD, ID, and iMDD compared to healthy controls. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of depression and insomnia, which could be used as a reference for the diagnosis and treatments of these patients.

Facet-Defect Tolerant Bi-Doped Cs2AgxNa1-xInCl6 Nanoplatelets with a Near-Unity Photoluminescence Quantum Yield.

We report the colloidal synthesis of Bi-doped Cs2AgxNa1-xInCl6 double perovskite nanoplatelets (NPLs) exhibiting a near-unity photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), a record emission efficiency for nanoscale lead-free metal halides. A combination of optical spectroscopies revealed that nonradiative decay processes in the NPL were suppressed, indicating a well-passivated surface. By comparison, nanocubes with the same composition and surface ligands as the NPLs had a PLQY of only 40%. According to our calculations, the type of trap states arising from the presence of surface defects depends on their specific location: defects located on the facets of nanocubes generate only shallow traps, while those at the edges result in deep traps. In NPLs, due to their extended basal facets, most of the surface defects are facet defects. This so-called facet-defect tolerant behavior of double perovskites explains the more efficient optical emission of NPLs compared to that of nanocubes.

Temperature-dependent kinetic pathways featuring distinctive thermal-activation mechanisms in structural evolution of ice VII.

Ice amorphization, low- to high-density amorphous (LDA-HDA) transition, as well as (re)crystallization in ice, under compression have been studied extensively due to their fundamental importance in materials science and polyamorphism. However, the nature of the multiple-step "reverse" transformation from metastable high-pressure ice to the stable crystalline form under reduced pressure is not well understood. Here, we characterize the rate and temperature dependence of the structural evolution from ice VII to ice I recovered at low pressure (∼5 mTorr) using in situ time-resolved X-ray diffraction. Unlike previously reported ice VII (or ice VIII)→LDA→ice I transitions, we reveal three temperature-dependent successive transformations: conversion of ice VII into HDA, followed by HDA-to-LDA transition, and then crystallization of LDA into ice I. Significantly, the temperature-dependent characteristic times indicate distinctive thermal activation mechanisms above and below 110-115 K for both ice VIII-to-HDA and HDA-to-LDA transitions. Large-scale molecular-dynamics calculations show that the structural evolution from HDA to LDA is continuous and involves substantial movements of the water molecules at the nanoscale. The results provide a perspective on the interrelationship of polyamorphism and unravel its underpinning complexities in shaping ice-transition kinetic pathways.

Transcriptome Analyses Reveal the Aroma Terpeniods Biosynthesis Pathways of Primula forbesii Franch. and the Functional Characterization of the PfDXS2 Gene.

Primula forbesii Franch. is a unique biennial herb with a strong floral fragrance, making it an excellent material for studying the aroma characteristics of the genus Primula. The floral scent is an important ornamental trait that facilitates fertilization. However, the molecular mechanism regulating the floral scent in Primula is unknown. In order to better understand the biological mechanisms of floral scents in this species, this study used RNA sequencing analysis to discuss the first transcriptome sequence of four flowering stages of P. forbesii, which generated 12 P. forbesii cDNA libraries with 79.64 Gb of clean data that formed 51,849 unigenes. Moreover, 53.26% of the unigenes were annotated using public databases. P. forbesii contained 44 candidate genes covering all known enzymatic steps for the biosynthesis of volatile terpenes, the major contributor to the flower's scent. Finally, 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase gene of P. forbesii (PfDXS2, MK370094), the first key enzyme gene in the 2-c-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway of terpenoids, was cloned and functionally verified using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGs). The results showed that PfDXS2-silencing significantly reduced the relative concentrations of main volatile terpenes. This report is the first to present molecular data related to aroma metabolites biosynthesis pathways and the functional characterization of any P. forbesii gene. The data on RNA sequencing provide comprehensive information for further analysis of other plants of the genus Primula.

Neutral Antiaromatic Bis(1,2-dithiolene)-Chelated Nickel Complexes Bearing Multiradical Characters.

Metal-organic complexes with radical characteristics are unique species attracting immense attention in recent years due to their peculiar properties and promising applicability in a wide variety of innovative research fields. However, the reported complexes typically do not exceed diradicality. This study systematically investigates a series of square planar neutral Ni-bis(1,2-dithiolene) and Ni-bis(1,2-dioxolene) complexes with linear, branched, and macrocyclic configurations via ab initio calculations. The linear Ni-complexes display strong singlet diradical characters, while their branched counterparts can also exhibit moderate singlet multiradical characters. Importantly, the macrocyclic Ni-complexes can possess extremely strong singlet multiradical characters up to dodeca-radicality along with their global antiaromaticity and hence strong induced ring current in the presence of an external magnetic field, ascribed to the localization of unpaired α and ß electrons residing in the highest few molecular orbitals at different molecular sites, minimizing their coupling and annihilation. Our work represents the first indication in the rational design of novel multiradical neutral antiaromatic macrocyclic complexes for potential applications in molecular machines and electronic devices.

The miR156-Targeted SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN (PmSBP) Transcription Factor Regulates the Flowering Time by Binding to the Promoter of SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CO1 (PmSOC1) in Prunus mume.

Prunus mume, a famous perennial ornamental plant and fruit tree in Asia, blooms in winter or early spring in the Yangtze River area. The flowering time directly determines its ornamental and economic value, so it is of great significance to study the molecular mechanism of flowering time. SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN (SBP), often regulated by miR156, is an important flowering regulator, although its function is unknown in P. mume. Here, 11 miR156 precursors were analyzed and located in five chromosomes of the P. mume genome. The expression pattern showed that PmSBP1/6 was negatively correlated with miR156. The promoters of PmSBP1/6 were specifically expressed in the apical meristem. Overexpression of PmSBP1/6 in tobacco promoted flowering and changed the length ratio of pistil and stamen. Moreover, PmSBP1 also affected the number and vitality of pollen and reduced the fertility of transgenic tobacco. Furthermore, ectopic expression of PmSBP1/6 caused up-regulated expression of endogenous SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CO1 (NtSOC1). The yeast-one hybrid assay showed that PmSBP1 was bonded to the promoters of PmSOC1s. In conclusion, a miR156-PmSBP1-PmSOC1s pathway was formed to participate in the regulation of flowering time in P. mume, which provided references for the molecular mechanism of flowering time regulation and molecular breeding of P. mume.

Simulating the Structure of Carbon Dots via Crystalline π-Aggregated Organic Nanodots Prepared by Kinetically Trapped Self-Assembly.

This work reports the successful preparation of a new type of crystalline luminescent organic nanodot (<3.5 nm) by kinetically trapped self-assembly, which is then used as a simplified π-packing model to simulate the structure of CDs. The precise structure and J-aggregation-induced photoluminescence (PL) of the nanodots are revealed by investigating the structural relationship between the nanodots and the corresponding single crystals and their properties. Compared with the single crystals, crystalline organic nanodots show longer PL lifetime, higher PL quantum yield, and narrower PL peak, indicating that they are potential organic quantum nanodots. In addition, the efficient π-stacking environment in the corresponding single crystals can promote π-aggregation-induced PL anisotropy. This work indicates crystalline organic nanodots with precise structures to be potentially useful for understanding the structures of CDs and to be attractive potential luminescent materials.

Placebo treatment facilitates social trust and approach behavior.

Placebo effect refers to beneficial changes induced by the use of inert treatment, such as placebo-induced relief of physical pain and attenuation of negative affect. To date, we know little about whether placebo treatment could facilitate social functioning, a crucial aspect for well-being of a social species. In the present study, we develop and validate a paradigm to induce placebo effects on social trust and approach behavior (social placebo effect), and show robust evidence that placebo treatment promotes trust in others and increases preference for a closer interpersonal distance. We further examine placebo effects in real-life social interaction and show that placebo treatment makes single, but not pair-bonded, males keep closer to an attractive first-met female and perceive less social anxiety in the female. Finally, we show evidence that the effects of placebo treatment on social trust and approach behavior can be as strong as the effect of intranasal administration of oxytocin, a neuropeptide known for its function in facilitating social cognition and behavior. The finding of the social placebo effect extends our understanding of placebo effects on improvement of physical, mental, and social well-being and suggests clinical potentials in the treatment of social dysfunction.

Clinical characteristics, treatment and outcomes of adnexal torsion in pregnant women: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Adnexal torsion during pregnancy is a gynecological emergency. Delayed diagnosis and treatment can cause ovarian necrosis and fetal loss. This study assessed the clinical characteristics, treatment and outcomes of adnexal torsion in pregnant women. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary center between January 2008 and January 2018. Eighty-two pregnant women with surgically confirmed adnexal torsion were included. The clinical characteristics, ultrasound data, surgical interventions and pregnancy outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 28 (range, 18-38) years. The median gestational age was 11 (range, 6-31) weeks: 53 (64.6%) were in the first trimester, 21 (25.6%) were in the second trimester, and 8 (9.8%) were in the third trimester. The most common symptoms and signs were sudden pelvic pain (100%) and adnexal or pelvic masses (97.6%), followed by nausea and vomiting (61%). The Doppler blood flow signal disappeared in 62.5% of the patients. Sixty-three (76.8%) patients underwent laparoscopy, and 29 (24.2%) underwent laparotomy. The median gestational age in patients undergoing laparotomy was higher than that in those undergoing laparoscopy (26 weeks vs 10 weeks, p < 0.001). Fifty-three (64.6%) patients underwent conservative surgery, with 48 detorsions and cystectomies, 2 detorsions and cyst fenestrations, 1 detorsion only and 2 salpingectomies only. Twenty-nine (25.4%) patients underwent unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. There were no cases of postoperative thrombosis, spontaneous abortion or recurrence during the same pregnancy. Seven patients underwent simultaneous artificial abortion. One patient experienced intrauterine fetal death, and 74 patients had live births. CONCLUSION: Surgical intervention was required as soon as possible. Laparoscopic conservative surgery is safe and may be appropriate to preserve ovarian function.

Al18 F labeled sulfonamide-conjugated positron emission tomography tracer in vivo tumor-targeted imaging.

An ideal positron emission tomography (PET) tracer should be highly extractable by the tumor tissue or organ that contains low toxicity and can provide high-resolution images in vivo. In this work, the aim was to evaluate the application of Al18 F-labeled 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triacetic acid containing sulfonamide group (18 F-Al-NOTA-SN) as a potential tumor-targeting signal-enhanced radioactive tracer in PET. SN as a tumor-targeting group was incorporated to NOTA to make a ligand. Subsequently, this ligand reacted with Na18 F and AlCl3 to produce a compound 18 F-Al-NOTA-SN. This compound was further characterized and its property in regard to cell cytotoxicity assay, microPET imaging, biodistribution, cell uptake assay, and tumor selectivity in vitro and in vivo, was also investigated. 18 F-Al-NOTA-SN possessed low cell cytotoxicity and uptake to COS-7 and 293T healthy cells and high cell cytotoxicity and uptake to MDA-MB-231, HepG2, and HeLa tumor cells in vitro. Moreover, 18 F-Al-NOTA-SN showed good tumor-targeting property and high PET signal enhancement of HeLa tumors, liver, and kidneys in mice, as well as the uptake ratios of tumor to blood and tumor to muscle, were 4.98 and 3.87, respectively. 18 F-Al-NOTA-SN can be accepted to be kidney and liver eliminated earlier and show a potential tumor-targeting signal-enhanced radioactive tracer in PET.

Theoretical investigation of the valence states in Au via the Au-F compounds under high pressure.

In addition to the known Au3+ and Au5+, it has recently been shown that Au is likely to possess unusual valence states in compressed Au-F compounds. However, our simulations reveal that polymeric ground-state AuF4 shows an unexpected 6-fold coordination rather than a 4-fold one, indicating that more complete comprehending on the anomalous Au4+ is highly required. To fully understand the nature and origin of anomalous valence states in Au, we have extensively investigated the ground-state structures of Au-F compounds at high pressures using quantum mechanical computational methods. As a consequence, we identify several previously unreported (stable) AuF2, AuF3 and AuF4 structures. Our results extend the known polymorphism of AuFn compounds and offer a fundamental understanding of the origin of unusual valence states in Au that prevail at high pressure.

Crystal structures and dynamical properties of dense CO2.

Structural polymorphism in dense carbon dioxide (CO2) has attracted significant attention in high-pressure physics and chemistry for the past two decades. Here, we have performed high-pressure experiments and first-principles theoretical calculations to investigate the stability, structure, and dynamical properties of dense CO2 We found evidence that CO2-V with the 4-coordinated extended structure can be quenched to ambient pressure below 200 K-the melting temperature of CO2-I. CO2-V is a fully coordinated structure formed from a molecular solid at high pressure and recovered at ambient pressure. Apart from confirming the metastability of CO2-V (I-42d) at ambient pressure at low temperature, results of ab initio molecular dynamics and metadynamics (MD) simulations provided insights into the transformation processes and structural relationship from the molecular to the extended phases. In addition, the simulation also predicted a phase V'(Pna21) in the stability region of CO2-V with a diffraction pattern similar to that previously assigned to the CO2-V (P212121) structure. Both CO2-V and -V' are predicted to be recoverable and hard with a Vicker hardness of ∼20 GPa. Significantly, MD simulations found that the CO2 in phase IV exhibits large-amplitude bending motions at finite temperatures and high pressures. This finding helps to explain the discrepancy between earlier predicted static structures and experiments. MD simulations clearly indicate temperature effects are critical to understanding the high-pressure behaviors of dense CO2 structures-highlighting the significance of chemical kinetics associated with the transformations.

The protective effects of polysaccharide extract from Xin-Ji-Er-Kang formula on Ang II-induced HUVECs injury, L-NAME-induced hypertension and cardiovascular remodeling in mice.

BACKGROUND: Xin-Ji-Er-Kang (XJEK) is a Chinese herbal formula, which has been reported to exert effective protection against cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension and myocarditis. METHODS: Cultured human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with angiotensin II (Ang II) and different concentrations of aqueous layer extracts (AqE). Subsequently nitric oxide (NO) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression levels were detected. In addition, fifty Kunming mice were randomized into control, Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), L-NAME+AqE, L-NAME+XJEK and L-NAME+fosinopril treatment groups. Following 8 weeks of treatment, the cardiac hemodynamic index was measured, relaxation of the aorta was examined and pathological changes were observed. Colorimetric analysis and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were applied to determine the relevant indicators in plasma and cardiac tissues. RESULTS: The in vitro study results demonstrated that AqE could preserve endothelial function (NO, 21.05 ± 2.03 vs. 8.64 ± 0.59; eNOS, 1.08 ± 0.17 vs.0.73 ± 0.06). In addition, the in vivo results demonstrated that compared with the control group, treatment with AqE could enhance a high hemodynamic state (left ventricular systolic pressure, 116.76 ± 9.96 vs.114.5 ± 15.16), improve endothelial function (NO, 7.98 ± 9.64 vs. 1.66 ± 3.11; eNOS, 19.78 ± 3.18 vs.19.38 ± 3.85), suppress oxidative stress (OS) (superoxide dismutase, 178.17 ± 13.78 vs. 159.38 ± 18.86; malondialdehyde, 0.77 ± 0.13 vs.1.25 ± 0.36) and reverse cardiovascular remodeling. CONCLUSION: Polysaccharide from XJEK exerts protective effects against Ang II-induced injury in HUVECs and L-NAME-induced hypertension in mice and the underlying mechanism may be attributed to improving endothelial dysfunction, OS and the inflammation status in mice.

The Positive Lymph Node Number and Postoperative N-Staging Used to Estimate Survival in Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: Results from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Dataset (1988-2008).

BACKGROUND: Lymph node metastasis is important when evaluating the prognosis of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). However, the current N-staging system cannot fully reflect the clinical significance of cervical lymph node metastasis in DTC. In this study, we employed Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-registered DTC cases with lymph node metastasis to determine whether the positive lymph node number (PLNN) could be used to improve stratification of patients in terms of survival. METHODS: We used the SEER dataset to identify all DTC patients with at least one positive cervical lymph node who were examined between 1988 and 2008. Multivariable modeling was used to compare cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) and to calculate different PLNN cutoff points. RESULTS: In total, 14,359 pN + DTC patients identified in the SEER were included. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, the PLNN was significantly associated with both CSS and OS, whereas neither the lymph node ratio (LNR) nor the (numbers of) lymph nodes examined (LNE) were so associated. The highest C-index value (0.933) and the lowest AIC value (9362.687) obtained indicated that the PLNN better predicted the CSS of DTC than did the LNR or LNE. As the p values for both CSS and OS were minimized, and as the PLNN performed best when cases were grouped, PLNN cutoff points of 10 and 3/10 efficiently stratified DTC patients into two and three levels, respectively. Based on the 3/10 trichotomy, the benefits of radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment were evaluated for each group. Such treatment afforded about a 10% survival benefit in patients with more than 10 lymph node metastases. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the LNR and LNE under different statistical models, PLNN was superior in terms of DTC staging. A cutoff point of 3/10 was optimal for stratifying patients according to prognosis and was of clinical significance in terms of RAI treatment selection.

Crosstalk of PmCBFs and PmDAMs Based on the Changes of Phytohormones under Seasonal Cold Stress in the Stem of Prunus mume.

Plants facing the seasonal variations always need a growth restraining mechanism when temperatures turn down. C-repeat binding factor (CBF) genes work essentially in the cold perception. Despite lots of researches on CBFs, the multiple crosstalk is still interesting on their interaction with hormones and dormancy-associated MADS (DAM) genes in the growth and dormancy control. Therefore, this study highlights roles of PmCBFs in cold-induced dormancy from different orgens. And a sense-response relationship between PmCBFs and PmDAMs is exhibited in this process, jointly regulated by six PmCBFs and PmDAM4-6. Meantime, GA3 and ABA showed negative and positive correlation with PmCBFs expression levels, respectively. We also find a high correlation between IAA and PmDAM1-3. Finally, we display the interaction mode of PmCBFs and PmDAMs, especially PmCBF1-PmDAM1. These results can disclose another view of molecular mechanism in plant growth between cold-response pathway and dormancy regulation together with genes and hormones.

SEP-class genes in Prunus mume and their likely role in floral organ development.

BACKGROUND: Flower phylogenetics and genetically controlled development have been revolutionised during the last two decades. However, some of these evolutionary aspects are still debatable. MADS-box genes are known to play essential role in specifying the floral organogenesis and differentiation in numerous model plants like Petunia hybrida, Arabidopsis thaliana and Antirrhinum majus. SEPALLATA (SEP) genes, belonging to the MADS-box gene family, are members of the ABCDE and quartet models of floral organ development and play a vital role in flower development. However, few studies of the genes in Prunus mume have yet been conducted. RESULTS: In this study, we cloned four PmSEPs and investigated their phylogenetic relationship with other species. Expression pattern analyses and yeast two-hybrid assays of these four genes indicated their involvement in the floral organogenesis with PmSEP4 specifically related to specification of the prolificated flowers in P. mume. It was observed that the flower meristem was specified by PmSEP1 and PmSEP4, the sepal by PmSEP1 and PmSEP4, petals by PmSEP2 and PmSEP3, stamens by PmSEP2 and PmSEP3 and pistils by PmSEP2 and PmSEP3. CONCLUSION: With the above in mind, flower development in P. mume might be due to an expression of SEP genes. Our findings can provide a foundation for further investigations of the transcriptional factors governing flower development, their molecular mechanisms and genetic basis.

Kinetically Controlled Two-Step Amorphization and Amorphous-Amorphous Transition in Ice.

We report the results of in situ structural characterization of the amorphization of crystalline ice Ih under compression and the relaxation of high-density amorphous (HDA) ice under decompression at temperatures between 96 and 160 K by synchrotron x-ray diffraction. The results show that ice Ih transforms to an intermediate crystalline phase at 100 K prior to complete amorphization, which is supported by molecular dynamics calculations. The phase transition pathways show clear temperature dependence: direct amorphization without an intermediate phase is observed at 133 K, while at 145 K a direct Ih-to-IX transformation is observed; decompression of HDA shows a transition to low-density amorphous ice at 96 K and ∼1 Pa, to ice Ic at 135 K and to ice IX at 145 K. These observations show that the amorphization of compressed ice Ih and the recrystallization of decompressed HDA are strongly dependent on temperature and controlled by kinetic barriers. Pressure-induced amorphous ice is an intermediate state in the phase transition from the connected H-bond water network in low pressure ices to the independent and interpenetrating H-bond network of high-pressure ices.