Perceptual formant discrimination during speech movement planning.

Evoked potential studies have shown that speech planning modulates auditory cortical responses. The phenomenon's functional relevance is unknown. We tested whether, during this time window of cortical auditory modulation, there is an effect on speakers' perceptual sensitivity for vowel formant discrimination. Participants made same/different judgments for pairs of stimuli consisting of a pre-recorded, self-produced vowel and a formant-shifted version of the same production. Stimuli were presented prior to a "go" signal for speaking, prior to passive listening, and during silent reading. The formant discrimination stimulus /uh/ was tested with a congruent productions list (words with /uh/) and an incongruent productions list (words without /uh/). Logistic curves were fitted to participants' responses, and the just-noticeable difference (JND) served as a measure of discrimination sensitivity. We found a statistically significant effect of condition (worst discrimination before speaking) without congruency effect. Post-hoc pairwise comparisons revealed that JND was significantly greater before speaking than during silent reading. Thus, formant discrimination sensitivity was reduced during speech planning regardless of the congruence between discrimination stimulus and predicted acoustic consequences of the planned speech movements. This finding may inform ongoing efforts to determine the functional relevance of the previously reported modulation of auditory processing during speech planning.

Passivating A-Site and X-Site Vacancies Simultaneously via N-Heterocyclic Amines for Efficient Cs2AgBiBr6 Solar Cells.

To address the toxicity and stability issues of traditional lead halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs), the development of lead-free PSCs, such as Cs2AgBiBr6 solar cells, is of great significance. However, due to the low defect formation energy of Cs2AgBiBr6, a large number of vacancies, including A-site vacancies and X-site vacancies, form during the fabrication process of the Cs2AgBiBr6 film, which seriously damage the performance of the devices. The traditional phenylethylammonium (PEA) cation, mainly focusing on passivating A-site vacancies, is incapable of reducing X-site vacancies and so results in a limited performance improvement in Cs2AgBiBr6 solar cells. Herein, inspired by the capability of the Lewis base to coordinate with metal cations, a series of N-heterocyclic amines are introduced to serve as a dual-site passivator, reducing A-site and X-site vacancies at the same time. The highest power conversion efficiency of modified Cs2AgBiBr6 solar cells has been increased 36% from 1.10 to 1.50%. Further investigation reveals that the higher electron density of additives would lead to a stronger interaction with metal cations like Ag+ and Bi3+, thus reducing more X-site defects and improving carrier dynamics. Our work provides a strategy for passivating perovskite with various kinds of defects and reveals the connection between the coordination capability of additives and device performance enhancement, which could be instructive in improving the performance of lead-free PSCs.

Breaking the bottleneck of lead-free perovskite solar cells through dimensionality modulation.

The emerging perovskite solar cell (PSC) technology has attracted significant attention due to its superior power conversion efficiency (PCE) among the thin-film photovoltaic technologies. However, the toxicity of lead and poor stability of lead halide materials hinder their commercialization. In this case, after a decade of effort, various categories of lead-free perovskites and perovskite-like materials have been developed, including tin halide perovskites, double perovskites, defect-structured perovskites, and rudorffites. However, the performance of the corresponding devices still falls short of expectations, especially their PCE. The limitations mainly originate from either the unstable lattice structure of these materials, which causes the distortion of their octahedra, or their low dimensionality (e.g., structural and electronic dimensionality)-correlated poor carrier transport and self-trapping effect, accelerating nonradiative recombination. Therefore, understanding the relationship between the structures and performance in these emerging candidates and leveraging these insights to design or modify new lead-free perovskites is of great significance. Herein, we review the variety of dimensionalities in different categories of lead-free perovskites and perovskite-like materials and conclude that dimensionality is an important aspect among the crucial indexes that determine the performance of lead-free PSCs. In addition, we summarize the modulation of both structural and electronic dimensionality, and the corresponding enhanced optoelectronic properties in different categories. Finally, perspectives on the future development of lead-free perovskites and perovskite-like materials for photovoltaic applications are provided. We hope that this review will provide researchers with a concise overview of these emerging materials and help them leverage dimensionality to break the bottleneck in photovoltaic applications.

Treatment response assessment to chemotherapy with bevacizumab for colorectal liver metastasis by contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

Background: Though contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) perfusion parameters have been approved to be potential indicators for response to chemotherapy in solid tumors, their ability in assessment of colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) to chemotherapy with bevacizumab (Bev) has rarely been investigated. Methods: From March 2021 to May 2022, 115 consecutive CRLM patients with CEUS pre- and post-2 months' chemotherapy with Bev were prospectively enrolled. One target lesion per patient underwent CEUS quantitative analysis with SonoLiver software. Rise time, time-to-peak, mean transit time, maximal intensity (IMAX), and area under the time-intensity curve (AUC) were assessed with region of interest (ROI) selected on whole lesion, lesion periphery, and internal lesion, respectively. The reduction and ratio of post- to pre-treatment in parameters were investigated in development cohort (n=89) and validated in internal validation cohort (n=26) according to the chronological order. Results: With modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumor as reference, 48, 14 responders and 41, 12 non-responders were included in development and validation cohort, respectively. Significantly smaller values of IMAX and AUC on ROIwhole, ROIperipheral, and ROIinternal, were observed post-treatment in development cohort (all P<0.05). In predicting treatment response, the influence of ROI selection was observed when using ∆IMAX and ∆AUC, while no influence was observed using ratios. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROCs) for ∆IMAX and ∆AUC on ROIperipheral were 0.939 (0.867-0.979), 0.951 (0.883-0.985), and 0.917 (0.740-0.988), 0.923 (0.748-0.990) in development and validation cohort, respectively. For ratios of IMAX and AUC, AUROCs were 0.976 (0.919-0.997), 0.938 (0.865-0.978), and 0.899 (0.717-0.982), 0.982 (0.836-1.000) in development and validation cohort, respectively. Conclusions: IMAX and AUC showed significant reductions in responders, and different analyses ROIs influence the performance of ∆IMAX and ∆AUC in response assessment. Parameters derived from ROI peripheral exhibited the most promising results in predicting treatment response.

GhVOZ1-AVP1 module positively regulates salt tolerance in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).

Vascular Plant One­zinc Finger (VOZ) transcription factor can respond to a variety of abiotic stresses, however its function in cotton and the molecular mechanisms of response to salt tolerance remained unclear. In this study, we found that GhVOZ1 is highly expressed in stamen and stem of cotton under normal conditions. The expression of GhVOZ1 increased significantly after 3 h of salt treatment in three-leaf staged upland cotton. Overexpressed transgenic lines of GhVOZ1 in Arabidopsis and upland cotton were treated with salt stress and we found that GhVOZ1 could respond positively to salt stress. GhVOZ1 can regulate Arabidopsis Vacuolar Proton Pump Pyrophosphatase (H+-PPase) gene (AVP1) expression through specific binding to GCGTCTAAAGTACGC site on GhAVP1 promoter, which was examined through Dual-luciferase assay and Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). AVP1 expression was significantly increased in Arabidopsis with GhVOZ1 overexpression, while GhAVP1 expression was decreased in virus induced gene silenced (VIGS) cotton plants of GhVOZ1. Knockdown of GhAVP1 expression in cotton plants by VIGS showed decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activities, whereas an increased malondialdehyde (MDA) content and ultimately decreased salt tolerance. The GhVOZ1-AVP1 module could maintain sodium ion homeostasis through cell ion transport and positively regulate the salt tolerance in cotton, providing new ideas and insights for the study of salt tolerance.

GhMYB30-GhMUR3 affects fiber elongation and secondary wall thickening in cotton.

Xyloglucan, an important hemicellulose, plays a crucial role in maintaining cell wall structure and cell elongation. However, the effects of xyloglucan on cotton fiber development are not well understood. GhMUR3 encodes a xyloglucan galactosyltransferase that is essential for xyloglucan synthesis and is highly expressed during fiber elongation. In this study, we report that GhMUR3 participates in cotton fiber development under the regulation of GhMYB30. Overexpression GhMUR3 affects the fiber elongation and cell wall thickening. Transcriptome showed that the expression of genes involved in secondary cell wall synthesis was prematurely activated in OE-MUR3 lines. In addition, GhMYB30 was identified as a key regulator of GhMUR3 by Y1H, Dual-Luc, and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) assays. GhMYB30 directly bound the GhMUR3 promoter and activated GhMUR3 expression. Furthermore, DAP-seq of GhMYB30 was performed to identify its target genes in the whole genome. The results showed that many target genes were associated with fiber development, including cell wall synthesis-related genes, BR-related genes, reactive oxygen species pathway genes, and VLCFA synthesis genes. It was demonstrated that GhMYB30 may regulate fiber development through multiple pathways. Additionally, GhMYB46 was confirmed to be a target gene of GhMYB30 by EMSA, and GhMYB46 was significantly increased in GhMYB30-silenced lines, indicating that GhMYB30 inhibited GhMYB46 expression. Overall, these results revealed that GhMUR3 under the regulation of GhMYB30 and plays an essential role in cotton fiber elongation and secondary wall thickening. Additionally, GhMYB30 plays an important role in the regulation of fiber development and regulates fiber secondary wall synthesis by inhibiting the expression of GhMYB46.

Ultrasound findings of hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma: comparison with other malignant hepatic tumors.

PURPOSE: To investigate and compare the ultrasonic features of hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (HEHE) and other common hepatic malignancies, such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and hepatic metastatic tumor (HMT). METHODS: A total of 37 patients with pathologically proven HEHE, 37 HCC cases, 37 ICC cases, and 37 HMT cases were enrolled from single hospital. The clinical characteristics and ultrasonic features of all cases were summarized and statistically analyzed. RESULTS: There were significant differences in sex and age between the HEHE group and other three groups (P < 0.001). The probability of HEHE infection with hepatitis B virus was lower than that of HCC and ICC groups (P < 0.05). The probability of elevated serum tumor markers in HEHE was significantly lower than that in the other three groups (P < 0.05). On conventional ultrasound (CUS), the probability of multiple lesions in HEHE was significantly higher than that in the other three groups (P < 0.05). On contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), the time to wash out in HEHE was significantly shorter than that of the other three groups (P < 0.001). The proportion of synchronous or slow enhancement in HEHE was significantly higher than that of the other three groups (P < 0.001). The proportion of HEHE with iso- or hypo-enhancement was significantly higher than in HCC and HMT groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: HEHE mainly performed multiple hypoechoic lesions on CUS and displayed greater odds of synchronous enhancement in arterial phase, iso- or hypo-enhancement in peak time and wash out more quickly on CEUS, which allowed for differentiation from other common malignant tumors.

Genome-wide analysis of SET domain genes and the function of GhSDG51 during salt stress in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).

BACKGROUND: Cotton, being extensively cultivated, holds immense economic significance as one of the most prominent crops globally. The SET (Su(var), E, and Trithorax) domain-containing protein is of significant importance in plant development, growth, and response to abiotic stress by modifying the lysine methylation status of histone. However, the comprehensive identification of SET domain genes (SDG) have not been conducted in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). RESULTS: A total of 229 SDGs were identified in four Gossypium species, including G. arboretum, G. raimondii, G. hirsutum, and G. barbadense. These genes could distinctly be divided into eight groups. The analysis of gene structure and protein motif revealed a high degree of conservation among the SDGs within the same group. Collinearity analysis suggested that the SDGs of Gossypium species and most of the other selected plants were mainly expanded by dispersed duplication events and whole genome duplication (WGD) events. The allopolyploidization event also has a significant impact on the expansion of SDGs in tetraploid Gossypium species. Furthermore, the characteristics of these genes have been relatively conserved during the evolution. Cis-element analysis revealed that GhSDGs play a role in resistance to abiotic stresses and growth development. Furthermore, the qRT-PCR results have indicated the ability of GhSDGs to respond to salt stress. Co-expression analysis revealed that GhSDG51 might co-express with genes associated with salt stress. In addition, the silencing of GhSDG51 in cotton by the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) method suggested a potential positive regulatory role of GhSDG51 in salt stress. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study comprehensively analyze the SDGs in cotton and provide a basis for understanding the biological role of SDGs in the stress resistance in upland cotton.

GhDof1.7, a Dof Transcription Factor, Plays Positive Regulatory Role under Salinity Stress in Upland Cotton.

Salt stress is a major abiotic stressor that can severely limit plant growth, distribution, and crop yield. DNA-binding with one finger (Dof) is a plant-specific transcription factor that plays a crucial role in plant growth, development, and stress response. In this study, the function of a Dof transcription factor, GhDof1.7, was investigated in upland cotton. The GhDof1.7 gene has a coding sequence length of 759 base pairs, encoding 252 amino acids, and is mainly expressed in roots, stems, leaves, and inflorescences. Salt and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments significantly induced the expression of GhDof1.7. The presence of GhDof1.7 in Arabidopsis may have resulted in potential improvements in salt tolerance, as suggested by a decrease in H2O2 content and an increase in catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities. The GhDof1.7 protein was found to interact with GhCAR4 (C2-domain ABA-related 4), and the silencing of either GhDof1.7 or GhCAR4 resulted in reduced salt tolerance in cotton plants. These findings demonstrate that GhDof1.7 plays a crucial role in improving the salt tolerance of upland cotton and provide insight into the regulation of abiotic stress response by Dof transcription factors.

Perceptual formant discrimination during speech movement planning.

Evoked potential studies have shown that speech planning modulates auditory cortical responses. The phenomenon's functional relevance is unknown. We tested whether, during this time window of cortical auditory modulation, there is an effect on speakers' perceptual sensitivity for vowel formant discrimination. Participants made same/different judgments for pairs of stimuli consisting of a pre-recorded, self-produced vowel and a formant-shifted version of the same production. Stimuli were presented prior to a "go" signal for speaking, prior to passive listening, and during silent reading. The formant discrimination stimulus /uh/ was tested with a congruent productions list (words with /uh/) and an incongruent productions list (words without /uh/). Logistic curves were fitted to participants' responses, and the just-noticeable difference (JND) served as a measure of discrimination sensitivity. We found a statistically significant effect of condition (worst discrimination before speaking) without congruency effect. Post-hoc pairwise comparisons revealed that JND was significantly greater before speaking than during silent reading. Thus, formant discrimination sensitivity was reduced during speech planning regardless of the congruence between discrimination stimulus and predicted acoustic consequences of the planned speech movements. This finding may inform ongoing efforts to determine the functional relevance of the previously reported modulation of auditory processing during speech planning.

A systematic analysis of the phloem protein 2 (PP2) proteins in Gossypium hirsutum reveals that GhPP2-33 regulates salt tolerance.

BACKGROUND: Phloem protein 2 (PP2) proteins play a vital role in the Phloem-based defense (PBD) and participate in many abiotic and biotic stress. However, research on PP2 proteins in cotton is still lacking. RESULTS: A total of 25, 23, 43, and 47 PP2 genes were comprehensively identified and characterized in G.arboretum, G.raimondii, G.barbadense, and G.hirsutum. The whole genome duplication (WGD) and allopolyploidization events play essential roles in the expansion of PP2 genes. The promoter regions of GhPP2 genes contain many cis-acting elements related to abiotic stress and the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) analysis displayed that GhPP2s could be related to salt stress. The qRT-PCR assays further confirmed that GhPP2-33 could be dramatically upregulated during the salt treatment. And the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) experiment proved that the silencing of GhPP2-33 could decrease salt tolerance. CONCLUSIONS: The results in this study not only offer new perspectives for understanding the evolution of PP2 genes in cotton but also further explore their function under salt stress.

Expanding the Absorption of Double Perovskite Cs2AgBiBr6 to NIR Region.

The toxicity of lead-based halide perovskites hampers broad application in optoelectronics. The lead-free perovskite Cs2AgBiBr6 is considered a promising candidate, owing to its long carrier lifetime and outstanding stability. However, the relatively large bandgap hinders its absorption in the visible region and thus the application of its photoelectric properties in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) regions. Therefore, the expansion of absorption to the longer wavelengths, even the NIR region, makes sense for solar cells and photodetector applications. Facile elemental doping or substitution of Cs2AgBiBr6 makes it potentially desirable for applications in both visible and NIR regions. As a result, band-edge adjustment to expand the absorption onset or trace deep-energy-level doping with a new intermediate band was achieved. Here, we summarize the elemental doping results and review the potential application of Cs2AgBiBr6 from these two aspects and give constructive perspectives for further development of lead-free perovskite.

CNN2 silencing inhibits colorectal cancer development through promoting ubiquitination of EGR1.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed malignant tumors of the digestive tract. H2-calponin (CNN2), an actin cytoskeleton-binding protein, is an isoform of the calponin protein family whose role in CRC is still unknown. Research based on clinical samples showed the up-regulation of CNN2 in CRC and its association with tumor development, metastasis, and poor prognosis of patients. Both in vitro loss-of-function and gain-of-function experiments showed that CNN2 participates in CRC development through influencing malignant cell phenotypes. In vivo, xenografts formed by CNN2 knockdown cells also showed a slower growth rate and smaller final tumors. Furthermore, EGR1 was identified as a downstream of CNN2, forming a complex with CNN2 and YAP1 and playing an essential role in the CNN2-induced regulation of CRC development. Mechanistically, CNN2 knockdown down-regulated EGR1 expression through enhancing its ubiquitination, thus decreasing its protein stability in a YAP1-dependent manner. In summary, CNN2 plays an EGR1-dependent promotion role in the development and progression of CRC, which may be a promising therapeutic target for CRC treatment.

Contrast-Enhanced Imaging Features and Clinicopathological Investigation of Steatohepatitic Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Steatohepatitic hepatocellular carcinoma (SH-HCC) is a distinctive histologic variant of HCC for the presence of steatohepatitis. This study intended to evaluate the contrast-enhanced imaging features and clinicopathological characteristics of 26 SH-HCCs in comparison with 26 age-and-sex-matched non-SH-HCCs. The frequency of obesity (34.6%, p = 0.048) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (23.1%, p = 0.042) were significantly higher in SH-HCC patients. As seen via B-mode ultrasound (BMUS), SH-HCCs were predominantly hyperechoic (65.4%, p = 0.002) lesions, while non-SH-HCCs were mainly hypo-echoic. As seen via contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), 96.2% of SH-HCCs exhibited hyperenhancement in the arterial phase. During the portal venous and late phase, 88.5% of SH-HCCs showed late and mild washout. Consequently, most SH-HCCs and all non-SH-HCCs were categorized as LR-4 or LR-5. As seen via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a signal drop in the T1WI opposed-phase was observed in 84.6% of SH-HCCs (p = 0.000). Notably, diffuse fat in mass was detected in 57.7% (15/26) SH-HCCs (p < 0.001). As seen via contrast-enhanced MRI (CEMRI), most of the SH-HCCs and non-SH-HCCs exhibited heterogeneous hyperenhancement in the arterial phase (80.8% versus 69.2%, p = 0.337). During the delayed phase, 76.9% SH-HCCs and 88.5% non-SH-HCCs exhibited hypo-enhancement. Histopathologically, the rate of microvascular invasion (MVI) was significantly lower in SH-HCCs than non-SH-HCCs (42.3% versus 73.1%, p = 0.025). The frequency of hepatic steatosis >5% in non-tumoral liver parenchyma of SH-HCCs was significantly higher than in non-SH-HCCs (88.5% versus 26.9%, p = 0.000). Additionally, the fibrotic stages of S0, S1 and S2 in SH-HCCs were significantly higher than in non-SH-HCCs (p = 0.044). During follow-up, although the PFS of SH-HCC patients was significantly longer than non-SH-HCC patients (p = 0.046), for the overall survival rate of SH-HCC and non-SH-HCC patients there was no significant difference (p = 0.162). In conclusion, the frequency of metabolism-related diseases in SH-HCC patients was significantly higher than in non-SH-HCC patients. The imaging features of SH-HCCs combined the fatty change and typical enhancement performance of standard HCC as seen via CEUS/CEMRI.

The CCCH-Type Zinc-Finger Protein GhC3H20 Enhances Salt Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana and Cotton through ABA Signal Transduction Pathway.

The CCCH zinc-finger protein contains a typical C3H-type motif widely existing in plants, and it plays an important role in plant growth, development, and stress responses. In this study, a CCCH zinc-finger gene, GhC3H20, was isolated and thoroughly characterized to regulate salt stress in cotton and Arabidopsis. The expression of GhC3H20 was up-regulated under salt, drought, and ABA treatments. GUS activity was detected in the root, stem, leaves, and flowers of ProGhC3H20::GUS transgenic Arabidopsis. Compared with the control, the GUS activity of ProGhC3H20::GUS transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings under NaCl treatment was stronger. Through the genetic transformation of Arabidopsis, three transgenic lines of 35S-GhC3H20 were obtained. Under NaCl and mannitol treatments, the roots of the transgenic lines were significantly longer than those of the wild-type (WT) Arabidopsis. The leaves of the WT turned yellow and wilted under high-concentration salt treatment at the seedling stage, while the leaves of the transgenic Arabidopsis lines did not. Further investigation showed that compared with the WT, the content of catalase (CAT) in the leaves of the transgenic lines was significantly higher. Therefore, compared with the WT, overexpression of GhC3H20 enhanced the salt stress tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis. A virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) experiment showed that compared with the control, the leaves of pYL156-GhC3H20 plants were wilted and dehydrated. The content of chlorophyll in pYL156-GhC3H20 leaves was significantly lower than those of the control. Therefore, silencing of GhC3H20 reduced salt stress tolerance in cotton. Two interacting proteins (GhPP2CA and GhHAB1) of GhC3H20 have been identified through a yeast two-hybrid assay. The expression levels of PP2CA and HAB1 in transgenic Arabidopsis were higher than those in the WT, and pYL156-GhC3H20 had expression levels lower than those in the control. GhPP2CA and GhHAB1 are the key genes involved in the ABA signaling pathway. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that GhC3H20 may interact with GhPP2CA and GhHAB1 to participate in the ABA signaling pathway to enhance salt stress tolerance in cotton.

A Comprehensive Analysis of the DUF4228 Gene Family in Gossypium Reveals the Role of GhDUF4228-67 in Salt Tolerance.

Soil salinization conditions seriously restrict cotton yield and quality. Related studies have shown that the DUF4228 proteins are pivotal in plant resistance to abiotic stress. However, there has been no systematic identification and analysis of the DUF4228 gene family in cotton and their role in abiotic stress. In this study, a total of 308 DUF4228 genes were identified in four Gossypium species, which were divided into five subfamilies. Gene structure and protein motifs analysis showed that the GhDUF4228 proteins were conserved in each subfamily. In addition, whole genome duplication (WGD) events and allopolyploidization might play an essential role in the expansion of the DUF4228 genes. Besides, many stress-responsive (MYB, MYC) and hormone-responsive (ABA, MeJA) related cis-elements were detected in the promoters of the DUF4228 genes. The qRT-PCR results showed that GhDUF4228 genes might be involved in the response to abiotic stress. VIGS assays and the measurement of relative water content (RWC), Proline content, POD activity, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content indicated that GhDUF4228-67 might be a positive regulator of cotton response to salt stress. The results in this study systematically characterized the DUF4228s in Gossypium species and will provide helpful information to further research the role of DUF4228s in salt tolerance.

A Comprehensive Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis Reveals a Role of GhWRKY46 in Responding to Drought and Salt Stresses.

Abiotic stress, such as drought and salinity stress, seriously inhibit the growth and development of plants. Therefore, it is vital to understand the drought and salinity resistance mechanisms to enable cotton to provide more production under drought and salt conditions. In this study, we identified 8806 and 9108 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) through a comprehensive analysis of transcriptomic data related to the PEG-induced osmotic and salt stress in cotton. By performing weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we identified four co-expression modules in PEG treatment and five co-expression modules in salinity stress, which included 346 and 324 predicted transcription factors (TFs) in these modules, respectively. Correspondingly, whole genome duplication (WGD) events mainly contribute to the expansion of those TFs. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and gene ontology (GO) analyses revealed those different modules were associated with stress resistance, including regulating macromolecule metabolic process, peptidase activity, transporter activity, lipid metabolic process, and responses to stimulus. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis was used to confirm the expression levels of 15 hub TFs in PEG6000 and salinity treatments. We found that the hub gene GhWRKY46 could alter salt and PEG-induced drought resistance in cotton through the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) method. Our results provide a preliminary framework for further investigation of the cotton response to salt and drought stress, which is significant to breeding salt- and drought-tolerant cotton varieties.

Genomewide Identification and Characterization of the Genes Involved in the Flowering of Cotton.

Flowering is a prerequisite for flowering plants to complete reproduction, and flowering time has an important effect on the high and stable yields of crops. However, there are limited reports on flowering-related genes at the genomic level in cotton. In this study, genomewide analysis of the evolutionary relationship of flowering-related genes in different cotton species shows that the numbers of flowering-related genes in the genomes of tetraploid cotton species Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense were similar, and that these numbers were approximately twice as much as the number in diploid cotton species Gossypium arboretum. The classification of flowering-related genes shows that most of them belong to the photoperiod and circadian clock flowering pathway. The distribution of flowering-related genes on the chromosomes of the At and Dt subgenomes was similar, with no subgenomic preference detected. In addition, most of the flowering-related core genes in Arabidopsis thaliana had homologs in the cotton genome, but the copy numbers and expression patterns were disparate; moreover, flowering-related genes underwent purifying selection throughout the evolutionary and selection processes. Although the differentiation and reorganization of many key genes of the cotton flowering regulatory network occurred throughout the evolutionary and selection processes, most of them, especially those involved in the important flowering regulatory networks, have been relatively conserved and preferentially selected.

Inter-Trial Formant Variability in Speech Production Is Actively Controlled but Does Not Affect Subsequent Adaptation to a Predictable Formant Perturbation.

Despite ample evidence that speech production is associated with extensive trial-to-trial variability, it remains unclear whether this variability represents merely unwanted system noise or an actively regulated mechanism that is fundamental for maintaining and adapting accurate speech movements. Recent work on upper limb movements suggest that inter-trial variability may be not only actively regulated based on sensory feedback, but also provide a type of workspace exploration that facilitates sensorimotor learning. We therefore investigated whether experimentally reducing or magnifying inter-trial formant variability in the real-time auditory feedback during speech production (a) leads to adjustments in formant production variability that compensate for the manipulation, (b) changes the temporal structure of formant adjustments across productions, and (c) enhances learning in a subsequent adaptation task in which a predictable formant-shift perturbation is applied to the feedback signal. Results show that subjects gradually increased formant variability in their productions when hearing auditory feedback with reduced variability, but subsequent formant-shift adaptation was not affected by either reducing or magnifying the perceived variability. Thus, findings provide evidence for speakers' active control of inter-trial formant variability based on auditory feedback from previous trials, but-at least for the current short-term experimental manipulation of feedback variability-not for a role of this variability regulation mechanism in subsequent auditory-motor learning.

A Comprehensive Identification and Function Analysis of Serine/Arginine-Rich (SR) Proteins in Cotton (Gossypium spp.).

As one of the most important factors in alternative splicing (AS) events, serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins not only participate in the growth and development of plants but also play pivotal roles in abiotic stresses. However, the research about SR proteins in cotton is still lacking. In this study, we performed an extensive comparative analysis of SR proteins and determined their phylogeny in the plant lineage. A total of 169 SR family members were identified from four Gossypium species, and these genes could be divided into eight distinct subfamilies. The domain, motif distribution and gene structure of cotton SR proteins are conserved within each subfamily. The expansion of SR genes is mainly contributed by WGD and allopolyploidization events in cotton. The selection pressure analysis showed that all the paralogous gene pairs were under purifying selection pressure. Many cis-elements responding to abiotic stress and phytohormones were identified in the upstream sequences of the GhSR genes. Expression profiling suggested that some GhSR genes may involve in the pathways of plant resistance to abiotic stresses. The WGCNA analysis showed that GhSCL-8 co-expressed with many abiotic responding related genes in a salt-responding network. The Y2H assays showed that GhSCL-8 could interact with GhSRs in other subfamilies. The subcellular location analysis showed that GhSCL-8 is expressed in the nucleus. The further VIGS assays showed that the silencing of GhSCL-8 could decrease salt tolerance in cotton. These results expand our knowledge of the evolution of the SR gene family in plants, and they will also contribute to the elucidation of the biological functions of SR genes in the future.