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Body color change is one of the most important manifestations of fish adaptation to the environment. In this study, the body color change of two kinds of loach (Paramisgurnus dabryanus) with different body colors under five different background colors was first studied. It was found that the color of dorsal skin of gray-black loach changed more than that in the abdominal skin, and the L* value of the dorsal skin on the red, yellow and white backgrounds changed significantly (P < 0.05). Compared with the gray-black loach, the body color of golden loach changed less, and the L* value of the back skin and the abdomen skin did not change significantly (P > 0.05). Furthermore, the dynamic change characteristics and adaptive mechanism of body color in different background colors was studied in a black-white background conversion model. The results showed that the greyscale color decreased from 72.33 ± 2.55–38.22 ± 2.33, the melanocytes changed from dendritic to mass, and the L* value of the back skin increased significantly (P < 0.05) after transferring the loach from a black background to a white background. The concentration of plasma ATCH decreased significantly (P < 0.05), and that of MCH increased significantly (P < 0.05). When transferring the loach from a white background to a black background, these indicators showed an opposite trend. This study provides a scientific basis for healthy farming of loach and understanding the background color adaptation mechanism of fish. [Display omitted] • The gray-black loach had stronger adaptability to environment color change. • The change of greyscale color and pigment cells made loach similar to background. • Plasma ATCH and MCH changed significantly in a white-black background conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supplemental feeding to mitigate the effects of food shortages may in some cases provide critical help to species conservation. However, supplemental feeding may have both positive and negative effects on wildlife and the environment. A scientifically designed feeding project helps to achieve conservation targets and reduces adverse effects. Here, we summarize a three-step framework for food supplementation that we used in practice: (1) determining whether supplemental feeding is required; (2) designing and implementing a practical feeding scheme; and (3) evaluating the effectiveness of food supplementation. We supplemented food for great knots (Calidris tenuirostris), an endangered migratory shorebird, at a recently impoverished refuelling site (Yalu Jiang estuary) in the Yellow Sea in spring 2018. The abundance of the staple food of great knots (Potamocorbula laevis , which had become very rare after 2012), was insufficient for the birds to refuel before the migratory flight to the breeding grounds. In our practical test, living P. laevis were collected in subtidal areas and transported to the intertidal area where great knots had been foraging in earlier years. The supplemented areas attracted 48% of all the great knots present in the 200 km2 study area. Nearly 90% of the supplemented food was consumed. Most great knots (>80%) foraged in the high-density supplementation zone where the densities of P. laevis were restored to the naturally occurring levels in 2011–2012. Here, food intake rates (mg AFDM/s) were 4.2 times those in the adjacent control zones. The framework and the feeding practice should help guide future supplemental feeding in a wide range of species. • When food is inadequate, supplemental feeding in situ helps species conservation. • We propose a framework of supplemental feeding for conservation interventions. • The necessity, feasibility and consequences of feeding should be evaluated in advance. • Supplemental feeding great knots at an impoverished refuelling site improved fuel deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultivated soybean (Glycine max (L.)), the world's most important legume crop, has high-to-moderate salt sensitivity. Being the frontier for sensing and controlling solute transport, membrane proteins could be involved in cell signaling, osmoregulation, and stress-sensing mechanisms, but their roles in abiotic stresses are still largely unknown. By analyzing salt-induced membrane proteomic changes in the roots and leaves of salt-sensitive soybean cultivar (C08) seedlings germinated under NaCl, we detected 972 membrane proteins, with those present in both leaves and roots annotated as receptor kinases, calcium-sensing proteins, abscisic acid receptors, cation and anion channel proteins, proton pumps, amide and peptide transporters, and vesicle transport-related proteins etc. Endocytosis, linoleic acid metabolism, and fatty acid biosynthesis pathway-related proteins were enriched in roots whereas phagosome, spliceosome and soluble NSF attachment protein receptor (SNARE) interaction-related proteins were enriched in leaves. Using label-free quantitation, 129 differentially expressed membrane proteins were found in both tissues upon NaCl treatment. Additionally, the 140 NaCl-induced proteins identified in roots and 57 in leaves are vesicle-, mitochondrial-, and chloroplast-associated membrane proteins and those with functions related to ion transport, protein transport, ATP hydrolysis, protein folding, and receptor kinases, etc. Our proteomic results were verified against corresponding gene expression patterns from published C08 RNA-seq data, demonstrating the importance of solute transport and sensing in salt stress responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Homeostasis of the proteome is critical to the development of chloroplasts and also affects the expression of certain nuclear genes. CLPC1 facilitates the translocation of chloroplast pre-proteins and mediates protein degradation. Results: We found that proteins involved in photosynthesis are dramatically decreased in their abundance in the clpc1 mutant, whereas many proteins involved in chloroplast transcription and translation were increased in the mutant. Expression of the full-length CLPC1 protein, but not of the N-terminus-deleted CLPC1 (ΔN), in the clpc1 mutant background restored the normal levels of most of these proteins. Interestingly, the ΔN complementation line could also restore some proteins affected by the mutation to normal levels. We also found that that the clpc1 mutation profoundly affects transcript levels of chloroplast genes. Sense transcripts of many chloroplast genes are up-regulated in the clpc1 mutant. The level of SVR7, a PPR protein, was affected by the clpc1 mutation. We showed that SVR7 might be a target of CLPC1 as CLPC1-SVR7 interaction was detected through co-immunoprecipitation. Conclusion: Our study indicates that in addition to its role in maintaining proteome homeostasis, CLPC1 and likely the CLP proteasome complex also play a role in transcriptome homeostasis through its functions in maintaining proteome homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pattern‐triggered immunity (PTI) is an essential strategy used by plants to deploy broad‐spectrum resistance against pathogen attacks. Heterotrimeric G proteins have been reported to contribute to PTI. Of the three non‐canonical EXTRA‐LARGE G PROTEINs (XLGs) in Arabidopsis thaliana, XLG2 and XLG3 were shown to positively regulate immunity, but XLG1 was not considered to function in defense, based on the analysis of a weak xlg1 allele. In this study, we characterized the xlg1 xlg2 xlg3 triple knockout mutants generated from an xlg1 knockout allele. The strong xlg1 xlg2 xlg3 triple mutants compromised pathogen‐associated molecular pattern (PAMP)‐triggered activation of mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and resistance to pathogen infection. The three XLGs interacted with MAPK cascade proteins involved in defense signaling, including the MAPK kinase kinases MAPKKK3 and MAPKKK5, the MAPK kinases MKK4 and MKK5, and the MAPKs MPK3 and MPK6. Expressing a constitutively active form of MKK4 restored MAPK activation and partially recovered the compromised disease resistance seen in the strong xlg1 xlg2 xlg3 triple mutant. Furthermore, mutations of all three XLGs largely restored the phenotype of the autoimmunity mutant bak1‐interacting receptor‐like kinase 1. Our study reveals that all three XLGs function redundantly in PAMP‐triggered MAPK activation and plant immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L-carnitine is a low molecular weight amino acid that plays an essential role in the oxidation of long-chain fatty acids. The regulatory effects and molecular mechanisms of L-carnitine on fat and protein metabolism in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were investigated in this study. Common carp (n = 270) were randomly divided into three groups and fed either (1) common carp diet, (2) high-fat/low-protein diet, or (3) L-carnitine-high-fat/low-protein diet. Growth performance, plasma biochemistry, muscle composition, and ammonia excretion rate were all examined after 8 weeks. Additionally, each group's hepatopancreas was subjected to transcriptome analysis. The results showed that decreasing the feed protein/fat ratio resulted in a considerable increase in feed conversion ratio and a significant decrease in common carp-specific growth rate to 1.19 ± 0.02 P < 0.05 . Similarly, total plasma cholesterol sharply increased to 10.15 ± 2.07 , while plasma urea nitrogen, muscle protein, and ammonia excretion levels dropped (P < 0.05). After adding L-carnitine to the high-fat/low-protein diet, it was found that the specific growth rate and protein content of the dorsal muscle increased significantly (P < 0.05). In contrast, the plasma total cholesterol and ammonia excretion rate decreased considerably at most time points after feeding (P < 0.05). The expression of genes in the hepatopancreas differed substantially between the different groups. Through GO analysis, it was demonstrated that L-carnitine increased the ability of fat decomposition by up-regulating the expression of cpt1 in the hepatopancreas and decreased the expression of fasn and elovl6 to reduce the production and extension of lipids. Simultaneously, mtor was more abundant in the hepatopancreas, implying that L-carnitine can increase protein synthesis. According to the findings, adding L-carnitine to high-fat/low-protein diets can stimulate growth by enhancing lipolysis and protein synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study examined the differences and similarities in gut microbial diversity and ecological assembly processes of Datong yaks, including domestic males and females and wild males, which were fed together on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in a mixed group. The results revealed that mixed grouping could influence the gut microbiota of these three groups of yaks and improve the gut microbial diversity of domestic females. The findings of this study can help to understand the effects of mixed grouping on the gut microbiota of livestock on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and improve the production of Datong yaks. The Datong yak (Bos grunniens) is the first artificial breed of yaks in the world and has played an important role in the improvement of domestic yak quality on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The Datong yak breeding farm in the Qinghai province of China is the main place for the breeding and feeding of Datong yaks. It hosts domestic Datong yaks and wild male yaks, mainly in mixed groups. Different managements have different effects on livestock. The gut microbiota is closely related to the health and immunity of Datong yaks, and mixed grouping can affect the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota of Datong yaks. To reveal the effects of mixed grouping on the gut microbiota of Datong yaks and wild yaks and identify the main dominant factors, we compared the gut microbial diversities of domestic males and females and wild males based on 16S rRNA V3–V4 regions using fresh fecal samples. The data showed significant differences in the gut microbial diversity of these three groups, and the α-diversity was the highest in wild males. Different factors influence the gut microbiota, and the main influencing factors were different in different groups, including sex differences, host genetics, and physical interactions. We also compared ecological assembly processes in the three groups. The results showed that mixed grouping contributed to the improvement of gut microbial diversity in domestic females. Our study provides effective and feasible suggestions for the feeding and management of the Datong yaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• For the first time, A fractal evolution framework of creep crazing is established. • A new craze variable describes both damage and toughening by the fractal theory. • A novel fractal dimension calculation method is modified by area transformation. • The fractal dimension of PMMA creep is linear with stress and exponential with time. • The model explains three differences between the craze and microcrack. Mechanical properties of crazed polymers are the competitive result between damage and toughening. Firstly, the fractal dimension interval of the planar crazes is proved to be [0, 2), and the craze variable is proposed to characterize the joint effect of damage and toughening by the fractal dimension. Then, a new fractal dimension calculation method is defined by area transformation under finite deformation, and the corresponding craze variable is modified to eliminate the influence of elastic and plastic deformation. So, the fractal crazing constitutive model was established. Thirdly, creep tests of PMMA show that the stress threshold of crazing decreases exponentially with time and eventually tends to be constant, and its fractal dimension is linear with stress and exponential with time. And the parameters of the damage equation are determined, which illustrates that the craze variable can not only explain the fractal discontinuity and strain continuity of craze but also explain three differences between the craze and microcrack. At last, the theoretical curve proved that the model was following the experimental results. For the first time, the crazing evolutionary framework of creep of glassy polymers is established and validated by the fractal theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In nature, most Paramisgurnus dabryanus are grey‐black (grey‐black loach), although there is a mutant (albino) in the breeding population with a 'golden colour' (golden loach). There are no reports of early body colour formation in albino fishes. In this study, the differences in body colour characteristics between normal body colour P. dabryanus and albino P. dabryanus were compared by comparing body colour formation, skin and fin pigment cells of two body colours of P. dabryanus. It was found that the order of appearance of pigment cells in grey‐black loach and golden loach was melanophores, xanthophores, erythrophores, and finally, iridophores; the composition of the pigment cells in the fins and the skin tissue were essentially the same. However, there were no melanophores in the skin of the golden loach. The melanophores of grey‐black loach skin were distributed with a large number of melanosomes of high electron density; the xanthophore and erythrophores were spherical and contained pteridine vesicles. Melanophores and xanthophores are distributed in both the epidermis and dermis of the grey‐black loach, and the xanthophores of the golden loach are distributed between the scales and the epidermis, and between the dermis and the muscle layer. In this study, we elucidated the body colour composition and pigment cell characteristics of the two body colours of P. dabryanus. Our study provided a scientific basis for the research for fish body colour variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing research tends to focus on the performance of cured rubber. This is due to a lack of suitable testing methods for the mechanical properties of uncured rubber, in particular, tensile properties. Without crosslinking by sulfur, the tensile strength of uncured rubber compounds is too low to be accurately tested by general tensile testing machines. Firstly, a new tensile stress testing method for uncured rubber was established by using dynamic thermomechanical analysis (DMA) tensile strain scanning. The strain amplitude was increased under a set frequency and constant temperature. The corresponding dynamic force needed to maintain the amplitude was then measured to obtain the dynamic force-amplitude curve observed at this temperature and frequency. Secondly, the Burgers model is usually difficult to calculate and analyze in differential form, so it was reduced to its arithmetic form under creep conditions and material relaxation. Tensile deformation at a constant strain rate was proposed, so the Burgers model could be modified to a more concise form without any strain terms, making mathematical processing and simulating much more convenient. Thirdly, the rate of the modified Burgers model under constant strain was in good agreement with the test data, demonstrating that the elastic stiffness was 1–2 orders of magnitude less than the tensile viscosity. In the end, it was concluded that large data dispersion caused by the universal tensile test can be overcome by choosing this model, and it may become an effective way to study the tensile modeling of uncured rubber compound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to detect bitter tastes is important for animals; it can help them to avoid ingesting harmful substances. Bitter taste perception is mainly mediated by bitter taste receptor proteins, which are encoded by members of the Tas2r gene family and vary with the dietary preference of a specific species. Although individuals with different genotypes differ in bitterness recognition capability, little is known about the relationship between genetic variation and food selection tendencies at the intraspecific level. In this study, we examined the relationship between genotypes and diet in plateau zokor ( Eospalax baileyi), a subterranean rodent endemic to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau that caches food for the winter. We assayed the composition and taste profile of each plant contained in temporary caches and vicinity quadrats, which were representative of selected and available food, respectively. Bitter plant selection indices ( Ebitter) were estimated. We also sequenced 26 candidate Tas2r genes from zokors and determined their relationships with the Ebitter of their caches. We identified four key results: (1) zokors varied considerably in both bitter food preference and Tas2r sequences; (2) five genes ( zTas2r115, zTas2r119, zTas2r126, zTas2r134, and zTas2r136) exhibited allelic variation that was significantly associated with Ebitter; (3) synonymous SNPs, nonsynonymous SNPs, and pseudogenization are involved in the genotype-phenotype relationship; (4) the minor genotypes of zTas2r115, zTas2r134, and zTas2r136 and the major genotypes of zTas2r119 and zTas2r126 cached more bitter plants. Our results link Tas2r variation with food selection behavior at the population level for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migratory birds generally use one or more stopover sites for rest and/or refuelling during long-distance migration where a large abundance of diverse species can concentrate into temporary assemblages. Habitat loss at stopover sites has resulted in population declines for many species, in particular shorebirds along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. However, the consequences of habitat loss on the characteristics of bird assemblages at specific stopover sites are still unclear. We compared the results of shorebird surveys during northward migration between an "early" study period (1996 to 2005) and a "late" study period (2013 to 2014) at 14 stopover sites on the Yellow Sea coast in China, where a large tidal habitat area for shorebirds was destroyed. The total tidal flat area decreased by 35.6%, while the total shorebird abundance decreased by 7.8%, suggesting increased competition for space and food among shorebirds at stopover sites. However, changes in bird abundance (−72.9% to +210.0%) were not significantly related to tidal flat area changes (−71.2% to −2.0%) at the sites. Bray–Curtis similarity analysis indicated that community composition significantly differed among sites, but was similar within sites between study periods. This suggests habitat conditions, which determine the composition of bird communities, exhibited consistent site differences between study periods. These results imply that habitat loss at one stopover site is unlikely to be offset by conserving others; thus, protecting an extensive number of existing key stopover sites is crucial for the conservation of migratory birds. • Trends in bird populations of some species differed at nonbreeding vs. stopover sites. • Shorebird community compositions differed among stopover sites but remain stable at each site despite habitat loss. • Habitat loss at one stopover site is unlikely to be offset by conserving other sites. • Protecting existing stopover sites is crucial for the conservation of migratory birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eukaryotic genomes encode hundreds of RNA-binding proteins, yet the functions of most of these proteins are unknown. In a genetic study of stress signal transduction in Arabidopsis, we identified a K homology (KH)-domain RNA-binding protein, HOS5 (High Osmotic Stress Gene Expression 5), as required for stress gene regulation and stress tolerance. HOS5 was found to interact with FIERY2/RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) carboxyl terminal domain (CTD) phosphatase-like 1 (FRY2/CPL1) both in vitro and in vivo. This interaction is mediated by the first double-stranded RNA-binding domain of FRY2/CPL1 and the KH domains of HOS5. Interestingly, both HOS5 and FRY2/CPL1 also interact with two novel serine-arginine (SR)-rich splicing factors, RS40 and RS41, in nuclear speckles. Importantly, FRY2/CPL1 is required for the recruitment of HOS5. In fry2 mutants, HOS5 failed to be localized in nuclear speckles but was found mainly in the nucleoplasm. hos5 mutants were impaired in mRNA export and accumulated a significant amount of mRNA in the nuclei, particularly under salt stress conditions. Arabidopsis mutants of all these genes exhibit similar stress-sensitive phenotypes. RNA-seq analyses of these mutants detected significant intron retention in many stress-related genes under salt stress but not under normal conditions. Our study not only identified several novel regulators of pre-mRNA processing as important for plant stress response but also suggested that, in addition to RNAP II CTD that is a well-recognized platform for the recruitment of mRNA processing factors, FRY2/CPL1 may also recruit specific factors to regulate the co-transcriptional processing of certain transcripts to deal with environmental challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: A review of the available single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) calling procedures for Illumina high-throughput sequencing (HTS) platform data reveals that most rely mainly on base-calling and mapping qualities as sources of error when calling SNPs. Thus, errors not involved in base-calling or alignment, such as those in genomic sample preparation, are not accounted for.Results: A novel method of consensus and SNP calling, Genotype Model Selection (GeMS), is given which accounts for the errors that occur during the preparation of the genomic sample. Simulations and real data analyses indicate that GeMS has the best performance balance of sensitivity and positive predictive value among the tested SNP callers.Availability: The GeMS package can be downloaded from https://sites.google.com/a/bioinformatics.ucr.edu/xinping-cui/home/software or http://computationalbioenergy.org/software.htmlContact: xinping.cui@ucr.eduSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unusual behavior has been noted in Paramisgurnus dabryanus loaches , which have been seen to float on the water, both on aquafarms and laboratories. Animal behavior usually reflects adaptation to the environment, but this "floating" behavior undoubtedly increases the risk of being predated. In order to understand the ecological significance, we first studied the basic characteristics of this behavior. The floating loaches showed five typical characteristics: (1) They floated more at night than during the day, (2) They mainly floated for a short time (< 30 s), (3) The gill respiration frequency decreased significantly (P < 0.05), (4) The proportion of floating fish gradually increased with water temperature (P < 0.05), (5) Juvenile P.dabryanus floated for the first time approximately 14 dph, which coincided with the period when the intestine tract penetrated through and they began to breathe with it. • An unusual behavior – "floating" has been noted in Paramisgurnus dabryanus. • "Floating" may be a special sleep behavior of Paramisgurnus dabryanus.. • "Floating" may be related to the intestinal respiratory function of Paramisgurnus dabryanus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tire bead area is a vulnerable part of the tire. By analyzing its development trend, a novel topological structure of the whole tire bead was put forward. Firstly, the feasibility of the whole tire bead is preliminarily proved easy to achieve topology improvement, which can exceed the limit of the shape of the normal steel/rubber composite bead. Secondly, through finite element analysis it showed that the whole tire bead tire is superior to the normal tire bead tire in terms of tire-rim tightening force, carcass cord stress, cord endpoint stress, and grounding footprint, etc. This structure reduces the Von Mises stress in the bead area by 40%. Finally, the research designed a complete set of production technologies from whole tire bead processing to tire validation which was well realized. The indoor comparative durability test of the two structures showed that the temperature of the whole tire bead was reduced by 5 °C and the durability time was increased by more than 50%, which indicated that the durability and temperature rise performance of the whole tire bead are better than that of normal tires. This structure has broad prospects in the application of heavy-duty tires. The bottom of the whole bead has an oblique angle of 3°, which can form a closer fit with the rim. The stress of the whole bead is much lower than that of the normal steel wire bead at the outer end point of the bead wrapper and the end point of the carcass cord, which is beneficial to reduce the rubber delamination caused by the outer end point of the wrapper and the end point of the cord. The comparative test of the whole bead and the normal bead showed that the bead temperature of the whole bead was reduced by about 5 °C before damage. [Display omitted] • A new topological bead of tire was designed by breaking the normal shape limits. • This structure reduces the Mises stress at the bead area by 40% through FEA. • Its special processing technology was well realized in production. • Its durability time was increased by more than 50% in the indoor test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In plants, transcripts move to distant body parts to potentially act as systemic signals regulating development and growth. Thousands of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are transported across graft junctions via the phloem to distinct plant parts. Little is known regarding features, structural motifs, and potential base modifications of transported transcripts and how these may affect their mobility. We identified Arabidopsis thaliana mRNAs harboring the modified base 5-methylcytosine (m5C) and found that these are significantly enriched in mRNAs previously described as mobile, moving over graft junctions to distinct plant parts. We confirm this finding with graft-mobile methylated mRNAs TRANSLATIONALLY CONTROLLED TUMOR PROTEIN 1 (TCTP1) and HEAT SHOCK COGNATE PROTEIN 70.1 (HSC70.1), whose mRNA transport is diminished in mutants deficient in m5C mRNA methylation. Together, our results point toward an essential role of cytosine methylation in systemic mRNA mobility in plants and that TCTP1 mRNA mobility is required for its signaling function. • m5C methylation is highly enriched in transcripts moving from shoot to root • TCTP1 and HSC70.1 mRNAs are not graft mobile in RNA methylation-deficient mutants • TCTP1 is translated after transport in distinct root cells and affects root growth In plants, thousands of messenger RNAs move to distant body parts to potentially act as systemic signals. Yang, Pererra, et al. show that 5-methylcytosine (m5C) modification of mobile RNA plays a crucial role in facilitating their transport and present evidence that mobile m5C-modified TCTP1 is translated in target cells and changes root growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]