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Plant-specific TIFY [TIF(F/Y)XG] proteins serve important roles in the regulation of plant stress responses. This family encodes four subfamilies of proteins, JAZ (JASMONATE ZIM-domain), PPD (PEAPOD), ZML (Zinc-finger Inflorescence-like), and TIFY. In this work, a total of 16 JAZ, 3 PPD, 7 ZML, and 2 TIFY genes were found in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) at the genome-wide level. The phylogenetics, exon-intron structure, motif organization, and conserved domains of these genes were analyzed to characterize the members of the JAZ, PPD, and ZML subfamilies. Chromosome location and synteny analyses revealed that 26 JAZ, PPD, and ZML genes were irregularly distributed across 14 of the 18 chromosomes, and 18 gene pairs were implicated in large-scale interchromosomal segmental duplication events. In addition, JAZ, PPD, and ZML gene synteny comparisons between cassava and three other plant species (Arabidopsis, Populus trichocarpa, and rice) uncovered vital information about their likely evolution. The prediction of protein interaction network and cis-acting elements reveal the function of JAZ, PPD, and ZML genes. Subsequently, expression patterns of JAZ, PPD, and ZML genes were validated by qRT-PCR as being expressed in response to osmotic, salt, and cadmium stress. Moreover, almost all JAZ subfamily genes were responsive to jasmonic acid (JA) treatment. In particular, MeJAZ1, MeJAZ13, and MeJAZ14, were highly up-regulated by three treatments, and these genes may deserve further study. This comprehensive study lays the groundwork for future research into TIFY family genes in cassava and may be valuable for genetic improvement of cassava and other related species.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important tropical crop for food, fodder, and energy. Cassava bacterial blight (CBB) caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis (Xam) occurs in all cassava growing regions and threatens global cassava production. WRKY transcription factor family plays the essential roles during plant growth, development, and abiotic or biotic stress. Particularly, previous studies have revealed the important role of the group IIa WRKY genes in plant disease resistance. However, a comprehensive analysis of group IIa subfamily in cassava is still missing. Here, we identified 102 WRKY members, which were classified into three groups, I, II, and III. Transient expression showed that six MeWRKY IIas were localized in the nucleus. MeWRKY IIas transcripts accumulated significantly in response to SA, JA, and Xam. Overexpression of MeWRKY27 and MeWRKY33 in Arabidopsis enhanced its resistance to Pst DC3000. In contrast, silencing of MeWRKY27 and MeWRKY33 in cassava enhanced its susceptibility to Xam. Co-expression network analysis showed that different downstream genes are regulated by different MeWRKY IIa members. The functional analysis of downstream genes will provide clues for clarifying molecular mechanism of cassava disease resistance. Collectively, our results suggest that MeWRKY IIas are regulated by SA, JA signaling, and coordinate response to Xam infection.

OsBAK1 gene belongs to a receptor like kinase gene family in rice and shares a highly conserved gene structure and sequence homology with Arabidopsis thaliana BAK1 gene. To investigate the role of OsBAK1 in rice immunity, the full-length cDNA of OsBAK1 was isolated by RT-PCR and the transgenic rice lines (over expression and RNA-interference lines) were generated using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The expression level of OsBAK1 was determined by q-PCR in overexpression and RNAi transgenic rice lines. Based on quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) results, two overexpression lines and two RNAi lines were evaluated in bioassays for resistance to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae PXO99, the causal agent of rice bacterial blight disease. Pathogenicity bioassays showed overexpression OsBAK1 lines exhibited resistance to blight disease whereas OsBAK1 RNAi lines promoted susceptibility. Besides, OsBAK1 can complement the function of AtBAK1 in Arabidopsis bak1 protoplast, activating FRK1 expression, a marker gene in PTI signaling pathway, after treatment by flg22. Furthermore, the transcriptional level of OsBAK1 was induced significantly in rice by defense signaling molecules such as salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and PXO99 inoculation. Our results illustrated OsBAK1 positively regulates plant defense against rice bacterium pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae PXO99.

A photoperiod-sensitive soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] cv. ZhongDou 24 (ZD24) exhibiting delayed flowering when grown under long-days (LD, a 16-h photoperiod) was used to identify the genetic control of flowering delay. A differential expression profiling technique enabled identification of a gene fragment that was up-regulated under LD. This fragment was homologous to a gene encoding methionine synthase (MS) in soybean and was named GmMS. The RNA content confirmed that GmMS was expressed in roots, stems, and leaves of soybean grown under LD. The highest expression was in stems. Full length GmMS, encoding 763 amino acids, was transferred into tobacco plants. The ectopic expression of GmMS in tobacco resulted in delayed flowering. Other effects included stunting, an increased MS activity and methionine content, a higher content of alcohol-soluble proteins and of chlorophylls, and a lower content of anthocyanins.

The differential screening method was used to isolate the soy photoperiodic response-related genes and to further elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the soybean photoperiodic response. The light-sensitive species Zhong Dou 24 was used to receive long-time sunshine, short-time sunshine, and natural sunshine treatment. The cDNA-amplified fragment length polymorphism technique was used to screen the differentially expressed cDNA fragments. The rapid amplification of cDNA end technique was used to isolate the gene. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis was used to analyze the gene expression patterns in different light cycles. The gene had a total length of 983 bp, contained a complete open reading frame that encoded 248 amino acids, and shared homology with the mitochondrial phosphate transporter protein. The expression pattern analysis results showed that this gene was expressed in the early stages of soybean growth and development. The short-time sunshine inhibited its expression, whereas the long-time sunshine enhanced its expression. The differential screening method was used to isolate the soybean mitochondrial phosphate transporter gene. The gene may be used as a negative regulatory factor that is involved in the photoperiodic response of soybean.

Lower-hybrid drift instability (LHDI) in a Harris current sheet including a uniform background distribution is investigated in linear local kinetic theory. It is found that the introduction of a uniform background distribution reduces the growth rate and real frequency of LHDI at all wavelengths. Some physical explanations about the effects of the background distribution are provided.

In a quasi-two-dimensional model, the scattering of incident ordinary electromagnetic waves by a dipole-electrostatic drift vortex is studied with first-order Born approximation. The distribution of the scattering cross-section and total cross-section are evaluated analytically in different approximate conditions, and the physical interpretations are discussed. When the wavelength of incident wave is much longer than the vortex radius (kia 1), it is found that the angle at which the scattering cross-section reaches its maxim depends significantly on the approximation of the parameters of the vortex used. It is also found that the total scattering cross-section has an affinitive relation with the parameters of the plasma, while it is irrelevant to the frequency of the incident wave in a wide range of parameters of the vortex. In a totally different range of parameters when incident wave is in the radar-frequency range (then kia 1, the wavelength of incident wave is much shorter than the vortex radius), the numerical procedure is conducted with computer in order to obtain the distribution and the total expression of the scattering cross-section. Then it is found that the total scattering cross-section in the low frequency range is much larger than that in high frequency range, so the scattering is more effective in the low frequency range than in high frequency range.

A model of collisional RF sheath with negative ions is discussed in this paper. The influences of collision and negative ions on the parameters of the sheath are studied through numerical simulation. It is found that when the collision coefficient increases and the RF power is fixed, the electrode potential and sheath electric field potential increase, the electrode current and thickness of the sheath decrease. When the negative ion content changes, the same phenomenon occurs.

In this study, by employing a local fluid theory for warm plasma containing negative ions, an obliquely propagating electromagnetic instability in the lower hybrid frequency range driven by cross-field currents or relative drifts between electrons and ions was investigated. It is found that the growth rate of the lower-hybrid-drift instability (LHDI) can be controlled by appropriate selection of the propagation direction, the wave number and the relative population of the negative ions.

The Excitation of Alfven wave in dusty plasma with vortex flows is investigated. The coupled equations for density and electromagnetic potential of dusty plasma with vortex-flow were obtained. The stability and amplitude behavior were studied both analytically and numerically. Using a non-modal method, it was found that the presence of dust can suppress the growth of the instability which can also be affected by the vortex eccentricity.

The evolution of Rayleigh–Taylor mode in dusty plasma with vortex-flow is investigated. Based on fluid theory and Bayly's method, we derive the coupling equations describing the Rayleigh–Taylor mode in the core of vortex, and research the evolution characteristics of the perturbation amplitude with time numerically. It is shown that the eccentric of vortex and the content of dust have considerable effects on the amplitude evolutions.

The linear mode conversion of electromagnetic waves in the hot, unmagnetized inhomogeneous plasma is studied numerically for different density profiles, and the dependence of the absorption coefficient on the incident angles and the wave frequencies are obtained for different electrons' temperature. The results show that the shapes of the density profiles and the electron's temperature create a certain effect on the coefficients of absorption, which reaches its peak value (about 50%) for appropriate parameters. Effective absorption occurs in a limited range of parameter q.

Identification of genes involved in mangrove species' adaptation to salt stress can provide valuable information for developing salt-tolerant crops and understanding the molecular evolution of salt tolerance in halophiles. Ceriops tagal is a salt-tolerant mangrove tree growing in mudflats and marshes in tropical and subtropical areas, without any prior genome information. In this study, we assessed the biochemical and transcriptional responses of C. tagal to high salt treatment (500 mmol/L NaCl) by hydroponic experiments and RNA-seq. In C. tagal root tissues under salt stress, proline accumulated strongly from 3 to 12 h of treatment; meanwhile, malondialdehyde content progressively increased from 0 to 9 h, then dropped to lower than control levels by 24 h. These implied that C. tagal plants could survive salt stress through biochemical modification. Using the Illumina sequencing platform, approximately 27.39 million RNA-seq reads were obtained from three salt-treated and control (untreated) root samples. These reads were assembled into 47,111 transcripts with an average length of 514 bp and an N50 of 632 bp. Approximately 78% of the transcripts were annotated, and a total of 437 genes were putative transcription factors. Digital gene expression analysis was conducted by comparing transcripts from the untreated control to the three salt treated samples, and 7,330 differentially expressed transcripts were identified. Using k-means clustering, these transcripts were divided into six clusters that differed in their expression patterns across four treatment time points. The genes identified as being up- or downregulated are involved in salt stress responses, signal transduction, and DNA repair. Our study shows the main adaptive pathway of C. tagal in saline environments, under short-term and long-term treatments of salt stress. This provides vital clues as to which genes may be candidates for breeding salt-tolerant crops and clarifying molecular mechanisms of salt tolerance in C. tagal. The expression levels of 20 candidate genes measured by RNA-Seq were validated via qRT-PCR. Eighteen genes showed consistent expression patterns in RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR results, suggesting that the RNA-seq dataset was dependable for gene expression pattern analysis.

Localized nonlinear dust kinetic Alfv\'en waves are investigated. It is found that finite density dips and humps can coexist. The density humps are cusped and narrower than the dips.

The modulational interaction of finite-amplitude high-frequency electrostatic waves propagating at an arbitrary angle to an external magnetic field with slow plasma motion is considered. A set of nonlinear evolution equations describing the interaction is obtained. New types of solitary waves propagating at near sonic speeds are found.

Lattice wave of magnetized spherical dust in radio-frequency sheath with negative ions is investigated. The dispersion relation of two-dimensional hexagonal lattice horizontal wave and the influence of negative ions and magnetic field intensity on the wave are also investigated. The results show that for two-dimensional hexagonal horizontal lattice wave, negative ions reduce the wave frequency at the range of long-wavelength, whereas raising the wave frequency at the range of short-wavelength and magnetic field contributes to dropping the wave frequency a little.

The oscillations of a single magnetized dust grain in electronegative plasma sheath are investigated taking into account the existence of an external magnetic field. The influence of the content of negative ions and the magnetic field intensity on the properties of the dust vibration is analysed. The result shows that the existence of the negative ions in plasma reduces the dust oscillation frequency and drops the equilibrium position of dust, whereas the magnetic field raises the equilibrium position and also reduces the dust oscillation frequency on the condition considered.

We analyse a process of remote information concentration achieved by the W state. The result turns out to be neither as good as performed by the GHZ state nor as by the Smolin bound entangled state. Based on this particular phenomenon, the properties of the three entangled states are realized.

This article presents a study we have made of one class of coherent structures of the tripolar vortex. Considering the sheared flow and sheared magnetic field which are common in the thermonuclear plasma and space plasma, we have simulated the dynamics of the tripolar vortex. The results show that the tripolar vortex is largely stable in most cases, but a strongly sheared magnetic field will make the structure less stable, and lead it to decays into single vortices with the large space scale. These results are consistent with findings from former research about the dipolar vortex.

Nonlinear equations describing inertial Alfven waves in plasmas with sheared magnetic field and flow are derived. For some specific parameters chosen, we have found a new type of electromagnetic coherent structures in the tripolar vortex-like form.

Ethylene has been implicated as a sex-determining hormone in cucumber: Its exogenous application increases femaleness and gynoecious genotypes were reported to produce more ethylene. 1- aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) oxidase (ACO) is the key enzyme in ethylene biosynthesis. In this study, a 1,188 base pair (bp) fragment was amplified from cucumber (Jinyan-4) genome with degenerated primers derived from the ACO amino acid consensus sequence among different plant species. The putative new gene was analyzed by bioinformatic tools. Phylogenic analysis result of the new gene ( CsACO4 , GenBank accession number AY450356) was in accordance with the evolution relationship of genetics among various plant species. The result of BLAST showed the sequence presented a very high match with the ACO genes from other plants; the homologue was from 80 to 99%. Using the sequence, a RNA interference (RNAi) transformation vector was constructed through the way of BP cloning. Eleven transgenic plants were obtained. The transgene integrated into cucumber genome was proved with PCR and southern blotting. The morphological exploration showed that the inserted RNAi target fragments could inhibit the endogenous CsACO4 gene expression and that it could regulate male differentiation in the lower nodes in cucumber. Keywords: Cucumber, ACC oxidase gene, RNAi, male differentiation

Fully nonlinear very low frequency dust acoustic solitary waves in a magnetized impurity-containing plasma are investigated.

Fully nonlinear ion acoustic solitary waves propagating obliquely to the external magnetic field in an impurity‐containing magnetized plasma are investigated.

We propose simple schemes for generating W-type multipartite entangled states in cavity quantum electrodynamics (CQED). Our schemes involve a largely detuned interaction of Λ-type three-level atoms with a single-mode cavity field and a classical laser, and both the symmetric and asymmetric W states can be created in a single step. Our schemes are insensitive to both the cavity decay and atomic spontaneous emission. With the above system, we also propose a scheme for realizing quantum-information concentration which is the reverse process of quantum cloning. In this scheme, quantum-information originally coming from a single qubit, but now distributed into many qubits, is concentrated back to a single qubit in only one step.

A simple scheme is presented for generating four-photon Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states with a large detuned interaction between a three-level atom and two bimodal cavities. In the proposed protocol, the quantum information is encoded on Fock states of the cavity-fields, and the atomic spontaneous emission can be effectively suppressed due to the fact that the excited state of the atom is adiabatically eliminated under the large detuning condition. The detection of the atom can collapse the cavity to the desired state. The experimental feasibility of our proposal is also discussed.

We propose a protocol of remote information concentration achieved by a four-particle cluster state. To achieve the task, Bell state measurement and unitary operation are needed. The result shows a peculiar phenomenon that the remote information concentration is not always successful but with certain probability.

In this paper,the nonlinear drift waves described by the Hasegawa-Mima equation have been investigated by means of analytic researches and numerical simulations.The numerical results have been shown by figures.The initial disturbances of electrostatic waves,by the nonlinear mode-coupling,will evolve into a chain of vortices,these vortices gobble up each other and some large stable vortices are formed at the final stage of the nonlinear evolution.

With an integral transformation, the energy eigenvalue problem of a quantum system is converted into the solving of a non-linear Riccati equation. It is easy to find the ground state energy and the corresponding wavefunction. The relation with usual factorization method is discussed. The ground states of various quanum systems are calculated to show the advantage of this new method.

In terms of Hasegawa-Wakatani equations,the nonlinear coupling of the electrostatic drift wave and the shear Alfven wave in magnetized plasmas has been investigated. The dipolar vortex solutions of the nonlinear equation system are obtained. These solutions belong to the intrinsic electromagnetic vortices, the corresponding magnetic field perturbations and the longitudinal current are continuous on the boundary of the vortex.