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Abscisic acid (ABA) receptors are considered as the targeted manipulation of ABA sensitivity and water productivity in plants. Regulation of their stability or activity will directly affect ABA signalling. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades link multiple environmental and plant developmental cues. However, the molecular mechanism of ABA signalling and MAPK cascade interaction remains largely elusive. TaMPK3 overexpression decreases drought tolerance and wheat sensitivity to ABA, significantly weakening ABA's inhibitory effects on growth. Under drought stress, overexpression lines show lower survival rates, shoot fresh weight and proline content, but higher malondialdehyde levels at seedling stage, as well as decreased grain width and 1000 grain weight in both glasshouse and field conditions at the adult stage. TaMPK3-RNAi increases drought tolerance. TaMPK3 interaction with TaPYL4 leads to decreased TaPYL4 levels by promoting its ubiquitin-mediated degradation, whereas ABA treatment diminishes TaMPK3-TaPYL interactions. In addition, the expression of ABA signalling proteins is impaired in TaMPK3-overexpressing wheat plants under ABA treatment. The MPK3-PYL interaction module was found to be conserved across monocots and dicots. Our results suggest that the MPK3-PYL module could serve as a negative regulatory mechanism for balancing appropriate drought stress response with normal plant growth signalling in wheat.

Articular cartilage is a complex tissue with unique properties that are essential for normal joint function. Many processes can result in cartilage injury, ranging from acute trauma to degenerative processes. Articular cartilage lacks vascularity, and therefore most chondral defects do not heal spontaneously and may require surgical repair. A variety of cartilage repair techniques have been developed and include bone marrow stimulation (microfracture), osteochondral autograft transfer system (OATS) or osteochondral allograft transplantation, autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI), matrix-assisted chondrocyte implantation (MACI), and other newer processed allograft cartilage techniques. Although arthroscopy has long been considered as the gold standard for evaluation of cartilage after cartilage repair, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a non-invasive method to assess the repair site and can be scored using Magnetic resonance Observation of Cartilage Repair Tissue (MOCART). MR also provides additional evaluation of the subchondral bone and for other potential causes of knee pain or internal derangement. Conventional MR can be used to evaluate the status of cartilage repair and potential complications. Compositional MR sequences can provide supplementary information about the biochemical contents of the reparative tissue. This article reviews the various types of cartilage repair surgeries and their postoperative MR imaging appearances.

The WRKY transcription factor superfamily is known to participate in plant growth and stress response. However, the role of this family in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is largely unknown. Here, a salt-induced gene TaWRKY13 was identified in an RNA-Seq data set from salt-treated wheat. The results of RT-qPCR analysis showed that TaWRKY13 was significantly induced in NaCl-treated wheat and reached an expression level of about 22-fold of the untreated wheat. Then, a further functional identification was performed in both Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa L. Subcellular localization analysis indicated that TaWRKY13 is a nuclear-localized protein. Moreover, various stress-related regulatory elements were predicted in the promoter. Expression pattern analysis revealed that TaWRKY13 can also be induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG), exogenous abscisic acid (ABA), and cold stress. After NaCl treatment, overexpressed Arabidopsis lines of TaWRKY13 have a longer root and a larger root surface area than the control (Columbia-0). Furthermore, TaWRKY13 overexpression rice lines exhibited salt tolerance compared with the control, as evidenced by increased proline (Pro) and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) contents under salt treatment. The roots of overexpression lines were also more developed. These results demonstrate that TaWRKY13 plays a positive role in salt stress.

Background Activated charcoal (AC) is highly adsorbent and is often used to promote seedling growth in plant tissue culture, although the molecular mechanism remains unclear. In this study, global transcriptome analysis by RNA sequencing was performed on 10 day old seedlings prepared from both underground and aboveground growing conditions to provide new insights into seedling growth in the presence of AC.Results A total of 18,555 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, in which 11,182 were found in roots and 7,373 were found in shoots. In seedlings grown with AC in immature embryo culture, 9,460 DEGs were up-regulated and 7,483 DEGs were down-regulated compared to the control. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that 254 KEGG pathways were enriched in DEGs, 226 of which were common in roots and shoots. Further analysis of major metabolic pathways showed that AC stimulated the expression of nine genes in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway, including PLA, CYP73A, COMT, CYP84A, and 4CL , which promoted cell differentiation and seedling growth. In the plant hormone signal transduction pathway, AC up-regulated genes related to stress resistance and disease resistance including EIN3, BZR1, JAR1, JAZ, and PR1 , and down-regulated genes related to plant growth inhibition, including BKI1, ARR-B, DELLA, and ABF .Conclusions Growth medium containing AC not only promoted seedling growth, but also enhanced resistance to stress and disease.

Under the "the Belt and Road (B&R)" policy, the development of sea freight and ports has become the focus of national construction, and the local government has also issued various policies to support the development of the shipping industry. Based on the Ningbo - Zhoushan Port and related shipping policies, this paper expounds the development status of Ningbo - Zhoushan Port. This paper puts forward the development and management strategy of Ningbo - Zhoushan Port in order to cope with the opportunity and test under the environment of economic globalization.

It is reported that lectin receptor-like kinases (LecRLKs) play crucial roles in plant responses to diverse environmental. Hence, a comprehensive genome-wide study of the LecRLK genes was conducted in foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.). In the present study, a total of 113 LecRLK genes including 59 G-type, 53 L-type, and 1 C-type LecRLKs were retrieved from foxtail millet genome. We sub-grouped the G- and the L-type LecRLKs into 11 (Groups I–XI) and 10 (Groups I–X) distinct sub-families, respectively, on the basis of their phylogenetic relationships. These 113 LecRLK genes were located on 8 of the 9 foxtail millet chromosomes. Duplication analysis revealed that tandem duplications were common in the LecRLK genes family. Eighteen putative drought-induced LecRLK genes were identified from a comparison of de novo transcriptome sequencing data for foxtail millet plants that had been treated with or without drought conditions. Expression profiling of the 18 candidate LecRLK in plants subjected to PEG-6000 simulated drought and high temperature conditions showed that LecRLKs might play important roles in abiotic stress responses. The Si032100m.g gene was selected for further tolerance assays. Overexpression of the Si032100m.g gene improved the drought tolerance of Arabidopsis plants. The present study of the structural features, chromosome location, duplication analysis, and expression profiling of the LecRLK gene family establishes a foundation for further research into the functions of the LecRLK proteins of foxtail millet.

Abiotic stresses restrict the growth and yield of crops. Plants have developed a number of regulatory mechanisms to respond to these stresses. WRKY transcription factors (TFs) are plant-specific transcription factors that play essential roles in multiple plant processes, including abiotic stress response. At present, little information regarding drought-related WRKY genes in maize is available. In this study, we identified a WRKY transcription factor gene from maize, named ZmWRKY40. ZmWRKY40 is a member of WRKY group II, localized in the nucleus of mesophyll protoplasts. Several stress-related transcriptional regulatory elements existed in the promoter region of ZmWRKY40. ZmWRKY40 was induced by drought, high salinity, high temperature, and abscisic acid (ABA). ZmWRKY40 could rapidly respond to drought with peak levels (more than 10-fold) at 1 h after treatment. Overexpression of ZmWRKY40 improved drought tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis by regulating stress-related genes, and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) content in transgenic lines was reduced by enhancing the activities of peroxide dismutase (POD) and catalase (CAT) under drought stress. According to the results, the present study may provide a candidate gene involved in the drought stress response and a theoretical basis to understand the mechanisms of ZmWRKY40 in response to abiotic stresses in maize.

The anterior aspect of the knee is host to an array of normal variants and potential pathology. These normal anatomic variants are often encountered and may mimic pathologies, leading to unnecessary work-up and treatments. On the other hand, there are several subtle abnormalities that may be easily overlooked or mistaken for variants or other injuries or diseases. Recognition of these diagnostic challenges is essential for radiologists to make an accurate diagnosis. This article reviews normal anatomical variants of ligaments, tendons, bones, and other important structures of the anterior knee, focusing on magnetic resonance imaging features. Commonly encountered injuries and abnormalities of the anterior knee and their diagnostic pitfalls are also discussed, highlighting findings on magnetic resonance imaging.

China’s coastal waters are turbid and the properties of the seabed are complex. This negatively impacts the performance of underwater detection equipment. The properties of sound absorption in turbid water are not well understood. In this paper, the coefficient of sound absorption in turbid water was measured by the reverberation technique. All work was done in a reverberation barrel made of seamless aluminum. First, pure water was poured into the reverberation barrel and its reverberation time measured. Next, various concentrations of turbid water were poured into the barrel and their reverberation time measured. After all data had been gathered, the coefficient of sound absorption in turbid water of different concentrations was calculated. From this we determined a law of sound absorption in turbid water as summarized in the paper.