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Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is an important plant hormone required for various plant growth and developmental activities. YUCCA proteins are the enzymes for IAA synthesis that catalyze the rate-limiting step. However, the YUCCAgene family in Japanese apricot has not been thoroughly characterized. Here, we investigated the effect of rootstocks on scion growth of Japanease apricot and genes involved in auxin biosynthesis (YUCCA). Growth characteristics revealed that the height of ‘Longyan’ [Prunus mumeSieb. et Zucc] plants with P. mumerootstock were significantly shorter than ‘Longyan’ plants with P. persicarootstock. This study isolated 13 PmYUCCAgenes from the Japanese apricot genome. Bioinformatics and expression studies were undertaken to investigate the functions and characteristics of YUCCAgenes. The physicochemical properties, gene structure, conserved domains, conserved motif, and phylogenetic relationships of YUCCAgenes were determined using bioinformatics analysis. Likewise, we analyzed the expression of PmYUCCAgenes in Japanese apricot’s leaf and stem-bark (scion). The expression levels of PmYUCCA3and PmYUCCA5genes were noticeably lower in the leaves of ‘Longyan’/P. mumegraft combination than that of the ‘Longyan’/P. persicagraft combinations, suggesting their distinct roles in regulating growth vigor. This research explores the genome-wide identification, characterization, and possible relationship between growth vigor and expression profile analysis of the YUCCAgene family in Japanese apricot.

Fruit color is an important factor that affects its quality. The red-skinned cultivars of Japanese apricot (Prunus mumeSieb. et Zucc.) have high medicinal economic benefits and are mainly used for deep-processed products because of their eye-catching red pigmentation. In contrast, molecular markers related to the red color trait in Japanese apricot fruit haven’t been reported. This study identified twenty-eight SNPs markers based on genome resequencing data. The average number of alleles per SNP marker site in red and green-skinned groups of Japanese apricot cultivars was 1.9643, with heterozygosity ranging from 0.02 to 0.75, and an average Shannon index of 0.517 and 0.4420, respectively, indicating high dispersion and diversity. The total germplasm was divided into two (K = 2) clusters, including 10 and 34. Most red-skinned Japanese apricot cultivars were classified as cluster I, showing the significant genetic difference between the two cultivar groups (Fst= 0.54). According to PICvalues, a total of seven SNPs markers showed high polymorphism (PIC> 0.5), including PmSNP_1 (4-CL), PmSNP_4 (WD40), PmSNP_5 (MYB29), PmSNP_18 (UFGT6) and PmSNP_27 (UFGT3) that were highly correlated with red color trait. Among them, PmUFGT3exhibited the highest polymorphism, which is significant for future research on developing and utilizing germplasm resources related to red fruit skin.

Given the importance of government advertising regulation, there has been limited research exploring the common ground between government regulations in different countries. This paper begins by proposing a theoretical framework for comparing government regulations, and then uses the framework to analyze the similarities and differences between advertising regulations in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It concludes that harmonization of regional advertising regulation in Greater China is an attainable goal., Advertising regulation has been widely recognized as a significant environmental factor that impacts international advertising (Clegg 2002; Daniels 1995; Duncan and Ramaprasad 1995; Erevelles et al. 2002; van Oldenborgh 1996). [...]

Prunus zhengheensis, an extremely rare population of apricots, originated in warm South-East China and is an excellent material for genetic breeding. However, most apricots and two related species (P. sibirica, P. mandshurica) are found in the cold northern regions in China and the mechanism of their distribution is still unclear. In addition, the classification status of P. zhengheensisis controversial. Thus, we generated a high-quality haplotype-resolved genome for P. zhengheensis, exploring key genetic variations in its adaptation and the causes of phylogenetic incongruence. We found extensive phylogenetic discordances between the nuclear and organelle phylogenies of P. zhengheensis, which could be explained by incomplete lineage sorting. A 242.22-Mb pan-genome of the Armeniacasection was developed with 13 chromosomal genomes. Importantly, we identified a 566-bp insertion in the promoter of the HSFA1dgene in apricot and showed that the activity of the HSFA1dpromoter increased under low temperatures. In addition, HSFA1doverexpression in Arabidopsis thalianaindicated that HSFA1dpositively regulated plant growth under chilling. Therefore, we hypothesized that the insertion in the promoter of HSFA1din apricot improved its low-temperature adaptation, allowing it to thrive in relatively cold locations. The findings help explain the weather adaptability of Armeniacaplants.

Frigidagenes play a key role in regulating flowering time in plants. In this study, we identified 12 PmFRLgenes and named them according to their chromosomal positions. These genes are unevenly distributed on five chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis of Frigida-like proteins of four Rosaceae species and Arabidopsis thalianashowed that these proteins could be divided into five subfamilies (I–V), and subfamily I (FRI) was absent in Rosaceae species. To further reveal the potential functions of these proteins, we performed duplication analysis and found three tandem duplication events and one segmental duplication event. Tandem duplication promoted the expansion and evolution of the PmFRLgenes. RNA-seq analysis showed that the PmFRLgenes were expressed in different tissues, but there were significant differences in the expression of some genes during dormancy. RT-qPCR results supported the RNA-seq results, suggesting that PmFRLgenes may be involved in the regulation of dormancy in Japanese apricot. In conclusion, our comprehensive analysis provides information on the evolution and possible functions of PmFRLgenes, laying a foundation for further research on the PmFRLfamily.

Prunus mumeSieb. et Zucc., P. armeniacaL., and P. salicinaL. are economically important fruit trees in temperate regions. These species are taxonomically perplexing because of shared interspecific morphological traits and variation, which are mainly attributed to hybridization. The chloroplast is cytoplasmically inherited and often used for evolutionary studies. We sequenced the complete chloroplast genomes of P. mume, P. armeniaca, and P. salicinausing Illumina sequencing followed by de novo assembly. The three chloroplast genomes exhibit a typical quadripartite structure with conserved genome arrangement, structure, and moderate divergence. The lengths of the genomes are 157,815, 157,797, and 157,916 bp, respectively. The length of the large single-copy region (LSC) region is 86,113, 86,283, and 86,122 bp, and the length of the SSC region is 18,916, 18,734, and 19,028 bp; the IR region is 26,393, 26,390, and 26,383 bp, respectively. Each of the three chloroplast genomes encodes 133 genes, including 94 protein-coding, 31 tRNA, and eight rRNA genes. Differential gene analysis for the three species revealed that trnY-ATAis a unique gene in P. armeniaca; in contrast, the gene trnI-TATis only present in P. mumeand P. salicina, though the position of the gene in these chloroplast genomes differs. Further comparative analysis of the complete chloroplast genome sequences revealed that the ORF genes and the sequences of linked regions rps16and atpA, atpHand atpI, trnc-GCAand psbD, ycf3and atpB, and rpL32and ndhDare significantly different and may be used as molecular markers in taxonomic studies. Phylogenetic evolution analysis of the three species suggests that P. mumehas a closer genetic relationship to P. armeniacathan to P. salicina.

Growth monitoring indicated that the height of ‘Kanshu’ plants with ‘Nantong-xiaofangshi’ as an interstock was significantly shorter than that of ‘Kanshu’ plants with no interstock. A transcriptome analysis of the two graft combinations (‘Kanshu’/Diospyros lotusand ‘Kanshu’/‘Nantong-xiaofangshi’/Diospyros lotus) was conducted to explore the dwarfing genes related to the use of the ‘Nantong-xiaofangshi’ interstock. Hormone levels and water conductance were also measured in these two graft combinations. The results indicated that the levels of both IAA and GA were lower in ‘Kanshu’ that had been grafted onto the ‘Nantong-xiaofangshi’ interstock than in ‘Kanshu’ with no interstock; additionally, the water conductance was lower in grafts with interstocks than in grafts without interstocks. The expression of AUX/IAAand auxin-responsive GH3genes was enhanced in scions grafted on the interstock and was negatively correlated with the IAA content and growth of scions. The expression of GA2ox, DELLA, and SPINDLYgenes were also upregulated and associated with a decrease in the level of GA in scions grafted on the interstock. Since one of the GA2oxunigenes was annotated as DkGA2ox1in Diospyros kaki, but was not functionally validated, a functional analysis was conducted in transgenic tobacco. Overexpression of DkGA2ox1in transgenic plants resulted in a dwarf phenotype that could be recovered by the exogenous application of GA3. We conclude that the ‘Nantong-xiaofangshi’ interstock affects the water conductance and expression of genes related to the metabolism and transduction of IAA and GA in the grafted scion and thus regulates phytohormone levels, producing dwarfing. The use of an interstock from a dwarf cultivar lowers the water conductance and affects hormone signal metabolism and transport of the sweet persimmon (Diospyros kakiThunb.), resulting in smaller and more manageable fruit-bearing trees. Shenchun Qu from Nanjing Agricultural University, China, and colleagues compared ‘Kanshu’ persimmon scions grafted on a ‘Diospyros lotus’ rootstock with and without an interstock from a rare dwarf cultivar called ‘Nantong-xiaofangshi’. The interstock-grafted plants moved water less efficiently through their stems. The same plants also exhibited gene activity patterns that correlated with lower levels of the key growth hormones auxin and gibberellic acid. Expressing one of those putative hormone-repressor genes in transgenic tobacco caused the plants to grow shorter. By helping elucidate the mechanisms of interstock-induced dwarfing, the findings could help improve future persimmon cultivation.

This work is an experimental study of film cooling effectiveness on two real-scale turbine vanes in a three-vane annular cascade. The cascade is connected to a high-flow steady compressor to provide the mainstream flow. The inlet velocity is maintained at 35 m/s at the centerline of the annular cascade. Two heavily cooled, real-scale turbine vanes are tested with cooling holes on the pressure (PS) and suction (SS) surfaces. Vane 1 has 645 cooling holes distributed around the vane. Vane 2 has an additional two rows of holes at the near leading edge SS of the vane. The mass flow ratio (MFR) is varied from 3.12% to 4.82%. Increasing the MFR increases film effectiveness. The introduction of additional rows of cooling holes resulted in the re-distribution of coolant from the pressure surface to the suction surface. The re-distribution of coolant is primarily due to the additional coolant supplied to the suction surface for vane 2. This study provides designers with more insight into how to place rows of cooling holes to have improved effectiveness.

Objective To investigate the effects of Cushing’s disease (CD) and adrenal-dependent Cushing’s syndrome (ACS) on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone metabolism.Methods Data were retrospectively collected for 55 patients with hypercortisolism (CD, n = 34; ACS n = 21) from January 1997 to June 2014. BMD was examined in all patients, and bone turnover markers were tested in some patients. Healthy controls (n = 18) were also recruited.Results The lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD were significantly lower in the ACS and CD groups than in the control group. Lumbar BMD was significantly lower in the ACS than CD group. The collagen breakdown product (CTX) concentrations were significantly higher while the osteocalcin and procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (PINP) concentrations were significantly lower in the ACS and CD groups than in the control group. The PINP concentration was significantly lower while the CTX concentration was significantly higher in the ACS than CD group. In the CD group only, lumbar BMD and serum adrenocorticotropic hormone had a significant positive correlation.Conclusions Bone turnover markers indicated suppressed osteoblast and enhanced osteoclast activities. PINP and CTX changes might indicate bone mass deterioration. Adrenocorticotropic hormone might be protective for lumbar BMD in patients with CD.

In this study, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), modified corncob powder and manganese dioxide (PCCM) cubes were prepared for entrapping Cupriavidussp. ZY7 and Pantoeasp. MFG10 in the bioreactor. The denitrification and phenol removal efficiencies reached 89.38% and 89.17% at carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 1.0, hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6 h, and the nitrate and phenol concentration of inflow was 15 and 1 mg L−1, respectively. Strain ZY7 could degrade cellulose in corncob to provide available carbon source in the bioreactor, and the enhancement effect was more obvious as C/N ratio increased. High-throughput data confirmed that Cupriavidusand Pantoeawere the prevalent strains in the PCCM cubes bioreactor. The synergistic relationship between strains ZY7 and MFG10 was the key to the excellent pollutants removal ability of the bioreactor at low C/N ratio, which was important for the treatment of wastewater with complex contaminants.

We describe a case of congenital esophageal stenosis in which the patient underwent ineffective balloon dilatation twice and eventually required surgery. The case was initially misdiagnosed as achalasia. Pathological findings revealed tracheobronchial remnants (TBRs) in the muscular layer of strictured esophageal tissue. Most TBR strictures are located in the middle and lower thirds of the esophagus. Esophagography is the main examination method for esophageal stricture, and the appearance of the “rat tail sign” is a key diagnostic indicator. Endoscopic ultrasonography can reveal hypoechoic cartilaginous structures. The gold standards for TBR treatment include esophageal stricture resection, end-to-end esophageal anastomosis, and the construction of structures to prevent reflux. At present, endoscopic longitudinal resection and transverse anastomosis of the anterior esophageal wall with partial cartilage resection without pyloroplasty are novel and practical TBR procedures. To avoid further complications, patients with congenital esophageal stenosis should be promptly treated surgically if balloon dilatation is ineffective.

Contextualized in the regulatory differences between China and the United States, this study surveyed Chinese and U.S. consumers on their beliefs and attitudes toward advertising. It found that the two samples shared considerable similarities in their beliefs and attitudes, as well as some differences. The data suggest the possibility that when advertising reaches a certain threshold of development and becomes ubiquitous in people's life, consumers, regardless of their cultural background, invariably acquire a less favorable view of advertising.

Lop Nur was a huge lake located at the eastern end of the Tarim Basin, northwest of China, which dried up prior to 1970. Using synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which has the advantage of penetration capability and sensitivity to moist saline materials, the subsurface lacustrine deposits were revealed. SAR also delineated the partially buried shorelines and detailed a complete picture of Lop Nur Lake that led to three important scientific findings. Based on the interpretation of the scattering mechanism of polarimetric and multiple frequency SAR data, field investigation, and sample analysis, it was found that the total area of the vanished Lop Nur Lake was more than 10 000 km2, which is much larger than earlier reports. The relatively young West Lake was superposed on top of the lacustrine deposits of East Lake, making the well known “Ear” feature of Lop Nur, so the western part of the shoreline was buried and not visible on optical remote sensing images. Therefore the Lop Nur Lake actually has near circular, closed shorelines. The drying-up process of East Lop Nur Lake went through six phases according to the shorelines interpreted from multiple SAR data. The shrinking phases of Lop Nur Lake indicate the climate changes between wet and dry environmental conditions.

A series of novel macrocyclic polyethers, phenylene–diacetylene‐containing macrocycles was synthesized in high yields by employing copper(II)‐mediated Eglinton coupling as the key macrocyclization (80–92 %). As an analogue of the bisphenylene crown ether hosts, the binding behavior of these new macrocycles was investigated by 1H NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry (ESI), and X‐ray crystallography. The results obtained indicate that macrocycles with tetraethylene glycol chains (3c–e) bind a paraquat guest to form [2]pseudorotaxane‐like complexes in solution and in the solid state, whereas macrocycles with triethylene glycol chains (i.e., 3f–h) bind a paraquat guest to form [3]pseudorotaxane‐like complexes, which implies that macrocycles 3f–hmay be able to complex to (mono)pyridinium cations in a [2]pseudorotaxane‐like fashion in solution.

AbstractThis paper argues for a paradigmatic shift away from the current cultural framework that dominates content analyses of international advertisements. It proposes a new framework that recognizes the direct influence of agents such as the advertiser/agency, the consumer, and the regulator on international advertising. This agent-based approach aims to link content analysis to other areas of advertising and consumer research, and investigate the interaction between the characteristics of these agents and international advertising content. This way, content analysis serves as an exploratory tool to generate hypotheses and facilitate other forms of analysis so that more actionable results can be obtained.

Strawberry (Fragariaspp.) is a member of the Rosoideae subfamily in the family Rosaceae. The self-incompatibility (SI) of some diploid species is a key agronomic trait that acts as a basic pollination barrier; however, the genetic mechanism underlying SI control in strawberry remains unclear. Two candidate S-RNases (Sa- and Sb-RNase) identified in the transcriptome of the styles of the self-incompatible Fragaria viridis42 were confirmed to be SI determinants at the S locus following genotype identification and intraspecific hybridization using selfing progenies. Whole-genome collinearity and RNase T2 family analysis revealed that only an Slocus exists in Fragaria; however, none of the compatible species contained S-RNase. Although the results of interspecific hybridization experiments showed that F. viridis(SI) styles could accept pollen from F. mandshurica(self-compatible), the reciprocal cross was incompatible. Saand Sb-RNase contain large introns, and their noncoding sequences (promotors and introns) can be transcribed into long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). Overall, the genus Fragariaexhibits S-RNase-based gametophytic SI, and S-RNaseloss occurs at the Slocus of compatible germplasms. In addition, a type of SI-independent unilateral incompatibility exists between compatible and incompatible Fragariaspecies. Furthermore, the large introns and neighboring lncRNAs in S-RNasein Fragariacould offer clues about S-RNaseexpression strategies.

Pyriform sinus fistula is uncommon and easily misdiagnosed. Most reported cases occur in children and are associated with either acute suppurative thyroiditis or deep neck infection. Asymptomatic pyriform sinus fistula is difficult to diagnose because it can manifest as an incidental thyroid nodule with highly suspicious malignant features on ultrasonography. The patient was a 41-year-old man with asymptomatic thyroid nodules incidentally detected on ultrasonography. Surgery was performed under the suspicion of thyroid cancer. Pathology findings revealed multiple cystic walls lined by ciliated columnar cells with stratified squamous epithelial cysts in a background of inflammatory and lymphoid cells. Barium swallow examination performed 2 weeks later revealed a sinus tract measuring 1.8 cm that arose from the apex of the left pyriform sinus. The diagnosis and management of pyriform sinus anomalies are challenging. The majority of physicians, including some otolaryngologists, lack an understanding of the disease, which should be considered one of the important differential diagnoses of neck masses. Barium swallow examination, ultrasonography, computed tomography, and laryngoscopy are useful to diagnose this condition.

Gibberellin (GA4) has a significant effect on promoting dormancy release in flower buds of Japanese apricot (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc). The transcriptomic and proteomic changes that occur after GA4treatment have been reported previously; however, the metabolic changes brought about by GA4remain unknown. The present study was undertaken to assess changes in metabolites in response to GA4treatment, as determined using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and principal component analysis. Fifty-five metabolites that exhibited more than two-fold differences in abundance (P < 0.05) between samples collected over time after a given treatment or between samples exposed to different treatments were studied further. These metabolites were categorized into six main groups: amino acids and their isoforms (10), amino acid derivatives (7), sugars and polyols (14), organic acids (12), fatty acids (4), and others (8). All of these groups are involved in various metabolic pathways, in particular galactose metabolism, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, and starch and sucrose metabolism. These results suggested that energy metabolism is important at the metabolic level in dormancy release following GA4treatment. We also found that more than 10-fold differences in abundance were observed for many metabolites, including sucrose, proline, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid, which might play important roles during the dormancy process. The current research extends our understanding of the mechanisms involved in budburst and dormancy release in response to GA4and provides a theoretical basis for applying GA4to release dormancy.

The apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) cultivar ‘Su Shuai’ exhibits greater disease resistance, shorter internodes and lighter fruit flavor compared with its parents ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Indo’. To obtain a comprehensive overview of the sequence variation in these three horticultural traits, the genomes of ‘Su Shuai’ and ‘Indo’ were resequenced using next-generation sequencing and compared to the genome of ‘Golden Delicious’. A wide range of genetic variations were detected, including 2 454 406 and 18 749 349 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and 59 547 and 50 143 structural variants (SVs) in the ‘Indo’ and ‘Su Shuai’ genomes, respectively. Among the SVs in ‘Su Shuai’, 17 genes related to disease resistance, 10 genes related to Gibberellin (GA) and 19 genes associated with fruit flavor were identified. The expression patterns of eight of the SV genes were examined using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The results of this study illustrate the genomic variation in these cultivars and provide evidence for a genetic basis for the horticultural traits of disease resistance, short internodes and lighter flavor exhibited in these cultivars. These results provide a genetic basis for the phenotypic characteristics of ‘Su Shuai’ and, as such, these SVs could serve as gene-specific molecular markers in maker-assisted breeding of apples.