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By miniaturizing the supercapacitor diode, the functions of supercapacitor energy storage and ion diode rectification are fully utilized. This work has accelerated its applications in emerging fields such as computer science and communication technology.

AlN/diamond heterostructures hold tremendous promise for the development of next-generation high-power electronic devices due to their ultrawide band gaps and other exceptional properties. However, the poor adhesion at the AlN/diamond interface is a significant challenge that will lead to film delamination and device performance degradation. In this study, the uniaxial tensile failure of the AlN/diamond heterogeneous interfaces was investigated by molecular dynamics simulations based on a neuroevolutionary machine learning potential (NEP) model. The interatomic interactions can be successfully described by trained NEP, the reliability of which has been demonstrated by the prediction of the cleavage planes of AlN and diamond. It can be revealed that the annealing treatment can reduce the total potential energy by enhancing the binding of the C and N atoms at interfaces. The strain engineering of AlN also has an important impact on the mechanical properties of the interface. Furthermore, the influence of the surface roughness and interfacial nanostructures on the AlN/diamond heterostructures has been considered. It can be indicated that the combination of surface roughness reduction, AlN strain engineering, and annealing treatment can effectively result in superior and more stable interfacial mechanical properties, which can provide a promising solution to the optimization of mechanical properties, of ultrawide band gap semiconductor heterostructures.

IMPORTANCE: Dupilumab is a theoretically novel therapy for bullous pemphigoid (BP). However, its effectiveness and safety have yet to be confirmed in a large-scale study. OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of dupilumab in patients with BP and evaluate factors that potentially affect short-term and long-term outcomes. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted from January 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022. The median (IQR) follow-up period was 24.6 (11.5-38.4) weeks. This multicenter study was performed in 6 dermatology departments of the National Autoimmune Bullous Diseases Cooperative Group of China. Adult patients with BP that received 300 mg of dupilumab every 2 weeks following an initial dose of 600 mg were included. Patients were eligible if they had a clinical presentation of BP combined with immunological or pathological evidence. Patients with drug-induced BP, with less than 4 weeks of follow-up, and who received dupilumab or any other biologics within 6 months were excluded. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who achieved disease control within 4 weeks. Disease control was defined as the absence of new lesions and pruritus, combined with the healing of existing lesions. Complete remission rates, relapse rates, changes in Bullous Pemphigoid Disease Area Index (BPDAI) scores, itching numerical rating scale (NRS) scores, laboratory results within 64 weeks, and adverse events (AEs) were also assessed. RESULTS: Among 146 patients (median [IQR] age, 73 [64-85] years; 86 [58.9%] male patients) included in the study, 127 (87.0%) patients achieved disease control within 4 weeks, with a median (IQR) time of 14 (7-14) days. A total of 52 (35.6%) patients achieved complete remission, and 13 (8.9%) patients relapsed during the observation period. The complete remission rate and cumulative relapse rate at week 64 were 62.5% (5 of 8) and 30.9%, respectively. There was rapid and sustained improvement in clinical indicators and laboratory examination results after dupilumab treatment, including BPDAI scores, itching NRS scores, serum anti-BP180 and anti-BP230 antibodies, total IgE levels, and eosinophil count. Of these 146 patients, 107 (73.3%) did not report any AEs. The most common AEs were infections and eosinophilia. Serum anti-BP180 antibody levels of greater than 50 relative units (RU)/mL (OR, 3.63; 95% CI, 0.97-12.61; P = .045) were associated with 4-week disease control, and male patients were more likely to relapse (HR, 10.97; 95% CI, 1.42-84.92; P = .02). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this retrospective cohort study, dupilumab treatment was associated with improved clinical symptoms in patients with BP. The safety profile was favorable, although concurrent infection and eosinophilia might pose potential concerns. This study suggests that patients with anti-BP180 antibody levels of at least 50 RU/mL and female sex may respond better.

In recent years, neural architecture search (NAS) has achieved unprecedented development because of its ability to automatically achieve high-performance neural networks in various tasks. Among these, the evolutionary neural architecture search (ENAS) has impressed the researchers due to the excellent heuristic exploration capability. However, the evolutionary algorithm-based NAS are prone to the loss of population diversity in the search process, causing that the structure of the surviving individuals is exceedingly similar, which will lead to premature convergence and fail to explore the search space comprehensively and effectively. To address this issue, we propose a novel indicator, named architecture entropy, which is used to measure the architecture diversity of population. Based on this indicator, an effective sampling strategy is proposed to select the candidate individuals with the potential to maintain the population diversity for environmental selection. In addition, an unified encoding scheme of topological structure and computing operation is designed to efficiently express the search space, and the corresponding population update strategies are suggested to promote the convergence. The experimental results on several image classification benchmark datasets CIFAR-10 and CIFAR-100 demonstrate the superiority of our proposed method over the state-of-the-art comparison ones. To further validate the effectiveness of our method in real applications, our proposed NAS method is applied in the identification of lumbar spine X-ray images for osteoporosis diagnosis, and can achieve a better performance than the commonly used methods. Our source codes are available at https://github.com/LabyrinthineLeo/AEMONAS.

Hyperspectral images (HSIs) contain hundreds of bands, which provide a wealth of spectral information and enable better characterization of features. However, the excessive dimensions and redundant information also cause a dimensional disaster for subsequent processing. Band selection (BS) is a widely used dimension reduction technique for HSIs. Traditional methods mainly consider the hyperspectral BS problem at the level of data and maintain the information contained in the data, without considering the spatial structures inside HSIs. To fill the gap, in this work, an unsupervised hyperspectral BS method through structure-conserved and neighborhood-grouped evolutionary algorithm (SNEA) is proposed. Different from other EAs for hyperspectral BS, first, two spatial-structure-related optimization objectives are designed, including the locally spatial structure denoted by the pixel’s spatial consistency with its adjacent neighbors and the globally spatial structure denoted by the affinity graph among pixels. With the designed objectives, the hyperspectral BS is formulated as the problem of conserving spatial structures. Moreover, a neighborhood-grouped pairwise learning strategy is proposed to generate high-quality offsprings. In this novel strategy, a neighborhood-grouping operation is developed to divide the band space into several groups. The population can be initialized efficiently, and the offspring solutions can be generated pairwisely under the guidance of grouping. Compared with nine state-of-the-art comparison algorithms, experimental results on three standard hyperspectral datasets demonstrate that the band subset obtained by our proposed SNEA has a better classification performance than the comparison algorithms.

Recently, evolutionary algorithms (EAs) have shown their promising performance in solving the hyperspectral endmember extraction (EE) task. Despite that, most of the existing EA-based EE algorithms mainly take advantage of the global search capability of evolutionary computation. A few of them focus on the hyperspectral EE task itself, which is a sparse large-scale problem with constraint. To fill the gap, in this article, a global-to-local EA (GL-EA) is proposed, where the global and local search is performed sequentially to extract the endmembers effectively. Specifically, in the first global search stage, two complementary solution generation strategies, including asymmetric flip-based solution generation and spectral angle distance (SAD)-based solution repair, are designed, with which the sparse large-scale search space of hyperspectral EE is fully explored and the endmembers that satisfy the constraint could be achieved. Then, in the second stage, a perturbation-based local search is suggested, which further enhances the quality of the obtained endmembers. In addition, an endmember repetition-based solution selection strategy is also developed for both global and local search stages, by using which good solutions can be selected effectively during the evolution. Experimental results on different hyperspectral datasets demonstrate that when compared with the state-of-the-art EE algorithms, the proposed GL-EA could extract the endmembers with higher quality.

Under catalysis by chiral phosphine, an asymmetric isomerization/annulation cascade reaction of allylamines with allenoates was realized. A wide range of γ-substituted allenoates were tolerated to afford chiral pyrroline derivatives in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities. In the reaction, isomerization of readily available N-allylamines to reactive aliphatic imines through a 1,4-proton shift is a key step, which circumvents the isolation of highly unstable alkyl N-sulfonylimines.

Relevant advancements in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are impeded by the limited oxygen reduction reactions at the cathode. The challenge prompted the development of a jarosite-biochar catalyst using a straightforward biomineralization method. Through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis, we observed a reduction in the agglomeration phenomenon of nano jarosite and a decrease in particle size. The biochar-jarosite MFC demonstrated a significant increase in voltage (682.5 mV) and a maximum power density of 1211 mW/m2. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) showed that the charge transfer resistance of the cathode decreased from 2580 Ω to 111 Ω, demonstrating excellent oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance. The jarosite-biochar significantly enhanced the MFC degradation of Cr (VI), exhibiting a 5.2-fold increase, while demonstrating exceptional stability. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of Fe and Cr on the surface of jarosite-biochar further substantiates the role of jarosite as an electron mediator between biochar and Cr (VI) in the MFC. Our study presents a cost-effective and efficient biomineralization strategy for the modification of cathode materials in MFCs, offering significant potential for enhancing the catalytic performance of iron-containing carbonaceous composites in Cr (VI) environments.

Neutrophils are important innate immune cells with plasticity, heterogenicity, and functional ambivalency. While bone marrow is often regarded as the primary source of neutrophil production, the roles of extramedullary production in regulating neutrophil plasticity and heterogenicity in autoimmune diseases remain poorly understood. Here, we report that the lack of wingless-type MMTV integration site family member 5 (WNT5) unleashes anti-inflammatory protection against colitis in mice, accompanied by reduced colonic CD8+T cell activation and enhanced splenic extramedullary myelopoiesis. In addition, colitis upregulates WNT5 expression in splenic stromal cells. The ablation of WNT5 leads to increased splenic production of hematopoietic niche factors, as well as elevated numbers of splenic neutrophils with heightened CD8+T cell suppressive capability, in part due to elevated CD101 expression and attenuated pro-inflammatory activities. Thus, our study reveals a mechanism by which neutrophil plasticity and heterogenicity are regulated in colitis through WNT5 and highlights the role of splenic neutrophil production in shaping inflammatory outcomes.

Owing to the energy crisis and environmental pollution, developing efficient and robust electrochemical energy storage (or conversion) systems is urgently needed but still very challenging. Next-generation electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices, mainly including fuel cells, metal-air batteries, metal-sulfur batteries, and metal-ion batteries, have been viewed as promising candidates for future large-scale energy applications. All these systems are operated through one type of chemical conversion mechanism, which is currently limited by poor reaction kinetics. Single atom catalysts (SACs) perform maximum atom efficiency and well-defined active sites. They have been employed as electrode components to enhance the redox kinetics and adjust the interactions at the reaction interface, boosting device performance. In this Review, we briefly summarize the related background knowledge, motivation and working principle toward next-generation electrochemical energy storage (or conversion) devices, including fuel cells, Zn-air batteries, Al-air batteries, Li-air batteries, Li-CO2batteries, Li-S batteries, and Na-S batteries. While pointing out the remaining challenges in each system, we clarify the importance of SACs to solve these development bottlenecks. Then, we further explore the working principle and current progress of SACs in various device systems. Finally, future opportunities and perspectives of SACs in next-generation electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices are discussed.

The phosphine-catalyzed cascade Michael addition/[4+2] cycloaddition reaction of tetrahydrobenzofuranone-derived allenoates and 2-arylidene-1,3-indanediones has been reported, affording spirocyclic 1,3-indanedione derivatives in moderate to high yields with moderate to good diastereoselectivities. A scaled-up reaction worked well under mild conditions, and a plausible mechanism is proposed.

The development of two-dimensional (2D) nanohybrid materials with heterogeneous components in nanoscale and three-dimensional (3D) well-ordered assembly in microscale has been regarded as an effective way to improve their overall performances by the synergistic coupling of the optimized structure and composition. In this work, we reported the design and synthesis of a new type of hierarchically core–shell structure of 2D VS2@VC@N-doped carbon (NC) sheets decorated by ultrafine Pd nanoparticles (PdNPs), which were vertically grown on carbon fiber (CF) and assembled into a unique 3D rosette-like array. The resultant VS2@VC@NC-PdNPs modified CF microelectrode integrated the structural and electrochemical properties of the heterogeneous hybridization of core–shell VS2@VC@NC-PdNPs sheets with a unique rosette-like array structure, and gave rise to a significant improvement in terms of electron transfer ability, electrocatalytic activity, stability, and biocompatibility. Under the optimized conditions, the VS2@VC@NC-PdNPs modified CF microelectrode demonstrated excellent electrochemical sensing performance towards biomarker hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) including a high sensitivity of 152.7 μA cm–2mM–1, a low detection limit of 50 nM (a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1), as well as good reproducibility and anti-interference ability, which could be used for the real-time in situ electrochemical detection of H2O2in live cancer cells and cancer tissue. The remarkable performances of the proposed nanohybrid microelectrode will have a profound impact on the design of diverse 2D layered materials as a promising candidate for electrochemical biosensing applications.

The study was to evaluate the effects of four types of microbial proteaseon growth performance, nutritional composition, apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC), physiological parameters and microbiota of genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT, Oreochromis niloticus). Six diets were prepared, including a positive control diet (protein 300 g/kg, high protein group, HP) and one negative control diet (protein 280 g/kg, low protein group, LP) and four proteases were added to the low protein diets, included HuPro protease (LPH), acid protease (LPAC), neutral protease (LPN) and alkaline protease (LPAK). Compared with the fish fed LP diet, the weight gain rate (WGR), specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion rate (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and feed intake ratio (FIR) were improved in fish fed LPH diet. The ADC of dry matter in LPH diet was improved. The serum total protein (TP) in LPH diet was higher than the LP diets. The activities of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and catalase (CAT) in LPH group was higher than the LP and HP group, respectively. The protease activities of stomach and gut in fish fed LPH diet was higher than LP group. Shannon and Simpson indices in LPH group were higher than the LP group. The abundance of Fusobacteriain the six groups reached more than 70 % at the phylum level, and the largest difference in the relative abundance at the genus level was Cetobacterium. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the positive effects of HuPro protease on tilapias and selection of HuPro protease to the low protein diet is suitable.

β-Ga2O3is an ultrawide-band gap semiconductor with excellent potential for high-power and ultraviolet optoelectronic device applications. Low thermal conductivity is one of the major obstacles to enable the full performance of β-Ga2O3-based devices. A promising solution for this problem is to integrate β-Ga2O3with a diamond heat sink. However, the thermal properties of the β-Ga2O3/diamond heterostructures after the interfacial bonding have not been studied extensively, which are influenced by the crystal orientations and interfacial atoms for the β-Ga2O3and diamond interfaces. In this work, molecular dynamics simulations based on machine learning potential have been adopted to investigate the crystal-orientation-dependent and interfacial-atom-dependent thermal boundary resistance (TBR) of the β-Ga2O3/diamond heterostructure after interfacial bonding. The differences in TBR at different interfaces are explained in detail through the explorations of thermal conductivity value, thermal conductivity spectra, vibration density of states, and interfacial structures. Based on the above explorations, a further understanding of the influence of different crystal orientations and interfacial atoms on the β-Ga2O3/diamond heterostructure was achieved. Finally, insightful optimization strategies have been proposed in the study, which could pave the way for better thermal design and management of β-Ga2O3/diamond heterostructures according to guidance in the selection of the crystal orientations and interfacial atoms of the β-Ga2O3and diamond interfaces.

The matrix–filler interface effect plays an important role in determining the structural stability and mechanical properties of polymer composite materials, which remain ambiguous and need to be studied. The network-forming dynamics of poly(3,3-bis (azidomethyl) oxetane–tetrahydrofuran) (PBT) at the ammonium perchlorate (AP) surface was studied by using atomistic molecular dynamics simulation, considering the additives of curing agent toluene diisocyanate (TDI), cross-linker trimethylolpropane (TMP), and coupling agent triethanolamine (TEA). The presence of the AP surface promotes chain cross-link reaction, which is attributed to the increased production of intermediate linkers formed by TDI, TMP, and TEA. The intermediate linker has three reactive sites that can react with PBT main chains to form a cross-linked structure. Owing to the strong interaction with the AP surface, the coupling agent TEA plays a dominant role in forming the intermediate linker. At the early stage of network forming (reaction ratio r< 30%), the AP surface adsorbs TEA, which leads to a maximum contact density to PBT. As rincreases to 60%, the density of intermediate linkers near the AP surface reaches a maximum value. Consequently, the chain cross-link reactions between the intermediate linker and PBT main chains are enhanced as r> 60%. This work explains the micromechanism of the promotion of chain cross-link reaction by the interface effect and provides important insights on designing polymer materials with high mechanical properties.

The phosphine-catalyzed tandem annulation reaction of Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) alcohols with azomethine imines has been achieved for the synthesis of biologically important (epoxymethano)-pyrazolo[5,1-b]quinazoline derivatives. A variety of MBH alcohols and azomethine imines were well-tolerated under the mild reaction conditions, providing novel 3D heterocyclic compounds in high yields with excellent diastereoselectivities. It is the first time the direct activation of unmodified MBH alcohols acting as new oxa-synthons has been achieved.

Phosphine-catalyzed [3+2] annulation of β-sulfonamido-substituted enones and sulfamate-derived cyclic imines has been developed, giving a series of imidazoline derivatives in moderate to excellent yields with good to excellent diastereoselectivities. A scale-up reaction worked well under mild reaction conditions. A possible mechanism was proposed on the basis of the results obtained.

A silver-catalyzed three-component difunctionalization of alkenes by using 2-amino- and 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives as the radical-trapping reagents is reported. Various alkenes and 2-amino- or 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinones with diverse structures and electronic properties are applied to the reaction. The methodology provides an alternative method to access CF3-functionalized alkyl-substituted quinone derivatives which are prevalent structures in bioactive molecules. Furthermore, a plausible radical pathway for the reaction is proposed based on results from primary control experiments.

BiScO3–PbTiO3-based ceramics show great potential in high-temperature piezoelectric applications. However, their high dielectric loss tan δ and low mechanical quality factor Qmhave to be optimized. In this paper, a ceramic system of (1-y)Bi(Sc0.975Zr0.025)O3–yPb(Ti1–xNix)O3(BSZ-yPT-xNi, x= 0, 0.015, 0.025, and 0.035 and y= 0.62, 0.63, 0.64, and 0.65) was systematically investigated. Increase in xor yvalues leads to the enhancement of the tetragonal phase and tetragonal lattice distortion. The rhombohedral/tetragonal morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) locates in the vicinity of y= 0.64 for the x= 0 and 0.015 samples, and y= 0.63 for the x= 0.025 and 0.035 samples. For these MPB samples, the substitution of Ni2+for Ti4+causes domain refinement, evolving from the submicrometer lamellar domains to hierarchical domains, and finally to the high-density stripe-like nanodomains, which benefits the domain wall motion and makes the coercive field reduced. However, the alignment of defect dipoles (NiTi’’–VO••) after the sufficient poling and aging treatment induces the noticeable internal bias field, which increases with the addition of Ni2+. Apparent piezoelectric “hardening” occurred, evidenced by the increase in Qmand the reduction in tan δ. Among the MPB samples, the x= 0.025/y= 0.63 ceramic shows the superior comprehensive electromechanical performance with the d33of 380 pC/N, ktof 0.51, Qmof 112, and tan δ of 0.010. Besides, excellent temperature stability was achieved with the d33of 367–380 pC/N, Qmof 106–112, and tan δ ≤ 0.010 in the temperature range of 25–250 °C.

We have produced a genetically-engineered chimeric protein composed of the external domains of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fusion (F) protein and the parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV-3) hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein in insect cells using the baculovirus expression system. The yield of the soluble chimeric FRSV-HNPIV-3protein could be increased approximately 2-fold by using Trichoplasia ni(High Five) insect cells in place of Spodoptera frugiperda(Sf9) for expression. The chimeric protein, purified from the supernatant of baculovirus-infected High Five cells by immunoaffinity chromatography was correctly processed at the F2-F1 proteolytic cleavage site. Immunochemical analysis of the chimera with a panel of anti-F and anti-HN monoclonal antibodies suggested that the antigenicity of the major F and HN neutralization epitopes of the chimeric protein was preserved. Immunization of cotton rats with two 1 or 10 μg doses of the chimeric protein adsorbed to aluminum phosphate elicited strong PIV-3 specific HAI responses as well as PIV-3 and RSV specific neutralizing antibodies, and at either dose completely protected against challenge with live RSV and PIV-3.

ABSTRACTThe transferrin binding protein genes (tbpAandtbpB) from two strains of Moraxella catarrhalishave been cloned and sequenced. The genomic organization of the M. catarrhalistransferrin binding protein genes is unique among known bacteria in that tbpAprecedes tbpBand there is a third gene located between them. The deduced sequences of the M. catarrhalisTbpA proteins from two strains were 98% identical, while those of the TbpB proteins from the same strains were 63% identical and 70% similar. The third gene, tentatively called orf3, encodes a protein of approximately 58 kDa that is 98% identical between the two strains. The tbpBgenes from four additional strains ofM. catarrhaliswere cloned and sequenced, and two potential families of TbpB proteins were identified based on sequence similarities. Recombinant TbpA (rTbpA), rTbpB, and rORF3 proteins were expressed in Escherichia coliand purified. rTbpB was shown to retain its ability to bind human transferrin after transfer to a membrane, but neither rTbpA nor rORF3 did. Monospecific anti-rTbpA and anti-rTbpB antibodies were generated and used for immunoblot analysis, which demonstrated that epitopes of M. catarrhalisTbpA and TbpB were antigenically conserved and that there was constitutive expression of the tbpgenes. In the absence of an appropriate animal model, anti-rTbpA and anti-rTbpB antibodies were tested for their bactericidal activities. The anti-rTbpA antiserum was not bactericidal, but anti-rTbpB antisera were found to kill heterologous strains within the same family. Thus, if bactericidal ability is clinically relevant, a vaccine comprising multiple rTbpB antigens may protect against M. catarrhalisdisease.

ABSTRACTThe lactoferrin receptor genes from two strains of Moraxella catarrhalishave been cloned and sequenced. The lfrgenes are arranged as lbpBfollowed by lbpA, a gene arrangement found in lactoferrin and transferrin receptor operons from several bacterial species. In addition, a third open reading frame, orf3, is located one nucleotide downstream oflbpA. The deduced lactoferrin binding protein A (LbpA) sequences from the two strains were found to be 99% identical, the LbpB sequences were 92% identical, and the ORF3 proteins were 98% identical. The lbpBgene was PCR amplified and sequenced from a third strain of M. catarrhalis, and the encoded protein was found to be 77% identical and 84% similar to the other LbpB proteins. Recombinant LbpA and LbpB proteins were expressed fromEscherichia coli, and antisera raised to the purified proteins were used to assess antigenic conservation in a panel ofM. catarrhalisstrains. The recombinant proteins were tested for the ability to bind human lactoferrin following gel electrophoresis and electroblotting, and rLbpB, but not rLbpA, was found to bind lactoferrin. Bactericidal antibody activity was measured, and while the anti-rLbpA antiserum was not bactericidal, the anti-rLbpB antisera were found to be weakly bactericidal. Thus, LbpB may have potential as a vaccine candidate.

The timing of the onset and release of dormancy impacts the survival, productivity and spatial distribution of temperate horticultural and forestry perennials and is mediated by at least three main regulatory programs involving signal perception and processing by phytochromes (PHYs) and PHY-interacting transcription factors (PIFs). PIF4 functions as a key regulator of plant growth in response to both external and internal signals. In poplar, the expression of PIF4 and PIF3-LIKE1 is upregulated in response to short days, while PHYA and PHYB are not regulated at the transcriptional level. Integration of light and environmental signals is achieved by gating the expression and transcriptional activity of PIF4. During this annual cycle, auxin promotes the degradation of Aux/IAA transcriptional repressors through the SKP–Cullin-F–boxTIR1 complex, relieving the repression of auxin-responsive genes by allowing auxin response factors (ARFs) to activate the transcription of auxin-responsive genes involved in growth responses. Analyses of transcriptome changes during dormancy transitions have identified MADS-box transcription factors associated with endodormancy induction. Previous studies show that poplar dormancy-associated MADS-box (DAM) genes PtMADS7 and PtMADS21 are differentially regulated during the growth-dormancy cycle. Endodormancy may be regulated by internal factors, which are specifically localized in buds. PtMADS7/PtMADS21 may function as an internal regulator in poplar. The control of flowering time shares certain regulatory hierarchies with control of the dormancy/growth cycle. However, the particularities of different stages of the dormancy/growth cycle warrant comprehensive approaches to identify the causative genes for the entire cycle. A growing body of knowledge also indicates epigenetic regulation plays a role in these processes in perennial horticultural and forestry plants. The increased knowledge contributes to better understanding of the dormancy process and consequently to precise manipulation of dormancy-related horticultural traits, such as flowering time.