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The arrival of the metaverse, as a new generation of information technology, will bring great changes to people's production, life, and learning. The educational metaverse is regarded as a new form of educational development, which will bring a transformative impact on educational teaching activities. In this context, this study has developed a general architecture of educational metaverse system, which includes the physical layer, software layer, data layer, and application layer, based on the technical, theoretical, and architectural support and its digital ecology of educational metaverse system construction. The study has tried to construct a physiology virtual experimental teaching system and taken the rabbit's exercise of respiration regulation experiment as an example to start the research on the educational metaverse in physiology experimental teaching. Participants of the study were 120 students from the 2019 clinical medicine class at School A. By analyzing the learning outcome of students in the virtual experiment course of the educational metaverse, it is concluded that educational metaverse can promote both teaching and learning in the process of experimental teaching; this research has explored the path for the new form of Internet education, which is of great significance for promoting the efficient construction of new education infrastructure and the innovative development of education modernization.

This article's objectives encompassed investigating the factors influencing early romantic relationships among high school students, analyzing the repercussions of such relationships on these students, and proposing policy interventions to address the issue. The research involved a sample of 26 participants, including students with romantic experiences, teachers familiar with student romantic issues, parents, and school leaders. Data collection employed interviews, with subsequent analysis using descriptive and content analysis techniques. The study identified psychological, physiological, and social factors as the primary influencers of early love among high school students. It also highlighted the impact of early romantic involvement on students, encompassing psychological, physiological, academic, and interpersonal dimensions. To mitigate this issue, the study recommends a multifaceted approach, including the establishment of a comprehensive student support system, enhanced legal education, standardized uniforms for all high schools, media coverage regulations, strengthened social monitoring, rigorous internet content management, and the creation of a dedicated research institution. These measures collectively aim to create a healthier environment for high school students grappling with early romantic relationships.

Since pre-internship medical students appeared inefficient in acquiring fundamental knowledge in large classes, a hybrid instructional method of problem-and-lecture-based learning (PLBL) was designed to leverage the complementary strengths of PBL in reasoning under minimal guidance and LBL in immediate knowledge retention. We improved PBL (IPBL) in its instructional process and grading in a way that's feasible in large classes, divided in IPBL almost 50 students into 7-10 squads as a figure simulating student counts in classic PBL class to strive for each squad member to achieve the same level of knowledge, and applied IPBL to about half of the instructional contents while LBL to another half for their complementary strengths. In this case, PLBL led to more number of test questions correctly answered by all students in a class, more students in higher test score buckets, and higher student perception scores on the methodology. PLBL facilitates fundamental knowledge acquisition in large classes within 50 students prior to medical internships.

With the development of technology, people expect real-time communication with computers. Wearable devices, such as those for monitoring physiological signals, have rapidly developed and are now being applied in college and university evaluation. Due to the non-standard and unscientific practices in teaching, teachers may experience psychological obstacles when evaluating students. To ensure successful evaluation, we must motivate teachers to correctly understand and actively participate in the evaluation process, thus facilitating communication between people and computers. Emotion recognition based on multi-physiological signals, such as ECG, pulse, electromyography, electrodermal, and respiratory signals, is an effective method for achieving this. This dissertation conducts in-depth research on the methods for emotion recognition based on multi-physiological signals. It explores feature extraction methods, feature selection, and fusion to provide objective assessments of physiological and psychological activity states, which are used as a basis for accurate emotional judgments.

A physiology laboratory course plays an important role in improving the scientific abilities of medical students. This study involved a teaching reform based on problem-based self-designed experiments in a physiology laboratory course. The study subjects were divided into two groups, i.e., students enrolled in 2019 were assigned to the traditional course control group (n = 146) and students enrolled in 2021 were assigned to the improved course test group (n = 128). Students in the test group were required to conduct self-designed experiments based on the questions for each experimental theme, in addition to completing the specified experimental items. At the end of the course, the differences in academic achievements between the two groups were compared. The results showed that compared to the control group, the students in the test group spent less time finishing the specified experimental items (P < 0.05). More students in the test group obtained good results in the operation assessment for the specified experiments (P < 0.05), and a significant increase in the number of winners in discipline-wise competitions, participants in scientific research projects, and academic publications was observed in the test group. Most of the students in the test group agreed that the self-designed experiment promoted their scientific thinking, helped them better understand theoretical knowledge, and improved their hands-on operation and team cooperation abilities. Our research showed that our teaching reform promoted students' self-directed learning and problem-solving abilities, stimulated their enthusiasm for scientific research, and was conducive to the cultivation of innovative medical talents.

In recent years, online learning has been widely used than before. However, it depends on student's learning initiative and lacks of teacher-student interaction, which cannot bring desired learning performance. In our physiology teaching practice to "5 + 3" integration medical student, we tried to combine online and classroom learning to form the blended learning. This study assessed the effectiveness of the blended learning on students' learning initiative and performance in the physiology study. It included 180 full-time students from clinical medical specialty across two academic years. These students were divided into the experimental classes receiving blended learning and the control classes receiving traditional learning. We carried out three classroom tests and one questionnaire survey. It found that the students of blended learning who mastered most of the content were as twice as the students of traditional learning. The average accuracy of classroom tests was above 90% from the students of the blended learning, which was higher than the approximate rate of 80% of from the students of the traditional learning. Both the times of preparing lessons and answering questions in class increased in the blended learning practice. In addition, students of blended learning were relatively unaffected by playing with the mobile phones in the class. It found that students acquired more knowledge, performed better in the classroom tests and their learning initiative was excited in the blended learning. This study provides the effect assessment and contributes to improve the teaching effect of the blended learning.

To evaluate the teaching effect of problem-based learning (PBL) combined with lecture-based learning (LBL) compared with that of LBL alone in renal pathology education for trainees receiving standardized training. A total of 65 undergraduate medical students who received standardized training in Xijing Hospital from January 2016 to November 2019 were randomly divided into a PBL+LBL group (33 subjects) and an LBL alone group (32 subjects). The teaching effect was evaluated using the subjects' diagnostic accuracy of renal pathology, knowledge of renal pathology and teaching satisfaction assessment. The diagnostic accuracy of renal pathology, knowledge of renal pathology and teaching satisfaction assessment in PLB+LBL group (81.0%, 79.99 ± 6.65 and 89.4%, respectively) were significantly higher than those in the LBL alone group (58.5%, 62.89 ± 10.31 and 58.9%, respectively). While teaching renal pathology to undergraduate medical students receiving standardized training, the PBL+LBL group benefited from a teaching effect and gave a better teaching satisfaction.

Physiology is a critical subject that bridges basic and clinical medicine. The reform of physiology education is crucial to improving the quality of teaching and supporting student learning; however, there is a lack of comprehensive data documenting the current state of physiology education in medical programs in China. This study conducted an online survey among experienced teachers from the top 100 medical schools in the Chinese mainland in 2022. A total of 89 valid questionnaires were included in this study. In 57.3% of the surveyed medical schools, 70% of the physiology teachers have a Ph.D. degree, while the number of faculty members with a medical background has tended to decrease in 53.9% of the surveyed medical schools. Of the 89 medical schools, 62 have implemented physiology course integration, with 69.4% of the respondents believing that curriculum integration could enhance students' knowledge acquisition and application. The lecture hours per term are 50-70 and 71-90 in 49.4% and 42.7% of the 89 medical schools, respectively. The ratio of course duration of lecture to laboratory was 2:1 in 47.2% of the surveyed medical schools, while the ratio was between 1:1 and 2:1 in 47.2% of the surveyed medical schools, and only 5.6% of medical schools opted for a 1:1 course arrangement. For teaching methods, about 60% of medical schools used problem-based learning, case-based learning, and task-based learning (PBL/CBL/TBL) for clinical medicine students only, and 25.4% of medical schools applied PBL/CBL/TBL to all students. This study is conducive to promoting dialogue and communication among physiology teachers, administrators, and researchers.

The online flipped classroom (OFC) has emerged as a new teaching method in universities worldwide, which combines asynchronous and synchronous online learning. OFC differs from the traditional flipped classroom as it does not involve face-to-face interaction between teachers and students. Instead, the class meeting is conducted online, and it is focused on active and collaborative learning (e.g., discussion rather than lecturing). To evaluate the effectiveness of the Physiology OFC, we compared it with online live teaching (OLT) offered in the same school and semester. We analyzed the exam scores of the Physiology course as well as the scores for other courses offered in the same semester and after the Physiology course. We categorized the top 27% of the exam takers as high-achieving students and the bottom 27% as low-achieving students. Our analysis found no statistically significant difference between OFC and OLT in terms of overall exam scores for all students. However, high-achieving students in OFC scored higher on the total exam score and short answer questions, but the score of case study questions (CSQs) of low-achieving students was lower. Furthermore, students in OFC scored higher in Medical Immunology and courses dominated by logical thinking such as Pharmacology and Diagnostics than students in OLT. In conclusion, our findings suggest that OFC can achieve the same teaching effectiveness as OLT, with a more positive impact on high-achieving students. The positive impact extends beyond the Physiology course to other courses where logical thinking is critical. However, the lower performance of low-achieving students in CSQs highlights the need for further research to determine the reasons for their lower performance and potential strategies to improve their learning outcomes.

Based on a sample survey of high schools in Province S of China, this study used quantitative statistical analysis to explore the ideal matching mode of sleep time and high academic performance and established a multi-level early warning mechanism for schools that sacrifice student sleep for high academic performance. The results showed that "students achieve the best academic performance when they sleep for eight hours or more." This is an ideal matching mode for schools to ensure the healthy development of students and build a good educational environment. Teachers, schools, education administrators, and parents should hold correct educational values and view comprehensively the relationship between students' sleep time and academic performance. For schools that sacrifice students' sleep time and blindly pursue high grades, a multi-level early warning mechanism should be established and their rectification should be supervised.

China's Clinical Medicine Level Test (CMLT) was designed to evaluate the key factors that affect the learning outcome of medical students prior to entering clinical practice. In this study, we systemically analyzed the performance of a cohort of medical students at Jinan University School of Medicine participating in the recent CMLT. The analytical results of the medical students' written and objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) scores showed that their academic performance was predominantly associated with students' internship allocations, although other demographic characteristics such as sex, age, geographical origin of students, and grade point average (GPA) might be sporadically related to the students' OSCE performance at different OSCE stations. To explore the inherent reasons behind this, a survey was implemented among the medical students who participated in the examination to further interpret the factors influencing the students' learning outcome. The findings of this questionnaire manifested that intrinsic motivation and identified regulation acted as the major motivational profiles for the medical students from three different internship sites, whereas external regulation emerged as the crucial factor to make the students perform well academically in the CMLT. The result of this study suggested that strengthening the quality control of the clinical learning environment and improving medical administration may still be the most effective approaches to ensure the quality of clinical medical education.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic during spring semester 2020, teachers and students were forced to engage in online instruction. However, there is little evidence on the feasibility of online physiology teaching. This study demonstrated a 3-wk preliminary online physiology course based on Rain Classroom assisted by the mobile application WeChat. Eighty-seven nursing undergraduate students attended an online physiology course during the spring semester of the 2019-2020 academic year from March 9 to March 29. We determined the effects of the online physiology learning based on in-class tests, preclass preparation, and review rates for the course materials. We also measured the students' perceptions and attitudes about online learning with a questionnaire survey. Posttest scores from the first week to the third week in online physiology course (7.22 ± 1.83, 7.68 ± 2.09, and 6.21 ± 2.92, respectively) exceeded the pretest scores (5.32 ± 2.14, 6.26 ± 2.49, and 3.72 ± 2.22, respectively), and this finding was statistically significant (all P < 0.001). Moreover, the pretest scores were significant positive predictors of final grade (all P < 0.01). In addition, the percentage of preclass preparation increased in 3 wk, from 43.68% to 57.47% to 68.97%. From the first week to the third week, the review rate increased from 86.21% to 91.95%; however, the second week was the lowest of all (72.41%). Finally, students' perceptions about their online physiology learning experiences were favorable. In conclusion, online physiology instruction based on Rain Classroom assisted by WeChat was an effective strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Internet and 5G era makes e-learning a vital part of modern education, and extensive evidence has shown that peer teaching and flipped classroom contribute to increased success in medical teaching. However, the applicability of these pedagogies in laboratory courses remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the academic performance, proficiency in procedural skills, and perception of nursing students in physiology laboratory classes delivered with nontraditional classroom (NTC) pedagogies comprising the combination of e-learning, peer teaching, and flipped classroom. Each class was subdivided into two equal halves by successive student identification (ID) number and randomly assigned to the control or NTC group. Compared to the control class, NTC teaching significantly enhanced mean score of six preclass tests (67.77 ± 9.83 vs. 62.94 ± 9.70), with "B" graders increased obviously, suggesting that preclass e-learning was more effective than textbook-based preview, especially for general grasp of the topic. Similarly, average scores on postclass quizzes in the NTC group were improved (79.40 ± 9.12 vs. 74.43 ± 8.88). Lesser time cost and higher success rates were observed in trachea, artery, and heart catheterizations in the NTC group, although no disparities were found in ureteral intubation. The majority (~74%) of students supported the reform and shared positive experiences with NTC methodology. They reported that virtual experiments and self-paced procedural skill videos affected pre- and in-class learning outcomes most, respectively. These findings indicated that NTC pedagogy was workable to improve students' subject scores and proficiency in complicated and direct-viewing procedural skills and was favorable to students.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic has changed the way most people live and work, including the way in which students undertake study. To protect students during the pandemic, most schools in China adopted a study-at-home model. Under these circumstances, the pathophysiology teaching team at Tongji University considered how to reform teaching methods to minimize the impact of the pandemic on students' curriculum studies. This article describes our teaching reforms in detail, notably a combination of online education resources, online discussion courses, and a WeChat study group. We compared the effects of the reformed and traditional teaching approaches, including student performance and student evaluation of the reformed teaching methods. Analysis showed that although students were generally worried about the impact of the pandemic on their curriculum studies, their overall performance was not affected by the reformed teaching methods. Of interest, compared with traditional teaching, the proportion of students with higher final test scores ([more than or equal to]90 points) actually increased. The revised teaching methods promoted the learning of some students externally and internally and enhanced their enthusiasm for medical study and their academic performance. These approaches could be applied as a reference for future course arrangements after the pandemic.

In higher education, it is a great challenge for instructors to teach international medical students (IMSs) efficiently. These students usually have different learning obstacles and learning style preferences from domestic students. Thus it is necessary to use teaching modalities targeting the specific characteristics of IMSs. Accordingly, we have developed a teaching modality composed of classical teacher-centered approach (TCA), enriched with components of student-centered approach (SCA) and online interactions targeting the learning characteristics of IMSs, which we defined as TESOT (an acronym made of the underlined words' initials). Aside from the online interactions that provide both answers to questions raised by students and guidance throughout a course, this modality contains additional in-classroom components (i.e., pre-lecture quiz, student-led summary, and post-lecture quiz). The effectiveness of this modality was tested in the nervous system module of the Physiology course for IMSs. The final exam scores in the nervous system module in the year taught with TESOT were higher than those earned by students taught with a classical TCA modality in preceding 2 yr. The improvement of teaching effectiveness is attributable to increasing communication, bridging course contexts, and meeting diverse learning style preferences. These results indicate that TESOT as an effective teaching modality is useful for enhancing efficiency of teaching IMSs.

The present large-scale mixed-method study examined English language classroom anxiety and enjoyment in Chinese young students in relation to gender and grade level. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 709 primary and secondary school students from a province in south China. Major findings were: (1) Around one third of the participants felt anxious when speaking English while more than half felt joyful in the English class. The same pattern applied for male and female students and those in grades 4 to 8; (2) significant gender difference in anxiety occurred in grade 4 and that in enjoyment occurred in grade 8; (3) the students tended to be more anxious and less joyful in the English class as their grade levels increased, with grade 7 being a dividing year of the (inverted) u-curve; (4) anxiety and enjoyment were significantly correlated with each other for students in grades 4 to 8; (5) both learner- and teacher-related variables were identified as causes for anxiety and enjoyment; and (6) the students reacted differently when feeling anxious or joyful in class: When feeling/becoming anxious, they often suffered a lot (e.g., becoming dumbfounded, sweating, trembling, and not knowing what to do or say, etc.); when feeling joyful, they often became more attentive and active in class and studied English harder. It is hence clear that English language classroom anxiety and enjoyment are two independent dimensions of emotion and that fostering positive emotions facilitates SL/FL learning.

Traditional oral examination (TOE) is criticized for the shortage of objectivity, standardization, and reliability. These perceived limitations can be mitigated by the introduction of structured oral examination (SOE). There is little evidence of the implementation of SOE in physiology laboratory courses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of SOE in laboratory-based learning sessions. Second-year medical students (n = 114) attended a 16-wk physiology laboratory course. They were initially assessed by TOE in the middle of the academic term. The students' perspectives on this assessment were measured by a modified three-point Likert-type scale questionnaire. Following this, faculty members prepared topics for SOE; nine topics were included from each laboratory course. The correct answers and scoring criteria were discussed among the faculty before the SOE event. One week after the last laboratory course, SOE was carried out for each student. As with the TOE process, student feedback was collected via a modified three-point Likert-type scale questionnaire. The mean laboratory homework score from the first four and last four laboratory courses was also calculated. Paper exams were also conducted after TOE and SOE. The results show that SOE is more acceptable to students than TOE. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed in terms of uniformity of questions asked, syllabus coverage, and anxiety levels. In addition, SOE improved students' performance in the laboratory course explored here. We contend that SOE shows promise as an effective assessment tool in laboratory-based physiology learning sessions.

Sex education refers to people's comprehension about sex, which involves not only sexual structure (anatomy, physiology, birth control, pregnancy, etc.), but also sexual relationships concerning human and moral problems. It includes at least sexual physiology, sexual psychology, sexual ethic, sexual law, etc., which aims to help people form the attitude and behavior that both society and morality can accept. So, it is a kind of long-term education for a person. For limited length, this paper only studies adolescents' (mainly students in primary and middle schools) sex education in China and the US (the United States). Due to the restriction of traditional thoughts, sex education on adolescents has been developing so slowly that it turns into the weak point of basic education and results in the growth of adolescents' sexual ignorance, sexual faults and sexual crimes. America is one of the earliest countries that launch sex education in the world and it has plenty of academic as well as practical experience we can study and learn from.

Peer instruction has been used extensively in lecture courses; however, there is little evidence of its use in laboratory courses. The purpose of the present study was to describe the implementation of the peer instruction method in a physiology laboratory course in China. Second-year medical students attended a 6-wk physiology laboratory course in the fall semester of the 2016-2017 school year. In the six new physiology laboratory classes, peer instruction strategies were used to substitute for the traditional short, didactic lectures. The effects of peer instruction were measured by in-class quizzes and confidence levels. The students' evaluations of peer instruction were measured by a Likert scale questionnaire. Peer instruction significantly improved the mean score on quizzes (0.53 [plus or minus] 0.50 vs. 0.68 [plus or minus] 0.47, P [less than] 0.001) and confidence levels (2.36 [plus or minus] 0.66 vs. 2.80 [plus or minus] 0.45, P [less than] 0.001). Furthermore, for individual incorrect answers, 39.07% changed to correct answers after peer instruction, whereas, for correct answers, 6.61% were changed to an incorrect response. Overall, significantly more students changed their answers from incorrect to correct than from correct to incorrect [X[superscript 2] : 333.11; degrees of freedom (df): 1; P [less than] 0.001]. Therefore, the positive effects of peer instruction were higher than the negative effects (X[superscript 2] : 244.55; df: 1; P [less than] 0.001). Moreover, student evaluations of peer instruction were highly positive. In conclusion, the implementation of peer instruction to the physiology laboratory course is an effective strategy to enhance students' performance on in-class quizzes and confidence levels. In addition, the attitude of students toward peer instruction was favorable.

Pathophysiology is a scientific discipline that studies the onset and progression of pathological conditions and diseases, and pathophysiology is one of the core courses in most preclinical medical curricula. In China, most medical schools house a Department of Pathophysiology, in contrast to medical schools in many developed countries. The staff in Chinese Departments of Pathophysiology generally consists of full-time instructors or lecturers who teach medical students. These lecturers are sometimes lacking in clinic knowledge and experiences. To overcome this, in recent years, we have been trying to bring new trends in teaching pathophysiology into our curriculum. Our purpose in writing this article was to share our experiences with our colleagues and peers worldwide in the hope that the insights we have gained in pathophysiology teaching will be of some value to educators who advocate teaching reform in medical schools.

Student-centered learning is generally defined as any instructional method that purportedly engages students in active learning and critical thinking. The student-centered method of teaching moves the focus from teaching to learning, from the teachers' conveying course concepts via lecture to the understanding of concepts by students. The student-centered method has been used extensively in lecture courses in China; however, there is little evidence of its use in laboratory courses. The purpose of the present study was to describe the implementation of a student-centered method in a pathophysiology laboratory course. The use of student-centered learning strategies in an undergraduate laboratory course was well received by both students and teachers. Here, students had to take on responsibility for their own learning and, thus, became more accountable. Moreover, they reported increased active learning, skill development, information collection, and retention. In addition, mean scores for the quiz were significantly higher in the student-centered method compared with the traditional teaching method. The shift from teacher-centered delivery to a student-centered model led to a positive change, in which the learners drove the process and were guided, not directed, by the teacher.

To modernize its stagnant, traditional curriculum and pedagogy, the Medical School of Wuhan University in China adopted (with modifications) the University of Chicago's medical curriculum model. The reform effort in basic sciences was integrating histology and physiology into one course, increasing the two subjects' connection to clinical medicine, and applying new pedagogies and assessment methods. This study assessed the results of the reform by comparing the attitudes and academic achievements of students in the reform curriculum (n = 41) and their traditional curriculum peers (n = 182). An attitude survey was conducted to obtain students' views of their respective histology and physiology instruction. Survey items covered lectures, laboratory teaching, case analyses and small-group case discussions, assessment of students, and overall quality of the courses and instruction. A knowledge test consisting of questions from three sources was given to measure students' mastery of topics that they had learned. Results showed that reform curriculum students were rather satisfied with their course and new teaching methods in most cases. When these students' attitudes were compared with those of their traditional curriculum peers, several significant differences favoring the reform were identified regarding physiology teaching. No other significant difference was found for physiology or histology teaching. Reform curriculum students outperformed their peers on four of five subcategories of the knowledge test questions. These findings support the benefits of integration and state-of-the-art teaching methods. Our study may offer lessons to medical schools in China and other countries whose medical education is in need of change.

Droughts can affect ecosystem CO2 fluxes directly or indirectly by changing plant community composition. However, it is unknown whether shifts in plant community composition buffer or amplify the response of ecosystem CO2 fluxes to droughts with different seasonal timing, as plant phenology and physiology of the different plant functional types respond differently to droughts. To identify the interaction of drought timing and plant community composition in regulating ecosystem CO2 fluxes, we conducted a three‐year manipulative experiment in which extreme droughts occurring in the early, mid and late growing seasons were separately imposed on experimental plot communities comprising graminoids, shrubs and their combination in a semi‐arid grassland of Inner Mongolia, China. Overall, mid‐season drought caused the largest negative effects regardless of plant community composition. In addition to decreasing aboveground biomass, mid‐season drought suppressed fluxes by reducing leaf photosynthetic rate, while early‐season and late‐season drought reduced fluxes mainly by shortening growing season length. All three community compositions had consistent responses to early‐season and mid‐season droughts. However, ecosystem CO2 fluxes in the combination community were less negatively affected by late‐season drought than in either shrub or graminoid communities because the growing season length was shortened less. Synthesis. Our results highlight that it is important to account for interactions of seasonal timing and plant community composition when predicting magnitude and pathways of drought effects on ecosystem carbon cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flood submergence has devastating effects on agricultural production in China, with rice being particularly vulnerable to its impacts. Previous studies on rice submergence stress have primarily focused on immediate yield reduction and short-term growth. In this study, a submergence stress experiment was carried out by using the method of potted rice flooding. The growth recovery characteristics of rice under different submergence stress were analyzed through the continuous observation of rice growth after the disaster. The results showed that submergence stress had a persistent effect on rice growth, which persisted until the recovery period after the disaster. The recovery ability of rice plants decreased with the aggravation of stress, leading to increased damage to the plant. The average yield decreased by 17.07% and 15.56% due to submergence stress during the jointing and booting stage, respectively. The current study pointed out that the growth traits of and, furthermore, the mechanism of physiological changes in rice during the recovery period need to be explored in order to understand the effects of flooding stress on rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parallel evolution usually occurs among related species with similar morphological characters in adaptation to particular environments. Four wild almond species (Prunus) sharing the character of dry mesocarp splitting are distributed in China, most of which occur in arid Northwestern China. In the present study, we aimed to clarify the phylogenetic relationship, evolutionary history, and environmental adaptation of these wild almond species based on genome-wide SNP data and chloroplast genomes. Chloroplast phylogeny showed P. pedunculata and P. tenella were clustered with wild cherry species (Prunus), while P. mongolica and P. tangutica were clustered with wild peach species (Prunus). Genomic phylogeny suggested P. tenella formed an independent clade. An ABC-RF approach showed P. pedunculata was merged with P. tenella and, then, diverged from the ancestor of P. mongolica and P. tangutica. P. tenella was split from other wild almond species at ca. 7.81 to 17.77 Ma. Genetic environment association analysis showed precipitation variables contributed the most to genetic variations between P. mongolica from an arid environment and P. tangutica from a humid environment. Finally, a total of 29 adaptive loci were successfully annotated, which were related to physiological processes in response to abiotic stresses. Inconsistent genomic and chloroplast phylogenetic positions of P. tenella suggested this species could have originated from historical hybridization among different clades of Prunus. Physiological mechanisms promoted P. mongolica in adapting to the arid environment in Northwestern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: As an experimental biological science, physiology has been taught as an integral component of medical curricula for a long time in China. The teaching effectiveness of physiology courses will directly affect students' learning of other medical disciplines. The purpose of this study is to investigate the current situation and changes in physiology teaching over 30 years in Chinese medical schools. Methods: National survey was conducted online on the platform SoJump via WeChat and the web. The head of the physiology department in medical school was asked to indicate the information of physiology education from three periods: 1991–2000, 2001–2010, and 2011–2020. The responses of 80 leaders of the Department of Physiology from mainland Chinese medical schools were included in the study for analysis. Results: The survey showed that the class hours, both of theory and practice, had been decreased. During the past 20 years, the total number of physiology teachers, the number of physiology teachers who had been educated in medical schools, and the number of technicians had been reduced, whereas teachers with doctor's degrees had been increased. In addition to traditional didactic teaching, new teaching approaches, including problem-based learning/case-based learning/team-based learning, integrated curriculum and formative evaluation systems, had been employed, mostly for more than 5 years, in some medical schools. Conclusion: The present study has provided historical data regarding the current status of physiology education in China and that in the past thirty years by showing that physiology education in China has developed quickly,even it faces many challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-harvest fruit rot caused by Alternaria species is one of the most important threats to the fruit industry. Post-harvest rot on sweet cherry (Prunus avium) fruit was observed in the fruit markets of the Haidian district of Beijing, China. The fungal isolates obtained from the infected sweet cherry fruits matched the descriptions of Alternaria alternata based on the morphology and multi-gene (ITS, endo-PG, and Alta1) sequence analysis. Pathogenicity tests indicated that ACT-3 was the most virulent isolate, exhibiting typical post-harvest fruit rot symptoms. Physiological studies revealed that the optimal conditions for the growth of ACT-3 were temperature of 28℃, water activity of 0.999, and pH of 8 with 87, 85, and 86mm radial growth of ACT-3 on a potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium, respectively, at 12days post-inoculation (dpi). Moreover, the fungus showed the highest growth on a Martin agar medium (MAM) modified (85mm) and a PDA medium (84mm) at 12 dpi. The proliferation of the fungus was visualized inside the fruit tissues by confocal and scanning electron microscope (SEM), revealing the invasion and destruction of fruit tissues. Alternaria mycotoxins, tenuazonic acid (TeA), and alternariol (AOH) were detected in five representative isolates by HPLC analysis. The highest concentrations of TeA (313 μg/mL) and AOH (8.9 μg/mL) were observed in ACT-6 and ACT-3 isolates, respectively. This study is the first to present a detailed report on the characteristics and proliferation of A. alternata associated with sweet cherry fruit rot and the detection of toxic metabolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine whether the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism is associated with cognitive impairment (CI) in community-dwelling Chinese older adults, and to investigate whether this relationship is modified by the Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele. Methods: The study is a secondary analysis of 703 participants aged ≥60 years randomly enrolled from the Beijing Longitudinal Study of Aging II prospective cohort. The education-adjusted Mini-Mental State Examination and the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale were used to measure the cognitive performance of the subjects. The main effects and interactions (additive and multiplicative) of the BDNF Met and the APOE ε4 alleles on CI were estimated by logistic regression models. Results: In total, 84 out of 703 older adults aged ≥60 years old had CI. No significant difference was observed in the risk of CI between participants with the BDNF Met allele and that of subjects without the BDNF Met allele (p = 0.213; p = 0.164). Individuals carrying both the BDNF Met and APOE ε4 alleles had an almost 1.5-fold increased odds of CI compared with carriers of the BDNF Met allele but without the APOE ε4 allele. The additive association indicated a positive interaction of both BDNF Met and APOE ε4 alleles with wide CIs (p = 0.021; p = 0.018). Conclusion: The results suggest that the APOE ε4 allele may be a potential modifier for the association of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism with CI in community-dwelling older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Magnesium (Mg) is both an essential macro-element and a known catalyst, and it plays a vital role in various physiological activities and mechanisms in relation to chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, epidemiological evidence involving this is limited and not entirely consistent. This study aims to explore the association of serum Mg concentrations with the risk of CKD among general Chinese adults. Methods: A total of 8,277 Chinese adults were included in the wave of 2009 from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). The primary outcome was the risk of CKD, which was defined as the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to examine the relationship of serum Mg concentrations with the risk of CKD. Results: Included were 8,277 individuals, with an overall CKD prevalence of 11.8% (n = 977). Compared with the first quartile of serum Mg, the multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for participants in the second, third, and fourth quartiles of serum Mg were 0.74 (0.58, 0.93), 0.87 (0.69, 1.11) and 1.29 (1.03, 1.61), respectively. Similar results were observed in our several sensitivity analyses. Restricted cubic spline analysis demonstrated a nonlinear (similar "J"-shaped) association between serum Mg concentrations and the risk of CKD (Pnonlinearity <0.001), with a threshold at around a serum Mg value of 2.2 mg/dL. Conclusions: Our results suggested a similar "J"-shaped association between serum Mg concentration and the risk of CKD among Chinese adults. Further large prospective studies are needed to verify these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is one of the main environmental factors affecting crop growth, and breeding drought-tolerant cultivars is one of the most economic and effective ways of increasing yields and ensuring sustainable agricultural production under drought stress. To facilitate the breeding of drought-tolerant wheat, this study was conducted to evaluate genotypic differences in the drought tolerance of 334 wheat genotypes collected from China and Australia with the aim of screening for drought-tolerant and -sensitive genotypes and to elucidate the corresponding physiological mechanisms. A hydroponic-air experiment (roots exposed to air for 7 h/d and continued for 6 d) showed significant genotypic differences in shoot and root dry weights among the genotypes. The relative shoot and root dry weights, expressed as the percentage of the control, showed a normal distribution, with variation ranges of 20.2–79.7% and 32.8–135.2%, respectively. The coefficients of variation were in the range of 18.2–22.7%, and the diversity index was between 5.71 and 5.73, indicating a rich genetic diversity among the wheat genotypes for drought tolerance. Using phenotypic differences in relative dry weights in responses to drought stress, 20 of each of the most drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive genotypes were selected; these were further evaluated in pot experiments (watering withheld until the soil moisture content reached four percent). The results showed that the trends in drought tolerance were consistent with the hydroponic-air experiment, with genotypes W147 and W235 being the most drought-tolerant and W201 and W282 the most sensitive. Significant genotypic differences in water use efficiency in response to drought were observed in the pot experiment, with the drought-tolerant genotypes being markedly higher and the two sensitive genotypes being no different from the control. A marked increase in bound water content in the drought stress plants was observed in the two drought-tolerant genotypes, while a decrease occurred in the free water. The reductions in photochemical efficiencies of PSII, transpiration rates, net photosynthesis rates, chlorophyll contents and stomatal conduction in the drought-sensitive genotypes W201 and W282 under drought stress were higher than the two tolerant genotypes. This study provides a theoretical guide and germplasm for the further genetic improvement of drought tolerance in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legumes have important nutritional and economic values, but their production faces continuous cropping obstacles that seriously affect their yield formation. In order to reduce the negative impact of the continuous cropping obstacles of legumes, it is necessary to understand the response mechanisms of legumes to continuous cropping, the causes of continuous cropping obstacles and the measures to alleviate continuous cropping obstacles. This review aimed to identify the current knowledge gap in the field of continuous cropping obstacles of legumes and provide direction and focus for future research. The continuous cropping obstacles of legumes start with soil degradation, leading to oxidative stress in the plants. This triggers the expression of plant-hormone- and signal-molecule-related genes, activating the defense system and causing continuous cropping obstacles. Although there has been progress in researching these challenges in legume crops, many questions remain. We believe that the exploration of molecular mechanisms of legume crops responding to continuous cropping, rhizosphere signal exchange and soil environment repair mechanisms after long-term continuous cropping of soybean, and the excavation of candidate genes and functional loci related to continuous cropping obstacles in legume crops are breakthroughs for proposing effective continuous cropping obstacle management strategies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chrysanthemums are one of the top ten most well-known traditional famous flowers in China and one of the top four cut flowers worldwide, holding a significant position in landscape gardening. The cold temperatures of winter restrict the cultivation, introduction, and application of chrysanthemum, resulting in high costs for year-round production. This severely impacts the ornamental and economic value of chrysanthemum. Therefore, research on cold tolerance is of vital importance for guiding chrysanthemum production and application. With the development of genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and other omics approaches, along with high-throughput molecular marker technologies, research on chrysanthemum cold tolerance has been continuously advancing. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the progress in cold tolerance research from various aspects, including chrysanthemum phenotype, physiological mechanisms, the forward genetics, molecular mechanisms, and breeding. The aim is to offer insights into the mechanisms of cold tolerance in chrysanthemum and provide reference for in-depth research and the development of new cold tolerance chrysanthemum varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of global warming, low temperature (LT) disasters in major crops are also becoming more common. LT stress in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, the central wheat region in China, caused a massive reduction in wheat yields. A step towards ensuring wheat yield stability and food security, this study investigated the effects of optimizing phosphorus application on the root physiology, dry matter phosphorus accumulation, translocation, and partitioning of wheat under LT stress, using the representative cultivar Yannong 19 as the test material. The treatments included conventional phosphorus application (R1) and twice-split phosphorus application (R2), followed by −4 °C LT treatment and normal temperature (NT) treatment during the anther interval stage. Analysis of the root physiology (enzymatic activities and acid phosphatase, contents of malondialdehyde, soluble sugar, and soluble protein), phosphorus and dry matter accumulation, translocation, partitioning, and agronomic and yield-related components was carried during this research study. The results showed that the wheat root activity was significantly reduced and the antioxidant enzyme activities were increased to mitigate the damage of LT stress. Moreover, LT treatments damaged root function. The root activity and antioxidant properties were significantly lower than those of the NT treatment at the flowering stage. The dry matter and phosphorus accumulations were reduced by 30.6~33.6% and 15.1~21.3% at the flowering and maturity stages, resulting in final yield losses of 10.3~13.0%. In contrast, root activity increased by 16.1~27.2% in the twice-split phosphorus application treatments, and the root antioxidant characteristics were higher. As a result, dry matter and phosphorus accumulation increased after twice-split phosphorus application and their translocation to the grains was more; the final yield increased by 5.5~7.3%. Overall, the twice-split phosphorus application enhanced the physiological function of the root system and promoted the accumulation of nutrients and their transport to the grain, and alleviated the yield loss of wheat caused by LT stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Sipunculus nudus is a species of significant economic importance because of its high nutritional and medicinal value. It is widely distributed along coastlines worldwide, particularly in China, where a comprehensive industry exists encompassing breeding, farming, processing, and sale. Traditionally, S. nudus is cultured on sandy beaches without the need for artificial diets. The organisms rely on nutrients from the surface sediment, including microalgae and other organic matter. These worms inhabit both the intertidal and subtidal zones, enduring varying immersion periods throughout their growth process. As a result, they are exposed to different abiotic factors, such as varying irradiation times, oxygen availability, and others. In our study, we investigated the transcriptomic response of S. nudus across high, middle, and low tidal flats. We analyzed and compared the differential gene expression and relevant metabolic pathways in S. nudus from different habitats. This analysis aimed to shed light on the molecular mechanisms underpinning physiological responses to diverse environments in burrowing species. Interestingly, we observed that the differential gene expression of S. nudus primarily involved metabolic pathways associated with disease and immune responses rather than thermal stress, calcification, and pH regulation. This finding highlights the close relationship between gene expression and S. nudus' unique living habits The peanut worm (Sipunculus nudus) is an important intertidal species worldwide. Species living in the same aquaculture area might suffer different environmental impacts. To increase knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying the response to environmental fluctuations, we performed a transcriptome analysis of S. nudus from different intertidal zones using a combination of the SMRT platform and the Illumina sequencing platform. (1) A total of 105,259 unigenes were assembled, and 23,063 unigenes were perfectly annotated. The results of the PacBio Iso-Seq and IIIumina RNA-Seq enriched the genetic database of S. nudus. (2) A total of 830 DEGs were detected in S. nudus from the different groups. In particular, 33 DEGs had differential expression in the top nine KEGG pathways related to pathogens, protein synthesis, and cellular immune response and signaling. The results indicate that S. nudus from different zones experience different environmental stresses. (3) Several DEGs (HSPA1, NFKBIA, eEF1A, etc.) in pathways related to pathogens (influenza A, legionellosis, measles, and toxoplasmosis) had higher expression in groups M and L. HSPA1 was clearly enriched in most of the pathways, followed by NFKBIA. The results show that the peanut worms from the M and L tidal flats might have suffered more severe environmental conditions. (4) Some DEGs (MKP, MRAS, and HSPB1) were upregulated in peanut worms from the H tidal flat, and these DEGs were mainly involved in the MAPK signaling pathway. These results indicate that the MAPK pathway may play a vital role in the immune response of the peanut worm to the effects of different intertidal flats. This study provides a valuable starting point for further studies to elucidate the molecular basis of the response to different environmental stresses in S. nudus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyanotis arachnoidea C. B. Clarke is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb that has a limited clinical use in the treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM) in minority areas of Guizhou in China. However, few prior reports are available on the quality control of Cyanotis arachnoidea, and its quality markers and hypoglycemic mechanism are still unclear. The purpose of this study is to explore the quality markers (Q-markers) of Cyanotis arachnoidea and predict its hypoglycemic mechanism. In this study, ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) fingerprint combined with chemical pattern recognition were performed, and four differential components were screened out as quality markers, including 20-Hydroxyecdysone, 3-O-acetyl-20-hydroxyecdysone, Ajugasterone C, and 2-O-acetyl-20-hydroxyecdysone. Network pharmacology analysis revealed 107 therapeutic target genes of Cyanotis arachnoidea in DM treatment, and the key targets were Akt1, TNF, IL-6, MAPK3, and JUN. The hypoglycemic mode of action of Cyanotis arachnoidea may be mediated by tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling, cancer, insulin resistance, and JAK-STAT pathways. Molecular docking analysis disclosed that the foregoing quality markers effectively bound their key target genes. An in vitro experiment conducted on pancreatic islet ß-cells indicated that the forenamed active components of Cyanotis arachnoidea had hypoglycemic efficacy by promoting PI3K/Akt and inhibiting MAPK signaling. UHPLC also accurately quantified the quality markers. The identification and analysis of quality markers for Cyanotis arachnoidea is expected to provide references for the establishment of a quality control evaluation system and clarify the material basis and hypoglycemic mechanisms of this traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the main agricultural area for waxy maize production in China, waterlogging occurs frequently during the waxy maize jointing stage, and this causes significant yield reduction. It is very important to understand the physiological mechanism of waterlogging stress in waxy maize during the jointing stage to develop strategies against waterlogging stress. Therefore, this study set waterlogging treatments in the field for 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 days during the waxy maize jointing stage, and were labelled CK, WS2, WS4, WS6, WS8 and WS10, respectively. By analyzing the effect of waterlogging on the source, sink, and transport of photoassimilates, the physiological mechanism of waterlogging stress in the jointing stage was clarified. The results show that PEPC and POD activities and Pro content decreased significantly under WS2 compared to CK. Except for these three indicators, the Pn, GS, leaf area, kernel number, yield, and puncture strength of stems were significantly decreased under the WS4. Under the WS6, the content of MDA began to increase significantly, while almost all other physiological indices decreased significantly. Moreover, the structure of stem epidermal cells and the vascular bundle were deformed after 6 days of waterlogging. Therefore, the threshold value of waterlogging stress occured at 4 to 6 days in the jointing stage of waxy maize. Moreover, waterlogging stress at the jointing stage mainly reduces the yield by reducing the number of kernels; specifically, the kernel number decreased by 6.7–15.5% in 4–10 days of waterlogging, resulting in a decrease of 9.9–20.2% in the final yield. Thus, we have shown that waterlogging stress at the jointing stage results in the decrease of potential waxy maize kernel numbers and yield when the synthesis of sources was limited and the transport of photoassimilates was restricted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel, 1912) (Diptera: Tephritidae), commonly known as the oriental fruit fly, is a highly destructive pest that globally infests fruits and vegetables, resulting in significant annual economic losses. Initially detected in Taiwan Island, it has rapidly expanded its distribution range to various regions in mainland China since the 1980s, with a continuous northward spread. To mitigate the damage caused by this pest, extensive efforts have been undertaken to comprehend its ecological and physiological adaptations and develop management strategies. This review article provides an overview of the invasion history of B. dorsalis in China, its ecological and physiological mechanisms facilitating its invasion, and the progress made in understanding its major biological characteristics. Moreover, the key approaches for managing B. dorsalis that have been or are likely to be implemented in China are presented, including quarantine measures, monitoring procedures, physical controls, biological controls, the sterile insect technique, RNA interference, and CRISPR-Cas-9. Finally, some suggestions for future research directions are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) (NT) is an aggressive and omnivorous species that competes with native fishes for food resources, and it has successfully invaded much of the Pearl River basin in China. Intensive research has focused on the gut microbiota of Nile tilapia in artificial culture. However, differences in gut microbes between invasive Nile tilapia and indigenous fish are relatively less well characterized. In the present study, we chose the black Amur bream (Megalobrama terminalis) as a native omnivorous fish that shared a common habitat and partially overlapped resource usage with Nile tilapia. Here, we investigated the gut microbiomes of invasive Nile tilapia and indigenous black Amur bream (BA) in the same river section using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results indicated that the gut microbiome of NT had several special characteristics, e.g., higher alpha diversity and greater niche breadth, compared with the bream. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the role of gut microbiomes between an indigenous fish (black Amur bream) and invasive Nile tilapia from the low region of the Pearl River basin to better understand the microbial complexity and diversity of their gut microbiota. The gut microbiome is thought to play vital roles in host fitness and local adaptation to new environments, thereby facilitating the invasion of the host species. The Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) (NT) is an aggressive and omnivorous species that competes with native fishes for food resources, and it has successfully invaded much of the Pearl River basin in China. Here, we investigated the gut microbiomes of invasive Nile tilapia and indigenous black Amur bream (BA) in the same river section using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results indicated that the gut microbiome of NT had several special characteristics, e.g., higher alpha diversity and greater niche breadth, compared with the bream. The gut microbiota of the small size of Nile tilapia (NTS) and small size of black Amur bream (BAS) groups were dominated by Proteobacteria, while those of the NTS and large size of Nile tilapia (NTL) and BAS and large size of black Amur bream (BAL). BAL and NTL were characterized by Firmicutes and Fusobacteriota, respectively. We found that Pseudomonas, Cetobacterium, Ralstonia, and Romboutsia were biomarkers of the NTS, NTL, BAS, and BAL groups, respectively. Moreover, the results collectively suggested that the clustering coefficients of BAL and NTL networks were greater than those of BAS and NTS networks, and BAS had the smallest network among the four groups. Positive interactions between two ASVs dominated the BAS, NTS, and NTL networks, while the proportion of negative interactions between two ASVs in the BAL network was remarkably increased. Low levels of interspecies competition in the NT gut microbiome would contribute to high diversity in the dietary niches and would also benefit the survival and local adaptation of the host. Our results identified specific biomarkers of gut microbial species in invasive Nile tilapia and provided useful information concerning how to monitor and manage invasive Nile tilapia populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Hu and W. C. Cheng, as the only surviving relict species of the Taxodiaceae Metasequoia genus, is a critically endangered and protected species in China. There is a risk of extinction due to the low vigor of M. glyptostroboides seeds, and the physiological mechanism of seed aging in M. glyptostroboides is not yet clear. In order to investigate the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying the aging process of M. glyptostroboides seeds, we analyzed the antioxidant system and transcriptome at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 days after artificial accelerated aging treatment at 40 °C and 100% relative humidity. It was found that the germination percentage of fresh dried M. glyptostroboides seeds was 54 ± 5.29%, and significantly declined to 9.33 ± 1.88% after 6 days of aging, and then gradually decreased until the seed died on day 8. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, ascorbic acid (AsA), glutathione (GSH) content and superoxide anion (O2·−) content and production rate significantly decreased, while malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and catalase (CAT) activity gradually increased during the aging process. A total of 42,189 unigenes were identified in the whole transcriptome, and 40,446 (95.86%) unigenes were annotated in at least one protein database. A total of 15,376 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained; KEGG enrichment analysis results revealed that seed aging may be mainly involved in the protein-processing pathways in endoplasmic reticulum, oxidative phosphorylation, and ascorbate and aldarate metabolism. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed that the dark magenta, orange, and medium purple modules were highly correlated with physiological indicators such as SOD, CAT, and GSH and further identified 40 hub genes such as Rboh, ACO, HSF, and CML as playing important roles in the antioxidant network of M. glyptostroboides seeds. These findings provide a broader perspective for studying the regulatory mechanism of seed aging and a large number of potential target genes for the breeding of other endangered gymnosperms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gleditsia genus has various uses, including those for medicinal, edible, chemical, timber, and ornamental purposes, and the genus is widely distributed in China. However, there is still a lack of understanding about the phenotypic and growth differences seen among species within the Gleditsia genus. In this study, we compared and analyzed the various species of Gleditsia seedlings in terms of their genotypes, chromosome numbers, physiological growth, photosynthesis, hormone content, and gene expression. The results showed that the genome size of the Gleditsia genus ranges from 686.08 M to 1034.24 M and that all Gleditsia species are diploid. Among the species studied, G. fera can be divided into fast-growing genotype, exhibited several advantages in terms of leaf type and photosynthetic capacity, high levels of GA3, and fast stem growth, making it a species with the potential for promotion and application. G. delavayi exhibited high levels of auxin and cytokinin and strong photosynthetic capacity, with rapid growth in terms of plant height. G. microphylla had the lowest levels of IAA, IBA, and NAA in the apical, and showed slow growth in terms of plant height. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) identified the hub genes associated with traits. This study lays a material and theoretical foundation for the development of new resources for Gleditsia breeding and rootstock selection and provides a basis for the mechanism of rootstock–scion interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pinus massoniana is an important timber tree species in southern China, and acid aluminum stress seriously endangers its growth. This study focuses on physiology, gene regulation and root exudates. Aluminum stress increased the activity of malondialdehyde (MDA), proline (PRO), peroxidase (POD), soluble proteins (SP), soluble sugars (SS) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in P. massoniana seedlings, and led to changes in growth. We identified hub genes (UCHL3, TCP1, SEC27, GluRS and ACTF) responding to aluminum stress of low concentration and hub genes (RGP, MPT, RPL24, RPL7A and EC3.2.1.58) responding to aluminum stress of high concentration. Aluminum stress mainly affected phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and flavonoid biosynthesis, and it may alleviate aluminum toxicity by inducing the upregulation of genes such as CHS, COMT, DFR and LAR to enhance root exudation of catechin. These results lay the foundation for in-depth studying the molecular mechanism of P. massoniana aluminum stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kadsura coccinea (Lem.) A. C. Smith and Schisandra sphenantha rehd. et wils. are different genus plants of Schisandraceae, distributed in the north and south of China, respectively. These species are non-wood forest trees with important medicinal value. Grafting is one of the technical means by which plants migrate to other regions to adapt to different habitats. However, the current research on the grafting of Schisandraceae only focuses on the effect of the rootstock on the scion, and lacks investigations on the effect of the scion on the rootstock, leading to the mechanism of the rootstock–scion interaction being still unclear. In this study, Kadsura coccinea (K) and Schisandra sphenanthera (S) were used as scion and rootstock for reciprocal grafting, and four grafted combinations, K/S (scion/rootstock), S/S, S/K, and K/K, were obtained, with S/S and K/K being the controls. Comparative analyses of the morphological, anatomical, and physiological characteristics of rootstocks were conducted at 10 d, 30 d, 50 d, and 70 d after grafting. The results showed that compared with the control, the total root length, root volume, root tips, and root biomass of K/S and S/K decreased. However, the root average diameter and root surface area of K/S increased, while those of S/K decreased. All the differences between the above indices and the control were about 10%, and almost all of them changed most significantly at 70 d after grafting. Anatomically, the root cross section, stele diameter, and xylem area of K/S increased, while those of S/K decreased. In addition, the cortex thicknesses of K/S and S/K increased. These anatomical changes were mainly reflected in the second-order and third-order roots. Meanwhile, the changes in root endogenous hormone (IAA, ZR, GA3, ABA) contents in K/S and S/K in relation to days after grafting could explain the differences in root morphology. Moreover, both K/S and S/K had lower root activity and soluble sugar content than the control, and S/K had lower soluble protein and higher malondialdehyde content. This study indicated that the intergeneric grafting of Schisandraceae inhibited the growth of rootstocks, and the degree of inhibition was potentially related to the relative strength of the rootstock and scion, which provides a theoretical basis for further research on the rootstock–scion interaction mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Winter cold stress is a major environmental factor affecting cattle industry production in northern China. Determining the effects of prolonged cold stress on the relevant biological mechanisms in cattle can help develop effective mitigation measures. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of long-term cold stress on growth performance, physiological mechanisms, blood biochemical, and stress hormones of Simmental crossbred bulls. Results indicated that the physiological behavior, digestive function, and contents of enzymes and hormones in the body changed in Simmental cattle during winter, which enhanced the body's heat production to maintain the body temperature constant and ultimately led to impaired growth and development. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a long-term cold environment on growth performance, physiological behavior, biochemical blood indexes, and hormone levels in Simmental cattle. Thirty Simmental crossbred bulls (weight = 350 ± 17 kg, 13–14 months old) were selected for two trials at autumn suitable temperatures (A-ST) and winter cold temperatures (W-CT) (15 cattle per season). The results showed that compared with the A-ST group, dry matter intake (p < 0.05) and feed:gain (p < 0.01) of the W-CT group increased, while body weight (p < 0.01) and average daily gain (p < 0.01) significantly decreased. Long-term cold stress also increased lying time (p < 0.01), feeding time (p < 0.05), and pulse rate (p < 0.01) in the W-CT group, while the rumen volatile fatty acids content (p < 0.01) and apparent digestibility of nutrients (p < 0.05) were significantly decreased. In terms of blood indicators, long-term cold stress increased the concentrations of glucose, glucose metabolic enzymes, glucocorticoids, triiodothyronine, and tetraiodothyronine in the plasma of the W-CT group (p < 0.05), but the levels of triglycerides, β-hydroxybutyrate, propionate, insulin, and growth hormone were decreased (p < 0.01). In summary, long-term cold stress may inhibit the digestive function of Simmental cattle and enhance the body's energy metabolism and stress hormone imbalance, ultimately damaging the normal growth and development of the body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Metschnikowia bicuspidata is a pathogenic yesst that can cause disease in many different economic aquatic animal species. In recent years, there was a new disease outbreak in ridgetail white prawn (Exopalaemon carinicauda) in coastal areas of Jiangsu Province China that was referred to as zombie disease by local farmers. The pathogen was first isolated and identified as M. bicuspidata. Although the pathogenicity and pathogenesis of this pathogen in other animals have been reported in some previous studies, research on its molecular mechanisms is still very limited. Therefore, a genome-wide study is necessary to better understand the physiological and pathogenic mechanisms of M. bicuspidata. Result: In this study, we obtained a pathogenic strain, MQ2101, of M. bicuspidata from diseased E. carinicauda and sequenced its whole genome. The size of the whole genome was 15.98 Mb, and it was assembled into 5 scaffolds. The genome contained 3934 coding genes, among which 3899 genes with biological functions were annotated in multiple underlying databases. In KOG database, 2627 genes were annotated, which were categorized into 25 classes including general function prediction only, posttranslational modification, protein turnover, chaperones, and signal transduction mechanisms. In KEGG database, 2493 genes were annotated, which were categorized into five classes, including cellular processes, environmental information processing, genetic information processing, metabolism and organismal systems. In GO database, 2893 genes were annotated, which were mainly classified in cell, cell part, cellular processes and metabolic processes. There were 1055 genes annotated in the PHI database, accounting for 26.81% of the total genome, among which 5 genes were directly related to pathogenicity (identity ≥ 50%), including hsp90, PacC, and PHO84. There were also some genes related to the activity of the yeast itself that could be targeted by antiyeast drugs. Analysis based on the DFVF database showed that strain MQ2101 contained 235 potential virulence genes. BLAST searches in the CAZy database showed that strain MQ2101 may have a more complex carbohydrate metabolism system than other yeasts of the same family. In addition, two gene clusters and 168 putative secretory proteins were predicted in strain MQ2101, and functional analysis showed that some of the secretory proteins may be directly involved in the pathogenesis of the strain. Gene family analysis with five other yeasts revealed that strain MQ2101 has 245 unique gene families, including 274 genes involved in pathogenicity that could serve as potential targets. Conclusion: Genome-wide analysis elucidated the pathogenicity-associated genes of M. bicuspidate while also revealing a complex metabolic mechanism and providing putative targets of action for the development of antiyeast drugs for this pathogen. The obtained whole-genome sequencing data provide an important theoretical basis for transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolic studies of M. bicuspidata and lay a foundation for defining its specific mechanism of host infestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A lack of soil phosphorus (P) is a principal factor restricting the normal growth of Lotus corniculatus in the karst area of Guizhou Province, China, but the response mechanism of L. corniculatus under low-phosphorus stress remains unclear. Methods: Therefore, we treated two selected L. corniculatus lines (low-Pintolerant line 08518 and low-P-tolerant line 01549) from 13 L. corniculatus lines with normal phosphorus (0.5 mmol/L KH2PO4, NP) and low phosphorus (0.005 mmol/L KH2PO4, LP) concentrations to study changes in morphological, physiological and transcriptome data under low-phosphorus stress. Results: The low-P-tolerant line 01549 exhibited better performance under lowphosphorus stress. Compared with the NP treatment, all root morphological indicators of the low-P-tolerant line 01549 increased, and those of the low-Pintolerant line 08518 decreased under low-P stress. Compared with the NP treatment, acid phosphatase (ACP), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD) activities, and the malondialdehyde (MDA), soluble sugar (SS), soluble protein (SP) and proline (Pro) contents of the two L. corniculatus lines increased under low-P stress. A transcriptome analysis of L. corniculatus showed that a total of 656 and 2243 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in line 01549 and line 08518, respectively. Meanwhile, the main pathways, such as carbohydrate metabolism, acid phosphatases, phosphate transporters and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, as well as related genes were also screened by performing a KEGG enrichment analysis. Discussion: The findings provide an essential point of reference for studying the physiological and molecular mechanism of the response to low-P stress in L. corniculatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature is a critical environmental factor determining the upper limits of evergreen broadleaved tree taxa. However, whether carbon source or carbon sink limitation shapes this limit is not yet fully understood. We studied a subtropical evergreen oak (Cyclobalanopsis gracilis) at the northern limit of its distributional range. Along an elevational/temperature gradient towards its upper limit, we surveyed the variations in non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations of C. gracilis adults for 3 years. Additionally, a carbon balance manipulation experiment of debudding and defoliation was done to C. gracilis seedlings close to the upper distributional limit, aiming at investigating the changes in NSC concentrations and growth rates in different treatment groups. Our results showed that increasing elevation or decreasing temperature did not affect the trends of NSC concentration in twigs, old branches, or trunks of adults, nor did carbon balance manipulations (debudding or defoliation) of seedlings have a significant effect on the growth, while defoliation decreased NSC concentration in twigs. These results suggest that carbon sink limitation is the key physiological mechanism underlying low temperature in the shaping of this dominant evergreen broadleaved tree species in eastern China. Therefore, the formation of upper limits in evergreen oaks is most likely the result of a direct low-temperature restriction on meristematic activity and tissue formation instead of the result of insufficient carbon supply. More studies with expanded sample sizes are needed on other evergreen broadleaved tree species growing at their upper limits to confirm the carbon sink limitation hypothesis and reveal the detailed mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waterlogging due to excessive rainfall has become a factor limiting flax production in southern China. This has led to morphology alteration, and biomass and yield reduction in field crop production. Flax variety Zhongyama 1 was planted in sand culture, and the adaptive mechanisms of the responses to waterlogging in the fast growth and harvest stage were determined. According to the results, height and total biomass decreased significantly under waterlogged conditions during the fast growth period; furthermore, in the harvest stage, flax height increased significantly, whereas the technical length, fork diameter, and weight decreased significantly. For gene expression, the gene of glucose, glutathione metabolism, was up-regulated in shoot, and the gene of phenylpropanoid metabolic, lignin, was up-regulated in root. The results suggested that the synthesis and degradation of lignin is involved in flax resistance to waterlogging, especially in terms of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, glycolysis, and metabolism of plant hormone signal transduction. Furthermore, unpaired electrons flowing through the electron transport chain may react with oxygen to produce ROS and hamper plant growth, development, and survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The interactions between parasitoids and their host have always attracted much attention, and parasitoids manipulate the host physiology to benefit the survival and development of their offspring. It is critical to analyze these physiological regulatory mechanisms. In this study, using RNA-sequencing analysis, we clarified the effects of parasitization on host gene expression of Microplitis manilae, a dominant larval parasitoid of Spodoptera frugiperda. Several differentially expressed genes were identified in S. frugiperda larvae at 2 h, 24 h, and 48 h post-parasitization. Among these, many genes were implicated in host metabolism and immunity. Further qPCR results involving 20 differentially expressed metabolism, and immune-related genes were consistent with the expression profiles of the RNA-seq data, which confirmed the physiological manipulation of M. manilae on host S. frugiperda. These results contribute to defining the molecular basis of wasps' successful parasitization and facilitate their application. It has been extensively found that parasitoids manipulate host physiology to benefit the survival and development of their offspring. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms have not received much attention. To reveal the effects of parasitization of the larval solitary endoparasitoid Microplitis manilae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on host Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), one of the most destructive agricultural pests in China, deep-sequencing-based transcriptome analysis was conducted to compare the host gene expression levels after 2 h, 24 h, and 48 h parasitization. A total of 1861, 962, and 108 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained from the S. frugiperda larvae at 2 h, 24 h, and 48 h post-parasitization, respectively, compared with unparasitized controls. The changes in host gene expressions were most likely caused by the injection of wasp parasitic factors, including PDVs, that were injected along with the eggs during oviposition. Based on the functional annotations in GO and KEGG databases, we revealed that most DEGs were implicated in host metabolism and immunity. Further analysis of the common DEGs in three comparisons between the unparasitized and parasitized groups identified four genes, including one unknown and three prophenoloxidase (PPO) genes. Moreover, 46 and 7 common DEGs involved in host metabolism and immunity were identified at two or three time points after parasitization, respectively. Among these, most DEGs showed increased expressions at 2 h post-wasp parasitization while exhibiting significantly decreased expression levels at 24 h post-parasitization, demonstrating the expression regulations of M. manilae parasitization on host metabolism and immune-related genes. Further qPCR verification in 20 randomly selected DEGs confirmed the accuracy and reproducibility of the gene expression profiles generated from RNA-seq. This study reveals the molecular regulatory network about how host insects respond to wasp parasitism, laying a solid foundation for revealing the physiological manipulation of wasp parasitization on host insects, which facilitates the development of biological control practices for parasitoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato is an important vegetable crop in China, and its yield ranks the top among vegetables in the world. It has important nutritional value, with rich and varied tastes. Plant male sterility is caused by the abnormal development of stamens, which cannot produce pollen with normal function, while pistils develop normally and can be fertilized by foreign normal pollen. Tomato is a typical self-pollinated plant with obvious heterosis and strong disease resistance and stress resistance. At present, the production of tomato F1 hybrid seeds in China basically depends on artificial emasculation and pollination, therefore, a lot of manpower and material resources are needed in the process of seed production. In the use of tomato male sterile seed production, the seed production process can be simplified, costs be greatly reduced and and seed purity be improved, in this case, tomato yield and quality will be increased significantly. Therefore, the research and utilization of tomato male sterility is of great practical significance to tomato genetic breeding, and has always been an important research topic for the domestic and foreign scholars. This paper mainly outlines the current situation of male sterility of tomato in recent years, summarizes the types of tomato male sterility, the application of genetic engineering technology of tomato male sterility, the fine positioning and functional study of tomato male sterility gene, and the analysis of cell biological mechanism of tomato male sterility. The effect of temperature on tomato male sterility is expounded from the perspective of genetics, and the physiological and biochemical mechanism and the gene function and regulation mechanism in response temperature changes are discussed. Then, the heterosis of tomato male sterility and its utilization value in production and application are analyzed. On this basis, the problems existing in the current research work are put forward, and the innovation and basic research of tomato male sterility technology in the future are prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]