Search

Energy management strategy (EMS), as a core technology in fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), profoundly influences the lifespan of fuel cells and the economy of the vehicle. Aiming at the problem of the EMS of FCVs based on a global optimization algorithm not being applicable in real-time, a rule extraction-based EMS is proposed for fuel cell commercial vehicles. Based on the results of the dynamic programming (DP) algorithm in the CLTC-C cycle, the deep learning approach is employed to extract output power rules for fuel cell, leading to the establishment of a rule library. Using this library, a real-time applicable rule-based EMS is designed. The simulated driving platform is built in a CARLA, SUMO, and MATLAB/Simulink joint simulation environment. Simulation results indicate that the proposed strategy yields savings ranging from 3.64% to 8.96% in total costs when compared to the state machine-based strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ras GTPase-activating protein SH3 domain-binding protein (G3BP) belongs to the highly conserved family of RNA-binding proteins, which has been well-investigated in humans and animals. However, limited study of plant G3BP has been reported, and the precise biological function of the G3BP family has not been elucidated yet. In this study, the Arabidopsis G3BP family, comprising seven members, was comparatively analyzed. Transcriptome analysis showed that most G3BP genes are ubiquitously expressed in various tissues/organs. Transient expression analysis revealed that all G3BPs were presented in the cytoplasm, among which G3BP6 was additionally found in the nucleus. Further study revealed a conserved NLS motif required for the nuclear localization of G3BP6. Additionally, phenotypic analysis revealed that loss-of-function g3bp6 presented late-flowering phenotypes. RNA-sequencing analysis and qRT-PCR assays demonstrated that the expressions of abundant floral genes were significantly altered in g3bp6 plants. We also discovered that overexpression of G3BP6 in the nucleus, rather than in the cytoplasm, propelled bolting. Furthermore, we revealed that the scaffold protein Receptor for Activated C Kinase 1 (RACK1) interacted with and modulated the nuclear localization of G3BP6. Altogether, this study sheds new light on G3BP6 and its specific role in regulating the flowering transition in Arabidopsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The powertrain of a fuel cell vehicle typically consists of two energy sources: a proton electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack and a battery package. In this paper, multi-dimensional dynamic programming (MDDP) is used to solve the energy management strategy (EMS) of fuel cell hybrid powertrain. This study built a fuel cell hybrid powertrain model, in which the battery model is built based on the Thevenin equivalent circuit. In order to improve the calculating efficiency and maintain the accuracy of the algorithm, the state variables in each stage are divided into primary and secondary. In the reverse solution process, the corresponding relationship between the multi state variables grid and the optimal cumulative function has been changed from three-dimensional to two-dimensional. The EMS based on MDDP is applied to component sizing of a commercial vehicle. Simulations were conducted using MATLAB under the C-WTVC working condition. By analyzing the fuel economy and system durability, the optimal component combination of comprehensive performance is obtained. Compared with the EMS based on dynamic programming (DP), the proposed method effectively improves the calculation accuracy: the hydrogen consumption can be reduced by 3.10%, and the durability of the fuel cell and battery can be improved by 1.08% and 0.13%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a critical phytohormone involved in multifaceted processes in plant metabolism and growth under both stressed and nonstressed conditions. Its accumulation in various tissues and cells has long been established as a biomarker for plant stress responses. To date, a comprehensive understanding of ABA distribution and dynamics at subcellular resolution in response to environmental cues is still lacking. Here, we modified the previously developed ABA sensor ABAleon2.1_Tao3 (Tao3) and targeted it to different organelles including the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), chloroplast/plastid, and nucleus through the addition of corresponding signal peptides. Together with the cytosolic Tao3, we show distinct ABA distribution patterns in different tobacco cells with the chloroplast showing a lower level of ABA in both cell types. In a tobacco mesophyll cell, organellar ABA displayed specific alterations depending on osmotic stimulus, with ABA levels being generally enhanced under a lower and higher concentration of salt and mannitol treatment, respectively. In Arabidopsis roots, cells from both the meristem and elongation zone accumulated ABA considerably in the cytoplasm upon mannitol treatment, while the plastid and nuclear ABA was generally reduced dependent upon specific cell types. In Arabidopsis leaf tissue, subcellular ABA seemed to be less responsive when stressed, with notable increases of ER ABA in epidermal cells and a reduction of nuclear ABA in guard cells. Together, our results present a detailed characterization of stimulus-dependent cell type-specific organellar ABA responses in tobacco and Arabidopsis plants, supporting a highly coordinated regulatory network for mediating subcellular ABA homeostasis during plant adaptation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With no lysine (K) (WNK) kinases comprise a family of serine/threonine kinases belonging to an evolutionary branch of the eukaryotic kinome. These special kinases contain a unique active site and are found in a wide range of eukaryotes. The model plant Arabidopsis has been reported to have 11 WNK members, of which WNK8 functions as a negative regulator of abscisic acid (ABA) signaling. Here, we found that the expression of WNK8 is post-transcriptionally regulated through an upstream open reading frame (uORF) found in its 5′ untranslated region (5′-UTR). This uORF has been predicted to encode a conserved peptide named CPuORF58 in both monocotyledons and dicotyledons. The analysis of the published ribosome footprinting studies and the study of the frameshift CPuORF58 peptide with altered repression capability suggested that this uORF causes ribosome stalling. Plants transformed with the native WNK8 promoter driving WNK8 expression were comparable with wild-type plants, whereas the plants transformed with a similar construct with mutated CPuORF58 start codon were less sensitive to ABA. In addition, WNK8 and its downstream target RACK1 were found to synergistically coordinate ABA signaling rather than antagonistically modulating glucose response and flowering in plants. Collectively, these results suggest that the WNK8 expression must be tightly regulated to fulfill the demands of ABA response in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are steroid hormones essential for different biological processes, ranging from growth to environmental adaptation in plants. The plant brassinosteroid-signaling kinase (BSK) proteins belong to a family of receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases, which have been reported to play an important role in BR signal transduction. However, the knowledge of BSK genes in plants is still quite limited. In the present study, a total of 143 BSK proteins were identified by a genome-wide search in 17 plant species. A phylogenetic analysis showed that the BSK gene originated in embryophytes, with no BSK found in green algae, and these BSK genes were divided into six groups by comparison with orthologs/paralogs. A further study using comparative analyses of gene structure, expression patterns and alternative splicing of BSK genes in Arabidopsis revealed that all BSK proteins shared similar protein structure with some exception and post-translation modifications including sumolyation and ubiquitination. An expression profile analysis showed that most Arabidopsis BSK genes were constitutively expressed in different tissues; of these, several BSK genes were significantly expressed in response to some hormones or abiotic stresses. Furthermore, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays showed that BSK5, BSK7, and BSK9 underwent alternative splicing in specific stress induced and tissue-dependent patterns. Collectively, these results lay the foundation for further functional analyses of these genes in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]