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In this study, the transcriptome profiles of tissue–cultured grapevine (Vitis vinifera L. × Vitis labrusca L.: Rose Honey) seedlings inoculated with fungal endophytes Epicoccum layuense R2-21 (Epi R2-21) and Alternaria alternata XHYN2 (Alt XHYN2), were analyzed at three different time points (6 h, 6 d, and 15 d). A total of 4783 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was found, of which 1853 (6 h), 3878 (6 d), and 4732 (15 d) were differentially expressed relative to those of the control in endophyte Epi R2-21 treatments, while a total of 5898 DEGs, of which 2726 (6 h), 4610 (6 d), and 3938 (15 d) were differentially expressed in endophyte Alt XHYN2 treatments. DEGs enriched in secondary metabolic pathways, plant–pathogen interaction, and hormone signalling were further analysed. The upregulated DEGs in the Epi R2-21 and Alt XHYN2 treatments, both enriched in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), were mainly involved in flavonoid biosynthesis, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, stilbenoid, diarylheptanoid and gingerol biosynthesis, phenylalanine metabolism, and circadian rhythms–plant and plant–pathogen interactions, similar to the trend observed in our previous study conducted on the cultivar ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ (Vitis vinifera L.). Taken together with the results obtained from the cultivar ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’, it was found that tissue-cultured seedlings of the cultivar ‘Rose Honey’ induced a stronger defence response to fungal endophyte infection than that of the cultivar ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’, and inoculation with the endophyte Alt XHYN2 triggered a stronger response than inoculation with the endophyte Epi R2-21. In addition, the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network revealed that the genes VIT_16s0100g00910, encoding CHS, and VIT_11s0065g00350, encoding CYP73A, were involved in secondary metabolism and thus mediated in the resistance mechanism of grapevine on both the cultivars. The results showed that inoculation with the endophytes Epi R2-21 and Alt XHYN2 had a great ability to induce defence responses and reprogram the gene expression profiles in different grapevine cultivars, which deepens our knowledge of the interaction between fungal endophytes and grapevine and gives hints for grape quality management in viticulture using candidate fungal endophytes.

Development of high-performance graphene-based microwave absorbing materials with low density and strong absorption is of great significance to solve the growing electromagnetic pollution. Herein, a controllable open-cell structure is introduced into graphene aerogels by the graphene oxide (GO) Pickering emulsion. The open-cell graphene aerogel (OCGA) with multiple microstructures shows a significantly enhanced microwave absorption ability without any additions. A high microwave absorption performance with the minimum value of reflection loss (RLmin) of −51.22 dB was achieved, while the material density was only 4.81 mg/cm3. Moreover, by means of centrifugation, the graphene cells were arranged by their diameter, and a gradient, open-cell graphene structure was first fabricated. Based on this unique structure, an amazing microwave absorption value of −62.58 dB was reached on a condition of ultra-low graphene content of 0.53 wt%. In our opinion, such excellent microwave absorption performance results from multiple reflection and well-matched impedance brought by the open-cell and gradient structure, respectively. In addition, the structural strength of the OCGA is greatly improved with a maximum increase of 167% due to the introduction of cell structure. Therefore, the OCGAs with the gradient structure can be an excellent candidate for lightweight, efficient microwave absorption materials.

Tropical cyclones and meiyu-baiu fronts, as the two main synoptic systems over East Asia, bring heavy rain during summers, but their long-term and vertical raindrop size distribution (RSD) features over the midlatitude Japan Islands are limited. Radar-based quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) techniques require RSD observations. In this study, five-year observations from Tokyo with a ground-based impact Joss-Waldvogel disdrometer (JWD) and a vertically pointing micro rain radar (MRR) with a vertical range of 0.2−6.0 km were used to study the vertical structures of RSD and QPE parameters. The results showed that the convective rain associated with tropical cyclones had a maritime nature, while the rain associated with the meiyu-baiu front had a continental nature. The rain associated with tropical cyclones had a relatively higher concentration of raindrops and a larger average raindrop diameter than the rain associated with the meiyu-baiu front. The Z−R (radar reflectivity-rain rate) relationships (Z = ARb) based on the JWD data for tropical cyclones, the meiyu-baiu front and total summer rainfall in Tokyo were Z = 189 R1.38, Z = 214 R1.35 and Z = 212 R1.33, respectively. When the Z−R relationships obtained in this study were used to replace the operational relationship of Z = 300 R1.4, the standard deviation of the rain rate was reduced from 5.50 mm/h (2.34 mm/h) to 2.34 mm/h (1.32 mm/h) for typhoon (meiyu-baiu front) rainfall, although the change for total summer rainfall was small. In addition, with increasing height below 4 km, the value of A and b decreased.