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SUMMARY Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a globally staple crop vulnerable to various fungal diseases, significantly impacting its yield. Plant cell surface receptors play a crucial role in recognizing pathogen‐associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and activating PAMP‐triggered immunity, boosting resistance against a wide range of plant diseases. Although the role of plant chitin receptor CERK1 in immune recognition and defense has been established in Arabidopsis and rice, its function and potential agricultural applications in enhancing resistance to crop diseases remain largely unexplored. Here, we identify and characterize TaCERK1 in Triticeae crop wheat, uncovering its involvement in chitin recognition, immune regulation, and resistance to fungal diseases. By a comparative analysis of CERK1 homologs in Arabidopsis and monocot crops, we demonstrate that AtCERK1 in Arabidopsis elicits the most robust immune response. Moreover, we show that overexpressing TaCERK1 and AtCERK1 in wheat confers resistance to multiple fungal diseases, including Fusarium head blight, stripe rust, and powdery mildew. Notably, transgenic wheat lines with moderately expressed AtCERK1 display superior disease resistance and heightened immune responses without adversely affecting growth and yield, compared to TaCERK1 overexpression transgenics. Our findings highlight the significance of plant chitin receptors across diverse plant species and suggest potential strategies for bolstering crop resistance against broad‐spectrum diseases in agricultural production through the utilization of plant immune receptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkaline water electrolysis holds promise for large‐scale hydrogen production, yet it encounters challenges like high voltage and limited stability at higher current densities, primarily due to inefficient electron transport kinetics. Herein, a novel cobalt‐based metallic heterostructure (Co3Mo3N/Co4N/Co) is designed for excellent water electrolysis. In operando Raman experiments reveal that the formation of the Co3Mo3N/Co4N heterointerface boosts the free water adsorption and dissociation, increasing the available protons for subsequent hydrogen production. Furthermore, the altered electronic structure of the Co3Mo3N/Co4N heterointerface optimizes ΔGH of the nitrogen atoms at the interface. This synergistic effect between interfacial nitrogen atoms and metal phase cobalt creates highly efficient active sites for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), thereby enhancing the overall HER performance. Additionally, the heterostructure exhibits a rapid OH− adsorption rate, coupled with great adsorption strength, leading to improved oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance. Crucially, the metallic heterojunction accelerates electron transport, expediting the afore‐mentioned reaction steps and enhancing water splitting efficiency. The Co3Mo3N/Co4N/Co electrocatalyst in the water electrolyzer delivers excellent performance, with a low 1.58 V cell voltage at 10 mA cm−2, and maintains 100 % retention over 100 hours at 200 mA cm−2, surpassing the Pt/C||RuO2 electrolyzer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current polymerase chain reactions‐based nucleic acid tests for large‐scale infectious disease diagnosis are always lab‐dependent and generate large amounts of highly infectious plastic waste. Direct non‐linear acoustic driven of microdroplets provide an ideal platform for contactless spatial and temporal manipulation of liquid samples. Here, a strategy to programmable‐manipulate microdroplets using potential pressure well for contactless trace detection is conceptualized and designed. On such contactless modulation platform, up to seventy‐two piezoelectric transducers are precisely self‐focusing single‐axis arranged and controlled, which can generate dynamic pressure nodes for effectively contact‐free manipulating microdroplets without vessel contamination. In addition, the patterned microdroplet array can act as contactless microreactor and allow multiple trace samples (1–5 µL) biochemical analysis, and the ultrasonic vortex can also accelerate non‐equilibrium chemical reactions such as recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA). The results of fluorescence detection indicated that such programmable modulated microdroplet achieved contactless trace nucleic acid detection with a sensitivity of 0.21 copy µL−1 in only 6–14 min, which is 30.3–43.3% shorter than the conventional RPA approach. Such a programmable containerless microdroplet platform can be used for toxic, hazardous, or infectious samples sensing, opening up new avenues for developing future fully automated detection systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychotic symptoms are reported as one of the most common complications of Alzheimer's disease (AD), in whom they are associated with more rapid deterioration and increased mortality. Empiric treatments, namely first and second‐generation antipsychotics, confer modest efficacy in patients with AD and with psychosis (AD+P) and themselves increase mortality. Recent studies suggested the use and beneficial effects of antidepressants among patients with AD+P. This motivates our rationale for exploring their potential as a novel combination therapy option among these patients. We included electronic medical records of 10,260 patients with AD in our study. Survival analysis was performed to assess the effects of the combination of antipsychotics and antidepressants on the mortality of these patients. A protein–protein interaction network representing AD+P was built, and network analysis methods were used to quantify the efficacy of these drugs on AD+P. A combined score was developed to measure the potential synergetic effect against AD+P. Our survival analyses showed that the co‐administration of antidepressants with antipsychotics have a significant beneficial effect in reducing mortality. Our network analysis showed that the targets of antipsychotics and antidepressants are well‐separated, and antipsychotics and antidepressants have similar Signed Jaccard Index (SJI) scores to AD+P. Eight drug pairs, including some popular recommendations like aripiprazole/sertraline, showed higher than average scores which suggest their potential in treating AD+P via strong synergetic effects. Our proposed combinations of antipsychotic and antidepressant therapy showed a strong superiority over current antipsychotics treatment for AD+P. The observed beneficial effects can be further strengthened by optimizing drug‐pair selection based on our systems pharmacology analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated antimalarial efficacy and sensitization of chrysosplenetin against artemisinin‐resistant Plasmodium berghei K173 and potential molecular mechanism. Our data indicated a risk of artemisinin resistance because a higher parasitaemia% and lower inhibition% under artemisinin treatment against resistant parasites than those in the sensitive groups were observed. Two non‐antimalarial components, verapamil and chrysosplentin, being P‐gp inhibitors, possessed a strong efficacy against resistant parasites but it was not the case for Bcrp inhibitor novobiocin. Artemisinin‐chrysosplenetin combination improved artemisinin susceptibility of resistant P. berghei. Artemisinin activated intestinal P‐gp and Abcb1/Abcg2 expressions and suppressed Bcrp whereas chrysosplenetin reversed them. Resistant parasite infection led to a decreased haemozoin in organs or an increased heme in peripheral bloods compared with the sensitives; however, that in Abcb1‐deficient knockout (KO)‐resistant mice reversely got increased or decreased versus wild type (WT)‐resistant animals. Chrysosplenetin as well as rifampin (nuclear receptor agonist) increased the transcription levels of PXR/CAR while showed a versatile regulation on hepatic and enternal PXR/CAR in WT‐ or KO‐sensitive or ‐resistant parasites. Oppositely, hepatic and enteric NF‐κB p52 mRNA decreased conformably in WT but increased in KO‐resistant mice. NF‐κB pathway potentially involved in the mechanism of chrysosplenetin on inhibiting P‐gp expressions while PXR/CAR play a more complicated role in this mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical vortices, which are beams with spiral‐shaped wavefronts and screw phase dislocations, have potential for supporting high‐capacity optical communications. In this study, the generation of 1D and 2D vortex‐beam arrays is theoretically proposed and experimentally demonstrated by introducing novel forked‐photonic lattices in a three‐level 85Rb atomic medium. Such forked‐photonic lattices are established through the interference of Gaussian and vortex coupling beams. The input Gaussian probe beam that travels through this lattice experiences phase superposition and is diffracted into vortex‐beam arrays. Moreover, the relative efficiency of the high‐order diffractions can be enhanced by tuning the two‐photon detuning and power of the coupling beams. The enriched diffractive arrays of a vortex probe beam propagating in such forked‐photonic lattices are also presented. The experimental results agree well with those of the numerical simulations. This work suggests that atomic systems are a fertile platform for creating and controlling vortex‐beam arrays, and that they can shed light on ongoing exploration in the fields of optical manipulation and quantum information processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Green Synthesis" has been broadly applied in drug synthesis and nanomaterial preparation. The integration of automated micro‐synthesis and high‐throughput screening systems is a key way to achieve the goal of green manufacturing. Here, a one‐click green synthesis platform is designed that integrates droplets arrays‐based micro‐synthesis for Raman enhancement performance high‐throughput screening of MNPs@Cu‐MOF (AuNPs@, AgNPs@, PtNPs@Cu‐MOF) under room temperature and normal pressure. The fully integrated ultrasound units can achieve rapid multi‐component mixing in the droplet array systems, and significantly accelerate materials growth as well as enhance encapsulation of noble metal nanoparticles into Cu‐MOF structures. Based on such integrated systems, structures with high Raman enhancement performance can be high‐throughput evaluation and easily screened out. The results indicated that the AgNPs@Cu‐MOF exhibited the best Raman enhancement performance, which is ≈8 times higher than pure AgNPs. Such a green and integrated platform provides a way for automated multi‐type composites fabrication, which can be expanded to multiple fields in the future via combined robotic platforms and artificial intelligence technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our previous work revealed mutual and specific metabolites/pathways in artemisinin‐sensitive and ‐resistant Plasmodium berghei K173‐infected mice. In this study, we further investigated whether chrysosplenetin, a candidate chemical to prevent artemisinin resistance, can regulate these metabolites/pathways by integrating nontargeted metabolomics with 1H NMR and LC–Q‐TOF–MS/MS spectrum. The nuclear magnetic resonance method generated specifically altered metabolites in response to co‐treatment with chrysosplenetin, including: the products of glycolysis such as glucose, pyruvate, lactate and alanine; taurine, closely associated with liver injury; arginine and proline as essential amino acids for parasites; TMAO, a biomarker for dysbacteriosis and renal function; and tyrosine, which is used to generate levodopa and dopamine and may improve the torpor state of mice. Importantly, we noticed that chrysosplenetin might depress the activated glycolysis induced by sensitive parasites, but oppositely promoted the inhibited glycolysis to generate more lactate, which suppresses the proliferation of resistant parasites. Moreover, chrysosplentin possibly disturbs the heme biosynthetic pathway in mitochondria. The MS method yielded changed coenzyme A, phosphatidylcholine and ceramides, closely related to mitochondria β‐oxidation, cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. These two means shared no overlapped metabolites and formed a more broader metabolic map to study the potential mechanisms of chrysosplenetin as a promising artemisinin resistance inhibitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer (BC) is a very common cancer among women and one of the primary causes of death in women worldwide. Because BC has different molecular subtypes, the challenges associated with targeted therapy have increased significantly, and the identification of new therapeutic targets has become increasingly urgent. Blocking apoptosis and inhibiting cell death are important characteristics of malignant tumours, including BC. Under adverse conditions, including exposure to antitumour therapy, inhibition of cell death programmes can promote cancerous transformation and the survival of cancer cells. Therefore, inducing cell death in cancer cells is fundamentally important and provides new opportunities for potential therapeutic interventions. Lytic forms of cell death, primarily pyroptosis, necroptosis and ferroptosis, are different from apoptosis owing to their characteristic lysis, that is, the production of cellular components, to guide beneficial immune responses, and the application of lytic cell death (LCD) in the field of tumour therapy has attracted considerable interest from researchers. The latest clinical research results confirm that lytic death signalling cascades involve the BC cell immune response and resistance to therapies used in clinical practice. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge regarding the various forms of LCD, placing a special emphasis on signalling pathways and their implications in BC, which may facilitate the development of novel and optimal strategies for the clinical treatment of BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) is an economically important fruit crop worldwide. Although a high‐quality peach genome has previously been published, Sanger sequencing was used for its assembly, which generated short contigs. Here, we report a chromosome‐level genome assembly and sequence analysis of Chinese Cling, an important founder cultivar for peach breeding programs worldwide. The assembled genome contained 247.33 Mb with a contig N50 of 4.13 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 29.68 Mb, representing 99.8% of the estimated genome. Comparisons between this genome and the recently published one (Lovell peach) uncovered 685 407 single nucleotide polymorphisms, 162 655 insertions and deletions, and 16 248 structural variants. Gene family analysis highlighted the contraction of the gene families involved in flavone, flavonol, flavonoid, and monoterpenoid biosynthesis. Subsequently, the volatile compounds of 256 peach varieties were quantitated in mature fruits in 2015 and 2016 to perform a genome‐wide association analysis. A comparison with the identified domestication genomic regions allowed us to identify 25 quantitative trait loci, associated with seven volatile compounds, in the domestication region, which is consistent with the differences in volatile compounds between wild and cultivated peaches. Finally, a gene encoding terpene synthase, located within a previously reported quantitative trait loci region, was identified to be associated with linalool synthesis. Such findings highlight the importance of this new assembly for the analysis of evolutionary mechanisms and gene identification in peach species. Furthermore, this high‐quality peach genome provides valuable information for future fruit improvement. Significance Statement: A new high‐quality, chromosome‐scale genome of peach has the potential to perform a comprehensive comparative genomics analysis and discover variations associated with key agronomic traits. Using genome‐wide association analysis, we analyzed the molecular mechanism of changes in fruit volatile substances during domestication and identified a gene related to linalool content. This genome will be a valuable resource for genomic research and fruit improvement in peach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To evaluate mental development index (MDI) and psychomotor development index (PDI) scores of HIV‐exposed uninfected (HEU) children by timing of in utero antiretroviral treatment (ART) initiation (Option B+) and sociodemographic characteristics compared with HIV‐unexposed uninfected (HUU) children in Mzuzu, Malawi. Methods: One hundred HEU children and 100 HUU children aged 2–30 months were recruited. The differences in MDI and PDI scores between HEU and HUU children were tested by Student's t test, analysis of variance, Mann–Whitney U test, and logistic regression analysis. Results: The differences in MDI and PDI scores might be related to number of children in the family, delivery, place of residence, family income, complementary feeding, father's or mother's occupation, and degree of education. No significant difference in MDI and PDI scores between HEU and HUU children (P = 0.076 and P = 0.407) was found. Among HEU children, ART in the third trimester and beyond produced a lower PDI score compared with ART before pregnancy and in the first or second trimester (P = 0.027). Conclusion: The MDI and PDI scores of HEU subgroups with different timing of ART (Option B+) initiation were comparable to those of the HUU group. Early in utero ART initiation was associated with better neurodevelopmental outcomes than ART initiation in the third trimester and beyond. Synopsis: Our findings showed that early in utero ART initiation was associated with better neurodevelopmental outcomes than ART initiation in third trimester and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposed an optical compensation scheme for a‐IGZO AMOLED with a high PPI pixel design solution. The PIN sensor is fabricated on the backplane and covers 8 sub‐pixels. The scheme is applied to a 5 inches AMOLED display. The results shows that the characteristics of a‐IGZO TFT still satisfy the needs for display. And the uniformity of the panel is improved a lot for all gray level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vascular implant interventional medical catheter will contact with blood firstly after implantation. The anticoagulation and antibacterial functions of this device will determine the success or failure. Copper (Cu) has been verified to possess multi‐biofunctions, but it was challenging to add the Cu metal to most materials. Take advantage of its functionality; Cu has been grafted on the material surface to improve the anticoagulation function and accelerate endothelialization. In this study, a Cu‐bearing chitosan coating was prepared on the catheter to endow the anticoagulation and anti‐infection functions. Besides, properties characterization and functional evaluation of the coated medical catheter were investigated. Dynamic blood clotting and platelet adhesion tests were carried out to evaluate the anticoagulation property. Besides this, the antibacterial test was used to estimate the anti‐infection function. The surface energy and Cu ions release from the coating were detected and calculated by contact angles and immersion tests, respectively. The results of attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR‐FTIR) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that Cu ions were grafted in the chitosan coating. Thermogravimetric analysis (TA) result showed the concentration of Cu ions in the coating. The results of dynamic blood clotting, platelet adhesion, and antibacterial tests revealed that Cu grafted in chitosan would improve the blood compatibility and anti‐infection property. The surface properties and Cu ions release behavior of Cu‐bearing coating revealed the reasons for multi‐biofunctions. This study indicated that the Cu‐bearing chitosan coating could endow the vascular implant interventional device anticoagulation and anti‐infection functions, which has excellent potential for clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to be disproportionately impacted by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and syphilis in China. Little is known about HIV and syphilis infections among MSM in Xi'an, a developing city in Northwest China. A cross‐sectional study with recruitment via snowball sampling was conducted to collect HIV and syphilis infection status and risk factors among MSM in Xi'an between April 2013 to December 2016. Among the 5000 participants, the mean age was 29.0 years (SD 7.7) and the prevalence of HIV, syphilis, and coinfection was 6.5%, 2.2%, and 0.4%, respectively. There was no significant change in HIV prevalence from 2013 to 2016, while the prevalence of syphilis and coinfection showed a downward trend. Multiple logistic regression analyses found that being over 25 years old (OR = 1.647), junior high school/middle school education and below (OR = 3.085), with a sexual role of passive or versatile (OR = 3.300; OR = 2.337), rush poppers use during the last 6 months (OR = 1.660) and syphilis infection (OR = 2.235) were more likely to acquire HIV infection, whereas used condoms in the last episode of anal sex (OR = 0.572) and tested HIV antibody previously (OR = 0.252) were protective factors for HIV infection. HIV prevalence among MSM in Xi'an was stable, whereas the prevalence of syphilis and coinfection showed a downward trend. Interventions to promote HIV and sexually transmitted disease testing and condom use should be strengthened, especially for MSM with low education. Highlights: In conclusion, this study shows that HIV prevalence among MSM in Xi'an was stable, while the prevalence of syphilis and coinfection showed a downward trend. Evidence‐based interventions to promote HIV and STD testing and condom use should be strengthened, especially for MSM with low education, to help end HIV/AIDS in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New, biocompatible materials with favorable antibacterial activity are highly desirable. In this work, we develop a unique conjugated polymer featuring aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) for reliable bacterial eradication. Thanks to the AIE and donor‐π‐acceptor structure, this polymer shows a high reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐generation ability compared to a low‐mass model compound and the common photosensitizer Chlorin E6. Moreover, the selective binding of pathogenic microorganisms over mammalian cells was found, demonstrating its biocompatibility. The effective growth inhibition of bacteria upon polymer treatment under light irradiation was validated in vitro and in vivo. Notably, the recovery from infection after treatment with our polymer is faster than that with cefalotin. Thus, this polymer holds great promise in fighting against bacteria‐related infections in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac progenitor cells are considered to be one of the most promising stem cells for heart regeneration and repair. The cardiac protective effect of CPCs is mainly achieved by reducing tissue damage and/or promoting tissue repair through a paracrine mechanism. Exosome is a factor that plays a major role in the paracrine effect of CPCs. By delivering microRNAs to target cells and regulating their functions, exosomes have shown significant beneficial effects in slowing down cardiac injury and promoting cardiac repair. Among them, miRNA‐210 is an important anoxic‐related miRNA derived from CPCs exosomes, which has great cardiac protective effect of inhibiting myocardial cell apoptosis, promoting angiogenesis and improving cardiac function. In addition, circulating miR‐210 may be a useful biomarker for the prediction or diagnosis of related cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we briefly reviewed the mechanism of miR‐210 derived from CPCs exosomes in cardiac protection in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Crop evolution is a long‐term process involving selection by natural evolutionary forces and anthropogenic influences; however, the genetic mechanisms underlying the domestication and improvement of fruit crops have not been well studied to date. Here, we performed a population structure analysis in peach (Prunus persica) based on the genome‐wide resequencing of 418 accessions and confirmed the presence of an obvious domestication event during evolution. We identified 132 and 106 selective sweeps associated with domestication and improvement, respectively. Analysis of their tissue‐specific expression patterns indicated that the up‐regulation of selection genes during domestication occurred mostly in fruit and seeds as opposed to other organs. However, during the improvement stage, more up‐regulated selection genes were identified in leaves and seeds than in the other organs. Genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) using 4.24 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) revealed 171 loci associated with 26 fruit domestication traits. Among these loci, three candidate genes were highly associated with fruit weight and the sorbitol and catechin content in fruit. We demonstrated that as the allele frequency of the SNPs associated with high polyphenol composition decreased during peach evolution, alleles associated with high sugar content increased significantly. This indicates that there is genetic potential for the breeding of more nutritious fruit with enhanced bioactive polyphenols without disturbing a harmonious sugar and acid balance by crossing with wild species. This study also describes the development of the genomic resources necessary for evolutionary research in peach and provides the large‐scale characterization of key agronomic traits in this crop species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The number of men who have sex with men (MSM) living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in China has increased rapidly and thus immediate highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) after diagnosis was implemented as a strategy to reduce the HIV transmission. Methods: MSM who were diagnosed with HIV and received HAART between 2013 to 2015 in Xi'an were divided into three groups (>350, 200‐350, and <200 cell/μL) according to their baseline CD4+ T cell count. The time of follow‐up was calculated from the first date of receiving HAART to December 31, 2016. The CD4+ T cell count was detected with 1 week before or after HAART. The plasma viral loads were tested after 1, 2, and 3 years of treatment. Results: Of 1442 subjects who received HAART, 690 (47.9%) cases were in >350 cell/μL group, whereas 400 (27.7%) cases and 352 (24.4%) cases were in the 200‐350 cell/μL group and <200 cell/μL group, respectively. After 1 year of treatment, the viral suppression rate in the <200 cell/μL group was 91.1%, which was significantly lower than the other two groups. The logistic regression results show that the >350 cell/μL group and 200‐350 cell/μL group predicted higher viral suppression rates. Conclusions: Baseline CD4+ T cell count more than 350 cell/μL can improve viral suppression among MSM living with HIV. Furthermore, to reduce the transmission risk, the treatment compliance of people living with HIV with high CD4+ T cell levels should be improved, and their diagnosis to the treatment time should be decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a time series analysis, this paper argues that domestic financial instability, which increases the potential for resident‐based capital flight from the domestic currency, provides an incentive for China to hold more foreign reserves in the short run. To measure its domestic financial conditions, we construct a monthly Chinese financial stress index, which is used as a proxy for the possibility of capital flight. The empirical results show that this index is a significant determinant of the movements of China's foreign reserves around its trend and that using M2 as a proxy for domestic financial instability as suggested by previous studies is not a valid strategy for China. It is suggested that greater attention should be given to the role of domestic financial conditions in explaining China's short‐run demand for foreign reserves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposed a new optical compensation scheme for AMOLED display based on a sensor unit in pixel The sensor unit includes an a‐IGZO TFT, which is adopted as a switch due to its low off current, a‐Si:H PIN diode as optical sensor due to its high photoconductive gain, and a capacitor to store charges. Owing to the large off current difference under different brightness, the luminance of every pixel can be acquired by PIN sensor, and then data voltage is adjusted accordingly. The scheme is adopted in a 5 inch AMOLED display, and the results show this method can capture the pixel brightness accurately, and effectively compensate low gray level light uniformity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Peach is a typical perennial fruit crop that can be categorized both as an ornamental and edible crop. Double flower is an important appearance trait, in which breeders are pursuing in high‐quality ornamental peach breeding. The single/double flower character in peach is controlled by one gene, Dl, and the underlying genetic mechanism is unknown. Objective: In this study, we explored the genetic basis of single/double flower trait in peach in a genome‐wide association study using 1 042 687 SNPs characterized in 201 accessions. Methodology: Four loci were identified to be significantly associated with the trait on chromosomes (Chr.) 1, 2 and 6. Besides, the bulked segregant analysis (BSA) was performed with two DNA bulks (single and double flower pool) from the F1 population plants of a cross 'Juhuatao' × 'Honggengansutao'. Results: We found a genomic region on Chr. 2 by the BSA, which overlapped the association peak on Chr. 2 in the GWAS—denoted as a region harbouring Dl. Finally, a candidate gene was identified by expression analysis of different plant tissues. Conclusion: Our results provide insights into the genetic basis of flower shape and might facilitate marker‐assisted selection breeding for ornamental peach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N,N‐Bis(2‐hydroxyethyl)formamide, N‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)formamide (HF), N‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)‐N‐methylformamide, and N‐(2‐hydroxypropyl)formamide were used as poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) plasticizers to prepare PVA films by casting method. The four synthesized compounds were hydroxyalkylformamides (HAF). Fourier‐transform infrared spectra demonstrated that hydrogen bond interaction between the new plasticizers HAF and PVA occurred. The crystallinity of PVA and PVA film was characterized by X‐ray diffraction. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that HAF could decrease the melting point (Tm) of PVA. For PVA films with the same weight content plasticizer, the lower the molecular mass of plasticizer was, the lower the Tm of PVA was. The Tm of HF‐plasticized PVA was lower than that of traditional glycerol‐plasticized PVA. Generally, water‐vapor resistance of HAF‐plasticized PVA film was better than that of glycerol‐plasticized PVA film. The mechanical properties of PVA films stored at different relative humidity were studied. HAF were effective plasticizers for PVA. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:E145–E150, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Root-knot nematode disease, caused by Meloidogyne species, is an important soil-borne disease of peach ( Prunus persica L.) worldwide. To identify a major locus of genetic resistance to M. incognita, Pk Mi, in a wild peach species, we reconstructed a linkage group in a BC1 population of 187 lines using resistance gene analogue markers surrounding the Pk Mi locus. A resistance gene analogue marker, ppa021062m, co-segregated with the Pk Mi locus and was therefore considered a strong candidate for Pk Mi. Phylogenetic analysis of the deduced protein sequences of ppa021062m, together with the other seven genes for nematode resistance, allowed ppa021062m to be assigned to the Toll/Interleukin1 Receptor- Nucleotide Binding Site- Leucine Rich Repeat class, similar to Ma in myrobalan plum ( P. cerasifera). Comparative analysis of the candidate gene sequence in four genotypes that had different levels of resistance to root-knot nematode disease showed that most non-synonymous SNPs in the genic region were distributed in the TIR and NBS motifs. This study enhances our understanding of the genetic and molecular control of resistance to root-knot nematode disease in peach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

J. Neurochem. (2011) 119, 377-388. Abstract Amyloid precursor protein (APP) family members and their proteolytic products are implicated in normal nervous system function and Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. APP processing and Aβ secretion are regulated by neuronal activity. Various data suggest that NMDA receptor (NMDAR) activity plays a role in both non-amyloidogenic and amyloidogenic APP processing depending on whether synaptic or extrasynaptic NMDARs are activated, respectively. The APP-interacting FE65 proteins modulate APP trafficking and processing in cell lines, but little is known about their contribution to APP trafficking and processing in neurons, either in vivo or in vitro. In this study, we examined the contribution of the FE65 protein family to APP trafficking and processing in WT and FE65/FE65L1 double knockout neurons under basal conditions and following NMDAR activation. We report that FE65 proteins facilitate neuronal Aβ secretion without affecting APP fast axonal transport to pre-synaptic terminals. In addition, FE65 proteins facilitate an NMDAR-dependent non-amyloidogenic APP processing pathway. Generation of high-molecular weight (HMW) species bearing an APP C-terminal epitope was also observed following NMDAR activation. These HMW species require proteasomal and calpain activities for their accumulation. Recovery of APP polypeptide fragments from electroeluted HMW species having molecular weights consistent with calpain I cleavage of APP suggests that HMW species are complexes formed from APP metabolic products. Our results indicate that the FE65 proteins contribute to physiological APP processing and accumulation of APP metabolic products resulting from NMDAR activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐dimensional frequency converter provides an enticing promise for establishing frequency interfaces to connect various physical systems toward the next generation of high‐capacity optical communication. The constant pursuit of high fidelity accompanied by multi‐dimensional information coding is restricted by the inherent fundamental nature of the degrees of freedom. Here, a high‐dimensional frequency converter is theoretically proposed and experimentally demonstrated, which builds a high‐fidelity interface between near‐infrared and blue‐violet wavelength. The perfect Poincaré beam exploiting the mutual orthogonality and transverse structure‐invariance of perfect vortex beam, accesses high‐dimensional spaces from spatial amplitude, phase, and polarization, and realizes the fidelity above 99% for arbitrary Poincaré states. Additionally, the trans‐spectral multiplexing utilizing the radial degree of freedom endows a superior capability in further increasing the system capacity. This proof‐of‐principle demonstration represents a key step toward the lossless transmission between different frequency domains, and has great prospects for constructing high‐capacity optical communication networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]