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Abstract [Objective] The Northern Hengduan Mountains are rich in biodiversity. Over the last 10 years, there have been many reports of the biodiversity of the region. The team conducted a survey of plant diversity and vegetation structure in Northern Hengduan Mountains from June to August 2023. [Methods] Through field investigation and collection and photograph of plants, as well as preparing, classifying, and identifying specimens. [Results] Eight newly recorded species were reported from Chaya of Changdu in the Northern Hengduan Mountains in Xizang. They were Ephedra minuta Florin (Ephedraceae), Caragana korshinskii Kom. (Fabaceae), Rhododendron luhuoense H. P. Yang (Ericaceae), R. orthocladum var. longistylum Philipson et M. N. Philipson (Ericaceae), R. thymifolium Maxim. (Ericaceae), R. nivale Hook. f. subsp. australe Philipson et M. N. Philipson (Ericaceae), Artemisia capillaris Thunb. (Asteraceae), and Chenopodiastrum gracilispicum (H.W.Kung) Uotila (Amaranthaceae) [Conclusion] The discovery of the newly distributed plants is an important supplement for the flora of the Hengduan Mountains in Xizang. The voucher specimens are stored in the herbarium of Yibin University

Photocatalytic hydrogen generation over semiconductor photocatalysts has attracted considerable attention over the past few decades. This experiment is designed for sophomore- and higher-level undergraduates who are in the majors of materials chemistry, analytical chemistry, catalysis, or chemical engineering. In this experiment, CdS nanoparticles and nanosheets were first fabricated with a one-step direct-precipitation reaction and a two-step precipitation--ion-exchange reaction, respectively, and then used as photocatalysts for visible-light hydrogen evolution from water, in the presence of noble-metal Pt nanoparticles as in situ cocatalysts and sodium sulfide and sulfite (Na[subscript 2]S/Na[subscript 2]SO[subscript 3]) as sacrificial reagents. A gas chromatograph with a thermal-conductivity detector (GC-TCD) was used to quantitatively monitor the produced hydrogen gas. This interdisciplinary experiment is expected to give students an introduction to nanomaterial synthesis, the general process of photocatalytic hydrogen generation, and the principles and use of instruments. Upon the completion of the experiment, students understand how chemistry can be utilized for renewable-energy applications.

Author(s): Yongqiang Liu [sup.1] [sup.2] , Hongru Wang [sup.1] , Zhimin Jiang [sup.1] , Wei Wang [sup.1] , Ruineng Xu [sup.3] [sup.4] , Qihui Wang [sup.5] , Zhihua Zhang [sup.1] [...], The intensive application of inorganic nitrogen underlies marked increases in crop production, but imposes detrimental effects on ecosystems.sup.1,2: it is therefore crucial for future sustainable agriculture to improve the nitrogen-use efficiency of crop plants. Here we report the genetic basis of nitrogen-use efficiency associated with adaptation to local soils in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Using a panel of diverse rice germplasm collected from different ecogeographical regions, we performed a genome-wide association study on the tillering response to nitrogen--the trait that is most closely correlated with nitrogen-use efficiency in rice--and identified OsTCP19 as a modulator of this tillering response through its transcriptional response to nitrogen and its targeting to the tiller-promoting gene DWARF AND LOW-TILLERING (DLT).sup.3,4. A 29-bp insertion and/or deletion in the OsTCP19 promoter confers a differential transcriptional response and variation in the tillering response to nitrogen among rice varieties. The allele of OsTCP19 associated with a high tillering response to nitrogen is prevalent in wild rice populations, but has largely been lost in modern cultivars: this loss correlates with increased local soil nitrogen content, which suggests that it might have contributed to geographical adaptation in rice. Introgression of the allele associated with a high tillering response into modern rice cultivars boosts grain yield and nitrogen-use efficiency under low or moderate levels of nitrogen, which demonstrates substantial potential for rice breeding and the amelioration of negative environment effects by reducing the application of nitrogen to crops. OsTCP19 is a modulator of the tillering response to nitrogen in rice, and introgression of an allele of OsTCP19 associated with a high tillering response into modern rice cultivars markedly improves their nitrogen-use efficiency.

RNA capping is an essential trigger for protein translation in eukaryotic cells. Many viruses have evolved various strategies for initiating the translation of viral genes and generating progeny virions in infected cells via synthesizing cap structure or stealing the RNA cap from nascent host messenger ribonucleotide acid (mRNA). In addition to protein translation, a new understanding of the role of the RNA cap in antiviral innate immunity has advanced the field of mRNA synthesis in vitro and therapeutic applications. Recent studies on these viral RNA capping systems have revealed startlingly diverse ways and molecular machinery. A comprehensive understanding of how viruses accomplish the RNA capping in infected cells is pivotal for designing effective broad‐spectrum antiviral therapies. Here we systematically review the contemporary insights into the RNA‐capping mechanisms employed by viruses causing human and animal infectious diseases, while also highlighting its impact on host antiviral innate immune response. The therapeutic applications of targeting RNA capping against viral infections and the development of RNA‐capping inhibitors are also summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]