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In order to improve the corrosion resistance and conductivity of 316L stainless steel bipolar plate, the magnetron sputtering was employed to deposit the graphite coatings with different thickness on the surface of 316L stainless steel trough controlling the sputtering time of graphite target. The optimal thickness of graphite coatings was determined by the comparison of the property of graphite coatings with different thickness. In addition, the surface micro morphology of the bipolar plate after corrosion was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Under the simulation of work environment of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) bipolar plate, the corrosion resistance of five kinds of coatings was tested by electrochemical test method. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to analyze the C-bonding characteristics of four kinds of graphite coatings. Moreover, the interfacial contact resistance (ICR) of several kinds of coatings was compared, and the surface contact angle of the coatings was measured to evaluate the hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of the coatings. Results showed that all the coatings could improve the corrosion resistance and conductivity of 316L stainless steel. Among them, C-3 graphite coating was the best, the corrosion current density under constant potential polarization was stable at 2.26 × 10-7A/cm2, and the interface contact resistance (ICR) was 5.6 mΩ·cm2. Besides, C-3 and C-4 had a high proportion of sp2 hybrid atoms, and the optimal thickness of graphite coating was about 400 nm.

Cold stress has severe negative consequences for plant growth and crop yield. Here, we report that an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant that lacks the HPE1 gene, which encodes an RNA‐binding protein, maintains higher photosynthetic activity under cold stress, together with higher accumulation of thylakoid proteins. We showed that HPE1 interacts with MORF2 and MORF9 and thereby mediates RNA editing in chloroplasts. Loss of HPE1 function increased the editing efficiency at four RNA editing sites, rpoC‐488, ndhB‐149, ndhB‐746 and matK‐706, under cold stress and altered the expression of nuclear photosynthesis‐related genes and cold‐responsive genes. We propose that HPE1‐mediated RNA editing acts as a trigger for retrograde signaling that affects photosynthesis under cold stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perilla (Perilla frutescens), a traditional medicinal and oilseed crop in Asia, contains extremely high levels of polyunsaturated α-linolenic acid (ALA) (up to 60.9%) in its seeds. ALA biosynthesis is a multistep process catalyzed by fatty acid desaturases (FADs), but the FAD gene family in perilla has not been systematically characterized. Here, we identified 42 PfFADs in the perilla genome and classified them into five subfamilies. Subfamily members of PfFADs had similar exon/intron structures, conserved domain sequences, subcellular localizations, and cis-regulatory elements in their promoter regions. PfFADs also possessed various expression patterns. PfFAD3.1 was highly expressed in the middle stage of seed development, whereas PfFAD7/8.3 and PfFAD7/8.5 were highly expressed in leaf and later stages of seed development, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the evolutionary features coincided with the functionalization of different subfamilies of PUFA desaturase. Heterologous overexpression of PfFAD3.1 in Arabidopsis thaliana seeds increased ALA content by 17.68%–37.03%. These findings provided insights into the characteristics and functions of PfFAD genes in perilla.

The core problem that influences educational quality of talents in colleges and universities is the faculty management. Without advanced faculty, it is difficult to cultivate excellent talents. With regard to some problems in present faculty construction of colleges and universities, this paper puts forward the new objectives, ways and methods of faculty construction based on ergonomics.

SUMMARY: Plant diseases, which seriously damage crop production, are in most cases caused by fungal pathogens. In this study, we found that the Raf‐like MAPKKKs STY8 (SERINE/THREONINE/TYROSINE KINASE 8), STY17, and STY46 negatively regulate resistance to the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea through jasmonate response in Arabidopsis. Moreover, STY8/STY17/STY46 homologs negatively contribute to chitin signaling. We further identified MKK7 as the MAPKK component interacting with STY8/STY17/STY46 homologs. MKK7 positively contributes to resistance to B. cinerea and chitin signaling. Furthermore, we found that STY8/STY17/STY46 homologs negatively affect the accumulation of MKK7, in accordance with the opposite roles of MKK7 and STY8/STY17/STY46 homologs in defense against B. cinerea. These results provide new insights into the mechanisms precisely regulating plant immunity via Raf‐like MAPKKKs. Significance Statement: We found that STY8/STY17/STY46 homologs negatively regulate plant resistance through modulating the MKK7 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]