CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology: a precise and efficient tool for crop quality improvement.

This review provides a direction for crop quality improvement and ideas for further research on the application of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology for crop improvement. Various important crops, such as wheat, rice, soybean and tomato, are among the main sources of food and energy for humans. Breeders have long attempted to improve crop yield and quality through traditional breeding methods such as crossbreeding.

Identification and antioxidant capacity of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD), a new favored herbicide target, in Apis cerana cerana.

4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD), a nonheme oxygenase, catalyzes the second step of the tyrosine catabolic pathway, which is shared by almost all aerobic life forms. This demonstrates its importance in aerobic biology. We isolated an HPPD homolog from Apis cerana cerana and named it AccHPPD.

AccPDIA6 from Apis cerana cerana plays important roles in antioxidation.

PDIA6 is a member of the protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) family, shows disulfide isomerase activity and oxidoreductase activity, and can act as a molecular chaperone. Its biological functions include modulating apoptosis, regulating the proliferation and invasion of cancer cells, supporting thrombosis and modulating insulin secretion. However, the roles of PDIA6 in Apis cerana cerana are poorly understood.

Identification of an MGST2 gene and analysis of its function in antioxidant processes in Apis cerana cerana.

MGST2 is a member of the MAPEG superfamily, which participates in LTC4 synthesis and plays important roles in the regulation of the oxidative stress pathway and some diseases. Here, we isolated a previously uncharacterized gene in Apis cerana cerana named AccMGST2 by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The biological characteristics of AccMGST2 were analyzed by bioinformatics.

Metabolite Support of Long-Term Storage of Sperm in the Spermatheca of Honeybee () Queens.

The polyandrous mating system of honeybees ( L.) has garnered widespread attention. Long-lived honeybee queens only mate early in maturation, and the sperm obtained from the aerial mating is stored in the spermatheca.

Photosynthetic capacity of male and female Hippophae rhamnoides plants along an elevation gradient in eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China.

Elevational variations in the growing environment and sex differences in individuals drive the diversification of photosynthetic capacity of plants. However, photosynthetic response of dioecious plants to elevation gradients and the mechanisms that cause these responses are poorly understood. We measured foliar gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence and nitrogen allocations of male and female Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.

Role of Apis cerana cerana N-terminal asparagine amidohydrolase (AccNtan1) in oxidative stress.

N-Terminal asparagine amidohydrolase is a component of the ubiquitin-dependent N-end rule pathway of protein degradation that has been implicated in a variety of physiological functions, including the sensing of heme, oxygen, nitric oxide, selective elimination of misfolded proteins and the repair of DNA. We identified the Apis cerana cerana N-terminal asparagine amidohydrolase (AccNtan1) gene from A. cerana cerana and investigated its role in oxidation resistance.

p38 MAPK is Crucial for Wnt1- and LiCl-Induced Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by myofibroblast foci in lung parenchyma. Myofibroblasts are thought to originate from epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Wnt1 and lithium chloride (LiCl) induce EMT in alveolar epithelial cells (AECs), but the mechanisms are unclear.

Multifunctional Thermal Barrier Application Composite with SiC Nanowires Enhanced Structural Health Monitoring Sensitivity and Interface Performance.

Carbon fiber (CF)-reinforced ceramic composites show the attractive potential for next generation thermal protection materials because of their outstanding reliability and excellent high-temperature resistance but are facing great challenges in the combination of the engineering practicality and versatility. Herein, it is demonstrated that silicon carbide nanowires can be grown on the surface of CF to create a multifunctional thermal barrier application composite. The embedding of the silicon carbide nanowires in the interface of CF and ceramic matrix significantly increased the structural health monitoring sensitivity and interface strength of the composites.

The initial analysis of a serine proteinase gene (AccSp10) from Apis cerana cerana: possible involvement in pupal development, innate immunity and abiotic stress responses.

Serine proteinases play important roles in innate immunity and insect development. We isolated a serine proteinase gene, designated AccSp10, from the Chinese honeybees (Apis cerana cerana). RT-qPCR and a Western blot analysis at different pupal development stages indicated that AccSp10 might be involved in melanin formation in pupae and promote pupal development.

Characterization of the CDK5 gene in Apis cerana cerana (AccCDK5) and a preliminary identification of its activator gene, AccCDK5r1.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) is an unusual CDK whose function has been implicated in protecting the central nervous system (CNS) from oxidative damage. However, there have been few studies of CDK5 in insects. In this study, we identified the AccCDK5 gene from Apis cerana cerana and investigated its role in oxidation resistance.

Carbon Nanofiber Arrays Grown on Three-Dimensional Carbon Fiber Architecture Substrate and Enhanced Interface Performance of Carbon Fiber and Zirconium Carbide Coating.

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were grown around the carbon fiber architecture through a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition method to enhance the interface performance between CF architecture substrate and ZrC preceramic matrix. The synthesized 3D CF hierarchical architectures (CNFs-CF) are coated with zirconium carbide (ZrC) ceramic to enhance their antioxidant property and high temperature resistance. The composition and the crystalline phase structure of the composite were detected with the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction.

Enhanced mechanical, thermal, and electric properties of graphene aerogels via supercritical ethanol drying and high-temperature thermal reduction.

Graphene aerogels with high surface areas, ultra-low densities and thermal conductivities have been prepared to exploit their wide applications from pollution adsorption to energy storage, supercapacitor, and thermal insulation. However, the low mechanical properties, poor thermal stability and electric conductivity restrict these aerogels' applications. In this paper, we prepared mechanically strong graphene aerogels with large BET surface areas, low thermal conductivities, high thermal stability and electric conductivities via hydrothermal reduction and supercritical ethanol drying.

In Situ Growth of Core-Sheath Heterostructural SiC Nanowire Arrays on Carbon Fibers and Enhanced Electromagnetic Wave Absorption Performance.

Large-scale core-sheath heterostructural SiC nanowires were facilely grown on the surface of carbon fibers using a one-step chemical vapor infiltration process. The as-synthesized SiC nanowires consist of single crystalline SiC cores with a diameter of ∼30 nm and polycrystalline SiC sheaths with an average thickness of ∼60 nm. The formation mechanisms of core-sheath heterostructural SiC nanowires (SiC) were discussed in detail.

Ordered Silica Nanoparticles Grown on a Three-Dimensional Carbon Fiber Architecture Substrate with Siliconborocarbonitride Ceramic as a Thermal Barrier Coating.

Hierarchical structure consisting of ordered silica nanoparticles grown onto carbon fiber (CF) has been fabricated to improve the interfacial properties between the CFs and polymer matrix. To improve the reactivity of CFs, their surface was modified using poly(1,4-phenylene diisocyanate) (PPDI) via in situ polymerization, which also resulted in the distribution of numerous isocyanate groups on the surface of CFs. Silica nanoparticles were modified on the interface of CF-PPDI by chemical grafting method.

Efficacy of procaterol combined with inhaled budesonide for treatment of cough-variant asthma.

Background And Objective: Procaterol, a selective, short-acting beta-2 adrenoceptor agonist, is effective in treating 'classical' asthma, but its efficacy for cough-variant asthma (CVA) is unknown. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of procaterol combined with budesonide for CVA.

Methods: A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial in China was conducted.

Evaluation of ecosystem services of Chinese pine forests in China.

Evaluation of forest ecosystem services is a hot topic, both in China and at abroad, but it has not yet obtained a consistency of evaluation indicator systems and evaluation methods. Under the framework of evaluation criteria to be implemented for forest ecosystem services, years of consecutive observation data from Long Term Ecological Research Stations affiliated to Chinese Forest Ecosystem Research Network (CFERN), forest resource inventory and public data were applied to carry out a detailed and dynamic evaluation on the physical quantity and value of ecosystem services of Chinese pine forests in China. The results showed that the above services had the total value and unit value of 1144.

[Phytogenic isoprene and its ecological significance].

Isoprene is the main component of numerous volatile hydrocarbons emitted by vegetation. Its biosynthesis and emission from vegetation plays an important role in global carbon balance, greenhouse effect, and atmospheric pollution. In this paper, the main factors determining isoprene emission rate, isoprene emission amount and its calculation methods, as well as its potential ecological functions were reviewed.