Sphingomyelin-enriched milk phospholipids offer superior benefits in improving the physicochemical properties, microstructure, and surface characteristics of infant formula.

Phospholipids from different sources have varying chemical compositions, but how they contribute to different properties of infant formula is unclear. In this study, four types of phospholipids, milk phospholipids (MPLs), soybean phospholipids (SBPLs), sunflower phospholipids (SFPLs), and egg yolk phospholipids (EYPLs), were added to infant formula to investigate their physicochemical properties, microstructure, and surface characteristics. MPLs uniquely offer high sphingomyelin and saturated fatty acid levels.

Transcription factor NtNAC56 regulates jasmonic acid-induced leaf senescence in tobacco.

Leaf senescence is a vital aspect of plant physiology and stress responses and is induced by endogenous factors and environmental cues. The plant-specific NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, CUC2) transcription factor family influences growth, development, and stress responses in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and other species. However, the roles of NACs in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaf senescence are still unclear.

LESION MIMIC MUTANT 1 confers basal resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in rapeseed via a salicylic acid-dependent pathway.

Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is a major edible oilseed crop consumed worldwide. However, its yield is seriously affected by infection from the broad-spectrum non-obligate pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum due to a lack of highly resistant germplasm. Here, we identified a Sclerotinia-resistant and light-dependent lesion mimic mutant from an ethyl methanesulfonate-mutagenized population of the rapeseed inbred Zhongshuang 11 (ZS11) named lesion mimic mutant 1 (lmm1).

Coplanar Conformational Structure of π-Conjugated Polymers for Optoelectronic Applications.

Hierarchical structure of conjugated polymers is critical to dominating their optoelectronic properties and applications. Compared to nonplanar conformational segments, coplanar conformational segments of conjugated polymers (CPs) demonstrate favorable properties for applications as a semiconductor. Herein, recent developments in the coplanar conformational structure of CPs for optoelectronic devices are summarized.

Maternal High-Fat Diet Multigenerationally Programs HPA Function and Behaviors in Male Rat Offspring.

Maternal environmental factors have been demonstrated to exert significant influences on the health of offspring. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is an important neuroendocrine stress system that can be influenced by early life challenges. Our previous research has revealed that the consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) by pregnant and lactating rats leads to the programming of HPA axis activity in male offspring of the first generation (referred to as F1HFD/C).

Comparative transcriptome and co-expression network analysis revealed the genes associated with senescence and polygalacturonase activity involved in pod shattering of rapeseed.

Background: The pod shattering (PS) trait negatively affects the crop yield in rapeseed especially under dry conditions. To better understand the trait and cultivate higher resistance varieties, it's necessary to identify key genes and unravel the PS mechanism thoroughly.

Results: In this study, we conducted a comparative transcriptome analysis between two materials significantly different in silique shatter resistance lignin deposition and polygalacturonase (PG) activity.

qPrimerDB: A Powerful and User-Friendly Database for qPCR Primer Design.

Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is a powerful tool for analyzing and quantifying gene expression, and its primer design is the first and most important step. In order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of primer design, we designed a database qPrimerDB, based on thermodynamics gene-specific for multispecies qPCR primers design.In this chapter, we explained the working principle of the database and detailed the step-by-step practical steps with examples.

Stereoisomer-Independent Stable Blue Emission in Axial Chiral Difluorenol.

Bulky conjugated molecules with high stability are the prerequisite for the overall improvement of performance in wide-bandgap semiconductors. Herein, a chiral difluorenol, 2,2'-(9,9'-spirobi[fluorene]-2,2'-diyl)bis(9-(4-(octyloxy)phenyl)-9H-fluoren-9-ol) (DOHSBF), is set as a desirable model to reveal the stereoisomeric effects of wide-bandgap molecules toward controlling photophysical behavior and improving thermal and optical stability. Three diastereomers are obtained and elucidated by NMR spectra.

A Bio-Inspired Molecular Design Strategy toward 2D Organic Semiconductor Crystals with Superior Integrated Optoelectronic Properties.

Inspired by the 2D bilayer lipid membranes in nature, a unique supramolecular "push-pull" synergetic strategy toward self-assembled 2D organic crystals (2DOCs) is proposed in this work, which can effectively suppress the interlayer 3D stacking while maintaining the assembly of the intralayer for 2D growth. For this purpose, a model molecule PF-Py consisting of a planar supramolecular "attractor" and a nonplanar steric "repellor" is designed for the solution self-assembly process. Well-defined 2DOCs including crystal nanosheets and millimeter-sized crystal films with layered amphiphile-like packing are obtained, which is analogical to the cell membranes of living organisms.

Genome-wide association study and transcriptome comparison reveal novel QTL and candidate genes that control petal size in rapeseed.

Petal size determines the value of ornamental plants, and thus their economic value. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling petal size remain unclear in most non-model species. To identify quantitative trait loci and candidate genes controlling petal size in rapeseed (Brassica napus), we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using data from 588 accessions over three consecutive years.

Comparative transcriptome and metabolomic profiling reveal the complex mechanisms underlying the developmental dynamics of tobacco leaves.

Although the leaf is the most important photosynthetic organ in most plants, many of the molecular mechanisms underlying leaf developmental dynamics remain to be explored. To better understand the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms involved in leaf development, we conducted comparative transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis of leaves from seven positions on tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants. A total of 35,622 unique differentially expressed genes and 79 metabolites were identified.

Enhanced emission in organic nanocrystals via asymmetrical design of spirocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Two spirocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon derivatives were prepared to clarify the molecular geometry effects on the regulation of the crystalline morphologies and photophysical behaviors of organic nanocrystals. Due to the different structural symmetry of a spiro-center, distinguishing nanocrystal morphologies with unique crystallization-enhanced/quenched emission was achieved.

Hierarchical Uniform Supramolecular Conjugated Spherulites with Suppression of Defect Emission.

Easily processed, well-defined, and hierarchical uniform artificial architectures with intrinsic strong crystalline emission properties are necessary for a range of light-emitting optoelectronic devices. Herein, we designed and prepared ordered supramolecular spherulites, comprising planar conformational molecules as primary structures and multiple hydrogen bonds as physical cross-links. Compared with serious aggregation-induced fluorescence quenching (up to 70%), these highly ordered architectures exhibited unique and robust crystalline emission with a high PLQY of 55%, which was much higher than those of other terfluorenes.

Supramolecular steric hindrance effect on morphologies and photophysical behaviors of spirocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon nanocrystals.

Three pyrene-based spirocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Py-SAHs) were prepared to clarify the roles of molecular segments in regulating the morphologies and photophysical properties of organic microcrystals. Due to the different supramolecular steric hindrance (SSH) effect between bulky groups and pyrene rings, distinct nanocrystal morphologies with unique photoluminescence properties were realized.

Photophysical Identification of Three Kinds of Low-Energy Green Band Defects in Wide-Bandgap Polyfluorenes.

Blue-light-emitting semiconductors based on polyfluorenes often exhibit an undesired green emission band. In this report, three well-defined oligofluorenes corresponding to three types of "defects" attributed to aggregation, keto formation, and chain entanglement, respectively, are systemically investigated to unveil the origins of the green emission band in fluorene-based materials. First, the optical properties of defect molecules in different states are studied.

An eco-friendly water-assisted polyol method to enhance the aspect ratio of silver nanowires.

With water as an eco-friendly heterogeneous nucleation accelerator, silver nanowires (Ag NWs) have been successfully prepared with a high aspect ratio (>1600). The Ag NW-based film exhibits a low sheet resistance of 8.1 Ω sq with a transparency of 81.

Ultrastable Supramolecular Self-Encapsulated Wide-Bandgap Conjugated Polymers for Large-Area and Flexible Electroluminescent Devices.

Controlling chain behavior through smart molecular design provides the potential to develop ultrastable and efficient deep-blue light-emitting conjugated polymers (LCPs). Herein, a novel supramolecular self-encapsulation strategy is proposed to construct a robust ultrastable conjugated polydiarylfluorene (PHDPF-Cz) via precisely preventing excitons from interchain cross-transfer/coupling and contamination from external trace H O/O . PHDPF-Cz consists of a mainchain backbone where the diphenyl groups localize at the 9-position as steric bulk moieties, and carbazole (Cz) units localize at the 4-position as supramolecular π-stacked synthon with the dual functionalities of self-assembly capability and hole-transport facility.

Photophysical and Fluorescence Anisotropic Behavior of Polyfluorene β-Conformation Films.

We demonstrate a systematic visualization of the unique photophysical and fluorescence anisotropic properties of polyfluorene coplanar conformation (β-conformation) using time-resolved scanning confocal fluorescence imaging (FLIM) and fluorescence anisotropy imaging microscopy (FAIM) measurements. We observe inhomogeneous morphologies and fluorescence decay profiles at various micrometer-sized regions within all types of polyfluorene β-conformational spin-coated films. Poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-2,7-diyl) (PFO) and poly[4-(octyloxy)-9,9-diphenylfluoren-2,7-diyl]-co-[5-(octyloxy)-9,9-diphenylfluoren-2,7-diyl] (PODPF) β-domains both have shorter lifetime than those of the glassy conformation for the longer effective conjugated length and rigid chain structures.

Genome-Wide Identification, Evolutionary and Expression Analyses of the GALACTINOL SYNTHASE Gene Family in Rapeseed and Tobacco.

Galactinol synthase (GolS) is a key enzyme in raffinose family oligosaccharide (RFO) biosynthesis. The finding that GolS accumulates in plants exposed to abiotic stresses indicates RFOs function in environmental adaptation. However, the evolutionary relationships and biological functions of GolS family in rapeseed () and tobacco () remain unclear.

Steric-Hindrance-Functionalized Polydiarylfluorenes: Conformational Behavior, Stabilized Blue Electroluminescence, and Efficient Amplified Spontaneous Emission.

Control of the hierarchical molecular organization of polydiarylfluorenes by synthetic strategies is significant for optimizing photophysical properties as well as the performance of light-emitting devices. Herein, for the suppression of molecular aggregation and enhancement of luminescence efficiency, a series of steric units were introduced into polydiarylfluorenes by copolymerization, with the aim of integrating the advantages of the steric-hindrance effect and of the β-phase. Optical and Raman spectroscopies revealed a β-phase conformation for a polymer copolymerized with spiro[fluorene-9,9'-xanthene] (SFX), with photoluminescence (PL) peaks at 454, 482, and 517 nm.

qPrimerDB: a thermodynamics-based gene-specific qPCR primer database for 147 organisms.

Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is one of the most important methods for analyzing the expression patterns of target genes. However, successful qPCR experiments rely heavily on the use of high-quality primers. Various qPCR primer databases have been developed to address this issue, but these databases target only a few important organisms.

Heteroatomic Conjugated Polymers and the Spectral Tuning of Electroluminescence via a Supramolecular Coordination Strategy.

The unique electronic structures of heteroatomic conjugated polymers (HCPs) offer an attractive platform to tune optoelectronic properties via a supramolecular coordination strategy. This study reports on an sp nitrogen heteroatom containing fluorene-based copolymer namely poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-co-9,9-dioctyldiazafluoren-2,7-yl) (PF8-co-DAF8), with ≈20% DAF8 units. Tuning the optoelectronic properties of PF8-co-DAF8 via supramolecular coordination with a Lewis acid (B(C F ) or AlCl ) is explored.

Supramolecular Polymer-Molecule Complexes as Gain Media for Ultraviolet Lasers.

A novel supramolecular system comprising a complex of 9,9'-diphenyl-9,9'-2,2'-bifluorene-9,9'-diol (DPFOH) with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is presented as an attractive system for optical gain in the ultraviolet. The analogue compound 9,9'-diphenyl-9,9'-2,2'-bifluorene (DPFO8) without an -OH substituent was synthesized alongside DPFOH to confirm the importance of its chemical structure to the thin-film microstructure. A hydrogen-bonding interaction allows the molecule such as DPFOH and a combination of DPFOH and PMMA to have an excellent solution-processed high quality coating film.

A Highly Crystalline and Wide-Bandgap Polydiarylfluorene with β-Phase Conformation toward Stable Electroluminescence and Dual Amplified Spontaneous Emission.

Bulky conjugated polymers with high crystallinity is the prerequisite for the overall improvement of performance in wide-bandgap semiconductors, including charge transport, photoluminescence quantum yield, processing reliability, and stability. Herein, we report a stable β-phase film of bulky polydiarylfluorene (PODPF) preparing by thermal annealing at ∼220 °C. The β-phase conformation and regular molecular packing are confirmed by UV-vis, photoluminescence (PL), Raman spectra, and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD), respectively.