[Effects of N, P, and K application rates on distribution of C assimilates, starch accumulation in grains and fertilizer utilization of wheat].

Clarifying the appropriate application rates of N, P, and K fertilizers and the physiological mechanisms of wheat under water-saving recharge irrigation in the North China Plain would provide a theoretical basis for formulating reasonable fertilization plans for high-yield and high-efficiency wheat production. We established four treatments with different amounts of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (PO), and potassium (KO) application: 0, 0, and 0 kg·hm (F), 180, 75, and 60 kg·hm (F), 225, 120, and 105 kg·hm (F), and 270, 165, and 150 kg·hm (F). During the jointing and anthesis stages of wheat, the relative water content of each treatment in the 0-40 cm soil layer was replenished to 70%, to investigate the differences in wheat flag leaf photosynthetic characteristics, distribution of C assimilates, grain starch accumulation, and fertilizer utilization.

MCT1-mediated transport of valeric acid promotes porcine preimplantation embryo development by improving mitochondrial function and inhibiting the autophagic AMPK-ULK1 pathway.

Oocytes and embryos are highly sensitive to environmental stress in vivo and in vitro. During in vitro culture, many stressful conditions can affect embryo quality and viability, leading to adverse clinical outcomes such as abortion and congenital abnormalities. In this study, we found that valeric acid (VA) increased the mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP content, decreased the level of reactive oxygen species that the mitochondria generate, and thus improved mitochondrial function during early embryonic development in pigs.

ConPep: Prediction of peptide contact maps with pre-trained biological language model and multi-view feature extracting strategy.

The accurate prediction of peptide contact maps remains a challenging task due to the difficulty in obtaining the interactive information between residues on short sequences. To address this challenge, we propose ConPep, a deep learning framework designed for predicting the contact map of peptides based on sequences only. To sufficiently incorporate the sequential semantic information between residues in peptide sequences, we use a pre-trained biological language model and transfer prior knowledge from large scale databases.

Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Phosphoric Acid Activated Geopolymer Materials Reinforced with Mullite Fibers.

This article investigates several important properties, such as thermal resistance, mechanical properties, and phase evolution, of geopolymer ceramics reinforced with mullite fibers. This particular fiber reinforcing geopolymer composites was prepared from kaolinite and mullite fibers with phosphoric acid as activator. X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy were used to determine the phase evolution and strengthening mechanisms.

Pseudo attP sites in favor of transgene integration and expression in cultured porcine cells identified by Streptomyces phage phiC31 integrase.

Phage PhiC31 integrase integrates attB-containing plasmid into pseudo attP site in eukaryotic genomes in a unidirectional site-specific manner and maintains robust transgene expression. Few studies, however, explore its potential in livestock. This study aims to discover the molecular basis of PhiC31 integrase-mediated site-specific recombination in pig cells.

An asymmetric PCR-based, reliable and rapid single-tube native DNA engineering strategy.

Background: Widely used restriction-dependent cloning methods are labour-intensive and time-consuming, while several types of ligase-independent cloning approaches have inherent limitations. A rapid and reliable method of cloning native DNA sequences into desired plasmids are highly desired.

Results: This paper introduces ABI-REC, a novel strategy combining asymmetric bridge PCR with intramolecular homologous recombination in bacteria for native DNA cloning.

Cloning and analysis of IFRG (interferon responsive gene) in rabbit oocytes and preimplantation embryos.

Although there is more evidence that shows that IFNs (interferons) plays a very important role in the early development of the embryo, the mechanism of IFNs is still unclear. Our study showed that IFRG is expressed from oocytes- through to the preimplantation embryo in rabbits. This finding provides some clues for better understanding the role of IFNs in the development of the embryo.

[Coexpression of human complement regulatory protein genes, CD59 and MCP in transgenic mice protects isolated mouse heart function in ex vivo human plasma perfusion model].

Objective: To investigate if the expression of human complement regulatory protein genes in transgenic donor protects against hyperacute rejection (HAR) in the recipient.

Methods: Kunming mice were transfected with 2 human complement regulatory protein genes, CD59 and MCP, so as to establish a transgenic hCD59/hMCP mouse model. Eight hCD59 expression mice, 11 hMCP expression mice, and 8 hCD59/hMCP expression mice were used as experimental groups, and 10 transgenic negative littermates were used as control group.

[Establishment of a new method for early embryo culture in vitro].

A new method, nest culture method, was developed in this study. The culture effects of different methods for embryo culture in vitro were compared. The results showed that whether the suspension in phi35mm dish in nest culture method was covered with mineral oil or not, the developmental rates of embryos had no significant difference.