The antioxidant protein ZmPrx5 contributes resistance to maize stalk rot

Maize(Zea mays L.)stalk rot is a devastating disease worldwide,causing severe yield losses.Although previous studies have focused on the genetic dissection of maize resistance to stalk rot,the mechanisms of resistance remain largely unknown.We used a comparative proteomics approach to identify candidate proteins associated with stalk rot resistance.Statistical analyses revealed 763 proteins differentially accumulated between Fusarium graminearum and mock-inoculated plants.Among them,the antioxidant protein ZmPrx5,which was up-accumulated in diseased plants,was selected for further study.ZmPrx5 transcripts were present in root,stalk,leaf,ear,and reproductive tissues.The expression of ZmPrx5 in three inbred lines increased significantly upon F.graminearum infection.ZmPrx5 was localized in the cytoplasm.Compared to control plants,maize plants overexpressing ZmPrx5 showed increased resistance to F.graminearum infection,and ZmPrx5 mutant plants were more susceptible than wild-type plants.Defense-associated pathways including plant–pathogen interactions,phenylalanine metabolism,and benzoxazinoid and flavonoid biosynthesis were suppressed in ZmPrx5 homozygous mutant plants compared with wild-type plants.We suggest that ZmPrx5 positively regulates resistance against stalk rot in maize,likely through defense-oriented transcriptome reprogramming.These results lay a foundation for further research on the roles of Prx5 subfamily proteins in resistance to plant fungal diseases,and provide a potential genetic resource for breeding disease-resistance maize lines.

Global plate motion and earthquake activity

The global plate motion rates Ω are not uniform in time and space. The rotation rates were larger than 0. 545°/Ma for Cocos, Philippine Sea, Pacific, Nazca, Australia, India and Arabia plates, but smaller than 0. 315°/Ma. for other plates. Compared to 1997. 0, the Ω values of the three oceanic plates in 2000. 0 increased by,respectively,2.4% ,2. 1% and 41.7%, and the northward movement rates of the the India plate and western part of the Australia plate increased by 3.38 mm/a on the average. The spatial distribution of earthquakes was dependent on earthquake magnitude. Earthquakes of 5.0 ≤ Mw 〈 7.0 were located mainly in plate-margin zones and intra-plate crustal deformation zones joining the southern margin of Eurasia plate. Earthquakes of Mw≥7.0 concentrated basically in the circum-Pacific and South Asia zones, but hardly in midocean-ridge seismic zones. Earthquakes of Mw ≥ 8.0 were located only in the margin zones of the India, Aus- tralia,Pacific and Nazca plates orthogonal to the direction of plate motion. Compared with previous eighteen years, global earthquake activity enhanced obviously after 1994, especially after 2001. The Ω value of a plate was closely related to the activity of strong earthquakes. The largest earthquakes were located in the front-margin zones of plates having the largest Ω values. Energy released by strong earthquakes comes mainly from kinetic energy of the plates. Global seismicity enhancement was caused mainly by the acceleration of the three oceanic plates. Larger enhancement of global earthquake activity lagged behind the movement acceleration of the three oceanic plates by four years.

Analysis of a simplification strategy in a nonhydrostatic model for surface and internal wave problems

This paper examines the simplification strategy of retaining only the nonhydrostatic effect of local acceleration in a three-dimensional fully nonhydrostatic model regarding the submesoscale wave phenomenon in the ocean.Elaborate scale analysis of the vertical component of the Reynold-averaged Navier-Stokes(RANS)equation was performed,confirming the rationalization of this simplification.Then,the simplification was implemented in a RANS equation-based nonhydrostatic model NHWAVE(nonhydrostatic WAVE)to make a simplified nonhydrostatic model.Numerical examples were taken to test its performance,including surface sinusoidal waves propagating on an idealized East China Sea topography,tidally induced internal lee waves and small-scale solitary waves.The results show that in a considerably wide range of nonlinear strengths,the simplified nonhydrostatic model can obtain similar results as those in the fully nonhydrostatic model,even for smaller-scale solitary waves.Nonlinearity influences the applicability of the simplification.The stronger the nonlinearity is,the worse the simplified model describes the nonhydrostatic phenomenon.In general,the simplified nonhydrostatic model can simulate surface waves better than internal waves.Improvement of computational efficiency in the simplified nonhydrostatic model is reasonable,reducing the central processing unit time duration in the fully nonhydrostatic model by 16.4%–20.6%.The specially designed algorithm based on the simplified nonhydrostatic equation can remarkably reduce the computational time.

Empirical Likelihood Inference for Generalized Partially Linear Models with Longitudinal Data

In this article, we propose a generalized empirical likelihood inference for the parametric component in semiparametric generalized partially linear models with longitudinal data. Based on the extended score vector, a generalized empirical likelihood ratios function is defined, which integrates the within-cluster?correlation meanwhile avoids direct estimating the nuisance parameters in the correlation matrix. We show that the proposed statistics are asymptotically?Chi-squared under some suitable conditions, and hence it can be used to construct the confidence region of parameters. In addition, the maximum empirical likelihood estimates of parameters and the corresponding asymptotic normality are obtained. Simulation studies demonstrate the performance of the proposed method.

A Three-Dimensional Case System Model for Programming Course

This research aims to construct a case resource library for programming course,which can be used for either teachers’teaching or students’learning.The cases cannot be simply piled up but rather require a systematic planning.The solution to this is to design a case system model.The outcome-based education(OBE)concept is adopted to guide the research,and a three-dimensional case system model matching the course objectives is designed.Under the guidance of the model,the case resource library construction is more planned.Cases based on the model can provide all-round support for the cultivation of students’ability by gradually promoting knowledge and technology,frequently exercising one’s abilities,as well as expanding diverse and innovative problems.

Somatic Embryogenesis Receptor Kinases Control Root Development Mainly via Brassinosteroid-Independent Actions in Arabidopsis thaliana

Brassinosteroids （BRs）, a group of plant steroidal hormones, play critical roles in many aspects of plant growth and development. Previous studies showed that BRI1-mediated BR signaling regulates cell division and differentiation during Arabidopsis root development via interplaying with auxin and other phytohormones. Arabidopsis somatic embryogenesis receptor-like kinases （SERKs）, as co-receptors of BRI1, were found to play a fundamental role in an early activation step of BR signaling pathway. Here we report a novel function of SERKs in regulating Arabidopsis root development. Genetic analyses indicated that SERKs control root growth mainly via a BR-independent pathway. Although BR signaling pathway is completely disrupted in the serkl bakl bkkl triple mutant, the root growth of the triple mutant is much severely damaged than the BR deficiency or signaling null mutants. More detailed analyses indicated that the triple mutant exhibited drastically reduced expression of a number of genes critical to polar auxin transport, cell cycle, endodermis development and root meristem differentiation, which were not observed in null BR biosynthesis mutant cpd and null BR signaling mutant bril-701.

Genome-Wide Expression Pattern Analyses of the Arabidopsis Leucine-Rich Repeat Receptor-Like Kinases

Receptor-like protein kinases （RLKs） are a large group of transmembrane proteins playing critical roles in cell-cell and cell--environment communications. Based on extracellular domain structures, RLKs were classified into more than 21 subfamilies, among which leucine-rich repeat RLKs （LRR-RLKs） belong to the largest subfamily in plants such as Arabidopsis and rice. In Arabidopsis, there are approximately 223 LRR-RLKs, but only about 60 of which have been functionally described to date. To systematically investigate the roles of LRR-RLKs in regulating plant growth, development, and stress adaptations, we generated promoter：：GUS transgenic plants for all 223 LRR-RLK genes in Arabidopsis and analyzed their detailed expression patterns at various developmental stages. The results provide valuable resources for functionally elucidating this large and essential signaling protein subfamily.

Nine compounds from the root bark of Lycium chinense and their anti-inflammatory activities

Two new compounds, named lyciumlignan D(1) and lyciumphenyl propanoid A(2), along with seven known compounds, were isolated from the root bark of Lycium chinense. Their structures were elucidated using spectroscopic data(UV, IR, HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR, CD), as well as by comparison with those of the literature. Compounds 3–9 were isolated from this genus for the first time. In the in vitro assay, compounds 3, 6, and 7 exhibited stronger anti-inflammatory effects than the positive control curcumin at a concentration of 10 μmol/L.

Large-Scale Discovery of Non-conventional Peptides in Maize and Arabidopsis through an Integrated Peptidogenomic Pipeline

Non-conventional peptides(NCPs),which include small open reading frame-encoded peptides,play critical roles in fundamental biological processes.In this study,we developed an integrated peptidogenomic pipeline using high-throughput mass spectra to probe a customized six-frame translation database and applied it to large-scale identification of NCPs in plants.A total of 1993 and 1860 NCPs were unambiguously identified in maize and Arabidopsis,respectively.These NCPs showed distinct characteristics compared with conventional peptides and were derived from introns,3′UTRs,5′UTRs,junctions,and intergenic regions.Furthermore,our results showed that translation events in unannotated transcripts occur more broadly than previously thought.In addition,we found that dozens of maize NCPs are enriched within regions associated with phenotypic variations and domestication selection,indicating that they potentially are involved in genetic regulation of complex traits and domestication in maize.Taken together,our study developed an integrated peptidogenomic pipeline for large-scale identification of NCPs in plants,which would facilitate global characterization of NCPs from other plants.The identification of large-scale NCPs in both monocot(maize)and dicot(Arabidopsis)plants indicates that a large portion of plant genome can be translated into biologically functional molecules,which has important implications for functional genomic studies.

Microstructure and mechanical properties at elevated temperature of Mg-Al-Ni alloys prepared through powder metallurgy

Mg-Al-Ni alloys were prepared by powder metallurgy, and their microstructure and elevated temperature mechanical properties were investigated. Results indicate that, in addition to α-Mg matrix, both coarse Al;Ni;particles and fine Al Ni nano-particles exist in the Mg-Al-Ni alloys. The strength at 150?C is improved with the increase in Ni content. Mg-18.3Al-8Ni alloy possesses a compressive strength of234.7 MPa and a yield strength of 146.5 MPa. Plasticity is also improved with a low concentration of Ni. Mg-11.3Al-2Ni alloy possesses a compression ratio of 17.3%. The phases of Al;Ni;and Al Ni in the alloys block the movements of grain boundaries and dislocations during the deformation at elevated temperature. The existence of Al Ni phase provides a non-basal slip system, leading to the improvement in plasticity. Finally, the formation mechanism of Al-Ni phases in the process is discussed with thermodynamics and kinetics.

Ascorbate peroxidase 1 confers resistance to southern corn leaf blight in maize

Southern corn leaf blight (SCLB), caused by Bipolarismaydis, is one of the most devastatingdiseases affecting maize production. However,only one SLCB resistance gene, conferring partialresistance, is currently known, underscoring theimportance of isolating new SCLB resistancerelatedgenes. Here, we performed a comparativeproteomic analysis and identified 258 proteinsshowing differential abundance during the maizeresponse to B. maydis. These proteins included anascorbate peroxidase (Zea mays ascorbate peroxidase1 (ZmAPX1)) encoded by a gene locatedwithin the mapping interval of a previously identifiedquantitative trait locus associated with SCLBresistance. ZmAPX1 overexpression resulted inlower H_(2)O_(2) accumulation and enhanced resistanceagainst B. maydis. Jasmonic acid (JA)contents and transcript levels for JA biosynthesisand responsive genes increased in ZmAPX1-overexpressing plants infected with B. maydis,whereas Zmapx1 mutants showed the oppositeeffects. We further determined that low levels of H_(2)O_(2) are accompanied by an accumulation of JAthat enhances SCLB resistance. These resultsdemonstrate that ZmAPX1 positively regulatesSCLB resistance by decreasing H_(2)O_(2) accumulationand activating the JA-mediated defensesignaling pathway. This study identified ZmAPX1as a potentially useful gene for increasing SCLBresistance. Furthermore, the generated datamay be relevant for clarifying the functions ofplant APXs.

Spatial Distribution Prediction of Laterite Bauxite in Bolaven Plateau Using GIS

Mineral resources are the most important natural resources for developing countries. Bauxite is an indispensable mineral resource for industrial production. Potential assessment of bauxite is an important issue in Indochina Peninsula. In this paper, the factors affecting the mineralization of the lateritic bauxite are analyzed. The collected spatial data are processed and the information is extracted to obtain the spatial extent of favorable constraints. Then, the spatial distribution of potential bauxites on the Bolaven Plateau has been investigated with a Boolean modeling process in GIS environment on the basis of some constraints such as rock, elevation, topographical features and vegetation coverage. Finally, based on the hydrogeological conditions and alteration information of Fe3+ and OH-, the bauxite mapping has been carried out. There are twenty bauxite metallogenic areas delineated, with a total area of 750 km2, which is 5% of the entire study area. This has greatly reduced the scope of the field investigation. Seven of the twenty predicted areas were validated in the field and six of them were found to have bauxite mineralization. Using the methods proposed in this study, the potential bauxite for the entire Bolaven Plateau could be achieved much more cheaply than the traditional methods. This study also provides a good idea for the prediction of laterite bauxite in the other regions of the Indochina Peninsula.

脊柱气肿性骨髓炎CT影像学表现1例

本文报道1例发生于腰椎的气肿性骨髓炎。患者女,65岁,糖尿病病史,"受凉"后出现腰背部疼痛不适半个月,腰3椎体及附件骨质密度减低伴多发气体影,周围软组织肿胀,可见较多积气,腰椎椎管内散在积气。血液细菌培养出革兰氏阴性杆菌(大肠杆菌),病理诊断为坏疽,临床诊断气肿性骨髓炎。

Closed-form solution for dynamic responses of shaft-tunnel junction under uniform P waves

This paper discusses the special situation when a shaft-tunnel junction is subject to vertically propagating P waves.For a complicated system like the shaft-tunnel junction,it is necessary to investigate the most basic cases firstly,and the responses induced by uniform P waves are one of them.To this end,a closed-form solution is derived from the classical differential equation describing the forced vibration of a single degree-of-freedom system.The key issue is the characterization of the coupled dynamic interactions among the shaft,the tunnel,and the ground.The paradigm regards the three of them as a massive rigid body,a continuous Euler-Bernoulli beam,and a set of supporting elements,respectively.The final solution is to calculate the displacements of the shaft and the tunnel in the form of two compact equations,and the internal forces of the tunnel are therefore easily obtainable.By means of a finite element simulation,the validity as well as the accuracy of the closed-form solution is verified.The solution provides an explicit comprehension of the coupled dynamic interactions and thus enhances the understanding of the dynamic mechanics of the shaft-tunnel junction.

The Impact of Non-Labor Income Given Job Heterogeneity on Household Time Allocation： The Evidence from China

This paper proposes a theoretical framework based on new household economic theories. A dataset from the 2006 China Health and Nutrition Survey （CHNS） is used. Given heterogeneity in major family members＇ jobs, the effect of non-labor income on household time allocation is discussed under two scenarios： jobs with flexible work hours and jobs with fixed work hours in the market. Based on the nature of the employer the major family member works for, employers can be categorized into four categories： government-owned, family contract, privately-owned, and foreign-funded. Each of the four categories is used for dissecting the data into different sets for analysis by category. The results imply that job heterogeneity is significantly correlated to household time allocation. An increase in non-labor income results in a decrease in the time allocated to housework for all households. However, leisure time is allocated differently among different households due to job heterogeneity. An increase in non-labor income leads to less leisure time for households working for government-owned or foreign-funded enterprises, and more leisure time for households working for family contract or privately-owned enterprises.