Transcriptomic Responses of Garlic(Allium sativum L.)to Heat and Drought Stresses

Heat and drought are prominent abiotic stressors that limit crop productivity and yield,particularly concerning climate change;therefore,understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying plant stress responses is crucial for stress-tolerant crop production.This study conducted a transcriptomic analysis to elucidate how garlic(Allium sativum L.)responds to drought and heat stress conditions.Transcriptome libraries were generated to identify differentially expressed genes(DEGs)induced by drought and heat stresses.Functional classification and clustering analysis of DEGs revealed stress-specific gene expression patterns.Notably,cell wall-related genes were implicated in the drought response,whereas heat stress was associated with heat stress transcription factors and heat shock proteins.Our results provide essential information for future studies on stress tolerances in garlic.

Photosynthesis,Metabolite Composition and Anatomical Structure of Oryza sativa and Two Wild Relatives,O.grandiglumis and O.alta

Photosynthesis, enzyme activities and metabolite pools associated with primary carbon metabolism in leaves were studied in O. grandiglumis and O. alta （wild relatives of rice which produce high biomass） versus O. sativa （a japonica cultivar and a indica-japonica hybrid） to assess their potential for identifying traits which might be utilized to enhance rice productivity. The wild relatives had higher rates of photosynthesis on a fresh weight basis, and higher water use efficiency than the O. sativa lines. There were no striking differences in activities of a number of key enzymes in carbon and nitrogen metabolism between the wild relatives and cultivated rice lines. Along with higher rates of photosynthesis on a fresh weight basis, the leaves of the two wild species had higher nitrate content, higher levels of starch, glucose and fructose, and higher levels of organic acids （malate, succinate and acetate）, compared to the O. sativa lines. The results suggested that O. grandiglumis and O. alta have differences in physiology and primary metabolism which might be exploited to improve growth and productivity of cultivated rice.

Development of a Composite Eco-Material Based on Typha from a Clay Matrix

This work focuses on the design of a new type of eco-material based on Typha“Domingensis”and clay from the south of the Republic of Benin through various dosages.Three particle size classes of typha shavings were selected to be mixed with two types of clayin order to make parallelepiped shaped samples ready for experimentation.The massive use of these briquettes thus obtained,in the construction of habitats,would not only contribute to reducing the energy consumption inside the dwellings but also would limit the invasion of the waterways of Benin,which would facilitate navigation,fishing and river sanitation activities.In addition,this biosourced,low-polluting material would contribute to improving the energy transition by integrating it into rehabilitation of buildings.

新出现趋势识别和分析方法引介

新出现趋势是一个新研究论题深入研究并日趋重要的趋势。这种趋势在科学前沿形成,通过研究人员相互引用表现出来。检测这样的趋势所用的方法起源于引文分析。以前,引文分析仅仅是简单的静态的数量分析,而现在开始利用复杂网络分析和时间序列分析进行动态发展趋势预测。目前新出现趋势分析的方法主要有两种:一是从高引用文章组成的聚类串随时间推移的变化特征中检测出新出现趋势。二是在引文网络中所形成的研究社区中检测新出现趋势。目前新出现趋势分析还要在三个方面进行深入研究:一是要在实证研究充分开展的基础上,调查各个研究领域中新出现趋势的形成机制。二是要研究不同的时间序列对新出现趋势的识别和分析的影响。三是要研究新出现趋势对引文网络局部特征的影响。

Bayesian Lasso for Screening Experiments

The purpose of variable selection is to identify important predictors for response variables. Although there are many varieties of variable selection methods, almost all of them have a problem of not accounting for the relationship between predictors. Therefore it would well happen that the selected subset of identified predictors leads to hard-to-interpret model consisted of only interaction terms. In design of experiments, the analysis is driven by the effect heredity principle which governs the relationship between an interaction and its corresponding main effects. In this paper, the authors extend the variable selection method the Lasso with effect heredity principle to its Bayesian version. In the example, the authors analyze the data obtained from typical screening design Plackett-Bunnan design and compare the result from the ordinary Bayesian Lasso and proposed method.

Arabidopsis thaliana RECEPTOR DEAD KINASE1 Functions as a Positive Regulator in Plant Responses to ABA

Abscisic acid （ABA） is a major phytohormone involved in important stress-related and developmental plant processes. Membrane-delimited ABA signal transduction plays an important role in early ABA signaling, but the molecular mechanisms connecting core signaling components to the plasma membrane remain un- clear. Plants have evolved a large number of receptor-like kinases （RLKs） to modulate diverse biological processes by perceiving extracellular stimuli and activating downstream signaling responses. In this study, a putative leucine-rich repeat-RLK gene named RECEPTOR DEAD KINASE1 （AtRDK1） was identified and characterized in Arabidopsis thaliana. RDK1 promoter-GUS analysis revealed that RDK1 is expressed ubiq- uitously in the various tissues in Arabidopsis, and its expression is mainly induced by ABA. In the presence of ABA, RDKl-deficient rdkl-1 and rdkl-2 lines showed significant resistance in cotyledon greening and root growth, whereas RDKl-overexpressing lines showed enhanced sensitivity. Consistently, the expres- sion of ABA-responsive genes was significantly downregulated in rdkl mutant seedlings, which were also hypersensitive to drought stress with increased water loss. Interestingly, RDK1 was found to be an atypical kinase localized to the plasma membrane and did not require its kinase activity during ABA-mediated inhi- bition of seedling development. Accordingly, RDK1 interacted in the plasma membrane with type 2C protein phosphatase ABSClSIC ACID INSENSITIVE1 （ABI1）; this interaction was further enhanced by exogenous application of ABA, suggesting that RDKl-mediated recruitment of ABI1 onto the plasma membrane is important for ABA signaling. Taken together, these results reveal an important role for RDK1 in plant responses to abiotic stress conditions in an ABA-dependent manner.