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Seed germination is a complicated biological process that requires regulation through various enzymatic and non-enzymatic mechanisms. Although it has been recognized that reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulate radicle emergence and root elongation in a non-enzymatic manner during dicot seed germination, the role of ROS in monocot seed germination remains unknown. NADPH oxidases (NOXs) are the major ROS producers in plants; however, whether and how NOXs regulate rice seed germination through ROS generation remains unclear. Here, we report that diphenyleneiodinium (DPI), a specific NOX inhibitor, potently inhibited embryo and seedling growth—especially that of the radicle and of root elongation—in a dose-dependent manner. Notably, the DPI-mediated inhibition of radicle and root growth could be eliminated by transferring seedlings from DPI to water. Furthermore, ROS production/accumulation during rice seed germination was quantified via histochemistry. Superoxide radicals (O2−), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hydroxyl radicals (•OH) accumulated steadily in the coleorhiza, radicle and seedling root of germinating rice seeds. Expression profiles of the nine typical NOX genes were also investigated. According to quantitative PCR, OsNOX5, 7 and 9 were expressed relatively higher. When seeds were incubated in water, OsNOX5 expression progressively increased in the embryo from 12 to 48 h, whereas OsNOX7 and 9 expressions increased from 12 to 24 h and decreased thereafter. As expected, DPI inhibits the expression at predetermined time points for each of these genes. Taken together, these results suggest that ROS produced by NOXs are involved in radicle and root elongation during rice seed germination, and OsNOX5, 7 and 9 could play crucial roles in rice seed germination. These findings will facilitate further studies of the roles of ROS generated by NOXs during seed germination and seedling establishment and also provide valuable information for the regulation of NOX family gene expression in germinating seeds of monocot cereals.

Domestic ducks are raised for meat, eggs and feather down, and almost all varieties are descended from the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). Here, we report chromosome-level high-quality genome assemblies for meat and laying duck breeds, and the Mallard. Our new genomic databases contain annotations for thousands of new protein-coding genes and recover a major percentage of the presumed “missing genes” in birds. We obtain the entire genomic sequences for the C-type lectin (CTL) family members that regulate eggshell biomineralization. Our population and comparative genomics analyses provide more than 36 million sequence variants between duck populations. Furthermore, a mutant cell line allows confirmation of the predicted anti-adipogenic function of NR2F2 in the duck, and uncovered mutations specific to Pekin duck that potentially affect adipose deposition. Our study provides insights into avian evolution and the genetics of oviparity, and will be a rich resource for the future genetic improvement of commercial traits in the duck. Domestic ducks are descended from the Mallard and have been bred for several purposes. Here the authors present three high-quality duck genome assemblies which recover previously missing genes and provide a rich resource of variants potentially related to domestication.

The ZJU index is an innovative computational method that integrates triglycerides (TG), body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) to aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ratio. Previous studies indicated that it is strongly associated with markers of lipid metabolism and glucose intolerance. However, no studies have yet explored the association between the ZJU index and the chances of getting PCOS. Therefore, a total of 1352 female participants (1169 controls and 183 PCOS patients) who underwent in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) were included in the study. Basic demographic information and laboratory biochemical indicators of the participants were collected, and the ZJU index was calculated. Multivariate logistic regression model was employed to examine the association between the ZJU index and the chances of getting PCOS, with the ZJU index analyzed both as a categorical variable (quartiles) and as a continuous variable. Multivariate linear regression model was used to explore the association between the ZJU index and baseline serum sex hormone levels, including follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), LH/FSH ratio, estradiol (E2), progesterone (P), prolactin (PRL), and total testosterone (TT). The restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression model was used to examine both linear and nonlinear associations between the ZJU index and the chances of getting PCOS. A mediation analysis model was used to explore whether TT is a possible intermediary factor in the association between the ZJU index and the chances of getting PCOS. The results were presented as odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for logistic regression and as β coefficients with 95% CIs for linear regression. The ability of the ZJU index, BMI, and HOMA-IR to identify PCOS was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and the area under the curve (AUC), with comparisons of the AUCs performed using the Delong test. According to the multivariate logistic regression analysis, the ZJU index, when analyzed as a continuous variable, was positively associated with the chances of getting PCOS (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.05–1.14, P  < 0.001). When the ZJU index was categorized into quartiles, and Q1 (24.19–31.67; mean ± SD: 29.77 ± 1.36) was used as the reference, the chances of getting PCOS were 1.69 (95% CI: 0.90–3.17) in Q2 (31.68–34.58), 1.91 (95% CI: 1.01–3.60) in Q3 (34.59–38.51), and 4.44 (95% CI: 2.27–8.66) in Q4 (38.52–54.77), suggesting a dose-dependent increase, especially above 34.59. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the ZJU index was positively associated with TT (β = 0.01, 95% CI: 0.00–0.02, P  < 0.001), while it was negatively associated with FSH (β = -0.06, 95% CI: -0.10 - -0.01, P  = 0.008). There were no significant associations between the ZJU index LH/FSH (β = 0.00, 95% CI: -0.01- 0.01, P  = 0.656). RCS regression model demonstrated a significant linear and positive association between the ZJU index and PCOS. Serum TT levels may partially account for the positive association between the ZJU index and the chances of getting PCOS, with an estimated 10.00% of this association that may be explained through an indirect pathway involving TT. ROC analysis showed that ZJU index (AUC = 0.637) was a stronger predictor of PCOS than BMI (AUC = 0.625) and HOMA-IR (AUC = 0.621). The ZJU index was significantly associated with increased chances of having PCOS in infertile women undergoing IVF-ET. Additionally, our findings suggest that TT may be a possible intermediary factor in the association between the ZJU index and the chances of getting PCOS. This suggests that metabolic dysfunction, particularly insulin resistance, may contribute to the chances of getting PCOS through hyperandrogenism rather than by disrupting hypothalamic-pituitary regulation.

Objectives To determine whether the upregulation of basic leucine zipper ATF-like transcription factor 2 (BATF2) by calycosin suppresses the growth and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Method Cells were cultured and treated with different concentrations of calycosin for different periods of time. Protein and mRNA expression was determined by western blotting and quantitative PCR. Cell migration was assessed by Transwell experiments. Co-immunoprecipitation and luciferase assays were used to analyze the association between BATF2 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. (PAI-1). Cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry; β-catenin cellular localization was visualized by immunofluorescent staining. Results Calycosin up-regulated the expression of BATF2 via the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway, which was antagonized by transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), calycosin promoted the cell apoptosis and growth inhibition via phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway. TGF-β promoted cell growth, which was inhibited by calycosin regulating the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) via the phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway. TGF-β suppressed expression of BAX via the phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway but induced cell apoptosis .calycosin enhanced the effect of TGF-β on cell apoptosis,In addition, calycosin suppressed TGF-β-induced cell migration by increasing BATF2 to target PAI-1. TGF-β-induced EMT was inhibited by calycosin in human CRC LoVo and HCT116 cell lines via the Wnt signaling pathway. Conclusions The induction of BATF2 by calycosin may be a feasible therapeutic option for CRC. Graphical Abstract .

During the filling process of LNG tank trucks, due to the long-term operation of filling equipment in low temperature and high-pressure conditions, the sealing parts in the equipment are prone to failure, leading to leaks. The reasons for the leakage of LNG filling equipment were analyzed, and the diffusion of LNG after different equivalent leakage hole diameters and different wind speeds were numerically analyzed. A gas leak monitoring system suitable for LNG filling stations was established based on TDLAS technology. The analysis results show that when the equivalent leakage hole diameter is greater than 4 mm, the height of natural gas diffusion will exceed 5 m within 2 s without wind; the concentration of natural gas above the leakage point is inversely proportional to the height, and the decrease in concentration at a height of 5 m is between 50% and 60% compared with a height of 0.5 m; the wind will bend the natural gas diffusion shape downwind, and the degree of bending decreases as the equivalent leakage hole diameter increases; the optimal laser incidence angle of the laser gas sensor is between 30° and 50°, and the theoretical effective monitoring area width of the sensor when the installation height is 5 m is 4.46 m within the optimal laser incidence angle range.

Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) gas sensors have the advantages of high sensitivity, short response-recovery time and long-term stability. However, the shortcoming of poor discriminability of homogeneous gases limits their applications in gas sensors. It is well-known that the MOS materials have similar gas sensing responses to homogeneous gases such as CO and H2, so it is difficult for these gas sensors to distinguish the two gases. In this paper, simple sol–gel method was employed to obtain the ZnO–xNiO composites. Gas sensing performance results illustrated that the gas sensing properties of composites with x > 0.425 showed a p-type response to both CO and H2, while the gas sensing properties of composites with x < 0.425 showed an n-type response to both CO and H2. However, it was interesting that ZnO–0.425NiO showed a p-type response to CO but an discriminable response (n-type) to H2, which indicated that modulating the p-type or n-type semiconductor concentration in p-n composites could be an effective method with which to improve the discriminability of this type of gas sensor regarding CO and H2. The phenomenon of the special gas sensing behavior of ZnO–0.425NiO was explained based on the experimental observations and a range of characterization techniques, including XRD, HRTEM and XPS, in detail.

Introduction Based on the computed tomography (CT) pulmonary nodules (PNs) screening trial, sub-centimeter PNs (SCPNs) with a diameter  10 mm are observed in approximately 15% of the screened population, of which 48–56% of the cases occur in patients with lung cancer. Aim To assess the safety and diagnostic precision of CT-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) for SCPNs. Material and methods Between January 2016 and December 2018, consecutive patients with PNs underwent a CT-guided CNB procedure. These patients were divided into 2 groups. Group A included patients with SCPNs and group B included patients with PNs of 11–20 mm in diameter. The baseline data, diagnostic performance, and complication rates were compared. Results The technical success rates of CT-guided CNB in groups A and B were both 100%. No statistically significant differences were observed in diagnostic yield (43.8% vs. 54.7%, p = 0.105), overall accuracy (89.5% vs. 94.0%, p = 0.221), and sensitivity (78.8% vs. 90.1%, p = 0.080) between the 2 groups. The independent risk factor related to diagnostic failure of SCPNs was CNB-related pneumothorax (p = 0.001). There were no significant differences in the rates of pneumothorax (13.3% vs. 15.4%, p = 0.664) and pulmonary hemorrhage (10.5% vs. 8.5%, p = 0.624) between the 2 groups. The risk factors related to pneumothorax were decubitus position (p = 0.009) and more needle pathways (p = 0.004). A risk factor associated with pulmonary hemorrhage was greater lesion-pleura distance (p = 0.048). Conclusions CT-guided CNB is a safe, reliable, and precise method for the diagnosis of SCPNs.

In this work, we have successfully fabricated Sr-doped porous LaFeO 3 samples via sol-gel method. The results reveal that Sr 2+ cation is effectively doped into LaFeO 3 crystal lattice substituting La 3+ cation. The visible light catalytic performance of the materials was evaluated by the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) and Rhodamine B (RhB). The amount-optimized Sr-doped porous LaFeO 3 sample exhibited outstanding visible-light catalytic performance for the degradation of the model pollutants compared to the porous LaFeO 3 alone. The enhanced performance was accredited to the enlarged surface area, absorption extension via the surface states of the introduced Sr 2+ below the conduction band bottom of LaFeO 3 , and promoted charge carrier's separation as confirmed by various experiments. Experiments of radical trapping reveal that *OH species are dominant intermediate oxidants involved in the oxidation of 2,4-DCP and RhB over the optimized sample. This research will provide new routes for environmental remediation based on the LaFeO 3 semiconductor.

It is remarkably desirable and challenging to design a stretchable conductive material with tunable electromagnetic‐interference (EMI) shielding and heat transfer for applications in flexible electronics. However, the existing materials sustained a severe attenuation of performances when largely stretched. Here, a super‐stretchable (800% strain) liquid metal foamed elastomer composite (LMF‐EC) is reported, achieving super‐high electrical (≈104 S cm−1) and thermal (17.6 W mK−1) conductivities under a large strain of 400%, which also exhibits unexpected stretching‐enhanced EMI shielding effectiveness of 85 dB due to the conductive network elongation and reorientation. By varying the liquid and solid states of LMF, the stretching can enable a multifunctional reversible switch that simultaneously regulates the thermal, electrical, and electromagnetic wave transport. Novel flexible temperature control and a thermoelectric system based on LMF‐EC is furthermore developed. This work is a significant step toward the development of smart electromagnetic and thermal regulator for stretchable electronics. This work reports a super‐stretchable liquid metal foamed elastomer composite with both high electrical and thermal conductivities, and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of 85 dB even when strained at 400% due to the stretching enabled conductive network elongation and reorientation, which also exhibits unique multifunctional reversible switch responses for application to tunable control of electromagnetic waves and thermal transport.

The gas sensing sensitivity and selectivity are optimized by modulating the concentration of p -type and n -type materials in n-SnO 2 /p- x CuO nanocomposites. With the increase of x value, the sensing performance of the n -SnO 2 / p - x CuO composites changed from n -type to p -type. Compared with pristine SnO 2 , the gas sensing response of SnO 2 – x CuO ( x  < 2.78) composites are lower; this can be explained by the opposite gas sensing behavior of SnO 2 and CuO to CO and H 2 ; CuO in the SnO 2 – x CuO ( x  < 2.78) composites will offset the reduction in the resistance of pristine SnO 2 . Compared other as-prepared SnO 2 – x CuO ( x  = 1.00, 2.33, 2.80, 3.00, 4.00) composites, the n -SnO 2 / p -2.78CuO composite ( x  = 2.78 is the critical value for the p–n transformation) shows the optimal sensing sensitivity and selectivity to CO and H 2 . The possible gas sensing mechanism for the optimization of the gas sensing performance of n -SnO 2 / p -2.78CuO composite was illustrated based on the results of gas sensing measurement and the results of XRD, TEM, HRTEM, EDS, and XPS characterization. This behavior can be explained by the following reasons, including plenty of p–n heterojunctions formed in the n-SnO 2 /p-2.78CuO composite, the numerous chemisorbed oxygen on the surface of the composite, and the 6 nm diameter of the nanoparticles.