A de novo Genome of a Chinese Radish Cultivar

AbstractHere, we report a high-quality draft genome of a Chinese radish (Raphanus sativus) cultivar. This draft contains 387.73Mb of assembled scaffolds, 83.93% of the scaffolds were anchored onto nine pseudochromosomes and 95.09% of 43 240 protein-coding genes were functionally annotated. 184.75Mb (47.65%) of repeat sequences was identified in the assembled genome. By comparative analyses of the radish genome against 10 other plant genomes, 2 275 genes in 780 gene families were found unique to R. sativus. This genome is a good reference for genomic study and of great value for genetic improvement of radish

CCCCC pentadentate chelates with planar Möbius aromaticity and unique properties

本课题充分发挥了厦门大学多学科协同研究优势，通讯作者为夏海平教授（合成、表征）、刘刚教授（生物医学应用）和吕鑫教授（理论计算）。合成实验和结构表征由朱从青（第一作者，目前在麻省理工学院、2005年诺贝尔化学奖得主Richard Schrock教授课题组从事博士后研究）完成；生物医学应用由杨彩霞（共同第一作者）、林凎、杨宇惠、王晓勇合作完成；理论计算由朱军、王永恒、朱从青完成。美国NIH的陈小元教授参与了生物医学应用的讨论。该研究工作得到国家自然科学基金委、科技部项目的支持。The coordinating atoms in polydentate chelates are primarily heteroatoms. We present the first examples of pentadentate chelates with all binding atoms of the chelating agent being carbon atoms, denoted as CCCCC chelates. Having up to five metal-carbon bonds in the equatorial plane has not been previously observed in transition metal chemistry. Density functional theory calculations showed that the planar metallacycle has extended Craig-Möbius aromaticity arising from 12-center–12-electron dπ-pπ π-conjugation. These planar chelates have broad absorption in the ultraviolet-visible–near-infrared region and, thus, notable photothermal performance upon irradiation by an 808-nm laser, indicating that these chelates have potential applications in photothermal therapy. The combination of facile synthesis, high stability, and broad absorption of these complexes could make the polydentate carbon chain a novel building block in coordination chemistry.the National Basic Research Program of China (nos. 2012CB821600 and 2014CB744503) , the National Science Foundation of China (nos. 21332002, 81422023, 51273165, 21490573, and 21573179)

Sustainability Framing of Controlled Environment Agriculture and Consumer Perceptions: A Review

The ongoing criticism of conventional agricultural activities being unsustainable in the face of climate change and global population growth has been one of the key drivers for technological innovation in this space. Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), especially in the high-tech form of vertical farming, as a new agri-food technology, has been positioned as a sustainable solution to the dilemma of feeding the world and preserving the planet. Acknowledging sustainability as a multi-dimensional concept encompassing environmental, economic, social, and cultural aspects, this review briefly outlines the evolving meaning of sustainability, and how CEA has been framed as sustainable in the literature. Specifically, the review examines studies that have investigated consumer perceptions and acceptance of CEA and discussed how sustainability features of CEA were presented to consumers in a diverse way across these studies. The review highlights that the social and cultural dimensions of sustainability were largely neglected not only in research that focused on the development of CEA, but also in the exploration of consumers’ perceptions of CEA. A more holistic examination of the sustainability of CEA and a comprehensive understanding from consumers is important for transitioning towards more sustainable production systems enabled by new technologies such as CEA

Numerical simulation of diagenetic evolution and porosity prediction in eastern area of Wushi Sag

The commercial oil fields discovered in the eastern area of Wushi Sag in recent years are mainly formed in a complex continental sedimentary environment, which was influenced by the tectonic movement, sedimentation and diagenesis.The reservoir in the oilfields of the study is characterized by a strong heterogeneity, complex reservoir seepage mechanism, which affects the development program Therefore, the analysis of the main controlling factors of the reservoir physical properties is extremely necessary, which can help the decision-makers to predict the sweet spot area theoretically and technically.In this paper, the method of numerical simulation of diagenetic evolution was adopted, in which the diagenesis index was obtained by the simulation of vitrinite reflectance, paleotemperature, smectite content in illite/smectite mixed layer, and quartz autogenesis increase based on the diagenetic environment parameter and chemical kinetic model.Moreover, the diagenetic stage and the lateral distribution of porosity were predicted based on the change of the diagenetic index.The results show that the diagenesis stage in the eastern area of Wushi Sag is the middle diagenesis stage A1-A2, and the diagenesis in the central sag is strong and gradually weaken.Combining the understanding of sedimentary and diagenesis, establishing the porosity prediction model and predicting it in horizon, the results indicate that: Following the source of sedimentary, the reservoir physical properties worsen with increasing burial depth, which is consistent with the change trend of diagenesis

The Main Evaluation Indicators for the Quality of Fruit Radish

The aim of this study was to establish an scientific evaluation system for fruit radish quality. 8 quality indicators were measured for 23 varieties, such as Meinong, Qiaotouqing and Chunbulao. The indicators included root weight, root shape index, water content, crispness, soluble solids, crude fiber, isothiocyanate and vitamin C. These data were analyzed by variation correlation analysis, principal component analysis and system cluster analysis. 23 varieties of fruit radish were analyzed by variation correlation; 8 indicators were compressed into 6 integrated variables using principal component analysis. Finally, the main evaluation indicators of fruit radish were determined by using cluster analysis and correlation analysis. The results indicated that the range of variation coefficient was from 1.64%—89.99%. Water content, crispness, soluble solids, crude fiber, isothiocyanate were important components of fruit radish quality, playing a major role in the quality. These 8 indicators were closely related and relatively independent. Water content was significantly and positively correlated with crispness; soluble solids and crude fiber were significantly and negatively related to vitamin C; crispness was significantly and positively correlated with crude fiber and vitamin C. Based on the above results, 4 representative indicators were used for evaluating fruit radish quality, that is water content, crispness, soluble solids, crude fiber, which could reflect the most information of fruit radish quality

Effect of Reducing Application of Chemical Fertilizers and Chemical Pesticides on Biological Characteristics, Yield and Quality of Radish

This paper studies the effect of reducing application of chemical fertilizer, increasing application of functional organic fertilizer and trace elements and fully using biological pesticides on biological characteristics, yield and quality of radish. The results show that applying functional organic fertilizer and trace elements and fully using biological pesticides can help to significantly improve the radish fleshy root yield, increase soluble sugar and vitamin C content, reduce crude fiber and nitrate content, but has no significant influence on radish moisture content, glucosinolates and chlorpyrifos content in organophosphorus pesticides

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of Long Non-Coding RNAs in Peanut

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in various regulatory processes although they do not encode protein. Presently, there is little information regarding the identification of lncRNAs in peanut (Arachis hypogaea Linn.). In this study, 50,873 lncRNAs of peanut were identified from large-scale published RNA sequencing data that belonged to 124 samples involving 15 different tissues. The average lengths of lncRNA and mRNA were 4335 bp and 954 bp, respectively. Compared to the mRNAs, the lncRNAs were shorter, with fewer exons and lower expression levels. The 4713 co-expression lncRNAs (expressed in all samples) were used to construct co-expression networks by using the weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA). LncRNAs correlating with the growth and development of different peanut tissues were obtained, and target genes for 386 hub lncRNAs of all lncRNAs co-expressions were predicted. Taken together, these findings can provide a comprehensive identification of lncRNAs in peanut

Neonatal priming and infancy boosting with a novel respiratory syncytial virus vaccine induces protective immune responses without concomitant respiratory disease upon RSV challenge

Although respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in infants and young children is a global public health issue, development of a safe RSV vaccine has been impeded by formalin-inactivated RSV-enhanced respiratory disease (ERD). In developing a safer yet effective RSV vaccine for children, a strategy to decrease over-reactive T cells and increase neutralizing anti-RSV antibodies should be considered. We previously demonstrated that adult mice immunized with RSV recombinant G protein plus low-dose Cyclosporine A (G+ CsA) could, upon subsequent RSV challenge, produce increased levels of antigen-specific T regulatory cells in lungs that overcame the ERD. Neutralizing anti-RSV antibodies that prevented viral infection were also elicited. In this study, we investigated if such a G+ CsA vaccine could provide infant mice with the same protection from RSV infection without ERD. The results showed that the G+ CsA vaccine could prevent RSV infection with only a mild loss of body weight. Importantly, there was nearly normal morphology and no mucus appearance in lung tissues after RSV challenge. These results demonstrate that the G+ CsA vaccine strategy achieved similar benefits in the neonatal prime and infancy boost model as in the adult mouse model. The G+ CsA immunization strategy is potentially safe and effective in neonates and infants because it suppresses the devastating ERD

Spatial Layout of Cotton Seed Production Based on Hierarchical Classification: A Case Study in Xinjiang, China

Cotton seed production is the main form of agriculture in Xinjiang, China. Unreasonable distribution of cotton seed production results in a waste of water, land, and human resources. In this study, we established a hierarchical classification integrating method; investigated the spatial suitability of climate, land and water resources, and infrastructure; examined the production risk and planting history; and integrated spatial suitability and production risk and history to produce the spatial layout of seed production for early-maturing cotton (EMC), early–medium-maturing cotton (EMMC), and long staple cotton (LSC) in Xinjiang. The results indicated that the appropriate areas for EMC, EMMC, and LSC seed production are 6.4 × 105, 5.5 × 105, and 3.6 × 105 ha, respectively. By combining the suitable areas of seed production for the three cotton species, we concluded that the superior and most suitable area for producing cotton seed of EMC, EMMC, or LSC is located in the western Tarim Basin. The sub-suitable area for cotton seed production of EMC, EMMC, or LSC is mostly distributed in the western and northern Tarim Basin. This research provides a good solution to the selection of cotton seed production base; however, adoption will depend on the actual preference and market factors