Identification and Functional Characterization of Squamosa Promoter Binding Protein-Like Gene TaSPL16 in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important crops in the world. Squamosa promoter binding protein-like (SPL) proteins are plant-specific transcript factors and play critical roles in plant growth and development. The functions of many SPL gene family members were well characterized in Arabidopsis and rice, in contrast, research on wheat SPL genes is lagging behind. In this study, we cloned and characterized TaSPL16, an orthologous gene of rice OsSPL16, in wheat. Three TaSPL16 homoeologs are located on the short arms of chromosome 7A, 7B, and 7D, and share more than 96% sequence identity with each other. All the TaSPL16 homoeologs have three exons and two introns, with a miR156 binding site in their last exons. They encode putative proteins of 407, 409, and 414 amino acid residues, respectively. Subcellular localization showed TaSPL16 distribution in the cell nucleus, and transcription activity of TaSPL16 was validated in yeast. Analysis of the spatiotemporal expression profile showed that TaSPL16 is highly expressed in young developing panicles, lowly expressed in developing seeds and almost undetectable in vegetative tissues. Ectopic expression of TaSPL16 in Arabidopsis causes a delay in the emergence of vegetative leaves (3–4 days late), promotes early flowering (5–7 days early), increases organ size, and affects yield-related traits. These results demonstrated the regulatory roles of TaSPL16 in plant growth and development as well as seed yield. Our findings enrich the existing knowledge on SPL genes in wheat and provide valuable information for further investigating the effects of TaSPL16 on plant architecture and yield-related traits of wheat

Enzyme Kinetics Studies of Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase in Human Erythrocytes and Frequency Distribution in Healthy Subjects and Transplant Recipients in Chinese Han Population

ABSTRACT Nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDPK), as a house-keeping protein, involves in various molecular processes including signal transduction, energy and drug metabolism. The main objective was to investigate NDPK kinetics in human erythrocytes and to monitor the frequency distribution of NDPK activity levels in Chinese healthy subjects and transplant recipients. METHODS: NDPK activity in erythrocytes was detected by a validated ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatogram method. NDPK kinetics studies were carried out systematically. NDPK activity levels were determined in 500 healthy subjects, 250 kidney and 250 liver transplant recipients in Chinese Han population. RESULTS: Thermal and pH stability studies indicated NDPK was relatively stable at temperature 30-45ºC and pH 6.0-9.0. In substrate dependency study, the apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (K m ) and maximum velocity of enzymatic reaction (V max ) increased with concentration of substrates. Meanwhile, in product inhibition study, with the increasing concentration of dATP, the V max of dADP decreased with constant K m and K m of dGTP increased with constant V max . NDPK activity levels revealed a 7-fold variability and were not normally distributed in all groups. NDPK activity levels were significantly (P<0.05) higher in transplant group than those in health group. Additionally, much higher NDPK activity levels had been shown (P<0.001) in liver transplant recipients when compared to kidney transplant cases. CONCLUSIONS: NDPK kinetics studies indicated substrate dependency of NDPK and a "ping-pong" mechanism for production inhibition. Skewness distributions of NDPK activity levels were shown in the study population. The transplant recipients showed higher NDPK activity levels when compared to healthy subjects

Association between HDL‐C and intensive blood pressure control in patients with hypertension: A post‐hoc analysis of SPRINT

Abstract Previous studies in patients with hypertension have demonstrated that there is a U‐shaped association between HDL‐C (high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol) and the risk of cardiovascular events in male patients with hypertension. However, to the best of our knowledge, the relationship between HDL‐C and intensive blood pressure control in specific cardiovascular events has never been investigated. To fill this knowledge gap, the authors analyzed the relationship between HDL‐C levels and cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients within the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT). The SPRINT evaluated the impact of intensive blood pressure control (systolic blood pressure  80 mg/dL. Sensitivity analyzes showed that in the SPRINT, women in the HDL‐C high population had a higher risk of mortality from all causes than men. In this cohort study, results suggest that patients with HDL‐C levels higher than 80 mg/dL had lower risk of SPRINT primary outcome, cardiovascular death, and stroke, but this study tested association, not causation. HDL‐C levels were associated with composite cardiovascular outcomes in male but not female patients. Our results demonstrated that in patients with hypertension, the association between HDL‐C and risk of cardiovascular events is L‐shaped

Barriers of Cross Cultural Communication in Multinational Firms : A Case Study of Swedish Company and its Subsidiary in China

In times of rapid growth, both in terms of economic development and globalization, an increasing number of firms extend their businesses abroad. A subsequent challenge of this development is the managerial implications of cross-cultural management. This study employs a qualitative approach in a single case study of Swedish company and its subsidiary in China. After reviewing the previous studies, the authors summarize the differences of management style, staff behaviors and communication system in different culture context and find the barriers of cross cultural communication in multinational firms. The findings of this study indicate that the barriers of communication come from the national culture’s influence on the work place and behaviors of people with different identity. Moreover, culture also influences people’s way of thinking and behaving and result in different understandings toward vision and purposes of firms

Mobile Mapping,Geographic Information Update and Urban Management Intelligence

The foundation of urban management intelligence is internet,geographic information platform and cloud computing platform.Data updating is the soul of geographic information platform.The rapid updating of urban geographic information involves concepts,funds and techniques.These three factors constitute the historic challenge of urban surveying and mapping,and also the reality bottleneck of the implementation of urban management intelligence.This paper presents a city natural data model(CNDM)that is based on the color laser point cloud.Based on vehicle borne mobile mapping,unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aerial photograph,mobile phone taking,HD video surveillance and cloud computing platform,a fast updating system of CNDM is formed.City geographic information platform for city actuality is constructed based on the real-time update of CNDM,which is to establish the base data of urban management intelligence

Expressway Surface Point Extraction from Mobile Laser Scanning Point Clouds

According to the problem between the cost of production, efficiency and data accuracy of expressway surface terrain data, this paper presents a fast ground point extraction method of expressway road surface from mobile laser scanning (MLS) point cloud data. Through the analysis of the spatial characteristics of MLS point cloud data in expressway, a triangle plane constraint (TPC) method is used to extract initial road surface points in the grid, and then multi-scale neighborhood iterative analysis (MNIA) method is proposed to further filter them, finally the high density road surface points are extracted from the original points based on neighborhood slope which is estimated by iterative least square within eight neighboring grid. Experiments are processed to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm by using two groups of actual point cloud data

Polyphasic Characterization of Yeasts and Lactic Acid Bacteria Metabolic Contribution in Semi-Solid Fermentation of Chinese Baijiu (Traditional Fermented Alcoholic Drink): Towards the Design of a Tailored Starter Culture

Chinese Baijiu is principally produced through a spontaneous fermentation process, which involves complex microorganism communities. Among them, yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are important communities. The study examined the isolated strains from fermented grains of Baijiu regarding their activity of α-amylase and glucoamylase, ethanol tolerance, glucose utilization, as well as metabolite production in the process of laboratory-scale sorghum-based fermentation. Selected strains (Saccharomycopsis fibuligera 12, Saccharomyces cerevisiae 3, and Pediococcus acidilactici 4) were blended in different combinations. The influence of selected strains on the metabolic variation in different semi-solid fermentations was investigated by gas chromatography−mass spectrometry (GC−MS) accompanied by multivariate statistical analysis. According to the principal component analysis (PCA), the metabolites produced varied in different mixtures of pure cultures. S. fibuligera produced various enzymes, particularly α-amylase and glucoamylase, and exhibited a better performance compared with other species regarding the ability to convert starch to soluble sugars and positively affect the production process of volatile compounds. S. cerevisiae had a high fermentation capacity, thereby contributing to substrates utilization. Lactic acid bacteria had a good ability to produce lactic acid. This study attaches importance to the special functions of S. fibuligera, S. cerevisiae, and P. acidilactici in Chinese Baijiu making, and investigates their metabolic characteristics in the process of lab-scale semi-solid fermentation

Numerical Simulation and Optimization of a Phase-Change Energy Storage Box in a Modular Mobile Thermal Energy Supply System

Featuring phase-change energy storage, a mobile thermal energy supply system (M-TES) demonstrates remarkable waste heat transfer capabilities across various spatial scales and temporal durations, thereby effectively optimizing the localized energy distribution structure—a pivotal contribution to the attainment of objectives such as “carbon peak” and “carbon neutral”. To heighten the efficiency of energy transfer for mobile heating, this research introduces the innovative concept of modular storage and transportation. This concept is brought to life through the development of a meticulously designed modular mobile phase-change energy storage compartment system. Employing computational fluid dynamics (CFD), an in-depth exploration into the performance of the modular M-TES container and the adapted phase-change material (PCM) is conducted. By implementing fin arrangements on the inner wall of the heat storage module, a remarkable upsurge in the liquid phase-transition rate of the phase-change material is achieved in comparison to the design lacking fins—this improvement approximating around 30%. However, it is essential to acknowledge that the augmentation in heat transfer gradually recedes with the proliferation of fins or an escalation in their height. Moreover, the integration of expanded graphite into erythritol emerges as profoundly effective in amplifying the thermal conductivity of the PCM. Notably, with the addition of a 15.2% volume fraction of expanded graphite to erythritol, the duration of heat storage experiences a drastic reduction to nearly 10% of its original duration, thereby signifying a momentous advancement in thermal performance