Dissecting Tissue-Specific Transcriptomic Responses from Leaf and Roots under Salt Stress in Petunia hybrida Mitchell

One of the primary objectives of plant biotechnology is to increase resistance to abiotic stresses, such as salinity. Salinity is a major abiotic stress and increasing crop resistant to salt continues to the present day as a major challenge. Salt stress disturbs cellular environment leading to protein misfolding, affecting normal plant growth and causing agricultural losses worldwide. The advent of state-of-the-art technologies such as high throughput mRNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has revolutionized whole-transcriptome analysis by allowing, with high precision, to measure changes in gene expression. In this work, we used tissue-specific RNA-seq to gain insight into the Petunia hybrida transcriptional responses under NaCl stress using a controlled hydroponic system. Roots and leaves samples were taken from a continuum of 48 h of acute 150 mM NaCl. This analysis revealed a set of tissue and time point specific differentially expressed genes, such as genes related to transport, signal transduction, ion homeostasis as well as novel and undescribed genes, such as Peaxi162Scf00003g04130 and Peaxi162Scf00589g00323 expressed only in roots under salt stress. In this work, we identified early and late expressed genes in response to salt stress while providing a core of differentially express genes across all time points and tissues, including the trehalose-6-phosphate synthase 1 (TPS1), a glycosyltransferase reported in salt tolerance in other species. To test the function of the novel petunia TPS1 allele, we cloned and showed that TPS1 is a functional plant gene capable of complementing the trehalose biosynthesis pathway in a yeast tps1 mutant. The list of candidate genes to enhance salt tolerance provided in this work constitutes a major effort to better understand the detrimental effects of salinity in petunia with direct implications for other economically important Solanaceous specie

Resonant Ta Doping for Enhanced Mobility in Transparent Conducting SnO2

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) are ubiquitous in modern consumer electronics. SnO2 is an earth abundant, cheaper alternative to In2O3 as a TCO. However, its performance in terms of mobilities and conductivities lags behind that of In2O3. On the basis of the recent discovery of mobility and conductivity enhancements in In2O3 from resonant dopants, we use a combination of state-of-the-art hybrid density functional theory calculations, high resolution photoelectron spectroscopy, and semiconductor statistics modeling to understand what is the optimal dopant to maximize performance of SnO2-based TCOs. We demonstrate that Ta is the optimal dopant for high performance SnO2, as it is a resonant dopant which is readily incorporated into SnO2 with the Ta 5d states sitting ∼1.4 eV above the conduction band minimum. Experimentally, the band edge electron effective mass of Ta doped SnO2 was shown to be 0.23m0, compared to 0.29m0 seen with conventional Sb doping, explaining its ability to yield higher mobilities and conductivities

Band gap reduction in InNxSb1-x alloys: Optical absorption, k · P modeling, and density functional theory

Using infrared absorption, the room temperature band gap of InSb is found to reduce from 174 (7.1 μm) to 85 meV (14.6 μm) upon incorporation of up to 1.13% N, a reduction of ∼79 meV/%N. The experimentally observed band gap reduction in molecular-beam epitaxial InNSb thin films is reproduced by a five band k · P band anticrossing model incorporating a nitrogen level, EN, 0.75 eV above the valence band maximum of the host InSb and an interaction coupling matrix element between the host conduction band and the N level of β = 1.80 eV. This observation is consistent with the presented results from hybrid density functional theory

The roles of the formal and informal sectors in the provision of effective science education

For many years, formal school science education has been criticised by students, teachers, parents and employers throughout the world. This article presents an argument that a greater collaboration between the formal and the informal sector could address some of these criticisms. The causes for concern about formal science education are summarised and the major approaches being taken to address them are outlined. The contributions that the informal sector currently makes to science education are identified. It is suggested that the provision of an effective science education entails an enhanced complementarity between the two sectors. Finally, there is a brief discussion of the collaboration and communication still needed if this is to be effective

Interweaving Monitoring Activities and Model Development towards Enhancing Knowledge of the Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum

The study of water pathways from the soil to the atmosphere through plants-the so-called soil-plant-atmosphere continuum (SPAC)-has always been central to agronomy, hydrology, plant physiology, and other disciplines, using a wide range of approaches and tools. In recent years, we have been witnessing a rapid expansion of interweaving monitoring activities and model development related to SPAC in climatic, ecological, and applications other than the traditional agrohydrological, and it is therefore timely to review the current status of this topic and outline future directions of research. The initiative for the special section of Vadose Zone Journal on SPAC emanated from several sessions we recently organized in international conferences and meetings. With a view to the specific research questions covered in this special section, this article introduces and reviews SPAC underlying issues and then provides a brief overview of the invited contributions. We have grouped together the 15 contributions under three main sections related to the local, field, and landscape spatial scales of interests. Within these sections, the papers present their innovative results using different measuring techniques (from classic tensiometers and TDR sensors to more advanced and sophisticated equipment based on tomography and geophysics) and different modeling tools (from mechanistic models based on the Richards equation to more parametrically parsimonious hydrologic balance models). They provide a snapshot of the current state of the art while emphasizing the significant progress attained in this field of research. New technological developments and applications are also highlighted

Measurement of the View the tt production cross-section using eμ events with b-tagged jets in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper describes a measurement of the inclusive top quark pair production cross-section (σtt¯) with a data sample of 3.2 fb−1 of proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 13 TeV, collected in 2015 by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. This measurement uses events with an opposite-charge electron–muon pair in the final state. Jets containing b-quarks are tagged using an algorithm based on track impact parameters and reconstructed secondary vertices. The numbers of events with exactly one and exactly two b-tagged jets are counted and used to determine simultaneously σtt¯ and the efficiency to reconstruct and b-tag a jet from a top quark decay, thereby minimising the associated systematic uncertainties. The cross-section is measured to be: σtt¯ = 818 ± 8 (stat) ± 27 (syst) ± 19 (lumi) ± 12 (beam) pb, where the four uncertainties arise from data statistics, experimental and theoretical systematic effects, the integrated luminosity and the LHC beam energy, giving a total relative uncertainty of 4.4%. The result is consistent with theoretical QCD calculations at next-to-next-to-leading order. A fiducial measurement corresponding to the experimental acceptance of the leptons is also presented

Search for dark matter produced in association with a hadronically decaying vector boson in pp collisions at sqrt (s) = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search is presented for dark matter produced in association with a hadronically decaying W or Z boson using 3.2 fb−1 of pp collisions at View the MathML sources=13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Events with a hadronic jet compatible with a W or Z boson and with large missing transverse momentum are analysed. The data are consistent with the Standard Model predictions and are interpreted in terms of both an effective field theory and a simplified model containing dark matter

Search for strong gravity in multijet final states produced in pp collisions at √s=13 TeV using the ATLAS detector at the LHC

A search is conducted for new physics in multijet final states using 3.6 inverse femtobarns of data from proton-proton collisions at √s = 13TeV taken at the CERN Large Hadron Collider with the ATLAS detector. Events are selected containing at least three jets with scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT) greater than 1TeV. No excess is seen at large HT and limits are presented on new physics: models which produce final states containing at least three jets and having cross sections larger than 1.6 fb with HT > 5.8 TeV are excluded. Limits are also given in terms of new physics models of strong gravity that hypothesize additional space-time dimensions

Search for TeV-scale gravity signatures in high-mass final states with leptons and jets with the ATLAS detector at sqrt [ s ] = 13TeV

A search for physics beyond the Standard Model, in final states with at least one high transverse momentum charged lepton (electron or muon) and two additional high transverse momentum leptons or jets, is performed using 3.2 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 at √s = 13 TeV. The upper end of the distribution of the scalar sum of the transverse momenta of leptons and jets is sensitive to the production of high-mass objects. No excess of events beyond Standard Model predictions is observed. Exclusion limits are set for models of microscopic black holes with two to six extra dimensions