Distinct double flower varieties in Camellia japonica exhibit both expansion and contraction of C-class gene expression

Double flower domestication is of great value in ornamental plants and presents an excellent system to study the mechanism of morphological alterations by human selection. The classic ABC model provides a genetic framework underlying the control of floral organ identity and organogenesis from which key regulators have been identified and evaluated in many plant species. Recent molecular studies have underscored the importance of C-class homeotic genes, whose functional attenuation contributed to the floral diversity in various species. Cultivated Camellia japonica L. possesses several types of double flowers, however the molecular mechanism underlying their floral morphological diversification remains unclear. In this study, we cloned the C-class orthologous gene CjAG in C. japonica. We analyzed the expression patterns of CjAG in wild C. japonica, and performed ectopic expression in Arabidopsis. These results revealed that CjAG shared conserved C-class function that controls stamen and carpel development. Further we analyzed the expression pattern of CjAG in two different C. japonica double-flower varieties, `Shibaxueshi’ and `Jinpanlizhi’, and showed that expression of CjAG was highly contracted in `Shibaxueshi’ but expanded in inner petals of `Jinpanlizhi’. Moreover, detailed expression analyses of B- and C-class genes have uncovered differential patterns of B-class genes in the inner organs of `Jinpanlizhi’. These results demonstrated that the contraction and expansion of CjAG expression were associated with the formation of different types of double flowers. Our studies have manifested two different trajectories of double flower domestication regarding the C-class gene expression in C. japonica.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-014-0288-

Safety and efficacy of endovascular recanalization for symptomatic non-acute atherosclerotic intracranial large artery occlusion

Background and objectiveThe optimal treatment for patients with symptomatic non-acute atherosclerotic intracranial large artery occlusion (ILAO) despite medical treatment is not well established. We aimed to assess the safety, efficacy, and feasibility of angioplasty and stenting for these patients.MethodsA total of 251 consecutive patients with symptomatic non-acute atherosclerotic ILAO treated with interventional recanalization were retrospectively collected in our center from March 2015 to August 2021. The rate of successful recanalization, perioperative complications, and follow-up outcomes were evaluated.ResultsSuccessful recanalization was achieved in 88.4% (222/251) of the patients. A total of 24 (24/251, 9.6%) symptomatic complications occurred among 251 procedures. In the 193 patients with clinical follow-up during 19.0 ± 14.7 months, 11 (11/193, 5.7%) patients developed ischemic stroke and four (4/193, 2.1%) patients developed transient ischemic attack (TIA). In the 106 patients with vascular imaging follow-up during 6.8 ± 6.6 months, seven (7/106, 6.6%) patients had restenosis and 10 (10/106, 9.4%) patients had reocclusion.ConclusionThis study suggests that interventional recanalization may be a feasible, basically safe, and an effective alternative in carefully selected patients with symptomatic non-acute atherosclerotic ILAO who have failed medical management

Aqueous spinning of robust, self-healable, and crack-resistant hydrogel microfibers enabled by hydrogen bond nanoconfinement

Robust damage-tolerant hydrogel fibers with high strength, crack resistance, and self-healing properties are indispensable for their long-term uses in soft machines and robots as load-bearing and actuating elements. However, current hydrogel fibers with inherent homogeneous structure are generally vulnerable to defects and cracks and thus local mechanical failure readily occurs across fiber normal. Here, inspired by spider spinning, we introduce a facile, energy-efficient aqueous pultrusion spinning process to continuously produce stiff yet extensible hydrogel microfibers at ambient conditions. The resulting microfibers are not only crack-insensitive but also rapidly heal the cracks in 30 s by moisture, owing to their structural nanoconfinement with hydrogen bond clusters embedded in an ionically complexed hygroscopic matrix. Moreover, the nanoconfined structure is highly energy-dissipating, moisture-sensitive but stable in water, leading to excellent damping and supercontraction properties. This work creates opportunities for the sustainable spinning of robust hydrogel-based fibrous materials towards diverse intelligent applications

Catalytic Ozonation for Effective Degradation of Coal Chemical Biochemical Tail Water by Mn/Ce@RM Catalyst

An Mn/Ce@red mud (RM) catalyst was prepared from RM via a doping–calcination method. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the surface morphology, crystal morphology, and elemental composition of the Mn/Ce@RM catalyst, respectively. In addition, preparation and catalytic ozonation conditions were optimized, and the mechanism of catalytic ozonation was discussed. Lastly, a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) was adopted to evaluate the degradation of coal chemical biochemical tail water. The best preparation conditions for the Mn/Ce@RM catalyst were found to be as follows: (1) active component loading of 3%, (2) Mn/Ce doping ratio of 2:1, (3) calcination temperature of 550 °C, (4) calcination time of 240 min, and (5) fly ash floating bead doping of 10%. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate was 76.58% under this preparation condition. The characterization results suggested that the pore structure of the optimized Mn/Ce@RM catalyst was significantly improved. Mn and Ce were successfully loaded on the catalyst in the form of MnO2 and CeO2. The best operating conditions in the study were as follows: (1) reaction time of 80 min, (2) initial pH of 9, (3) ozone dosage of 2.0 g/h, (4) catalyst dosage of 62.5 g/L, and (5) COD removal rate of 84.96%. Mechanism analysis results showed that hydroxyl radicals (•OH) played a leading role in degrading organics in the biochemical tail water, and adsorption of RM and direct oxidation of ozone played a secondary role. FAHP was established on the basis of environmental impact, economic benefit, and energy consumption. Comprehensive evaluation by FAHP demonstrated that D3 (with an ozone dosage of 2.0 g/H, a catalyst dosage of 62.5 g/L, initial pH of 9, reaction time of 80 min, and a COD removal rate of 84.96%) was the best operating condition

The complete chloroplast genome of the subtropical species Camellia japonica ‘Huaheling’

Camellia japonica ‘Huaheling’ is a rare subtropical Camellia species in China with high ornamental and medicinal value. The complete chloroplast genome of C. japonica ‘Huaheling’ is a 157,001-bp circular DNA molecule containing a large single-copy region (LSC, 86,704 bp), a small single-copy region (SSC, 18,393 bp), and two inverted repeat sequences (IR). Of the 131 genes identified, 86 are protein-coding genes, 8 are rRNA genes, and 37 are tRNA genes. A total of 54 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified in the chloroplast genome. The phylogenetic analysis showed that C. japonica ‘Huaheling’ is clustered with C. japonica. This work provides valuable information for future study of the evolution and genetic diversity of C. japonica ‘Huaheling.

Catalytic Ozonation for Effective Degradation of Coal Chemical Biochemical Tail Water by Mn/Ce@RM Catalyst

An Mn/Ce@red mud (RM) catalyst was prepared from RM via a doping–calcination method. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the surface morphology, crystal morphology, and elemental composition of the Mn/Ce@RM catalyst, respectively. In addition, preparation and catalytic ozonation conditions were optimized, and the mechanism of catalytic ozonation was discussed. Lastly, a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) was adopted to evaluate the degradation of coal chemical biochemical tail water. The best preparation conditions for the Mn/Ce@RM catalyst were found to be as follows: (1) active component loading of 3%, (2) Mn/Ce doping ratio of 2:1, (3) calcination temperature of 550 °C, (4) calcination time of 240 min, and (5) fly ash floating bead doping of 10%. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate was 76.58% under this preparation condition. The characterization results suggested that the pore structure of the optimized Mn/Ce@RM catalyst was significantly improved. Mn and Ce were successfully loaded on the catalyst in the form of MnO2 and CeO2. The best operating conditions in the study were as follows: (1) reaction time of 80 min, (2) initial pH of 9, (3) ozone dosage of 2.0 g/h, (4) catalyst dosage of 62.5 g/L, and (5) COD removal rate of 84.96%. Mechanism analysis results showed that hydroxyl radicals (•OH) played a leading role in degrading organics in the biochemical tail water, and adsorption of RM and direct oxidation of ozone played a secondary role. FAHP was established on the basis of environmental impact, economic benefit, and energy consumption. Comprehensive evaluation by FAHP demonstrated that D3 (with an ozone dosage of 2.0 g/H, a catalyst dosage of 62.5 g/L, initial pH of 9, reaction time of 80 min, and a COD removal rate of 84.96%) was the best operating condition

The complete chloroplast genome of Camellia grijsii ‘zhenzhucha’, a variant cultivar with floral aroma

Camellia grijsii ‘zhenzhucha’ is a variant cultivar from Camellia grijsii, which is also called Camellia grijsii ‘juhuacha’.C. grijsii ‘zhenzhucha’ is an ornamental shrub with a floral aroma, and is oftenused in landscape. To provide genetic information for genetic research, we have sequenced and assembled the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of C. grijsii ‘zhenzhucha’ based on the Illumina Hiseq platform. The assembled complete cp genome of C. grijsii ‘zhenzhucha’ was 161,478 bp in length with 37.24% GC, including a large single-copy (LSC) region of 59,942 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 17,294 bp, and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 20,293 bp. The cp genome was annotated with 130 functional genes, consisting of 81 protein-coding genes, 45 transporter RNAs, and 4 ribosomal RNAs. To obtain the phylogeny relationship, the cp genome of C. grijsii 'zhenzhucha'has been compared with other Camellia species, and the results indicate that C. grijsii 'zhenzhucha' is closely related to C. grijsii. This study provides fundamental information of C. grijsii 'zhenzhucha' cp genome, and has an important reference value for the evolutionary analysis

Genetic diversity and relationships among populations of Camellia japonica, an endangered species in China

Camellia japonica, an evergreen ornamental plant in the Theaceae, its natural range is now shrinking. This is evidenced by the fact that the species is on the verge of extinction in Laoshan Mountain (Qingdao), the northernmost area of China for natural population of C. japonica. Little is known about the genetic diversity and relationships among cultivated and wild C. japonica populations. 180 samples of six C. japonica populations were tested for genetic diversity with SSR markers; these included three cultivated populations, two natural populations in Qingdao, and one natural population in Daqingshan. The average values of polymorphism information content (PIC), expected heterozygosity (He), and Shannon’s information index (I) were 0.5849, 0.6385 and 1.3170, respectively, indicating that C. japonica has a high genetic diversity. The genetic diversities of the six populations in rank order were as follows: Daqingshan > Zhongshan Park > Changmenyan Island > Daguan Island > Botanical Garden > May Fourth Square. The geographical isolation of the islands had no significant influence on the genetic diversity of C. japonica. Clustering results showed that the six C. japonica populations could be grouped into three categories, and most populations were clustered according to their geographical origin and genetic background. These results also reconfirmed that the C. japonica (Naidong) population in Qingdao originated from Changmenyan Island. Genetic variation was highest within populations (89%), indicating that C. japonica can be protected at the population level. These findings will prove useful for the genetic analysis, protection, and horticultural use of C. japonica.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

The complete chloroplast genome of Camellia grijsii, an ornamental shrub with floral aroma

Camellia grijsii is an ornamental shrub with a floral aroma, which is widely cultivated and used for landscaping in China. To obtain the genetic information of C. grijsii, we have sequenced and assembled the complete chloroplast (cp) genome based on the Illumina Hiseq platform. The total genome size is 161,078 bp in length with 37.18% GC, which contains a large single copy (LSC, 84,645 bp) region, a small single copy (SSC, 15,772 bp) region, and a pair of inverted repeat (IRs, 30,330 bp) regions. It is composed of 81 protein-coding genes, 4 ribosomal RNAs, and 43 transfer RNAs. The cp genome of C. grijsii has also been compared with other species of Camellia, and the results showed that the C. grijsii and the C. grandbibracteata are closely related. This study provides the complete cp genome of C. grijsii and has an important reference value for the evolutionary analysis