MicroRNAs （miRNAs） are derived from distinct loci in the genome and play crucial roles in RNA-mediated gene silencing mechanisms that regulate cellular processes during development and stress responses of plants. Th...MicroRNAs （miRNAs） are derived from distinct loci in the genome and play crucial roles in RNA-mediated gene silencing mechanisms that regulate cellular processes during development and stress responses of plants. The miRNAs are approximately 21 nucleotides long and code for the complementary strand to a larger genic mRNA. They are often found within the complementary primary transcript （pri-miRNAs）. In the past few years, a growing number of soybean miRNAs have been discovered, however, little is known about the transcriptional regulation of these miRNAs. In this study, promoters and cis-acting elements of soybean miRNAs were analyzed using the genomic data for the first time. A total of 82 miRNAs were located among 122 loci in genome, some were present as double or multiple copies. Five clusters that included ten miRNAs were found in genome, and only one cluster share the same promoter. A total of 191 promoters from 122 loci of the soybean miRNA sequences were found and further analyzed. The results indicated that the conserved soybean miRNA genes had a greater proportion of promoters than that of non-conserved ones, and the distribution of the transcript start sites （TSSs） and TATA-boxes found had different motif styles between conserved and non-conserved miRNA genes. Furthermore, the cis-acting elements 5＇ of the TSSs were analyzed to obtain potential function and spatiotemporal expression pattern of miRNAs. The data obtained here may lead to the identification of specific sequences upstream of pre-miRNAs and the functional annotation of miRNAs in soybean.展开更多
The present work presents an iin silicoi analysis of Upstream Regulatory Modules (URMs) of genes expressed in tapetum specific manner in dicotyledon and monocotyledon plants. In the current analysis, we identified sev...The present work presents an iin silicoi analysis of Upstream Regulatory Modules (URMs) of genes expressed in tapetum specific manner in dicotyledon and monocotyledon plants. In the current analysis, we identified several motifs conserved in these URMs of which ten were observed to be part of known icisi-elements using tools and databases like MEME, PLACE, MAST and TFSEARCH. We also identified that binding sites for two transcription factors, DOF and WRKY71 were found to be present in majority of the URMs.展开更多
The striatum, as the primary input nucleus in the basal ganglion,plays an important role in neural circuits crucial for the control of critical motivation, motor planning and procedural learning(Kreitzer and Malenka, ...The striatum, as the primary input nucleus in the basal ganglion,plays an important role in neural circuits crucial for the control of critical motivation, motor planning and procedural learning(Kreitzer and Malenka, 2008). Most cells in the striatum are GABAergic, including a large population (90%-95%) of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) and a small population of interneurons.展开更多
Rice(Oryza sativa)is a staple food for more than half of the world's population and a critical crop for global agriculture.Understanding the regulatory mechanisms that control gene expression in the rice genome is...Rice(Oryza sativa)is a staple food for more than half of the world's population and a critical crop for global agriculture.Understanding the regulatory mechanisms that control gene expression in the rice genome is fundamental for advancing agricultural productivity and food security.In mechanism,cis-regulatory elements(including promoters,enhancers,silencers,and insulators)are key DNA sequences whose activities determine the spatial and temporal expression patterns of nearby genes(Yocca and Edger,2022;Schmitz et al.,2022).展开更多
The hexanucleotide repeat mutation in the intron-1 of the chromosome 9 open reading frame (C9orf72) is a frequent cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Altered RNA folding pla...The hexanucleotide repeat mutation in the intron-1 of the chromosome 9 open reading frame (C9orf72) is a frequent cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Altered RNA folding plays a role in ALS pathogenesis in two ways: non-ATG translation of the repeat can lead to aggregates of the known C9orf72 specific dipeptide polymer, whereas the repeat also can form neurotoxic RNA inclusions that dose-responsively kill motor neurons. We report the presence of a homology in the 5’untranslated region (UTR) of the messenger RNA encoding C9orf72 with the iron responsive elements (IRE) that control expression of iron-associated transcripts and predict that this RNA structure may iron-dependently regulate C9orf72 translation. We previously report altered serum ferritin levels track with severity of ALS in patients. Here, we conduct bioinformatics analyses to determine the secondary structure of the 5’UTR in C9orf72 mRNA and find it aligned with IREs in the human mitochondrial cis-aconitase and L and H-ferritin transcripts. Comparison of the role of RNA repeats in Friedriech’s ataxia and fragile X mental retardation suggests the utility of RNA based therapies for treatment of ALS. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) have been reported to therapeutically target these GGGGCC repeats. At the same time, because the function of C9orf72 is unknown, knockdown strategies carry some risk of inducing or compounding haploinsufficiency. We propose, for consideration, an approach that may enhance its therapeutic dynamic range by increasing the 5’UTR driven translation of C9orf72 protein to compensate for any potential ALS-specific or ASO-induced haploinsufficieny.展开更多
Isoparametric quadrilateral elements are widely used in the finite element method, but the accuracy of the isoparametric quadrilateral elements will drop obviously deteriorate due to mesh distortions. Spline functions...Isoparametric quadrilateral elements are widely used in the finite element method, but the accuracy of the isoparametric quadrilateral elements will drop obviously deteriorate due to mesh distortions. Spline functions have some properties of simplicity and conformality. Two 8-node quadrilateral elements have been developed using the trian- gular area coordinates and the B-net method, which can ex- actly model the quadratic field for both convex and concave quadrangles. Some appropriate examples are employed to evaluate the performance of the proposed elements. The nu- merical results show that the two spline elements can obtain solutions which are highly accurate and insensitive to mesh distortions.展开更多
The importance of microRNA （miRNA） at the post-transcriptional regulation level has recently been recognized in both animals and plants. In recent years, many studies focused on miRNA target identification and funct...The importance of microRNA （miRNA） at the post-transcriptional regulation level has recently been recognized in both animals and plants. In recent years, many studies focused on miRNA target identification and functional analysis. However, little is known about the transcription and regulation of miRNAs themselves. In this study, the transcription start sites （TSSs） for 11 miRNA primary transcripts of soybean from 11 miRNA loci （of 50 loci tested） were cloned by a 5＂ rapid amplification of cDNA ends （5＂ RACE） procedure using total RNA from 30-d-old seedlings. The features consistent with a RNA polymerase II mechanism of transcription were found among these miRNA loci. A position weight matrix algorithm was used to identify conserved motifs in miRNA core promoter regions. A canonical TATA box motif was identified upstream of the major start site at 8 （76%） of the mapped miRNA loci. Several cis-acting elements were predicted in the 2 kb 5＂ to the TSSs. Potential spatial and temporal expression patterns of the miRNAs were found. The target genes for these miRNAs were also predicted and further elucidated for the potential function of the miRNAs. This research provides a molecular basis to explore regulatory mechanisms of miRNA expression, and a way to understand miRNA-mediated regulatory pathways and networks in soybean.展开更多
A high-strength magnesium alloy containing Yb was prepared through a simple hot extrusion process.The effect of Yb addition on dynamic precipitation,texture evolution,dynamic recrystallization mechanisms,deformation m...A high-strength magnesium alloy containing Yb was prepared through a simple hot extrusion process.The effect of Yb addition on dynamic precipitation,texture evolution,dynamic recrystallization mechanisms,deformation mechanisms,and strengthening mechanisms in as-extruded Mg-4 Sm-3 Gd(-2 Yb)-0.5 Zr(SGY0,SGY2)alloys was systematically investigated.The results indicated that the average grain size decreased from 4.17μm to 1.48μm with the addition of Yb.This extreme grain refinement greatly enhances the strength.The addition of Yb significantly facilitated the phase precipitation,but did not change the texture type.The non-dynamic recrystallized(un DRXed)grains exhibited a strong basal plane texture of<0110>parallel to the extrusion direction(ED),while the dynamic recrystallized(DRXed)grains showed a weaker rare earth texture,characterized by<1212>//ED.Moreover,the as-extruded SGY0 and SGY2 alloys predominantly undergo continuous dynamic recrystallization(CDRX),and some DRXed grains exhibit a discontinuous dynamic recrystallization mechanism(DDRX).In addition,the addition of Yb facilitates the activation of non-basal plane slip.The dislocation types in the as-extruded SGY0 and SGY2 alloys include(a),(c)and(c+a)dislocations.However,the SGY2 alloy exhibits a relatively high dislocation density,which contributes to the enhancement of the strength.Extreme grain refinement and the dispersion of nanoscale second-phase particles are key factors in increasing the strength.展开更多
The root appears to be the most relevant organ for breeding drought stress tolerance.However, our knowledge about temporal and spatial regulation of drought-associated genes in the root remains fragmented, especially ...The root appears to be the most relevant organ for breeding drought stress tolerance.However, our knowledge about temporal and spatial regulation of drought-associated genes in the root remains fragmented, especially in crop plants. We performed a meta-analysis of expression divergence of essential drought-inducible genes and analyzed their association with cis-elements in model crops and major cereal crops. Our analysis of42 selected drought-inducible genes revealed that these are expressed primarily in roots,followed by shoot, leaf, and inflorescence tissues, especially in wheat. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis confirmed higher expression of TaDREB2 and TaAQP7 in roots,correlated with extensive rooting and drought-stress tolerance in wheat. A promoter scan up to 2 kb upstream of the translation start site using phylogenetic footprinting revealed708 transcription factor binding sites, including drought response elements(DREs), auxin response elements(Aux REs), MYCREs/MYBREs, ABAREs, and ERD1 in 19 selected genes.Interestingly, these elements were organized into clusters of overlapping transcription factor binding sites known as homotypic clusters(HCTs), which modulate drought physiology in plants. Taken together, these results revealed the expression preeminence of major drought-inducible genes in the root, suggesting its crucial role in drought adaptation. The occurrence of HCTs in drought-inducible genes highlights the putative evolutionary modifications of crop plants in developing drought adaptation. We propose that these DNA motifs can be used as molecular markers for breeding drought-resilient cultivars, particularly in the cereal crops.展开更多
A novel route to comprehensive utilization of valuable elements such as Ti, A1, Si and Mg in Ti-bearing electric arc furnace molten slag （Ti-bearing EAF slag） was proposed. The route can be expressed as a three-step...A novel route to comprehensive utilization of valuable elements such as Ti, A1, Si and Mg in Ti-bearing electric arc furnace molten slag （Ti-bearing EAF slag） was proposed. The route can be expressed as a three-step process including alkali fusion, water leaching and acidolysis. Following these processes under the optimum conditions, the recovery ratios of TiO2, Al2O3, SiO2 and MgO were about 97.5, 93.5, 27.9 and 53.5%, respectively. Meanwhile, nanostructured TiO2, NaA zeolite and Mg（OH）2 fire retardant were synthesized simultaneously by using Ti-bearing EAF slag as raw materials. In addition, the photocatalytic activity of prepared nanostructured TiO2 and the adsorption property of obtained NaA zeolite were investigated. The results showed that the photodegradation efficiency of as-prepared TiO2 was 80% for rhodamine B and the adsorption efficiency of NaA zeolite was 61% for Cu2＋ under the optimum conditions.展开更多
The forming limit diagram of Ti-15-3 alloy sheet was constituted at room temperature. The effects of different punch and rubber hardness on the limit principal strain distributions were investigated experimentally. Fi...The forming limit diagram of Ti-15-3 alloy sheet was constituted at room temperature. The effects of different punch and rubber hardness on the limit principal strain distributions were investigated experimentally. Finite element analysis models of the samples with dimensions of 180 mm×180 mm were established to analyze the friction coefficients of different interfaces. Effects of various friction coefficients on the strain distributions were studied in detail. Finally, the friction coefficients in the cold forming were determined by contrasting the strain results between the experimental data and the simulated ones.展开更多
Coal fly ash originated from coal combustion has high concentrations of metals. If suitable leaching techniques are identified, then coal fly ash could serve as a useful source of valuable minerals including rare eart...Coal fly ash originated from coal combustion has high concentrations of metals. If suitable leaching techniques are identified, then coal fly ash could serve as a useful source of valuable minerals including rare earth elements (REEs). In this study, three microbial strains, Candida bombicola, Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Cryptococcus curvatus were tested on their performance of leaching trace elements and REEs from fly ash. Through comparing mineral loss and leaching efficiencies resulting from indirect leaching or use of the culture supernatant, C. bombicola was identified to be the best leading to the highest mineral loss and extracting efficiencies of trace elements and REEs among the three strains. The highest mineral loss observed from using the supernatant of this yeast strain was 59.7%. Among all trace elements, As and Mo had the highest leaching efficiency of 80.9% and 79.5%. respectively. The same leaching test led to 67.7% of Yb and 64.6% of Er dissolved from the ash. This study, thus, demonstrated that bioleaching is feasible for leaching metals out of fly ash. The C. bombicola strain deserves further investigation due to its robust actions on metal leaching.展开更多
Soil secondary minerals are important scavengers of rare earth elements(REEs) in soils and thus affect geochemical behavior and occurrence of REEs. The fractionation of REEs is a common geochemical phenomenon in soils...Soil secondary minerals are important scavengers of rare earth elements(REEs) in soils and thus affect geochemical behavior and occurrence of REEs. The fractionation of REEs is a common geochemical phenomenon in soils but has received little attention, especially fractionation induced by secondary minerals. In this study, REEs(La to Lu and Y) associated with soil-abundant secondary minerals Fe-, Al-, and Mn-oxides in 196 soil samples were investigated to explore the fractionation and anomalies of REEs related to the minerals. The results show right-inclined chondrite-normalized REE patterns for La–Lu in soils subjected to total soil digestion and partial soil extraction. Light REEs(LREEs) enrichment features were negatively correlated with a Eu anomaly and positively correlated with a Ce anomaly. The fractionation between LREEs and heavy REEs(HREEs) was attributed to the high adsorption affinity of LREEs to secondary minerals and the preferred activation/leaching of HREEs.The substantial fractions of REEs in soils extracted byoxalate and Dithionite-Citrate-Bicarbonate buffer solutions were labile(10 %–30 %), which were similar to the mass fraction of Fe(10 %–20 %). Furthermore, Eu was found to be more mobile than the other REEs in the soils, whereas Ce was less mobile. These results add to our understanding of the distribution and geochemical behavior of REEs in soils, and also help to deduce the conditions of soil formation from REE fractionation.展开更多
Optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with energy dispersed X-ray spectrometry （SEM-EDX）, have been used to study the minerals and the concentrations of 12 trace elements in the No.14 c...Optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with energy dispersed X-ray spectrometry （SEM-EDX）, have been used to study the minerals and the concentrations of 12 trace elements in the No.14 coal from the Huolinhe mine, Inner Mongolia China. The distribution, affinity and removability of the trace elements were studied by float-sink experiments and petrological methods. A high mineral content, dominated by clay minerals, was found in the No.14 coal from the Huolinhe mine. The concentrations of As, Sb and Hg are relatively high compared to the average values for Chinese coals. As, Cr, Hg, Li, Mn, Pb are mainly associated with the minerals while Cd, Co, Ni, Sb, and Se are evenly distributed between the minerals and the organic matter. Be and Ba are mainly distributed in the minerals with a minor proportion in the organic matter. Most elements have a low organic affinity, although Sb, Se, Co, Cd, Ni are closely integrated with the organic matter. High theoretical removabilities are indicated for most trace elements. So it may be possible to lower the concentrations of trace elements during coal preparation.展开更多
In general, triangular and quadrilateral elements are commonly applied in two-dimensional finite element methods. If they are used to compute polycrystalline materials, the cost of computation can be quite significant...In general, triangular and quadrilateral elements are commonly applied in two-dimensional finite element methods. If they are used to compute polycrystalline materials, the cost of computation can be quite significant. Polygonal elements can do well in simulation of the materials behavior and provide greater flexibility for the meshing of complex geometries. Hence, the study on the polygonal element is a very useful and necessary part in the finite element method. In this paper, an n-sided polygonal element based on quadratic spline interpolant, denoted by PS2 element, is presented using the triangular area coordinates and the B-net method. The PS2 element is conforming and can exactly model the quadratic field. It is valid for both convex and non-convex polygonal element, and insensitive to mesh distortions. In addition, no mapping or coordinate transformation is required and thus no Jacobian matrix and its inverse are evaluated. Some appropriate examples are employed to evaluate the performance of the proposed element.展开更多
A 5＇ flanking region of the well-conserved Toll/interleukin-1 receptor domain （TIR）-encoding sequence was isolated from the genomic DNA ofMelampsora magnusiana Wagner resistant clones of hybrid triploid poplars [（...A 5＇ flanking region of the well-conserved Toll/interleukin-1 receptor domain （TIR）-encoding sequence was isolated from the genomic DNA ofMelampsora magnusiana Wagner resistant clones of hybrid triploid poplars [（Populus tomentosa × P. bolleana） × P. tomentosa]. Sequencing results and alignment analysis show that the obtained TIR-specific promoter （named as PtTIRp01） was 1,732 bp in length; moreover 3＇ region of the PtTIRp01 contains a responds to the 5＇ composition of TIR-NBS type gene PtDRG02, of 747 bp long 5＇ region of TIR-NBS type gene PtDRG02 and its 398 bp complete TIR-encoding sequence, which significantly corindicating that the obtained TIR-specific promoter region consists upstream region of promoter （985 bp）. It was found that the 5＇ region of TIR-NBS type gene PtDRG02 was characterized in the downstream region of the transcriptional start, named as 5＇-untranslated region （5＇ UTR）, consisting of one 93 bp 5＇-untranslation exon, one 213 bp intron and one 441 bp TIR-encoding open reading frame （ORF）. In addition, several putative cis-acting motifs were present in the obtained TIR-specific promoter of PtDRG02, including one TATA box, one GC-rich, one AT-rich, one P-box, one 3-AF1 binding site, two CAAT boxes, two GT-1 motifs, three typical W-boxes, four I-boxes, and one multi-cis-acting fragment （MCF）. The latter contains five types of regulatory elements （E4, G-box, ABRE motif, box 1 and HVA 1 s）, most of which were homologous to the cis-acting regulatory elements involved in the activation of defense genes in plants. Thus, it can be suggested that TIR-specific promoter might be a pathogen-inducible promoter and be necessary for the inducible expression of defense-related genes. Key words Toll/interleukin- 1 receptor domain, promoter, Cis-acting element, poplar展开更多
The basic principle and numerical technique for simulating two three-dimensional bubbles near a free surface are studied in detail by using boundary element method. The singularities of influence coefficient matrix ar...The basic principle and numerical technique for simulating two three-dimensional bubbles near a free surface are studied in detail by using boundary element method. The singularities of influence coefficient matrix are eliminated using coordinate transformation and so-called 4π rule. The solid angle for the open surface is treated in direct method based on its definition. Several kinds of configurations for the bubbles and free surface have been investigated. The pressure contours during the evolution of bubbles are obtained in our model and can better illuminate the mechanism underlying the motions of bubbles and free surface. The bubble dynamics and their interactions have close relation with the standoff distances, buoyancy parameters and initial sizes of bubbles. Completely different bubble shapes, free surface motions, jetting patterns and pressure distributions under different parameters can be observed in our model, as demon- strated in our calculation results.展开更多
基金supported by the National High-Tech R&D Program of China (863 Program,2006AA100104-4)the Project of 948 from Ministryof Agriculture of China (2006-G5)+5 种基金the National Nature Science Foundation of China (30971810,60932008)the National Basic Research Program ofChina (973 Program, 2009CB118400)the Postdoctoral Fund in Heilongjiang Province, China (LBH-Z07228)the Foundation Projects of Northeast Agricultural University, Chinathe Technology Project of Education Ministry of Heilongjiang Province, China(11541025)the Technology Project of Harbin,China (2009RFQXN085)
文摘MicroRNAs （miRNAs） are derived from distinct loci in the genome and play crucial roles in RNA-mediated gene silencing mechanisms that regulate cellular processes during development and stress responses of plants. The miRNAs are approximately 21 nucleotides long and code for the complementary strand to a larger genic mRNA. They are often found within the complementary primary transcript （pri-miRNAs）. In the past few years, a growing number of soybean miRNAs have been discovered, however, little is known about the transcriptional regulation of these miRNAs. In this study, promoters and cis-acting elements of soybean miRNAs were analyzed using the genomic data for the first time. A total of 82 miRNAs were located among 122 loci in genome, some were present as double or multiple copies. Five clusters that included ten miRNAs were found in genome, and only one cluster share the same promoter. A total of 191 promoters from 122 loci of the soybean miRNA sequences were found and further analyzed. The results indicated that the conserved soybean miRNA genes had a greater proportion of promoters than that of non-conserved ones, and the distribution of the transcript start sites （TSSs） and TATA-boxes found had different motif styles between conserved and non-conserved miRNA genes. Furthermore, the cis-acting elements 5＇ of the TSSs were analyzed to obtain potential function and spatiotemporal expression pattern of miRNAs. The data obtained here may lead to the identification of specific sequences upstream of pre-miRNAs and the functional annotation of miRNAs in soybean.
文摘The present work presents an iin silicoi analysis of Upstream Regulatory Modules (URMs) of genes expressed in tapetum specific manner in dicotyledon and monocotyledon plants. In the current analysis, we identified several motifs conserved in these URMs of which ten were observed to be part of known icisi-elements using tools and databases like MEME, PLACE, MAST and TFSEARCH. We also identified that binding sites for two transcription factors, DOF and WRKY71 were found to be present in majority of the URMs.
基金supported by grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFA0100702 and 2016YFC0902502)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31670789 and 31671316)the CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (CIFMS, 2016I2M-2-001, 2016-I2M-1-001, 2016-I2M-1-004 and 2017-I2M-1004)
文摘The striatum, as the primary input nucleus in the basal ganglion,plays an important role in neural circuits crucial for the control of critical motivation, motor planning and procedural learning(Kreitzer and Malenka, 2008). Most cells in the striatum are GABAergic, including a large population (90%-95%) of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) and a small population of interneurons.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32070656)。
文摘Rice(Oryza sativa)is a staple food for more than half of the world's population and a critical crop for global agriculture.Understanding the regulatory mechanisms that control gene expression in the rice genome is fundamental for advancing agricultural productivity and food security.In mechanism,cis-regulatory elements(including promoters,enhancers,silencers,and insulators)are key DNA sequences whose activities determine the spatial and temporal expression patterns of nearby genes(Yocca and Edger,2022;Schmitz et al.,2022).
文摘The hexanucleotide repeat mutation in the intron-1 of the chromosome 9 open reading frame (C9orf72) is a frequent cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Altered RNA folding plays a role in ALS pathogenesis in two ways: non-ATG translation of the repeat can lead to aggregates of the known C9orf72 specific dipeptide polymer, whereas the repeat also can form neurotoxic RNA inclusions that dose-responsively kill motor neurons. We report the presence of a homology in the 5’untranslated region (UTR) of the messenger RNA encoding C9orf72 with the iron responsive elements (IRE) that control expression of iron-associated transcripts and predict that this RNA structure may iron-dependently regulate C9orf72 translation. We previously report altered serum ferritin levels track with severity of ALS in patients. Here, we conduct bioinformatics analyses to determine the secondary structure of the 5’UTR in C9orf72 mRNA and find it aligned with IREs in the human mitochondrial cis-aconitase and L and H-ferritin transcripts. Comparison of the role of RNA repeats in Friedriech’s ataxia and fragile X mental retardation suggests the utility of RNA based therapies for treatment of ALS. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) have been reported to therapeutically target these GGGGCC repeats. At the same time, because the function of C9orf72 is unknown, knockdown strategies carry some risk of inducing or compounding haploinsufficiency. We propose, for consideration, an approach that may enhance its therapeutic dynamic range by increasing the 5’UTR driven translation of C9orf72 protein to compensate for any potential ALS-specific or ASO-induced haploinsufficieny.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(11001037,11102037 and 11290143)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
文摘Isoparametric quadrilateral elements are widely used in the finite element method, but the accuracy of the isoparametric quadrilateral elements will drop obviously deteriorate due to mesh distortions. Spline functions have some properties of simplicity and conformality. Two 8-node quadrilateral elements have been developed using the trian- gular area coordinates and the B-net method, which can ex- actly model the quadratic field for both convex and concave quadrangles. Some appropriate examples are employed to evaluate the performance of the proposed elements. The nu- merical results show that the two spline elements can obtain solutions which are highly accurate and insensitive to mesh distortions.
基金supported by the National High-Tech R&D Program of China (2006AA10Z1F1)the National Core Soybean Genetic Engineering Project, China(2011ZX08004-002)+3 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (60932008, 30971810)the National Basic Research Program of China (2009CB118400)the Ministry of Education Innovation Team of Soybean Molecular Design,Chinathe Innovation Team of the Education Bureau of Heilongjiang Province, China
文摘The importance of microRNA （miRNA） at the post-transcriptional regulation level has recently been recognized in both animals and plants. In recent years, many studies focused on miRNA target identification and functional analysis. However, little is known about the transcription and regulation of miRNAs themselves. In this study, the transcription start sites （TSSs） for 11 miRNA primary transcripts of soybean from 11 miRNA loci （of 50 loci tested） were cloned by a 5＂ rapid amplification of cDNA ends （5＂ RACE） procedure using total RNA from 30-d-old seedlings. The features consistent with a RNA polymerase II mechanism of transcription were found among these miRNA loci. A position weight matrix algorithm was used to identify conserved motifs in miRNA core promoter regions. A canonical TATA box motif was identified upstream of the major start site at 8 （76%） of the mapped miRNA loci. Several cis-acting elements were predicted in the 2 kb 5＂ to the TSSs. Potential spatial and temporal expression patterns of the miRNAs were found. The target genes for these miRNAs were also predicted and further elucidated for the potential function of the miRNAs. This research provides a molecular basis to explore regulatory mechanisms of miRNA expression, and a way to understand miRNA-mediated regulatory pathways and networks in soybean.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52371108,52201119,52203295)Frontier Exploration Project of Longmen Laboratory,China(LMQYTSKT014)the Joint Fund of Henan Science and Technology R&D Plan of China(242103810056)。
文摘A high-strength magnesium alloy containing Yb was prepared through a simple hot extrusion process.The effect of Yb addition on dynamic precipitation,texture evolution,dynamic recrystallization mechanisms,deformation mechanisms,and strengthening mechanisms in as-extruded Mg-4 Sm-3 Gd(-2 Yb)-0.5 Zr(SGY0,SGY2)alloys was systematically investigated.The results indicated that the average grain size decreased from 4.17μm to 1.48μm with the addition of Yb.This extreme grain refinement greatly enhances the strength.The addition of Yb significantly facilitated the phase precipitation,but did not change the texture type.The non-dynamic recrystallized(un DRXed)grains exhibited a strong basal plane texture of<0110>parallel to the extrusion direction(ED),while the dynamic recrystallized(DRXed)grains showed a weaker rare earth texture,characterized by<1212>//ED.Moreover,the as-extruded SGY0 and SGY2 alloys predominantly undergo continuous dynamic recrystallization(CDRX),and some DRXed grains exhibit a discontinuous dynamic recrystallization mechanism(DDRX).In addition,the addition of Yb facilitates the activation of non-basal plane slip.The dislocation types in the as-extruded SGY0 and SGY2 alloys include(a),(c)and(c+a)dislocations.However,the SGY2 alloy exhibits a relatively high dislocation density,which contributes to the enhancement of the strength.Extreme grain refinement and the dispersion of nanoscale second-phase particles are key factors in increasing the strength.
基金supported by German–Pakistani Research Cooperation(grant no.56453308)via German Academic Exchange Service(DAAD)to build German–Pakistani research and academic exchange and partnerships
文摘The root appears to be the most relevant organ for breeding drought stress tolerance.However, our knowledge about temporal and spatial regulation of drought-associated genes in the root remains fragmented, especially in crop plants. We performed a meta-analysis of expression divergence of essential drought-inducible genes and analyzed their association with cis-elements in model crops and major cereal crops. Our analysis of42 selected drought-inducible genes revealed that these are expressed primarily in roots,followed by shoot, leaf, and inflorescence tissues, especially in wheat. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis confirmed higher expression of TaDREB2 and TaAQP7 in roots,correlated with extensive rooting and drought-stress tolerance in wheat. A promoter scan up to 2 kb upstream of the translation start site using phylogenetic footprinting revealed708 transcription factor binding sites, including drought response elements(DREs), auxin response elements(Aux REs), MYCREs/MYBREs, ABAREs, and ERD1 in 19 selected genes.Interestingly, these elements were organized into clusters of overlapping transcription factor binding sites known as homotypic clusters(HCTs), which modulate drought physiology in plants. Taken together, these results revealed the expression preeminence of major drought-inducible genes in the root, suggesting its crucial role in drought adaptation. The occurrence of HCTs in drought-inducible genes highlights the putative evolutionary modifications of crop plants in developing drought adaptation. We propose that these DNA motifs can be used as molecular markers for breeding drought-resilient cultivars, particularly in the cereal crops.
基金This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China （Nos. 51471122 and 51604202）, the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation （No. 2016M592397） and the Science and Technology Project of Guangdong Province （No. 2013B090600025）.
文摘A novel route to comprehensive utilization of valuable elements such as Ti, A1, Si and Mg in Ti-bearing electric arc furnace molten slag （Ti-bearing EAF slag） was proposed. The route can be expressed as a three-step process including alkali fusion, water leaching and acidolysis. Following these processes under the optimum conditions, the recovery ratios of TiO2, Al2O3, SiO2 and MgO were about 97.5, 93.5, 27.9 and 53.5%, respectively. Meanwhile, nanostructured TiO2, NaA zeolite and Mg（OH）2 fire retardant were synthesized simultaneously by using Ti-bearing EAF slag as raw materials. In addition, the photocatalytic activity of prepared nanostructured TiO2 and the adsorption property of obtained NaA zeolite were investigated. The results showed that the photodegradation efficiency of as-prepared TiO2 was 80% for rhodamine B and the adsorption efficiency of NaA zeolite was 61% for Cu2＋ under the optimum conditions.
文摘The forming limit diagram of Ti-15-3 alloy sheet was constituted at room temperature. The effects of different punch and rubber hardness on the limit principal strain distributions were investigated experimentally. Finite element analysis models of the samples with dimensions of 180 mm×180 mm were established to analyze the friction coefficients of different interfaces. Effects of various friction coefficients on the strain distributions were studied in detail. Finally, the friction coefficients in the cold forming were determined by contrasting the strain results between the experimental data and the simulated ones.
文摘Coal fly ash originated from coal combustion has high concentrations of metals. If suitable leaching techniques are identified, then coal fly ash could serve as a useful source of valuable minerals including rare earth elements (REEs). In this study, three microbial strains, Candida bombicola, Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Cryptococcus curvatus were tested on their performance of leaching trace elements and REEs from fly ash. Through comparing mineral loss and leaching efficiencies resulting from indirect leaching or use of the culture supernatant, C. bombicola was identified to be the best leading to the highest mineral loss and extracting efficiencies of trace elements and REEs among the three strains. The highest mineral loss observed from using the supernatant of this yeast strain was 59.7%. Among all trace elements, As and Mo had the highest leaching efficiency of 80.9% and 79.5%. respectively. The same leaching test led to 67.7% of Yb and 64.6% of Er dissolved from the ash. This study, thus, demonstrated that bioleaching is feasible for leaching metals out of fly ash. The C. bombicola strain deserves further investigation due to its robust actions on metal leaching.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41420104007,41330857,and 41673135)the Guangdong Natural Science Foundation of China(S2013050014266)the One Hundred Talents Programme of The Chinese Academy of Sciences
文摘Soil secondary minerals are important scavengers of rare earth elements(REEs) in soils and thus affect geochemical behavior and occurrence of REEs. The fractionation of REEs is a common geochemical phenomenon in soils but has received little attention, especially fractionation induced by secondary minerals. In this study, REEs(La to Lu and Y) associated with soil-abundant secondary minerals Fe-, Al-, and Mn-oxides in 196 soil samples were investigated to explore the fractionation and anomalies of REEs related to the minerals. The results show right-inclined chondrite-normalized REE patterns for La–Lu in soils subjected to total soil digestion and partial soil extraction. Light REEs(LREEs) enrichment features were negatively correlated with a Eu anomaly and positively correlated with a Ce anomaly. The fractionation between LREEs and heavy REEs(HREEs) was attributed to the high adsorption affinity of LREEs to secondary minerals and the preferred activation/leaching of HREEs.The substantial fractions of REEs in soils extracted byoxalate and Dithionite-Citrate-Bicarbonate buffer solutions were labile(10 %–30 %), which were similar to the mass fraction of Fe(10 %–20 %). Furthermore, Eu was found to be more mobile than the other REEs in the soils, whereas Ce was less mobile. These results add to our understanding of the distribution and geochemical behavior of REEs in soils, and also help to deduce the conditions of soil formation from REE fractionation.
文摘Optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with energy dispersed X-ray spectrometry （SEM-EDX）, have been used to study the minerals and the concentrations of 12 trace elements in the No.14 coal from the Huolinhe mine, Inner Mongolia China. The distribution, affinity and removability of the trace elements were studied by float-sink experiments and petrological methods. A high mineral content, dominated by clay minerals, was found in the No.14 coal from the Huolinhe mine. The concentrations of As, Sb and Hg are relatively high compared to the average values for Chinese coals. As, Cr, Hg, Li, Mn, Pb are mainly associated with the minerals while Cd, Co, Ni, Sb, and Se are evenly distributed between the minerals and the organic matter. Be and Ba are mainly distributed in the minerals with a minor proportion in the organic matter. Most elements have a low organic affinity, although Sb, Se, Co, Cd, Ni are closely integrated with the organic matter. High theoretical removabilities are indicated for most trace elements. So it may be possible to lower the concentrations of trace elements during coal preparation.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (60533060, 10672032, 10726067)Science Foundation of Dalian University of Technology (SFDUT07001)
文摘In general, triangular and quadrilateral elements are commonly applied in two-dimensional finite element methods. If they are used to compute polycrystalline materials, the cost of computation can be quite significant. Polygonal elements can do well in simulation of the materials behavior and provide greater flexibility for the meshing of complex geometries. Hence, the study on the polygonal element is a very useful and necessary part in the finite element method. In this paper, an n-sided polygonal element based on quadratic spline interpolant, denoted by PS2 element, is presented using the triangular area coordinates and the B-net method. The PS2 element is conforming and can exactly model the quadratic field. It is valid for both convex and non-convex polygonal element, and insensitive to mesh distortions. In addition, no mapping or coordinate transformation is required and thus no Jacobian matrix and its inverse are evaluated. Some appropriate examples are employed to evaluate the performance of the proposed element.
文摘A 5＇ flanking region of the well-conserved Toll/interleukin-1 receptor domain （TIR）-encoding sequence was isolated from the genomic DNA ofMelampsora magnusiana Wagner resistant clones of hybrid triploid poplars [（Populus tomentosa × P. bolleana） × P. tomentosa]. Sequencing results and alignment analysis show that the obtained TIR-specific promoter （named as PtTIRp01） was 1,732 bp in length; moreover 3＇ region of the PtTIRp01 contains a responds to the 5＇ composition of TIR-NBS type gene PtDRG02, of 747 bp long 5＇ region of TIR-NBS type gene PtDRG02 and its 398 bp complete TIR-encoding sequence, which significantly corindicating that the obtained TIR-specific promoter region consists upstream region of promoter （985 bp）. It was found that the 5＇ region of TIR-NBS type gene PtDRG02 was characterized in the downstream region of the transcriptional start, named as 5＇-untranslated region （5＇ UTR）, consisting of one 93 bp 5＇-untranslation exon, one 213 bp intron and one 441 bp TIR-encoding open reading frame （ORF）. In addition, several putative cis-acting motifs were present in the obtained TIR-specific promoter of PtDRG02, including one TATA box, one GC-rich, one AT-rich, one P-box, one 3-AF1 binding site, two CAAT boxes, two GT-1 motifs, three typical W-boxes, four I-boxes, and one multi-cis-acting fragment （MCF）. The latter contains five types of regulatory elements （E4, G-box, ABRE motif, box 1 and HVA 1 s）, most of which were homologous to the cis-acting regulatory elements involved in the activation of defense genes in plants. Thus, it can be suggested that TIR-specific promoter might be a pathogen-inducible promoter and be necessary for the inducible expression of defense-related genes. Key words Toll/interleukin- 1 receptor domain, promoter, Cis-acting element, poplar
基金supported by the Funds for Creative Research Groups of China (50921001)the State Key Development Program for Basic Research of China (2010CB832704)
文摘The basic principle and numerical technique for simulating two three-dimensional bubbles near a free surface are studied in detail by using boundary element method. The singularities of influence coefficient matrix are eliminated using coordinate transformation and so-called 4π rule. The solid angle for the open surface is treated in direct method based on its definition. Several kinds of configurations for the bubbles and free surface have been investigated. The pressure contours during the evolution of bubbles are obtained in our model and can better illuminate the mechanism underlying the motions of bubbles and free surface. The bubble dynamics and their interactions have close relation with the standoff distances, buoyancy parameters and initial sizes of bubbles. Completely different bubble shapes, free surface motions, jetting patterns and pressure distributions under different parameters can be observed in our model, as demon- strated in our calculation results.
