Stem Photosynthesis—A Key Element of Grass Pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) Acclimatisation to Salinity

Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) is a leguminous plant of outstanding tolerance to abiotic stress. The aim of the presented study was to describe the mechanism of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) photosynthetic apparatus acclimatisation strategies to salinity stress. The seedlings were cultivated in a hydroponic system in media containing various concentrations of NaCl (0, 50, and 100 mM), imitating none, moderate, and severe salinity, respectively, for three weeks. In order to characterise the function and structure of the photosynthetic apparatus, Chl a fluorescence, gas exchange measurements, proteome analysis, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis were done inter alia. Significant differences in the response of the leaf and stem photosynthetic apparatus to severe salt stress were observed. Leaves became the place of harmful ion (Na⁺) accumulation, and the efficiency of their carboxylation decreased sharply. In turn, in stems, the reconstruction of the photosynthetic apparatus (antenna and photosystem complexes) activated alternative electron transport pathways, leading to effective ATP synthesis, which is required for the efficient translocation of Na⁺ to leaves. These changes enabled efficient stem carboxylation and made them the main source of assimilates. The observed changes indicate the high plasticity of grass pea photosynthetic apparatus, providing an effective mechanism of tolerance to salinity stress.     

The Impact of the ‘Mis-Peptidome’ on HLA Class I-Mediated Diseases: Contribution of ERAP1 and ERAP2 and Effects on the Immune Response

The strong association with the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I genes represents a shared trait for a group of autoimmune/autoinflammatory disorders having in common immunopathogenetic basis as well as clinical features. Accordingly, the main risk factors for Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), prototype of the Spondyloarthropathies (SpA), the Behçet’s disease (BD), the Psoriasis (Ps) and the Birdshot Chorioretinopathy (BSCR) are HLA-B*27, HLA-B*51, HLA-C*06:02 and HLA-A*29:02, respectively. Despite the strength of the association, the HLA pathogenetic role in these diseases is far from being thoroughly understood. Furthermore, Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) have highlighted other important susceptibility factors such as Endoplasmic Reticulum Aminopeptidase (ERAP) 1 and, less frequently, ERAP2 that refine the peptidome presented by HLA class I molecules to CD8⁺ T cells. Mass spectrometry analysis provided considerable knowledge of HLA-B*27, HLA-B*51, HLA-C*06:02 and HLA-A*29:02 immunopeptidome. However, the combined effect of several ERAP1 and ERAP2 allelic variants could generate an altered pool of peptides accounting for the “mis-immunopeptidome” that ranges from suboptimal to pathogenetic/harmful peptides able to induce non-canonical or autoreactive CD8⁺ T responses, activation of NK cells and/or garbling the classical functions of the HLA class I molecules. This review will focus on this class of epitopes as possible elicitors of atypical/harmful immune responses which can contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases.     

聚乙烯醇/牛I型胶原支架材料的制备及评价

研究了一种聚乙烯醇(PVA)和胶原(COL)复合支架材料的制备方法。采用氨基硅烷对PVA海绵表面进行了氨基化修饰后，通过戊二醛溶液交联牛Ⅰ型胶原(COL)，最后通过赖氨酸溶液封闭，获得一种PVA/COL复合支架材料。采用扫描电镜(SEM)、X光电子能谱仪(XPS)、傅里叶红外光谱(FT-IR)等手段对支架材料的理化性能进行表征，并通过细胞实验对支架材料的生物学性能进行评价。结果表明，经过COL修饰的PVA孔隙率为21.33%，平均孔径为168.68 ?m且均匀分布，支架材料接触角为20.03°。对支架材料的生物学评价结果表明C3A细胞在复合材料上黏附良好，优于PVA组；CCK-8增殖检测结果表明细胞在复合材料上呈增殖生长趋势，与对照组PVA相比差异显著(P?0.01)。将PVA和COL复合制备得到的支架材料具有良好的理化及生物学特性，具有广阔的应用前景。     

Application of adhesively bonded single lap joints for fracture assessment of adhesive materials

In this study, a method has been proposed to obtain the failure envelope of brittle adhesives using the experimental failure loads of precracked single lap joints (SLJs). The proposed technique is based on the principles of linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM), on J-integral relations, and on results of a numerical analysis. Compared to the previous approaches, the introduced experimental method has some advantages such as low manufacturing costs and simpler test procedure. The proposed method can also provide a wide range of mode mix ratios without the need of an additional apparatus. The fracture envelope obtained from the proposed method was then verified by performing some fracture tests including double cantilever beam (DCB), end-notched flexure (ENF), and single leg bending (SLB) specimens. Good correlation was seen between the fracture envelopes of the proposed method and the ones obtained from the fracture mechanics experiments.     

Investigation on the mechanism of charge generation in organic heterojunctions: Analysis of I–V and C–V characteristics

The charge generation mechanism of organic heterojunction (OHJ) consisted of 1,4,5,8,9,11-hexaazatriphenylene-hexacarbonitrile (HAT-CN) and different hole transporting materials (HTMs) are studied systematically by current-voltage (I–V) and capacitance-voltage measurements. The analysis of I–V characteristics of the devices based on OHJs at forward and reverse voltages by comparing the thickness of HTM layers finds that a forward and reverse symmetrical I–V curve is observed at thin HTM layers and the forward current becomes larger than the reverse current with the increase of HTM thickness, fully illustrating the effectiveness of OHJ charge generation. Moreover, the I–V characteristics at different temperatures indicate that the efficient charge generation is originated from electron tunneling rather than diffusion. And the C–V and capacitance-frequency (C–F)characteristics further illustrate the highly efficient charge generation ability of OHJs so that the charge density is as high as 4.5 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³, guaranteeing the high conductivity of OHJs, which is very beneficial to developing highly efficient OLEDs using OHJs as charge injector and generator.     

Utilization of coordinating green solvents for high quality methylammonium bismuth iodide thin films for photovoltaic applications

Photovoltaic performances of the bismuth-based solar cells are profoundly affected by the thin film quality of the photoactive layer. Herein, we report on various green solvent system to obtain the highly crystalline, pinhole free and homogeneously methylammonium bismuth iodide (MBI) active layer. The MBI structure prepared with tetrahydrofuran:2-ethoxy-ethanol (THF-2ETO) solvent system was found to have the best film quality. Adding 0.05 M 2ETO as the co-solvent is sufficient to produce high quality BiI₃ and MBI thin films. According to the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyzes, we have demonstrated that there is an interaction between BiI₃ and 2ETO according to the concentration of 2ETO added to the main THF. Our study clarifies the importance of THF-2ETO solvent system that can accelerate the evolution of the Bi-based solar cells by creating high-quality BiI₃ or MBI thin films.     

Prediction of mode I fracture toughness of rock using linear multiple regression and gene expression programming

Prediction of mode I fracture toughness (K_IC) of rock is of significant importance in rock engineering analyses. In this study, linear multiple regression (LMR) and gene expression programming (GEP) methods were used to provide a reliable relationship to determine mode I fracture toughness of rock. The presented model was developed based on 60 datasets taken from the previous literature. To predict fracture parameters, three mechanical parameters of rock mass including uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), Brazilian tensile strength (BTS), and elastic modulus (E) have been selected as the input parameters. A cluster of data was collected and divided into two random groups of training and testing datasets. Then, different statistical linear and artificial intelligence based nonlinear analyses were conducted on the training data to provide a reliable prediction model of K_IC. These two predictive methods were then evaluated based on the testing data. To evaluate the efficiency of the proposed models for predicting the mode I fracture toughness of rock, various statistical indices including coefficient of determination (R²), root mean square error (RMSE), and mean absolute error (MAE) were utilized herein. In the case of testing datasets, the values of R², RMSE, and MAE for the GEP model were 0.87, 0.188, and 0.156, respectively, while they were 0.74, 0.473, and 0.223, respectively, for the LMR model. The results indicated that the selected GEP model delivered superior performance with a higher R² value and lower errors.     

Controllable Image‐Based Transfer of Flow Phenomena

Modelling flow phenomena and their related weathering effects is often cumbersome due their dependence on the environment, materials and geometric properties of objects in the scene. Example‐based modelling provides many advantages for reproducing real textures, but little effort has been devoted to reproducing and transferring complex phenomena. In order to produce realistic flow effects, it is possible to take advantage of the widespread availability of flow images on the Internet, which can be used to gather key information about the flow. In this paper, we present a technique that allows the transfer of flow phenomena between photographs, adapting the flow to the target image and giving the user flexibility and control through specifically tailored parameters. This is done through two types of control curves: a fitted theoretical curve to control the mass of deposited material, and an extended colour map for properly adapting to the target appearance. In addition, our method filters and warps the input flow in order to account for the geometric details of the target surface. This leads to a fast and intuitive approach to easily transfer phenomena between images, providing a set of simple and intuitive parameters to control the process.     

Landscape dynamics of Mediterranean montane grasslands over 60 years and implications for habitats conservation. A case study in the northern Apennines (Italy)

Widespread trends of abandonment have strongly affected Mediterranean mountains after the Second World War, triggering spontaneous recolonisation of forests. A diachronic analysis of the landscape in a Natura 2000 site (Tuscany, Italy) was carried out using digital aerial photographs (1954, 2013) and a GIS-based methodology, focusing on territories above 1300 m a.s.l. The detected variations of total areas, patch shape, patch dimensions and selected metrics showed a notable shift of the vegetation towards woody types and a drastic reduction of open grasslands, some with high conservation value, accompanied by a strong increase in patch number, surface and edge. A decrease of SDI and SEI diversity indices was also observed. Considering that fragmentation is one of the main causes threatening habitats and species, our results point out a clear necessity for a monitoring programme and suitable actions aimed at improving the status of biodiversity-rich montane grasslands.     

Significant population genetic structuring in Rhyzopertha dominica across Turkey: Biogeographic and practical implications

Rhyzopertha dominica is a key pest of stored grain. Understanding the movement of this beetle on broad geographic scales is crucial, particularly when developing strategies to prevent the spread of phosphine resistance. We assessed population genetic structuring in this pest across Turkey, using a combination of mitochondrial (cytochrome oxidase I) and microsatellite markers. In addition, we screened samples for Wolbachia, as this endosymbiont has previously been suggested to be associated with low mitochondrial genetic diversity in this beetle. Mitochondrial genetic diversity was low, with only six haplotypes identified. The genetic diversity was, however, substantially higher than that previously found in Australia or India, suggesting that R. dominica may have originated in the Middle East. Wolbachia were detected only at a single site, indicating they are not impacting the mitochondrial genetic diversity of R. dominica across Turkey. Microsatellite markers indicated there is significant geographic genetic structuring across Turkey, even among sites less than 100 km apart, suggesting there is little movement of beetles across regions within the country. This contrasts with the significantly higher levels of gene-flow found in Australia and the United States. We suggest that the limited movement of beetles across Turkey may be due to a combination of the historically localised agricultural practices (which limits anthropogenic movement among regions), and the mountainous landscape (which limits active flight among regions). Our results demonstrate that the movement of stored product pests may differ significantly across studies conducted in different countries. As a consequence, phosphine resistance management strategies must incorporate region specific information on the extent of beetle movement.