The Current State and Characteristics of Parental Educational Anxiety and Contributing Factors

The study focused on the parents of compulsory education students in Shanghai city. Through a large-scale survey and subsequent data analysis, it aimed to the status quo and characteristics of educational anxiety among parents of compulsory education students; analyze the factors in parental educational anxiety from the standpoints of educational policies, schools, families, and students; and propose recommendations on improving the education policy system from the perspective of policy design

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and bone mineral density among children and adolescents in a Northwest Chinese city

Although vitamin D is essential for bone health, little is known about prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and low bone mineral density (BMD) among children, especially those in developing countries. It also remains unclear whether serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is associated with BMD among children. We investigated these questions among children and adolescents in Yinchuan (latitude: 38° N), Ningxia, an economically underdeveloped province in Northwest China. A total of 1582 children (756 boys and 826 girls), aged 6–18 years, were recruited from schools using the stratified random sampling method in fall 2015. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and BMD was quantified by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Vitamin D deficiency (defined as serum 25(OH)D ≤ 37.5 nmol/L) was present in 35.5% of study subjects. There were no clear patterns of differences in serum 25(OH)D concentrations across the four age groups compared (6–9 years, 10–13 years, 14–16 years, and 17–18 years). The prevalence of low total body less head (TBLH) BMD (defined as a Z-score of ≤ −2.0 standard deviations away from the mean BMD values of the Chinese pediatric reference population) among children examined was 1.8% and was not significantly different among the four age groups considered. Linear regression analysis revealed that age, weight, and height were significantly and positively associated with TBLH BMD and that the strongest determinant of TBLH BMD was age in boys and weight in girls. There were no significant correlations between serum 25(OH)D concentrations and BMD obtained for total body and at various skeletal sites (r ranged from −0.005 to 0.014) regardless of whether children evaluated were sufficient, insufficient, or deficient in vitamin D. In conclusion, more than one-third of children and adolescents in a Northwest Chinese city were deficient in vitamin D but only <2% of them developed low BMD

Difference between Pb and Cd Accumulation in 19 Elite Maize Inbred Lines and Application Prospects

In the last two decades, the accumulation of heavy metal in crop grains has become the study hotspot. In this study, 19 representative elite maize inbred lines and 3 hybrid varieties were investigated at the seedling stage, which can accumulate Pb and Cd in the stems and leaves, respectively. The results demonstrated that significant differences are among inbred lines for accumulation of heavy metals, implying that the Cd accumulation is significant correlation between the male parents and their hybrids and some inbred lines have been selected for cross-breeding with low Pb or Cd accumulation, such as S37, 9782, and ES40; Moreover, some inbred lines could be suitable for phytoremediation species for soil bioremediation with high levels of Pb and Cd accumulation, including 178, R08, 48-2, and Mo17ht

Heterosis in Early Maize Ear Inflorescence Development: A Genome-Wide Transcription Analysis for Two Maize Inbred Lines and Their Hybrid

Heterosis, or hybrid vigor, contributes to superior agronomic performance of hybrids compared to their inbred parents. Despite its importance, little is known about the genetic and molecular basis of heterosis. Early maize ear inflorescences formation affects grain yield, and are thus an excellent model for molecular mechanisms involved in heterosis. To determine the parental contributions and their regulation during maize ear-development-genesis, we analyzed genome-wide digital gene expression profiles in two maize elite inbred lines (B73 and Mo17) and their F1hybrid using deep sequencing technology. Our analysis revealed 17,128 genes expressed in these three genotypes and 22,789 genes expressed collectively in the present study. Approximately 38% of the genes were differentially expressed in early maize ear inflorescences from heterotic cross, including many transcription factor genes and some presence/absence variations (PAVs) genes, and exhibited multiple modes of gene action. These different genes showing differential expression patterns were mainly enriched in five cellular component categories (organelle, cell, cell part, organelle part and macromolecular complex), five molecular function categories (structural molecule activity, binding, transporter activity, nucleic acid binding transcription factor activity and catalytic activity), and eight biological process categories (cellular process, metabolic process, biological regulation, regulation of biological process, establishment of localization, cellular component organization or biogenesis, response to stimulus and localization). Additionally, a significant number of genes were expressed in only one inbred line or absent in both inbred lines. Comparison of the differences of modes of gene action between previous studies and the present study revealed only a small number of different genes had the same modes of gene action in both maize seedlings and ear inflorescences. This might be an indication that in different tissues or developmental stages, different global expression patterns prevail, which might nevertheless be related to heterosis. Our results support the hypotheses that multiple molecular mechanisms (dominance and overdominance modes) contribute to heterosis

Case Report: De novo variant of the NUS1 gene associated with developmental delay and autism spectrum disorders in a Chinese family

BackgroundNuclear undecaprenyl pyrophosphate synthase 1 (NUS1) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders, including Parkinson's disease, seizures, intellectual disability, dystonia, and congenital disorder of glycosylation. To this day, there have been limited studies and reports on the NUS1 gene.MethodsWe described the case of an 8-year-old Chinese boy exhibiting developmental delay, intellectual disability, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To elucidate the genetic etiology, whole-exome sequencing was performed on the proband. A candidate variant was subsequently validated by Sanger sequencing in the proband and his unaffected parents.ResultsWhole-exome sequencing analysis discovered a novel heterozygous variant (c.279del, p.L94Wfs*11) on exon 1 of NUS1 (NM_138459.5), leading to premature termination of protein translation (p.L94Wfs*11). Sanger sequencing failed to identify the candidate variant in his unaffected parents. Following the updated American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines, the c.279del variant was classified as pathogenic (PVS1+PM6+PM2_Supporting). Based on the clinical phenotype of the proband, he was diagnosed with autosomal dominant intellectual developmental disorder-55 with seizures (MRD55) and ASD.ConclusionsThis study expands the phenotype and mutation spectrum of the NUS1 gene, which contributes to the diagnosis of related disorders. Furthermore, the identification of the genetic basis of the proband and confirmation of the corresponding loci of his family members will facilitate the genetic counseling of the proband's parents regarding reproduction

Rhodapentalenes: Pincer Complexes with Internal Aromaticity

Summary(#br)Pincer complexes are a remarkably versatile family benefited from their stability, diversity, and tunability. Many of them contain aromatic organic rings at the periphery, and aromaticity plays an important role in their stability and properties, whereas their metallacyclic cores are not aromatic. Herein, we report rhodapentalenes, which can be viewed as pincer complexes in which the metallacyclic cores exhibit considerable aromatic character. Rhodapentalenes show good thermal stability, although the rhodium-carbon bonds in such compounds are fragile. Experimental and computational studies suggest that the stabilization of rigid CCC pincer architectures together with an intrinsic aromaticity is vital for these metallacyclic rhodium species. Dearomatization-aromatization reactions, corresponding to metal-ligand cooperation of classical aromatic pincer complexes, were observed in this system. These findings suggest a new concept for pincer chemistry, the internal aromaticity involving metal d -orbitals, which would be useful for exploiting the nature of construction motif and inspire further applications

Rhodapentalenes: Pincer Complexes with Internal Aromaticity.

Pincer complexes are a remarkably versatile family benefited from their stability, diversity, and tunability. Many of them contain aromatic organic rings at the periphery, and aromaticity plays an important role in their stability and properties, whereas their metallacyclic cores are not aromatic. Herein, we report rhodapentalenes, which can be viewed as pincer complexes in which the metallacyclic cores exhibit considerable aromatic character. Rhodapentalenes show good thermal stability, although the rhodium-carbon bonds in such compounds are fragile. Experimental and computational studies suggest that the stabilization of rigid CCC pincer architectures together with an intrinsic aromaticity is vital for these metallacyclic rhodium species. Dearomatization-aromatization reactions, corresponding to metal-ligand cooperation of classical aromatic pincer complexes, were observed in this system. These findings suggest a new concept for pincer chemistry, the internal aromaticity involving metal d-orbitals, which would be useful for exploiting the nature of construction motif and inspire further applications

Molecular phylogenetic characterization and analysis of the WRKY transcription factor family responsive to Rhizoctonia solani in maize

In this study we have identified, based on the maize genome, 85 WRKY genes that were phylogenetically clustered into three families formed by 8 distinct subfamilies. The exon/intron structures and motif compositions of these WRKY genes were highly conserved in each subfamily suggesting their functional conservation. Moreover, based on qTelller analyses, the majority of these WRKY genes showed a specific temporal and spatial expression pattern. These WRKY genes, within the same group, manifested a distinct expression, indicating a similar function in their expression during the evolutionary process; this is reflected by their sub-functionalizations in their expression pattern concerning leaf developmental gradient, while mature bundle sheath, and mesophyll cells had a similar cellular localization and modality of expression. This study has also provided evidence of the presence of a subset of WRKY genes exhibiting a putative functional role in leaf sheath when infected with Rhizoctonia solani. This finding appears helpful for future functional investigations to unravel the roles of WRKY genes in plant pathogen resistance. Interestingly, in this study we have identified three WRKY genes that are predicted to be potential targets of miR160 and miR171b families. Therefore, this finding appears relevant in elucidating the biological functions of these transcription factors to clarify the molecular mechanisms affecting leaf sheath growth and development during fungal infection and plant resistance

Identification of miRNAs and their target genes in developing maize ears by combined small RNA and degradome sequencing

Background In plants, microRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous ~22 nt RNAs that play important regulatory roles in many aspects of plant biology, including metabolism, hormone response, epigenetic control of transposable elements, and stress response. Extensive studies of miRNAs have been performed in model plants such as rice and Arabidopsis thaliana. In maize, most miRNAs and their target genes were analyzed and identified by clearly different treatments, such as response to low nitrate, salt and drought stress. However, little is known about miRNAs involved in maize ear development. The objective of this study is to identify conserved and novel miRNAs and their target genes by combined small RNA and degradome sequencing at four inflorescence developmental stages. Results We used deep-sequencing, miRNA microarray assays and computational methods to identify, profile, and describe conserved and non-conserved miRNAs at four ear developmental stages, which resulted in identification of 22 conserved and 21-maize-specific miRNA families together with their corresponding miRNA*. Comparison of miRNA expression in these developmental stages revealed 18 differentially expressed miRNA families. Finally, a total of 141 genes (251 transcripts) targeted by 102 small RNAs including 98 miRNAs and 4 ta-siRNAs were identified by genomic-scale high-throughput sequencing of miRNA cleaved mRNAs. Moreover, the differentially expressed miRNAs-mediated pathways that regulate the development of ears were discussed. Conclusions This study confirmed 22 conserved miRNA families and discovered 26 novel miRNAs in maize. Moreover, we identified 141 target genes of known and new miRNAs and ta-siRNAs. Of these, 72 genes (117 transcripts) targeted by 62 differentially expressed miRNAs may attribute to the development of maize ears. Identification and characterization of these important classes of regulatory genes in maize may improve our understanding of molecular mechanisms controlling ear development

bk-5214S2L, an allelic variant of bk-5, as high-quality silage maize genetic resource

IntroductionStem brittleness significantly affects both yield and quality of maize.MethodsUsing phenotypic identification and sequence analysis, we identified a new brittle stalk maize mutant. Furthermore, we assessed its feeding value by content determination of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin crude fiber, starch, and protein contents.ResultsHere, we identified a brittle stalk maize mutant, bk-5214S2L, an allelic variant of bk-5. The stem brittleness of bk-5214S2L was similar to that of bk-5, but not identical. Unlike bk-5, bk-5214S2L leaves did not fall off completely and its stems did not break in windy conditions. We identified a missense mutation (C&gt;T) in the fifth exon of the candidate gene Zm00001d043477, resulting in an amino acid change from serine to leucine at position 214. A significant reduction in cell wall thickness in the leaf veins and stems of bk-5214S2L compared with the inbred line RP125. Among the major cell wall components in stems and leaves, total cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin were lower in bk-5214S2L than in RP125. We also evaluated the application value of bk-5214S2L silage and found that the detergent fiber contents of bk-5214S2L stems were significantly reduced compared with RP125, while the crude fiber, starch, and protein contents remained unchanged. The reduced tannin content improved the palatability of the silage for livestock.ConclusionOverall, bk-5214S2L, an allelic variant of bk-5, is a high-quality genetic resource for breeding forage and grain-feed maize