Qiqihar University

Abstract To explore potential pathways for performance enhancement, this study investigates the effect of an external electric field on porphyrin-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Focusing on the porphyrin-based Dye 31, we systematically investigated the electronic structure characteristics of the dyes and Dye@TiO 2 system, as well as the regulatory mechanism of the local electric field on some parameters. Comparative analysis revealed that Dye 31 exhibits superior overall performance over Dye 25 across multiple metrics, featuring a smaller energy gap (E g ), enhanced intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), and a longer excited-state lifetime ( τ ). The 31@TiO 2 system exhibits significant charge separation, high electron injection, and better optoelectronic performance. Furthermore, the influence of local electric field strength on energy levels and gaps, spectra and charge transfer was discussed. This work provides insight into the photoelectric performance of chlorophyll derivative dyes and the mechanism of electric field influence.

BackgroundKentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) is a perennial cool-season turfgrass commonly utilized in lawns. However, turfgrass quality is affected by abiotic stress. Guided by previous reports demonstrating the critical involvement of MADS-box transcription factors in abiotic stress responses in monocot species such as rice (Oryza sativa) and sheepgrass (Leymis Chinesis), this study specifically focuses on the MADS-box gene family to investigate their potential roles in stress adaptaion mechanisms in Kentucky bluegrass. Although MADS-box genes are well-characterized as regulators of plant growth and development, there is currently limited information on their stress-related functions in this economically important turfgrass species.MethodologyThis study examined the physiological and molecular responses of three Kentucky bluegrass varieties (K.B.G., Arcadia, and Jenny) to salt and drought stress.ResultsFollowing initial screening tests, Arcadia was more tolerant to drought and salt stress than Jenny and K.B.G. and, therefore, was selected for further analysis. 16 MADS-box genes from transcriptome analysis have been identified in Kentucky bluegrass. GO enrichment analysis revealed that these genes are primarily involved in transcriptional regulation, including RNA polymerase II-related functions and cis-regulatory region binding. To better understand the function of MADS-box genes under drought and salt stress in Arcadia, the expression levels of 16 MADS-box genes were investigated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Furthermore, 12 of the 16 genes except AGL14, MADS1, MADS26, and MADS33 exhibited tissue-specific expression under drought stress, whereas AGL14, AGL66, MADS16, MADS26, MADS33, and MADS56 were significantly upregulated in all tissues under salt stress. The 2-kb upstream promoter regions of the MADS-box genes were bioinformatically analyzed to identify cis-acting regulatory elements, revealing the presence of multiple cis acting elements associated with development, phytohormone signaling, and stress responses. An in-depth comparative analysis of the varieties indicated that Arcadia exhibits greater resistance to drought and salt stress. The expression patterns of MADS-box genes suggest a potential association with drought and salt stress responses, implying that these genes may play a role in observed stress adaptation.ConclusionThis study identified 16 MADS-box genes in Kentucky bluegrass and revealed Tissue-specific expression patterns in Arcadia under drought and salt conditions. These candidate genes may contribute to stress tolerance, providing a foundation for further research and potential genetic improvement of Kentucky bluegrass for enhanced resistance to abiotic stresses.

Nitrogen, as an indispensable macroelement for plants, is essential for tuber development. The objective of the present study was to ascertain the key factors underlying nitrogen regulation of potato tuber formation. The potato variety Kexin 37 was used as the material, and nitrogen deficiency, normal nitrogen level and excessive nitrogen level were employed as treatments, respectively. The response of potato tuber formation to nitrogen was systematically analyzed from the perspective of physiology and transcriptomics. Nitrogen deficiency led to the thickening of the cell wall and plasma membrane, an increase in intercellular space and a decrease in mitochondria in the stolon. The plant height, chlorophyll content, dry matter quality and nitrogen accumulation were significantly reduced, and the number of tubers per plant, tuber weight per plant and commodity rate were significantly reduced. Excessive nitrogen application resulted in late maturity of plants and excessive formation of small potatoes. Transcriptome analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes related to nitrogen stress were mainly enriched in pathways associated with material transport, cell division and carbohydrate metabolism. In addition, there are a series of hub genes in response to nitrogen stress, including polyubiquitin-like, auxin response factor 7-like and protein RRP6-like 2. By constructing a co-expression network, transcription factors (TFs) such as C2H2, WRKY and ARF are involved in regulating tuber formation. The present study constitutes an investigation into the identification of hub genes and potential pathways associated with the formation of potato tubers under varying nitrogen conditions. It provides new insights for further study on enhancing nitrogen use efficiency in potato.

The GPD1L gene is located on 3p22.3. It encodes the glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase 1-like protein with homology to glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD1L), but the function of this enzyme is unclear. Mutations in GPD1L have been associated with BrS (Brugada syndrome) and SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and reduce Na+ inward current through an unknown mechanism in human cardiomyocytes. Here, a GPD1L knockout human embryonic stem cell line was generated using CRISPR/Cas9 system. The GPD1L knockout human embryonic stem cell maintains the pluripotency, differentiation into three germ layers, forming normal EBs.

Grape white rot, predominantly caused by Coniella vitis , has developed resistance to certain fungicides, posing a significant challenge for effective disease management. This study evaluated the sensitivity of 86 C. vitis strains collected from Shandong, China, to three triazole fungicides. The EC 50 values for propiconazole, difenoconazole, and tebuconazole ranged from 0.001 to 1.961 μg/mL, 0.001–4.719 μg/mL, and 0.004–9.230 μg/mL, respectively. The mean values were 0.267, 0.540, and 0.904 μg/mL for propiconazole, difenoconazole, and tebuconazole. 3.5% of the tested strains exhibited reduced sensitivity to all three fungicides. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlation in sensitivity between difenoconazole and propiconazole ( r = 0.821, p = 0.004), difenoconazole and tebuconazole ( r = 0.740, p = 0.045), as well as between propiconazole and tebuconazole ( r = 0.767, p = 0.001). As a botanical pesticide, eugenol demonstrated significant inhibitory effects on mycelial growth of reduced‐sensitivity strains, with higher efficacy than triazole fungicides. In field trials, a 0.3% eugenol soluble concentrate demonstrated an efficacy range of 83.49% to 92.84%, underscoring its potential as a viable alternative for managing grape white rot. The study provides a theoretical foundation for optimizing fungicide strategies.

ABSTRACT Bromodomain‐containing protein 4 (BRD4) regulates transcription via its two homologous bromodomains, BRD4‐BD2 and BRD4‐BD1. The selective interaction mechanisms of three pyridinone inhibitors, Spd17, Spd21, and Spd33, with BRD4‐BD2 and BRD4‐BD1, were explored using multiple MD simulations, MM‐GBSA, and SIE. The energy results indicate that these pyridinone inhibitors show greater selectivity for BRD4‐BD1 compared to BRD4‐BD2, while non‐polar interactions, especially van der Waals interactions like CH‐π and π – π interactions are the key factors for interacting with BRD4‐BD1 and BRD4‐BD2. The energy differences of residues Val87/Val380, Leu92/Leu385, Asn140/Asn433, and Ile146/Val439 in BRD4‐BD1 and BRD4‐BD2 make contributions to their selectivity. The findings provide certain insights for the development of new BRD4 inhibitors.

This paper studies a bushing explosion accident in a 500kV substation dead-tank circuit breaker. Through protection operation sequence inversion, disassembly trace analysis, and assembly process verification, it reveals the chain fault mechanism caused by incorrect bushing bolt assembly. The main cause of the accident was the use of hex socket bolts for the bushing grounding shield, which did not comply with the design standard. This induced long-term mechanical stress, leading to radial cracks originating from 12 bolt holes at the lower end of the bushing. During the initial fault, the bushing exploded, causing the conductive rod to pull upward and triggering a "triple discharge path" involving the conductive rod–inner shield–outer shield. After SF6 gas leakage, insulation degradation caused a secondary ground discharge. This case provides new insights for the prevention and control of hidden structural defects in dead-tank circuit breakers.

Developing efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts that synergistically enhance hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance remains challenging for advanced electrochemical water splitting. A “lattice doping-interface coupling” strategy is proposed to achieve simultaneous intraphase and interfacial regulation in FeOOH/NiSx heterostructures by doping molybdenum in nickel sulfide. Mo doping induces electron rearrangement within NiSx and modulates the electronic states of both Fe and Ni sites via valence electron effects, optimizing intermediate adsorption to enhance HER/OER activity. It also strengthens metal–sulfur bonding and optimizes interfacial charge transfer, significantly improving the long-term stability. This dual-regulation effect creates optimized active centers with modulated d-band structures, as confirmed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The resulting FeOOH/Mo-NiSx catalyst demonstrates great electrocatalytic performance in 1 M KOH, with low overpotentials of 162 mV for HER and 239 mV for OER at 100 mA cm–2, while maintaining stability over 200 h. When applied in an anion-exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) cell, it delivers an ultralow voltage of 1.65 V at 1 A cm–2 with 1200-h durability. This work elucidates the synergistic multimetal regulation mechanism in heterostructures, guiding the design of nonprecious bifunctional electrocatalysts.