Isochorismate synthase (ICS) is a key enzyme for the synthesis of salicylic acid (SA) in plants. SA plays an important role in the response of plants to abiotic stress. In this study, transgenic barley was constructed to evaluate the function of ICS under salt stress. ICSOE lines showed obvious salt stress tolerance, this results from the increased outward Na+ flux and inward K+ flux in roots, thereby maintaining a lower cytosolic Na+/K+ ratio under salt stress. Overexprssion of ICS also improved Na+ sequestration in shoots under salt stress. In addition, ICSOE lines displayed less accumulation of reactive oxygen species and oxidative damage, accompanied by higher activity of antioxidant enzymes. The improved Na+/K+ ratio, Na+ sequestration, and antioxidative competence play an important role in the enhanced salt tolerance of ICSOE lines. These findings help to elucidate the abiotic stress resistance of the ICS pathway in barley.This study presents a new working memory measure for toddlers, inspired by the Spin-the-Pots (Hughes & Ensor, 2005), which we modified structuring it as a memory span task. As in the original task, we required toddlers to retrieve objects hidden in little boxes; however, in our Memory Span Spin-the-Pots (MSSP) we used smaller numbers of targets, and we systematically manipulated memory load, covering or not the display, and rotating it or not. Two experiments involved participants between 18 months and three years. In Experiment 1 we examined the effects of covering and rotation on toddlers' memory. Either covering or rotating the stimuli hindered their performance, and combining both transformations yielded an under-additive interaction. Moreover, the effect of covering decreased in the second half of the procedure. In Experiment 2 we validated the MSSP as a working memory measure by comparing it with the Imitation Sorting Task (IST; Alp, 1994). We found that the MSSP correlated with the IST, also with age partialled out, although the IST was easier. In both experiments, the scores increased with age. Overall, this research sheds light on some variables that affect toddlers' performance on the MSSP, and shows that it can be used as a valid working memory measure for toddlers. The results are discussed considering the attentional processes presumably involved.Hydrodynamic conditions often affect the eutrophication process and play a key role in algal growth in reservoirs. find more A promising approach for controlling algal blooms in reservoirs is to create adverse hydrodynamic conditions by implementing reservoir operation strategies. However, research on this method is still nascent and does not support practical applications due to the lack of quantitative hydrodynamic thresholds. In this paper, field observations of algal growth from April 2015 to August 2016 were conducted, and a three-dimensional (3D) model that couples hydrodynamics and water temperatures for the Zipingpu Reservoir was established. Low flow velocities (V) and low Reynolds numbers (Re) in the Longchi tributary are favorable for dinoflagellate growth and accumulation, which can explain why dinoflagellate blooms are more likely to occur in the tributary. A temperature of 18-22 °C is considered a precondition for Peridiniopsis penardii blooms, suggesting that freshwater dinoflagellate species may prefer water dinoflagellate blooms.Growing body of research recognizes the importance of green spaces on the perinatal outcomes however, further evidence from different geographies are warranted. We aimed to investigate association between, and differential responses to, maternal exposure to green space and birthweight. Birth records (n = 82,221) were extracted from the Perinatal Data Collection (PDC) in Sydney's metropolitan area between January 2016 and December 2017. Association between green space quantity and birthweight, term birthweight, low birthweight, term low birthweight and preterm were assessed using linear and logistic regressions. Potential modification by area-level socioeconomic status and maternal country of birth were tested using interaction terms. Difference in birth weight for the ≥40% versus less then 20% green space within SA2s was 59.0 g (95%CI 42.9, 75.3) in unadjusted models which dropped to 25.6 g (95%CI 13.0, 38.2) in adjusted models. Stratified analysis suggested stronger associations for babies of mothers from affluent neighbourhoods, while statistically significant association was not observed in deprived areas. Furthermore, the association was more pronounced among babies to mothers who were born overseas. Associations were consistent for term births. Higher levels of green space were associated with lower odds of preterm birth in adjusted models. However, we did not identify statistically significant association between green space quantity and the risk of low birthweight (LBW). Our study suggests that green space may support healthier birth outcomes and help to reduce the birthweight gap between newborns of mothers born in Australia and overseas. However, disproportionate benefits among women in affluent neighbourhoods may widen socioeconomic inequities in birthweight.As programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is considered a referenced therapeutic biomarker, a rapid and low-cost method to detect PD-L1 in body fluids is necessary. In this work, a paper-based microfluidic aptasensor for label-free electrochemical detection of PD-L1 in liquids was fabricated. The aptasensor integrates a reaction cell and a three-electrode system, and a differential pulse voltammetry electrochemical method was adopted. PD-L1 aptamer with a low equilibrium dissociation constant was used as a biorecognition molecule. To bind the aptamer and assist in the electrochemical measurement, nanocomposites were synthesized and used to modify the working electrode, which was composed of an amine-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotube, new methylene blue and gold nanoparticles. The basic performance of the aptasensor was tested in phosphate-buffered saline the linear range was between 10 pg mL-1 and 2.5 ng mL-1, and the detection limit was 10 pg mL-1 (signal/noise = 3). Moreover, the aptasensor was used for the detection of serum samples and compared with an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).