Compartmentalization of S-RNase and HT-B degradation in self-incompatible Nicotiana

Pollen-pistil interactions are crucial for controlling plant mating. For example, S-RNase-based self-incompatibility prevents inbreeding in diverse angiosperm species. S-RNases are thought to function as specific cytotoxins that inhibit pollen that has an S-haplotype that matches one of those in the pistil. Thus, pollen and pistil factors interact to prevent mating between closely related individuals. Other pistil factors, such as HT-B, 4936-factor and the 120 kDa glycoprotein, are also required for pollen rejection but do not contribute to S-haplotype-specificity per se. Here we show that S-RNase is taken up and sorted to a vacuolar compartment in the pollen tubes. Antibodies to the 120 kDa glycoprotein label the compartment membrane. When the pistil does not express HT-B or 4936-factor, S-RNase remains sequestered, unable to cause rejection. Similarly, in wild-type pistils, compatible pollen tubes degrade HT-B and sequester S-RNase. We suggest that S-RNase trafficking and the stability of HT-B are central to S-specific pollen rejection.     

Spatial and temporal evolutions of groundwater arsenic approximately along the flow path in the Hetao basin, Inner Mongolia

Patchy distribution of high As groundwater has normally been observed in As-affected areas. Spatial and temporal evolutions help in better understanding mechanisms of As mobilization and in developing effective strategies for ensuring drinking water safety. Four multilevel samplers were installed approximately along the groundwater flow path to investigate spatial and temporal variations in groundwater As in the Hetao basin, Inner Mongolia. Both water chemistry and groundwater level were monitored for about two years. Groundwater As concentration generally showed increasing trends, and Eh values showed decreasing trends along the flow path, indicating that As was mobilized via reductive dissolution of Fe oxides. However, in evaporation discharge area, shallow groundwater As was generally lower than those upstream and downstream. In addition to evaporation, siderite and pyrite precipitations controlled groundwater As concentrations. The negative correlations between As concentration and SIpyrite (or SIsiderite) implied that siderite and pyrite precipitations wold scavenge groundwater As and lower As concentration. Temporal variation showed different trends in different locations. It may reflect replenishment of high/low As groundwater for the increase/decrease in As concentrations, resulting from water level fluctuation. The increase trends in groundwater As concentrations at depth around 15m in the discharge areas would result from the increase in the recharge of underlying groundwater (20m) with high As concentration due to enhanced evaporation in the seasons with high water levels. The investigation suggested that monitoring of groundwater As should be routinely carried out to ensure the drinking water safety in the As-affected areas.     

Diffserv AQM algorithm for edge and core routers

The existing active queue management (AQM) algorithm acts on subscribers and edge routers only, it does not support differentiate-serve (Diffserv) quality of service (QoS), while the existing diffserv QoS has not considered the link capacities between edge routers and connected core routers. When a core router in a two layers’ network experiences congestion, the connected edge routers have no ability to adjust their access data rates. Thus, it is difficult to achieve the congestion control for the large scale network with many edge routers and core routers. To solve these problems, two difffserve AQM algorithms are proposed for the congestion control of multilayer network. One diffserv AQM algorithm implements fair link capacities of edge routers, and the other one implements unequal link capacities of edge routers, but it requires the core routers to have multi-queues buffers and Diffserv AQM to support. The proposed algorithms achieve the network congestion control by operating AQM parameters on the conditions of proposed three theorems for core and edge routers. The dynamic simulation results demonstrate the proposed control algorithms for core and edge routers to be valid.