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Plant fatty acyl-acyl carrier protein thioesterase (FAT) is a major enzyme regulating the amount and composition of fatty acids in lipids. In this study, one type of cDNA, corresponding to the fatty acyl-acyl carrier protein (acyl-ACP) thioesterase (Fat) enzyme, was isolated from the seed of Brassica napus cv. Ningyou12. BLAST results revealed that the cDNA identified highly with the FatB class of plant thioesterases. The cDNA contained a 1,245 bp open reading frame (ORF), encoding a protein that contained 414 amino acid residues. Subcellular localization results showed that the BnFatB protein was located in the chloroplast. The BnFatB (KC445243) gene was expressed in many tissues and was strongly expressed in seeds. Heterologous expression of the BnFatB gene in yeast cells was performed in order to ascertain the function of the BnFatB gene. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR results indicated that the expression level of the BnFatB gene in transformed yeast had significantly increased compared to the control. GC analysis of the fatty acid revealed that, when compared with the control, the content of C16:0 and C18:0 in yeast cells expressing BnFatB increased by 45.7 and 21.7%, respectively; while C16:1 and C18:1 decreased by 15.3 and 30.6%, respectively. This study demonstrated that the BnFatB gene had similar function as the FatB enzyme, preferentially releasing saturated fatty acid from the acyl carrier protein. It can therefore be used as a candidate target for fatty acid improvement in oilseed rape.

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In this paper, a hypersonic inlet for operating at Mach 5.0 is designed and analyzed numerically. The main axis of this study is a series of three-dimensional simulations with the accuracy of 10E-06 which are applied to determine the effects of the highly developed boundary layer on the performance of inlet for three different study cases. The basic inlet concept is designed by integration of double ramp compression surface and inlet duct which can reduce the free-stream Mach number to the range of 2.0. The most important factor that it affects the performance of the hypersonic inlet system, is the developed entropy layer on the fuselage of the flight vehicle. Ingestion of this layer results in thermal gradients and pressure recovery losses. The bow shocks at the nose and the leading edges are the main sources of this low kinetic energy layer. Using the k-ω turbulence model in the numerical simulations have resulted in a reliable estimation of the boundary layer. In the current context, shock structures, shock-boundary layer interactions, flow quality at the end of the diffuser and also the effects of using sidewalls on the performance of the hypersonic inlet are the main goals of the simulations and the related results are summarized

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The adverse effect of climate change on agriculture has increased the importance of weather index insurance, particularly in developing countries. By using several econometric models, this study estimated the price and evaluated its effectiveness in rainfall index insurance for rice and wheat in Nepal. Crop yields associated with seasonal rainfall in three crop reporting districts were applied for actuarial estimation. The primary findings suggest that well designed weather index insurance is helpful to reduce the yield risk and stabilize farm income for rice, but results vary across crops and districts. The study results imply that rainfall index insurance is a promising insurance product, particularly for rice. Implementation of rainfall index insurance could increase the investment in cereal production in Nepal.

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Using cotton cultivar that undergoes premature senescence in the late stage of growth, we studied the effects of removing two basal fruiting branches of two cotton varieties, namely, Quanyin-2 and Jiza-999, on the leaf area index, the SPAD value of leaf subtending cotton boll, and the development of cotton fiber in the late stage of cotton growth. We focused on the differences in cotton cellulose accumulation and fiber-related enzyme activities after removal of the basal fruiting branches and the development of cotton fiber during premature senescence. The results showed that removing the basal fruiting branches can maintain the green leaf area of the cotton canopy and the SPAD value of the subtending leaf during the late stage of reproductive growth. The period of rapid accumulation of fiber cellulose lasted longer in plants from which the basal fruiting branches had been removed, and the beginning and end of the rapid accumulation period was later than in the control group with premature senescence. The activities of cellulose synthesis-related enzymes (sucrose phosphate synthase, sucrose synthase, β-1,3-glucanase, and invertase) were higher in plants in which the basal fruiting branches had been removed than in the control group after 10 days post-anthesis. Removing the basal fruiting branches can optimize the accumulation of cellulose in cotton boll during the late growth stage and mitigate the effects of premature senescence on cellulose synthesis. We found that the peak values for cotton fiber development-related enzyme activities in the control group occurred earlier, which tended to bring cotton fiber development forward and negatively impacted fiber yield.
 

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