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Well-shaped carbon spheres in micrometer dimensions were prepared by pyrolyzing postconsumer poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) in supercritical carbon dioxide at 500-650 °C for 3 h. It was also found that the yield of carbon microspheres increased as the reaction temperature increased and the reaction time was prolonged. Carbon microspheres were obtained in 47.5% yield as the reaction occurred at 650 °C for 9 h. A high-pressure carbonization mechanism of aromatic hydrocarbons decomposed from PET waste was proposed according to gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry analysis. One possible application of the carbon microspheres as a negative electrode material for lithium ion batteries was evaluated.

FaMYB44.2 is a novel transcriptional repressor that modulates both ripening-related and jasmonic acid-related sucrose accumulation in strawberry receptacles.

Uniform 5 μm Bi2S3 microspheres and 8 μm microflowers were solvothermally synthesized in acetylacetone solution through thermolysis of the Bi3+-dithizone complex without any templates or surfactants. Bi2S3 microspheres composed of nanorods with a diameter of 20−40 nm were synthesized at 180 °C for 12 h. In similar conditions at 240 °C for 3 days, microflowers composed of nanowires with lengths up to several micrometers and diameter of 20−40 nm were obtained. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) showed in the initial stage in the formation process that smooth spherical cores were observed, then on the surface of the cores nanoparticles appeared, and finally nanorods or nanowires grew out and microspheres and microflowers formed. Electrochemical experiments using Bi2S3 in a lithium ion battery indicated that the first discharge capacity of Bi2S3 microflowers could reach about 148 mA h g−1.

A facile strategy to fabricate FeCo nanocrystals with nitrogen-doped graphene shells has been designed, which involves one-step thermal decomposition of Prussian blue analogue (PBA) Fe3[Co(CN)6]2 spheres. The as-prepared product can be used as a non-precious-metal catalyst with a highly efficient catalytic activity and a magnetically separable capability in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol.

Ripening of fleshy fruits is controlled by a series of intricate signaling processes. Here, we report a FERONIA/FER-like receptor kinase, FaMRLK47, that regulates both strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) fruit ripening and quality formation. Overexpression and RNAi-mediated downregulation of FaMRLK47 delayed and accelerated fruit ripening, respectively. We showed that FaMRLK47 physically interacts with FaABI1, a negative regulator of abscisic acid (ABA) signaling, and demonstrated that FaMRLK47 regulates fruit ripening by modulating ABA signaling, a major pathway governing strawberry fruit ripening. In accordance with these findings, overexpression and RNAi-mediated downregulation of FaMRLK47 caused a decrease and increase, respectively, in the ABA-induced expression of a series of ripening-related genes. Additionally, overexpression and RNAi-mediated downregulation of FaMRLK47 resulted in an increase and decrease in sucrose content, respectively, as compared with control fruits, and respectively promoted and inhibited the expression of genes in the sucrose biosynthesis pathway (FaSS and FaSPS). Collectively, this study demonstrates that FaMRLK47 is an important regulator of strawberry fruit ripening and quality formation, and sheds light on the signaling mechanisms underlying strawberry fruit development and ripening.

Strawberry is increasingly used as a model plant for research on fruit growth and development. The transient gene manipulation (TGM) technique is widely used to determine the function of plant genes, including those in strawberry fruits. However, its reliable application for the precise identification of gene function has been difficult owing to the lack of conditional optimization. In this study, we found that successful transient gene manipulation requires optimization, with the vector type, temperature, and fruit developmental stage being three major factors determining success. Notably, we found that transient gene manipulation was feasible only from the large green fruit stage onwards, making it especially suitable for identifying genes involved in strawberry fruit ripening. Furthermore, we established a method called percentage difference of phenotype (PDP), in which the functional effect of a gene could be precisely and efficiently identified in strawberry fruits. This method can be used to estimate the functional effect of a gene as a value from 0 to 100%, such that different genes can be quantitatively compared for their relative abilities to regulate fruit ripening. This study provides a useful tool for accelerating research on the molecular basis of strawberry fruit ripening.

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