Cold acclimation in Arabidopsis thaliana triggers a significant transcriptional reprogramming altering the expression patterns of thousands of coldresponsive (COR) genes. Essential to this process is the C-repeat binding factor (CBF)-dependent pathway, involving the activity of AP2/ERF (APETALA2/ethylene-responsive factor)-type CBF transcription factors required for plant cold acclimation. In this study, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation assays followed by deep sequencing (ChIP-seq) to determine the genomewide binding sites of the CBF transcription factors. Cold-induced CBF proteins specifically bind to the conserved C-repeat (CRT)/dehydrationresponsive elements (CRT/DRE; G/ACCGAC) of their target genes. A Gene Ontology enrichment analysis showed that 1,012 genes are targeted by all three CBFs. Combined with a transcriptional analysis of the cbf1,2,3 triple mutant, we define 146 CBF regulons as direct CBF targets. In addition, the CBF-target genes are significantly enriched in functions associated with hormone, light, and circadian rhythm signaling, suggesting that the CBFs act as key integrators of endogenous and external environmental cues. Our findings not only define the genome-wide binding patterns of the CBFs during the early cold response, but also provide insights into the role of the CBFs in regulating multiple biological processes of plants.

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Solar energy is considered to be one of most promising renewable energy sources because of its availability and cleanliness. The phenomenon of dust deposition on solar mirrors greatly reduces the power generation of solar power plants. In this work, the motion behaviors and deposition mechanics of dust particles are analyzed by the discrete element method (DEM). The effects of environmental and solar mirror conditions and particle self-factors on dust deposition weight are systematically studied here. The research results show that dust particles, after particle collision, immediately adhere to the mirror or rebound and finally flow away from the mirror, or they otherwise may remain stationary after making some relative motion. Alternatively, they may glide for some distance and finally come to rest on the mirror or leave from the system. Different motion behaviors after particle collision depend on different leading forces. Here, the leading forces are the liquid bridge force (Fc) and the contact force (Fb). When the leading forces are Fc, or Fc, and Fb, the dust particles will be deposited on the solar mirror. Besides, the force Fc cannot be negligible when studying the motion processes of dust particles. The dust deposition weight on solar mirrors can be controlled by altering the environmental and solar mirror conditions, and particle self-factors. In essence, dust deposition weight on solar mirrors decreases when decreasing the leading force Fc or increasing the leading force Fb. The research results give theoretical guidance for the prevention and removal of dust deposition on solar mirrors.

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Impinging stream technique has been widely used in engineering industries. Insufficient data are available on the effects of dynamic inflow conditions on the flow and turbulence characteristics of an impinging stream reactor. In this study, we investigate and discuss the flow and turbulence characteristics of an impinging stream reactor with dynamic inlet velocity variation, e.g., sinusoidal, parabolic, step or triangular variation. The effects of period, amplitude, phase difference, mean inlet velocity and type of dynamic inlet velocity variation on the motional behaviors of the impinging surface and the mean turbulence kinetic energy (k) of the impingement region are investigated and discussed using particle image velocimetry (PIV) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) at various values of L/D (the ratio of impinging spacing to nozzle diameter). The results show that the impinging surface makes back-and-forth motions in impinging stream reactors with dynamic inlet velocity variation. The mean k of the impingement region during one period is dominated by both the inlet velocity conditions and the geometric configuration. Dynamic inflow conditions bring more turbulence energy and pulsating characteristics to impinging zones over constant inlet velocity for an instantaneously moving impinging surface. Impinging stream reactors with dynamic inlet velocity variation provides more intense turbulence properties over conventional impinging stream reactors at the same mean inlet velocity. This work shows that the impinging streams with dynamic inlet velocity variation has strong potential for future relevant reactors and processes for engineering applications.

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