BackgroundSoybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is one of the most important crops for oil and protein resource. Improvement of stress tolerance will be beneficial for soybean seed production.Principal FindingsSix GmPHD genes encoding Alfin1-type PHD finger protein were identified and their expressions differentially responded to drought, salt, cold and ABA treatments. The six GmPHDs were nuclear proteins and showed ability to bind the cis-element “GTGGAG”. The N-terminal domain of GmPHD played a major role in DNA binding. Using a protoplast assay system, we find that GmPHD1 to GmPHD5 had transcriptional suppression activity whereas GmPHD6 did not have. In yeast assay, the GmPHD6 can form homodimer and heterodimer with the other GmPHDs except GmPHD2. The N-terminal plus the variable regions but not the PHD-finger is required for the dimerization. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing the GmPHD2 showed salt tolerance when compared with the wild type plants. This tolerance was likely achieved by diminishing the oxidative stress through regulation of downstream genes.SignificanceThese results provide important clues for soybean stress tolerance through manipulation of PHD-type transcription regulator.

Histidine (His) carries a unique heteroaromatic imidazole side chain and plays irreplaceable functional roles in peptides and proteins. Existing strategies for site-selective histidine modification predominantly rely on the N-substitution reactions of the moderately nucleophilic imidazole group, which inherently suffers from the interferences from lysine and cysteine residues. Chemoselective modification of histidine remains one of the most difficult challenges in peptide chemistry. Herein, we report peptide modification via radical-mediated chemoselective C–H alkylation of histidine using C4-alkyl-1,4-dihydropyridine (DHP) reagents under visible-light-promoted conditions. The method exploits the electrophilic reactivity of the imidazole ring via a Minisci-type reaction pathway. This method exhibits an exceptionally broad scope for both peptides and DHP alkylation reagents. Its utility has been demonstrated in a series of important peptide drugs, complex natural products, and a small protein. Distinct from N-substitution reactions, the unsubstituted nitrogen groups of the modified imidazole ring are conserved in the C–H alkylated products.

* indicates significant effect of drought on the trait. Growth stages were characterized by the Fehr and Caviness scale [11]. Experiments were carried on the indeterminate cultivar, Weber.

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Soybean genotypes show diverse physiological responses to drought, but specific physiological traits that can be used to evaluate drought tolerance have not been identified. In the present study we investigated physiological traits of soybean genotypes under progressive soil drying and rewetting, using a treatment mimicking field conditions. After a preliminary study with eight soybean genotypes, two drought-tolerant genotypes and one susceptible genotype were grown in the greenhouse and subjected to water restriction. Leaf expansion rate, gas exchange, water relation parameters, total chlorophyll (Chl), proline contents of leaves, and root xylem pH were monitored in a time course, and plant growth and root traits were measured at the end of the stress cycle. Drought-tolerant genotypes maintained higher leaf expansion rate, net photosynthetic rate (P n ), Chl content, instantaneous water use efficiency (WUEi), % relative water content (RWC), water potential (ψ w ), and turgor potential (ψ p ) during progressive soil drying and subsequent rewetting than the susceptible genotypes. By contrast, stomatal conductance (g s ) and transpiration rate (T r ) of tolerant genotypes declined faster owing to dehydration and recovered more sharply after rehydration than the same parameters in susceptible ones. Water stress caused a significant increase in leaf proline level and root xylem sap pH of both genotypes but tolerant genotypes recovered to pre-stress levels more quickly after rehydration. Tolerant genotypes also produced longer roots with higher dry mass than susceptible genotypes. We conclude that rapid perception and adjustment in response to soil drying and rewetting as well as the maintenance of relatively high P n , %RWC, and root growth constitute the mechanisms by which drought-tolerant soybean genotypes cope with water stress.

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Key Points Question How did anemia inequalities change over time in low- and middle-income countries? Findings In this cross-sectional study of 163 419 children aged 6 to 59 months and 304 202 nonpregnant girls and women aged 15 to 49 years, the socioeconomic inequalities of anemia did not decrease among children in approximately 80% of low- and middle-income countries. For nonpregnant women, that figure was approximately 60% of low- and middle-income countries. Meaning To reduce the anemia inequalities found in most low- and middle-income countries, future efforts should attend to policies designed to reach vulnerable groups, specifically those with lower socioeconomic status.

in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com).The prediction and control of the inner thermal state of a blast furnace, represented as silicon content in blast furnace hot metal, pose a great challenge because of complex chemical reactions and transfer phenomena taking place in blast furnace ironmaking process. In this article, a chaos-based iterated multistep predictor is designed for predicting the silicon content in blast furnace hot metal collected from a pint-sized blast furnace. The reasonable agreement between the predicted values and the observed values indicates that the established high dimensional chaotic predictor can predict the evolvement of silicon series well, which conversely render the strong indication of existing deterministic mechanism ruling the dynamics of complex blast furnace ironmaking process, i.e., a high-dimensional chaotic system is suitable for representing the blast furnace system. The results may serve as guidelines for characterizing blast furnace ironmaking process, an extremely complex but fascinating field, with chaos in the future investigation. V V C 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 55: 947-962, 2009