Selfish genetic elements are pervasive in eukaryote genomes, but their role remains controversial. We show that , a major quantitative genetic locus for hybrid male sterility between wild rice () and Asian cultivated rice (), contains two tightly linked genes [ () and ]. encodes a toxic genetic element that aborts pollen in a sporophytic manner, whereas encodes an antidote that protects pollen in a gametophytic manner. Pollens lacking are selectively eliminated, leading to segregation distortion in the progeny. Analysis of the genetic sequence suggests that arose first, followed by gradual functionalization of Furthermore, this toxin-antidote system may have promoted the differentiation and/or maintained the genome stability of wild and cultivated rice.

Male musk deer secrete musk from the musk gland located between their naval and genitals. Unmated male forest musk deer generate a greater amount of musk than mated males, potentially allowing them to attract a greater number of females. In this study, we used gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to explore musk chemical composition of the musk pods of captive mated and unmated sexually mature Chinese forest musk deer and used next-generation sequencing to intensively survey the bacterial communities within them. Analysis of the chemical composition of the musk showed that unmated males have more muscone and cholesterol. Features of the musk16S rRNA gene showed that mated Chinese forest musk deer have both a greater Shannon diversity (p < 0.01) and a greater number of estimated operational taxonomic units than unmated ones; many bacterial genera were overrepresented in unmated Chinese forest musk deer males. Members of these genera might be involved in musk odor fermentation. PICRUSt analysis revealed that metabolic pathways such as aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption, metabolism of terpenoids and polyketides, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, and isoflavonoid biosynthesis were enriched in the musk of unmated Chinese forest musk deer males.

The androgenic gland (AG) is a male-specific endocrine organ that controls the primary and secondary sexual characteristics in male crustaceans. More evidence indicates that the insulin-like androgenic gland hormone gene (IAG) is the key male sexual differentiation factor, particularly the application of RNA interference (RNAi) technology on IAG. In this study, the full-length cDNA of IAG (termed PcIAG) was isolated from the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii. Tissue distribution analysis showed that in addition to its expression in the AG of male P. clarkii, PcIAG was widely expressed in female tissues and other male tissues. The PcIAG protein was detected in the reproductive and nervous systems of adult male P. clarkii. Additionally, RNAi results showed that the PcIAG expression could be silenced efficiently, and the male sperm maturation and release possibly present a transient adverse interference at lower doses (0.1 μg/g and 1 μg/g) of PcIAG–dsRNA (PcIAG double-stranded RNA). Dramatically, the expression level of PcIAG increased sharply shortly after the injection of higher doses (5 μg/g and 10 μg/g) of PcIAG–dsRNA, which might accelerate the maturation and release of sperm. Moreover, the expression of PcSxl (P. clarkii Sex-lethal) was detected by Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR) after the injection of PcIAG–dsRNA to explore whether the PcIAG gene regulates the PcSxl gene, and we found that the PcIAG did not directly regulate PcSxl in P. clarkii. The study could help accelerate the progress of PcIAG functional research and provide a useful reference for the single-sex selective breeding of P. clarkii.

With the advancement of technology and diversification of payment methods, mobile payment methods have gradually replaced traditional cash payments and become the mainstream payment mode. Although mobile payment is more convenient, is it faster than cash payment when their physical differences are controlled? Does it affect consumer behavior? We designed two studies to explore these questions. In Study 1, we required 192 participants to physically pay by cash or mobile phone and measured their willingness to pay (WTP). In Study 2, we compared the speed of the two payment methods when the physical differences between them were eliminated and measured consumers' willingness to buy from 46 students. Our results indicated that the effect of mobile payment, which increases WTP, also applies to specific products, and it does not occur if the money is a gift, as opposed to if it is earned. Moreover, when the process of cash payment is made as easy as mobile payment, people still spend less time on mobile payments than cash payment, and mobile payment effect is impacted by payment time. The above results supplement the evidence that payment methods have an impact on consumer behavior, and provide consumers, merchants, and regional managers with suggestions on payment methods. | INTRODUCTIONThe era of "cashless transactions" is approaching. With the popularity of mobile phones and third-party payment applications, mobile payment has gradually replaced cash payments globally, becoming the mainstream payment method in daily life (Pickford, 2015). Moreover, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) (2020) pointed out in its latest annual economic report that the payment industry has been greatly affected by the pandemic, accelerating digital payment transformation and the growth of mobile payment scale. Karnouskos (2004) defines mobile payment as the use of a mobile device to initiate, activate, and/or confirm a payment, including online and offline transactions. Mobile payment in offline transactions specifically refers to a settlement method, wherein consumers pay for goods or services in offline facilities (e.g., shopping malls and convenience stores) through payment technologies (e.g., scan code) of mobile payment terminals (e.g., smartphones).Mobile payment services in the market have grown rapidly.Mobile payment market worldwide is projected to grow by US $362.4 billion, driven by a compounded growth of 39.1% (Report Linker, 2019). Given their political agenda, some countries (e.g., India, China) have realized leapfrog development from cash to mobile payments (Beyes & Bhattacharya, 2017). Additionally, the pandemic has highlighted shortcomings in contact payments (e.g., cash and card payments), which may become carriers of virus transmission. Therefore, mobile payment, as a contactless payment method, is favored. Statistics show that in September 2019 (BIS, 2020), share of contactless accounted for 27% in all card-present transactions by a global card network, and it rose to more than 33% in just 6 months. Many coun...

In this study, we investigated the safety and efficacy in cancer patients of a single intra-tumor injection of recombinant adenovirus vector-mediated herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene (AdV/TK) followed by systemic administration of ganciclovir (GCV). In 18 patients with malignant tumors refractory to standard treatment, AdV/TK was injected on day 1 with dose escalation from 2.5 Â 10 11 to 1 Â 10 12 virus particles (VP), and GCV (5 mg kg À1 ) was delivered intravenously every 12 h from days 2 to 15. The most common treatment-related toxicities were transient fever (10/18) and local injection site reaction (10/18), and most adverse events were WHO grade I/II. Anti-adenovirus antibody levels increased continuously during treatment, but anti-HSV antibody levels remained stable. One patient had a PR at the injection site but PD was found in the primary site (lung cancer), one patient with fibrosarcoma of the neck had an MR, five patients had SD, and 10 patients had PD. In conclusion, AdV/TK followed by GCV can be administered safely to Chinese cancer patients, and achieved a local response with few environmental effects. Because the response was localized, single regional tumor relapse, especially after radiation, may be an indication for this suicide gene therapy.