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One species of Lopaphus (Phasmida: Lonchodidae: Necrosciinae), namely L. sphalerus (Redtenbacher, 1908), is reported from China for the first time. The identification of this species is primarily based on female morphological characters: cerci triangular, distally tapering to an acute apex, projecting beyond posterior margin of anal segment; subgenital plate with distinct median carina, boat-shaped and strongly keeled, gradually tapering posteriorly, posterior margin narrowly rounded and acuminate, extending conspicuously beyond the posterior margin of anal segment. Mating pairs of males and females were captured in the wild. Information regarding the descriptions and morphological illustrations of both sexes and eggs and photographs of their natural habitat are provided. All the examined specimens are deposited in GXNU.

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Description: Integrity of urban facades greatly influences the order of urban view and landscape. Facades themselves have various components and aspects. The structural quality and layout of said aspects and components requires integrity, whether in a single façade, in conjunction with neighboring facades or in the total urban scale. This integrity requires regulations and principles the effectiveness of which is the focus of this study.
Objective: Evaluating the effectiveness of façade construction regulations enforced by municipalities and other competent authorities in the 1968-2021 period, concerning the integrity of urban facades and their components.
Method: This is a qualitative study with an exploratory-descriptive approach and a critical attitude. Initially the most effective urban façade integrity parameters were determined. Next, the façade construction regulations of the research period were analyzed. After that, every provision of the regulations was analyzed in comparison versus each integrity parameter.
Findings: The most effective and comprehensive set of regulations was the spring 2014 Façade Design regulations in Tehran. Among the integrity parameters, visual appeal and after that, content communications, materials and meaning were most affected by regulations. On the other hand, the least affected parameters were the harmony between façade and context, body silhouettes, and the transverse proportions of pieces.
Conclusion: The façade construction regulations are increasingly inclusive and expressive toward the integrity of urban facades; however, they still require further additions and improvements.

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The use of enzymes in organic solvents has biotechnological and industrial importance. Organic solvents can decrease the stability of enzymes that is a challenge for the use of enzymes in organic media. There are several approaches such as protein engineering, chemical modification, and use of additives for stabilization of enzymes in organic solvents. In this study, activity and stability of trypsin were investigated in the presence of different organic solvents. Then the effect of sucrose on the stability of the enzyme was investigated in the absence and prescence of solvents. The result showed that the activity and stability of trypsin were decreased in the presence of organic solvents. DMF had a lowest effect on the activity and stability of the enzyme. The use of sucrose increased the stability of trypsin in the presence of organic solvents. The stabilization effect of sucrose in the presence of DMF was more than other solvents. Consequently, a mixture of DMF and sucrose is proposed for the use of trypsin in industrial applications.

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Uricase or urate oxidase is an enzyme that converts uric acid (with low solubility) to 5-hydroxyisourate and finally to allantoin. The possibility of developing some diseases like gout and kidney stones will be increased in high levels of uric acid. Thus, uricase can be used as drug enzyme to reduce uric acid levels in the blood. The low stability of proteins (such as drug enzymes) is a challenge in the use of them. There are several approaches such as use of additives for protein stabilization. In this study, E. Coli BL21 (DE3) was transformed by pET28a (+) vector carrying Aspergillus flavus uricase gene. The recombinant protein was expressed and then purified by a Ni-NTA agarose chromatography column. After purification, the thermal stability of the purified enzyme was evaluated and then it stabilized by additives. The results showed that enzyme is active and purified very well. Thermal stability results indicated that uricase maintains its stability up to 20°C and then loses its stability. The half-life of enzyme was 30minutes at 40 °. The results of enzyme stabilization by 20% (v/w) concentration of glucose and sorbitol as well as by 20 % (v/v) of glycerol showed that glucose had the most stabilization effect on the uricase among the additives. The stability (half life) of enzyme was increased more than two times in the presence of glucose. Finally, we conclude that additives like glucose which increase surface tension have the most stabilization effect on the uricase enzyme stability.

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Aims: This study aimed to investigate the motivational sphere of students to physical activity, as well as to analyze medical and sports-oriented approaches in physical education.
Instruments & Methods: The experimental base for the study was the National University of Ukraine on Physical Education and Sport. The main research methods for this problem were the methods of analysis and synthesis, deduction, comparison, and survey.
Findings: According to a survey, every three male students and every five female students experience psychological stress while studying at universities. Students have a low level of physical fitness, low motivation, lack of interest in physical education, and an unformed values-based attitude to independent physical education.
Conclusion: The low level of physical activity of school graduates does not allow to ensure a sufficient level of development of the general physical proficiency of students, which leads to a decrease in health indicators to a level that does not provide sufficient effectiveness for training and future professional activity.
 

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Many Phragmites-dominated wetlands have been markedly salinized and alkalinized in the Songnen Plain, northeastern China. Agricultural wastewater with high nitrogen content has been discharged into these alkalinized-salinized wetlands. To understand the effect of salinity-alkalinity on reed (Phragmites australis) seedlings at various nitrogen levels, we examined photosynthesis rate, chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics, and chlorophyll content of reed seedlings using gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence tests. The greatest decreases (by 82%, 15%, 82% and 98%) of net photosynthesis rate (Pn), maximal efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry (FV/FM), comprehensive photosynthesis performance index (PIABS) and plant height growth rate were observed at high salinity-alkalinity (mixed with 150 mM NaCl and 100 mM NaHCO3). Stomatal limitation was the main reason for decreased photosynthesis rate at low salinity-alkalinity (mixed with 50 mM NaCl and 25 mM NaHCO3). The activity of PSII was significantly inhibited at high salinity-alkalinity. Both donor and acceptor sides of PSII are the target sites of high salinity-alkalinity. High N (30 mM) at low salinity-alkalinity and moderate N (15 mM) at high salinity-alkalinity mitigated the toxicity of salinity-alkalinity on reeds and promoted plant height growth, chlorophyll synthesis, and PSII activity. Proper levels of N partly reduced the toxicity of salinity-alkalinity on the donor and acceptor sides of PSII. This suggests that agricultural wastewater containing high level of nitrogen may be helpful in restoration of Phragmites-dominated salinized wetland, though the N level needed for salinity-alkalinity stressed reed varies with the salinity-alkalinity level.

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To investigate the effects of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) on the growth, yield and quality of ‘Yali’ pears, field experiments for C (fully watered control), EW [early withholding of irrigation, water stress from pullulation to 25 days after flower bloom (DAFB)], MW (mid-growth withholding of irrigation, water stress from 25 DAFB to 80 DAFB), and LW (late withholding of irrigation, water stress from 120 DAFB to 150 DAFB) were conducted in Handan county, North China, during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The results showed that leaf relative water content (LRWC) was dramatically reduced during water stress. Water stress reduced shoot growth by 9.6%-18.8%, and the need for summer pruning was marginally decreased. No significant difference was seen in mean fresh fruit weight or yield at harvest for the EW, LW and C treatments. Water consumption during RDI was significantly less than the C treatment. Withholding of irrigation at LW not only led to increases in fruit TSS (total soluble solids), soluble sugars and dry matter content but also resulted in an increase in water use efficiency (WUE). Withholding of irrigation at LW and EW can be used in pear production to save irrigation water without adverse effects on the quality of fruits. RDI is a beneficial agricultural practice for the production of pear fruits if it is adopted one month before harvest, and from pullulation to 25 DAFB.

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China is one of the largest grain producing and consuming nations in the world and the importance of grain security to the Chinese can never be overemphasized. In this paper, we present a comprehensive early-warning model for evaluating the status of grain security in China. The model is based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method and the Dempster–Shafer theory (DST). We divided the risk assessment into four stages. First, we seek risk sources and identify the indices to be used in the model. Then, we preprocess the index data to obtain the index directions and risk bounds. After that, we assign index weights via AHP method. Finally, we evaluate risk of grain security via DST method and determine the overall risk degree. An empirical analysis is conducted to demonstrate the use of the model for evaluating the status of grain security in China. The result shows that the model which conforms to the reality of China is effective and can be used as a grain security pre-warning monitoring tool.

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Water quality assessment provides a scientific basis for water resources development and management. This case study proposes a Factor analysis- Hopfield neural network model (FHNN) based on factor analysis method and Hopfield neural network method. The results showed that the factor analysis (FA) technique was introduced to identify important water quality parameters. Results revealed that biochemical oxygen demand, permanganate index, ammonia nitrogen, nitrogen, Cu, Zn and Pb were the most important parameters in assessing water quality variations of the study area. Considering these parameters, water samples of the sampling sites were classified as follows: six into Class III, eight into Class IV, and six into Class V. Afterwards, a water quality map was based on the results of water quality assessment by Factor analysis-Hopfield neural network model. It showed that the southwestern part of the study area had a generally optimum water quality, while in the northeastern part, the quality was seriously degraded. Factor Analysis-Hopfield Neural Network was much better than the Hopfield Neural Network in effectively reducing the degree of Hopfield neural network over-fitting caused by the inputs, thereby achieving more reasonable results. The comparisons with BPANN, fuzzy assessment method, and the Nemerow index method indicated that the FHNN model provided more reliable judgment and valuable information than the three other water quality classification methods.

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In this research, a novel formulation of sponge cake was studied. Instant Tea Powder (ITP) with high ester-catechins content was used to replace 0, 7.5, 12.5, and 17.5% of flour to make sponge cakes, hereafter referred to as the control, ITP1, ITP2, and ITP3, respectively. The microbiological analysis and lipid oxidation experiments were conducted and the odor, flavor, color, chewiness, and overall acceptability of different samples were assessed by sensory evaluation. There was significant difference between ITP2 and the control in hedonic sensory evaluation results, whereas, ITP3 was rated lowest in sensory evaluation results. The results also showed the sponge cakes with ITP had good antimicrobial and antioxidant activity compared with the control, and the shelf life of ITP-treated cakes could be extended as a consequence.

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Distribution and mobility of nine mineral elements (K, Ca, Na, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Se, and Cr) in cultured Gentiana rigescens and its root zone soil were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. G. rigescens materials were planted under tea and white papaya trees in Yun County and Yongde of Lincang area in Yunnan Province of China. The results showed that G. rigescens and its soil were high in K, Ca, Fe, and Mg. The concentrations of Na and Mg in the soil were significantly lower than that in the plants. However, the concentrations of Fe, Cu, Se, and Cr were significantly higher in soils than that in the plant parts. G. rigescens roots showed high accumulation ratios for Na, Mg, and K, but low accumulation ratios for Fe, Cu, Se, especially for Cr. Transfer coefficients indicated G. rigescens might be a good accumulator for Ca.

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The quality traits of Triticum dicoccoides KU-13441 (Triticum turgidum L. var. dicoccoides (AABB, 2n= 4x= 28)) were analyzed by mixograph, and the results showed that T. dicoccoides KU-13441 had desirable qualities in gluten strength and flour stirring tolerance. Subsequently, seventeen novel full-ORF α-gliadin genes and thirty-five pseudogenes were cloned and sequenced from T. dicoccoides KU-13441. Among the 17 novel full-ORF α-gliadin genes, the putative proteins of Gli2-TD-44 and Gli2-TD-46 contained an extra cysteine residue, located in the first nonrepetitive region and N-terminal repetitive domain, respectively, rather than in the second nonrepetitive region like other α-gliadins. Prokaryotic expression analysis and western-blotting indicated that these two α-gliadin genes could be successfully expressed under the control of T₇ promoter. According to the varying numbers of 4 typical coeliac disease toxic peptides and glutamine residues in the two ployglutamine domains among the 17 α-gliadins, Gli2-TD-39, Gli2-TD-46 and Gli2-TD-47 genes were assigned to sub-genome B and other 14 genes were assigned to sub-genome A. Phylogenetic analysis including two S-genome species, Aegilops longissima (S^l) and Aegilops speltoides (S) revealed that the α-gliadin sequences of the B genome in T. dicoccoides had closer genetic relationship with those from Ae. speltoides. This implies that Ae. speltoides might participate in the origin of wheat B genome.

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A stable Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system was established using bialaphos as the selective agent in soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. The cotyledonary node explants of the soybean cultivar ‘NY-1001’ were inoculated with the Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105, harboring the vector pCAMBIA3301 containing the gus gene as the reporter gene and the bar gene conferring bialaphos resistance. The highest frequency of GUS transient expression (92%) was obtained after inoculation and 4-day co-cultivation with A. tumefaciens strain EHA105. Efficient GUS expression was observed in regenerated shoots from explants after 4-day co-cultivation combined with culturing on shoot induction medium (SIM) without bialaphos for 7 days followed by 4 mg.L^-1 bialaphos for 2 weeks. Bialaphos (4 mg.L^-1 in SIM; 2 mg.L^-1 in shoot elongation medium (SEM)) effectively selected the transformants. The putative transformants and escapes could be exactly distinguished by using a half-leaf GUS assay method to detect GUS expression in the elongated resistant shoots, which resulted in the shortening of culture period for the early detection of transformed shoots. The transformation efficiency of this system was 1.06%. The transgenic plants were verified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Southern blotting, and herbicide-resistant responses. All four T₀ transgenic plants were fertile and transmitted the phenotypes of both gus and bar in a 3:1 ratio to their progeny. These results indicate that the established system is suitable for further breeding of herbicide-resistant transgenic cultivars, as well as for functional genomics studies of soybeans.

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Salix integra Thunb. is a shrub distributed in China along the Huai River riparian zone, and plays an important role in water and soil conservation. S. integra shrub land is easily submerged during July to October due to the flooding of Huai River. In order to characterize the physiological mechanisms of waterlogging tolerance of S. integra and to help rationally select waterlogging-tolerant species to alleviate the flood damage to agricultural production, we studied the effects of flooding on the growth, leaf gas exchange, and chlorophyll fluorescence of S. integra cuttings during a growth season (from August to October 2011). The biomass production and photosynthesis of S. integra cv. qingpi were promoted under moderate waterlogging stress, whereas its growth, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, and stomatal conductance were all significantly lower than those of the control group. A significant increase in non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and a reduction in PSII maximal quantum photochemistry efficiency (F_v/F_m) were observed inflooded seedlings of S. integra cv. hongpi. In the case of S. integra cv. qingpi, however, there were no significant differences in NPQ and F_v/F_mbetween the treatment and the controls. Our results demonstrated that S. integra cv. hongpi exhibited slight damage to its photosynthetic apparatus under flooding. In contrast, a moderate flooding stress promoted the leaf and root production of S. integra cv. qingpi, indicating that S. integra cv. qingpi can tolerate prolonged soil flooding better than S. integra cv. hongpi. Thus, S. integra cv. qingpi is more suitable for afforestation in the riparian zone.

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Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) contains the biological properties of the major standard non–volatile pungent compounds of ginger, namely, [6]–, [8]–, and [10]–gingerols, as well as [6]– , [8]–, and [10]–shogaols. So far, the comparative antioxidant potencies among shogaols and gingerols have not been studied in detail and reported. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine and compare the antioxidant abilities of the six main compounds. Results showed that[6]–, [8]–, and [10]–gingerols, as well as [6]–, [8]–, and [10]–shogaols exhibited substantial in vitro antioxidant activities. The DPPH^•, ABTS^•+,and FRAP assays results showed that the antioxidant abilities of [6]–shogaol were greatest among the six gingerols and shogaols studied (P< 0.05), and those of [6]–, [8]–, and [10]–shogaols were greater than those of [6]–, [8]–, and [10]–gingerols, respectively, which can be attributed to the presence of α, β–unsaturated ketones moieties. Moreover, the observation that the antioxidant abilities of [6]–gingerol were greater than those of [8]– and [10]–gingerols (P< 0.05) indicated that the short carbon chains of [6]–gingerol and [6]–shogaol played a significant role in making them more potent antioxidants than the other four longer carbon chain compounds. This finding can be attributed to gingerols undergoing dehydration transformations into shogaols during oven drying. Our results provided some new information on the antioxidant abilities of gingerols and shogaols.

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Exploitation of the full potential of any hybrid requires the possessing of genetically high-purity seeds. Commercial soybean hybrids have been developed using a cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) system. In order to avoid reduction in yield caused by using low-purity seeds, development of a simple, rapid, and accurate method for hybrid purity assessment is of great essence and significance. Therefore, the parental lines of HybSoy 1 to 5 were screened using 160 Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) makers, of which 8 markers exhibited polymorphism. A PCR-based assay with these markers detected both alleles of the parental lines in pure hybrids, proving their heterozygosity, whereas impurities were identified by the presence of only one parental allele. The confirmation of hybrid purity indicated that a single polymorphic marker was sufficient for detection of contaminations of these hybrids from their parents. It was also found that if a hybrid seed lot was contaminated by another hybrid or its parental lines, two or more appropriate markers could be used to easily detect such contamination. This method could accurately and effectively identify the hybrid purity in a predetermined sample of soybean hybrids constituted by deliberately mixing seeds of parental lines. This is the first report that demonstrates the utility of SSR markers for assessment of genetic purity of soybean hybrids.

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Taxus chinensis var. mairei is a rare and endangered medicinal plant species distributed in China. In order to promote fast propagation and preserve the natural resources, conditions for in vitro germination and seedling development of embryos of T. chinensis var. mairei from Anhui or Zhejiang were investigated. Results showed that in vitro germination rate of excised embryos cultured under 14 hours photoperiod was higher than that in darkness. But, nearly all embryos germinated under 14 hours photoperiod failed to develop into seedlings. Comparatively, 23.3 and 36.3% of embryos from Anhui and Zhejiang, respectively, which germinated in darkness, developed into full seedlings. Addition of plant growth regulators [gibberellic acid(GA₃), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), 6-benzylaminopurine (BA)] and organic additives (casein hydrolysate and yeast extract) in mediums promoted germination and seedling development. (Woody plant medium) WPM  medium supplemented with 0.5 mg L^-1 GA₃, 0.5 mg L^-1 IAA, 0.5 mg L^-1 BA and 1 g L^-1 activated charcoal was optimal for the culture of embryos from Anhui, while WPM medium supplemented with 0.5 mg L^-1 GA₃, 500 mg L^-1 casein hydrolysate and 1 g L^-1 activated charcoal was optimum for embryos from Zhejiang. Moreover, the germination and seedling survival rate of embryos of T. chinensis var. mairei decreased with increasing maturity of the seeds. In conclusion, darkness during germination is necessary for subsequent seedling development and immature seeds are optimal for embryo culture of this species.

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 The objective of this study was to explore the microbial community diversities and the relationships between microbial community compositions and hydrochemical factors in nitrate contaminated groundwater of Hun River alluvial plain. The method of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-denaturing, gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) gene fingerprints combined with canonical correspondence analysis（CCA） were applied. The Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) of all the sampling sites had a certain degree of heteroplasmy and 75% OTUs presented in less than half of the sampling sites. The un-weighted pair group mean average (UPGMA) cluster analysis showed that the microbial community similarity of all the sampling sites were not relatively high (0.6-0.8). The distribution of microbial community positively correlated with nitrate. The dominant bacteria of the nitrate contaminated groundwater mainly included Hyphomicrobium denitrifican sp., Halanaerobium praevalens sp., Desulfotomaculum reducens sp., Nitrosospira multiformis sp., among which the Nitrosospira multiformis sp.and Sulfurovum sp. existed in all the sampling sites. CCA results indicated that Mn²⁺and NO₃^- were the most relevant hydrochemical factors to regulate the microbial composition in nitrate contaminated groundwater of this area, and next were Fe²⁺ and SO₄^2- . The results could provide references for the bioremediation of the nitrate contaminated groundwater of Hun River alluvial plain

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To clarify the underlying physiological mechanism of gibberellic acid (GA) in cold tolerance, the effects of exogenous GA₃ on malondialdehyde (MDA), osmoregulation substances and endogenous hormones levels in the tiller nodes of two wheat cultivars, namely, Dongnongdongmai 1 (a cold insensitive cultivar) and Jimai 22 (a cold sensitive cultivar), were investigated at three periods of cold winter (0, -10, -25°C). The results showed that low concentrations of GA₃ (0.1 and 1 µM) decreased the endogenous GA concentration in both cultivars, but only increased the abscisic acid (ABA)/GA ratio in Dongnongdongmai 1. High concentrations of GA₃ (10 and 100 µM) increased the MDA level, retarded the accumulation of soluble protein and sugar in both cultivars, but decreased the content of ABA and the ratio of ABA/GA only in Dongnongdongmai 1 and had no influence on those in Jimai 22. The re-greening rate of Dongnongdongmai 1 decreased as the concentration of exogenous GA₃ increased. Correlation analyses showed that MDA was negatively correlated with re-greening rate, while soluble protein, sugar ABA content, and ABA/GA ratio were positively correlated with re-greening rate. In conclusion, low exogenous GA₃ level could decrease endogenous GA content and elevate ABA/GA ratio and soluble protein content, which help to improve cold tolerance. However, high exogenous GA₃ level decreased the ABA content and ABA/GA ratio, resulting in lower soluble sugar and protein content and aggravated oxidative damage, and finally weakened cold tolerance. The endogenous GA metabolism and ABA/GA balance play central roles in exogenous GA₃ mediated cold tolerance.

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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.