Integrated genomic and transcriptomic analysis reveals genes associated with plant height of foxtail millet

Foxtail millet(Setaria italica)is an important C4 model crop;however,due to its high-density planting and high stature,lodging at the filling stage resulted in a serious reduction in yield and quality.Therefore,it is imperative to identify and deploy the genes controlling foxtail millet plant height.In this study,we used a semi-dwarf line 263A and an elite high-stalk breeding variety,Chuang 29 to construct an F2 population to identify dwarf genes.We performed transcriptome analysis(RNA-seq)using internode tissues sampled at three jointing stages of 263A and Chuang 29,as well as bulk segregant analysis(BSA)on their F2 population.A total of 8918 differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were obtained from RNA-seq analysis,and GO analysis showed that DEGs were enriched in functions such as‘‘gibberellin metabolic process”and‘‘oxidoreductase activity”,which have previously been shown to be associated with plant height.A total 593 mutated genes were screened by BSA-seq method.One hundred and seventy-six out of the 593 mutated genes showed differential expression levels between the two parental lines,and seven genes not only showed differential expression in two or three internode tissues but also showed high genomic variation in coding regions,which indicated they play a crucial role in plant height determination.Among them,we found a gibberellin biosynthesis related GA20 oxidase gene(Seita.5G404900),which had a single-base at the third exon,leading to the frameshift mutation at 263A.Cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence assay and association analysis proved the single-base in Seita.5G404900 co-segregated with dwarf phenotype in two independent F2 populations planted in entirely different environments.Taken together,the candidate genes identified in this study will help to elucidate the genetic basis of foxtail millet plant height,and the molecular marker will be useful for marker-assisted dwarf breeding.

Greatly Enhanced Methanol Oxidation Reaction of CoPt Truncated Octahedral Nanoparticles by External Magnetic Fields

Tunable behavior in electrocatalysis by external multifields,such as magnetic field,thermal field,and electric field,is the most promising strategy to expand the theory,design,and synthesis of state-of-the-art catalysts and the cell in the near future.Here,a systematic investigation for the effect of external magnetic field and thermal field on methanol oxidation reactions(MOR)in magnetic nanoparticles is reported.For Co_(42)Pt_(58)truncated octahedral nanoparticles(TONPs),the catalytic performance in MOR is greatly increased to the maximum of 14.1%by applying a magnetic field up to 3000 Oe,and it shows a monotonical increase with increasing working temperature.The magnetic enhanced effect is closely related to the Co content of Co_(x)Pt_(100-x)TONPs.Furthermore,the enhancement effect under a magnetic field is more obvious for Co_(42)Pt_(58)TONPs annealed at 650℃.First-principle calculation points out that the magnetic fields can facilitate the dehydrogenation of both methanol and water by suppression of entropy of the electron spin and lowering of the activation barrier,where OH_(ad)intermediates on Co sites play a more important role.The application of magnetic fields together with thermal fields in MOR provides a new prospect to manipulate the performance of direct methanol fuel cells,which will accelerate their potential applications.

Consensus on potential biomarkers developed for use in clinical tests for schizophrenia

Background Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness affecting approximately 20 million individuals globally.Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the illness.If left undiagnosed and untreated,schizophrenia results in impaired social function,repeated hospital admissions,reduced quality of life and decreased life expectancy.Clinical diagnosis largely relies on subjective evidence,including self-reported experiences,and reported behavioural abnormalities followed by psychiatric evaluation.In addition,psychoses may occur along with other conditions,and the symptoms are often episodic and transient,posing a significant challenge to the precision of diagnosis.Therefore,objective,specific tests using biomarkers are urgently needed for differential diagnosis of schizophrenia in clinical practice.Aims We aimed to provide evidence-based and consensus-based recommendations,with a summary of laboratory measurements that could potentially be used as biomarkers for schizophrenia,and to discuss directions for future research.Methods We searched publications within the last 10 years with the following keywords:‘schizophrenia’,‘gene’,‘inflammation’,‘neurotransmitter’,‘protein marker’,‘gut microbiota’,‘pharmacogenomics’and‘biomarker’.A draft of the consensus was discussed and agreed on by all authors at a round table session.Results We summarised the characteristics of candidate diagnostic markers for schizophrenia,including genetic,inflammatory,neurotransmitter,peripheral protein,pharmacogenomic and gut microbiota markers.We also proposed a novel laboratory process for diagnosing schizophrenia in clinical practice based on the evidence summarised in this paper.Conclusions Further efforts are needed to identify schizophrenia-specific genetic and epigenetic markers for precise diagnosis,differential diagnosis and ethnicity-specific markers for the Chinese population.The development of novel laboratory techniques is making it possible to use these biomarkers clinically to diagnose disease.

Viewing the Differences between Eastern and Western Educational Cultures from Confucius and Plato’s Educational Thoughts in the Axial Age

Through the comparison of Confucius and Plato’s educational thoughts in the Axis Age,the study of the differences between Eastern and Western educational cultures is based on the comparison of educational objectives,educational objects,educational methods,and educational content.There is a difference in the educational culture between the two in the special period of the Axis Age.From the open western idealism education and the introverted oriental materialism education,the similarities and differences between the Oriental Six Arts and the Western Seven Arts,the differences between the East and the West human education,and the differences between the education and training talents,respectively,the differences between the East and the West education culture are elaborated.Therefore,we can better deepen the understanding of the splendid civilization in the Axis era and discover the inadequacies of education through the comparison of Eastern and Western cultures so that our education can better absorb the essence,abandon the dross,and promote the vigorous development of education,improving constantly.

Research on the Preparation of Biomass based Activated Carbon and Its Adsorption on CO_2

With the continuous development of industryand improvement of humans’living standards,the Greenhouse Effect which mainly caused by themassive emissions of CO2into the atmosphere hasbecome a hot environmental issue of concern.Acti-vated carbon,as a premium carbon adsorbent mate-rial,is widely used in industry for CO2adsorptionand desorption.Its production and adsorption prop-

Autocatalytic reduction-assisted synthesis of segmented porous PtTe nanochains for enhancing methanol oxidation reaction

Morphology engineering has been developed as one of the most widely used strategies for improving the performance of electrocatalysts.However,the harsh reaction conditions and cumbersome reaction steps during the nanomaterials synthesis still limit their industrial applications.Herein,one-dimensional(1D)novel-segmented PtTe porous nanochains(PNCs)were successfully synthesized by the template methods assisted by Pt autocatalytic reduction.The PtTe PNCs consist of consecutive mesoporous architectures that provide a large electrochemical surface area(ECSA)and abundant active sites to enhance methanol oxidation reaction(MOR).Furthermore,1D nanostructure as a robust sustaining frame can maintain a high mass/charge transfer rate in a long-term durability test.After 2,000 cyclic voltammetry(CV)cycles,the ECSA value of PtTe PNCs remained as high as 44.47 m^(2)·gPt^(-1),which was much larger than that of commercial Pt/C(3.95 m^(2)·gPt^(-1)).The high catalytic activity and durability of PtTe PNCs are also supported by CO stripping test and density functional theory calculation.This autocatalytic reduction-assisted synthesis provides new insights for designing efficient low-dimensional nanocatalysts.

Fine Tuning of Donor-Acceptor Structures in Fused-Carbazole Containing Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Materials towards High-Efficiency OLEDs

Comprehensive Summary Conjugated fused-ring structures have attracted extensive attention due to their high molecular rigidity to restrain excited-state relaxation and non-radiative decay,and further to enhance the luminance efficiency for emissive materials.Herein,we develop a series of donor-acceptor type thermally activated delayed fluorescence(TADF)emitters by introducing fused-ring 5H-benzofuro[3,2-c]carbazole(32BFCz)as electron donating unit.Through optimizing the numbers and structure of donor and acceptor moieties,three compounds named 32BFCzA,mCF3BFCzOXD and dCF3BFCzOXD are designed,which are composed by mono-32BFCz/trifluoromethylpicolinonitrile,penta-BFCz/3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)benzene and penta-32BFCz/3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)benzene as donor/acceptor groups,respectively.

Magnetoresistance anomaly in Fe_(5)GeTe_(2)homo-junctions induced by its intrinsic transition

Two-dimensional van der Waals(2D vdW)magnets have attracted great attention recently and possess the unprecedented advantages of incorporating high-quality vdW heterostructures and homostructures into spintronic devices,and exploring various physical phenomena or technologies.Among them,Fe_(5)GeTe_(2)(F5GT)has ferromagnetic order close to room temperature,however the magnetic properties near its intrinsic transitions and F5GT-based 2D devices remain mostly unexplored.Here,we systematically demonstrate the peculiar magnetic properties of Fe_(5)GeTe_(2)nanoflakes near its intrinsic transition temperature(Tp)which is far lower than its Curie temperature(TC)of~265 K,and firstly discover anomalous magnetoresistance effect in F5GT homo-junctions by magneto-transport measurements.The strongest anomalous Hall effect occurs around Tp which is located in a temperature range from 130 to 160 K for the F5GT nanoflakes with different thicknesses.Furthermore,negative magnetoresistance(N-MR)and butterfly-shaped magnetoresistance(B-MR)are observed in F5GT homo-junction devices,and they appeared only in an intermediate temperature range from 110 to 160 K,noticeably showing the maxima near the T_(p)rather than the lowest temperature.Our experimental results clearly reveal the significant influence of intrinsic transitions on magnetic properties of F5GT and magnetoresistance effect in F5GT homo-junction devices,which imply a new strategy to achieve highperformance 2D spintronic devices by tuning intrinsic magnetic or structural transitions in 2D vdW magnets.

Extracellular vesicles derived from human dental mesenchymal stem cells stimulated with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound alleviate inflammation-induced bone loss in a mouse model of periodontitis

Extracellular vesicles(EVs)derived from mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)have emerged as a new mode of intercellular crosstalk and are responsible for many of the thera-peutic effects of MSCs.To promote the application of MSC-EVs,recent studies have focused on the manipulation of MSCs to improve the production of EVs and EV-mediated activities.The current paper details an optimization method using non-invasive low-intensity pulsed ul-trasound(LIPUS)as the stimulation for improving oral MSC-EV production and effectiveness.Stem cells from apical papilla(SCAP),a type of oral mesenchymal stem cell,displayed inten-sity-dependent pro-osteogenic and anti-inflammatory responses to LIPUS without significant cytotoxicity or apoptosis.The stimuli increased the secretion of EVs by promoting the expres-sion of neutral sphingomyelinases in SCAP.In addition,EVs from LIPUS-induced SCAP exhibited stronger efficacy in promoting the osteogenic differentiation and anti-inflammation of peri-odontal ligament cells in vitro and alleviating oral inflammatory bone loss in vivo.In addition,LIPUS stimulation affected the physical characteristics and miRNA cargo of SCAP-EVs.Further investigations indicated that miR-935 is an important mediator of the pro-osteogenic and anti-inflammatory capabilities of LIPUS-induced SCAP-EVs.Taken together,these findings demonstrate that LIPUS is a simple and effective physical method to optimize SCAP-EV produc-tion and efficacy.

Er-Y-Cr-Si化合物在极低温区的巨低场磁热效应

高性能低温低场磁热材料在气体液化等领域具有重要的应用前景.本团队通过真空电弧熔炼的方式成功合成了一系列多晶Er_(1-x)Y_(x)Cr_(2)Si_(2)(0≤x≤0.8)样品,这些材料表现出巨大的低场磁热效应.其中Cr含量为0.1的样品显示出最好的低场磁热性能以及接近2 K的合适的工作温区.更重要的是,在0-1 T的磁场变化下,该样品的最大磁熵变峰值以及最大绝热温变峰值分别高达19.2 J kg^(-1)K^(-1)和4.3 K.其磁熵变峰值为目前已报道的20 K以下温区合金类磁热材料的最大值.通过Arrott曲线,平均场理论以及约化磁熵变曲线等手段,证明了磁相变特征为二级相变.物理机理分析表明,10%的Y替代导致高达15.9%的磁熵变峰值增强的原因在于替代样品所具有的大饱和磁化强度以及小饱和磁场.

New insights into eutrophication management:Importance of temperature and water residence time

Eutrophication and harmful cyanobacterial blooms threaten water resources all over the world.There is a great controversy about controlling only phosphorus or controlling both nitrogen and phosphorus in the management of lake eutrophication.The primary argument against the dual nutrients control of eutrophication is that nitrogen fixation can compensate the nitrogen deficits.Thus,it is of great necessary to study the factors that can significantly affect the nitrogen fixation.Due to the difference of climate and human influence,the water quality of different lakes(such as water temperature,N:P ratio and water residence time)is also quite different.Numerous studies have reported that the low N:P ratio can intensify the nitrogen fixation capacities.However,the effects of temperature and water residence time on the nitrogen fixation remain unclear.Thus,30 shallows freshwater lakes in the eastern plain of China were selected to measure dissolved N_(2) and Ar concentrations through N_(2):Ar method using a membrane inlet mass spectrometer to quantify the nitrogen fixation capacities and investigate whether the temperature and water residence time have a great impact on nitrogen fixation.The results have shown that the short lake water residence time can severely inhibit the nitrogen fixation capacities through inhibiting the growth of nitrogenfixing cyanobacteria,changing the N:P ratio and resuspending the solids from sediments.Similarly,lakes with low water temperature also have a low nitrogen fixation capacity,suggesting that controlling nitrogen in such lakes is feasible if the growth of cyanobacteria is limited by nitrogen.

Na^(+)/K^(+)-ATPase-dependent autophagy protects brain against ischemic injury

Dear Editor,Cerebral ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of death worldwide with no effective treatment methods.Therefore,the investigation of potential intervention targets is urgently needed.Na^(+)/K^(+)-ATPase(NKA),a well-studied transmembrane protein pump expressed in all cells,is essential for the maintenance of cell membrane potential by exchanging three sodium ions out with two potassium ions into the cell to strictly regulate the electrochemical gradient and hence neuronal excitability.The energy demand of NKA-mediated maintenance of the membrane potential is~40%of the energy produced by respiration in the brain.1 NKAα1 is ubiquitously expressed and important for ion gradient maintenance.Preservation of the function of NKAα1 was recently reported to relieve ischemic damage.

Cholesterol-associated lysosomal disorder triggers cell death of hematological malignancy:Dynamic analysis on cytotoxic effects of LW-218

The integrity of lysosomes is of vital importance to survival of tumor cells.We demonstrated that LW-218,a synthetic flavonoid,induced rapid lysosomal enlargement accompanied with lysosomal membrane permeabilization in hematological malignancy.LW-218-induced lysosomal damage and lysosome-dependent cell death were mediated by cathepsin D,as the lysosomal damage and cell apoptosis could be suppressed by depletion of cathepsin D or lysosome alkalization agents,which can alter the activity of cathepsins.Lysophagy,was initiated for cell self-rescue after LW-218 treatment and correlated with calcium release and nuclei translocation of transcription factor EB.LW-218 treatment enhanced the expression of autophagy-related genes which could be inhibited by intracellular calcium chelator.Sustained exposure to LW-218 exhausted the lysosomal capacity so as to repress the normal autophagy.LW-218-induced enlargement and damage of lysosomes were triggered by abnormal cholesterol deposition on lysosome membrane which caused by interaction between LW-218 and NPC intracellular cholesterol transporter 1.Moreover,LW-218 inhibited the leukemia cell growth in vivo.Thus,the necessary impact of integral lysosomal function in cell rescue and death were illustrated.

A review of the application of machine learning in water quality evaluation

With the rapid increase in the volume of data on the aquatic environment,machine learning has become an important tool for data analysis,classification,and prediction.Unlike traditional models used in water-related research,data-driven models based on machine learning can efficiently solve more complex nonlinear problems.In water environment research,models and conclusions derived from machine learning have been applied to the construction,monitoring,simulation,evaluation,and optimization of various water treatment and management systems.Additionally,machine learning can provide solutions for water pollution control,water quality improvement,and watershed ecosystem security management.In this review,we describe the cases in which machine learning algorithms have been applied to evaluate the water quality in different water environments,such as surface water,groundwater,drinking water,sewage,and seawater.Furthermore,we propose possible future applications of machine learning approaches to water environments.

Ion compaction effect in hollow FePt nanochains with ultrathin shell under low energy ion irradiation

The morphology manipulation of nanomaterials by ion irradiation builds a way to precisely control physicochemical properties.Under the continuous irradiation of low energy Ga+,Ne+,and He+ions,an ion compaction effect has been found in hollow FePt nanochains with ultrathin shell that the volumes of the nanochains are gradually compacted by ions.The deep learning algorithm has been successfully applied to automatically and precisely measure average sizes of spheres in hollow FePt nanochains.The compaction under ion irradiation is very fast in the very early period and then proceeds to a slow region.The compaction rates in both regions are linearly fitted and all the values are in the order of 10^(–17) to 10^(–14) cm^(2)/ion.Ion species and ion current have effect on the compaction rate.For example,the compaction rate of Ga+ions is larger than those of Ne+and He+ions under an identical current,while irradiation with larger current can compact nanochains faster.The ion compaction effect originates from the local shear deformation caused by the interaction between incident ions and the electrons of Fe and Pt atoms in the ultrathin shell.With continuous irradiation,the crystalline clusters of FePt nanchains firstly grow larger and then become amorphous.The ion compaction effect can be applied to tune the size and crystal structure of hollow structures with a precise rate by choosing appropriate ion species and current.