Mapping of powdery mildew resistance genes transferred to common wheat from wild emmer wheat revealed three functional Pm60 haplotypes

Powdery mildew(PM),caused by Blumeria graminis f.sp.tritici(Bgt),is one of the destructive wheat diseases worldwide.Wild emmer wheat(Triticum turgidum ssp.dicoccoides,WEW),a tetraploid progenitor of common wheat,is a valuable genetic resource for wheat disease resistance breeding programs.We developed three hexaploid pre-breeding lines with PM resistance genes derived from three WEW accessions.These resistant pre-breeding lines were crossed with susceptible common wheat accessions.Segregations in the F2populations were 3 resistant:1 susceptible,suggesting a single dominant allele in each resistant parent.Mapping of the resistance gene in each line indicated a single locus on the long arm of chromosome 7A,at the approximate location of previously cloned Pm60 from T.urartu.Sanger sequencing revealed three different Pm60 haplotypes(Hap 3,Hap 5,and Hap 6).Co-segregating diagnostic markers were developed for identification and selection of each haplotype.The resistance function of each haplotype was verified by the virus-induced gene silencing(VIGS).Common wheat lines carrying each of these Pm60 haplotypes were resistant to most Bgt isolates and differences in the response arrays suggested allelic variation in response.

Elemental composition x-ray fluorescence analysis with a TES-based high-resolution x-ray spectrometer

The accurate analysis of the elemental composition plays a crucial role in the research of functional materials.The emitting characteristic x-ray fluorescence(XRF)photons can be used for precisely discriminating the specified element.The detection accuracy of conventional XRF methodology using semiconductor detector is limited by the energy resolution,thus posing a challenge in accurately scaling the actual energy of each XRF photon.We adopt a novel high-resolution x-ray spectrometer based on the superconducting transition-edge sensor(TES)for the XRF spectroscopy measurement of different elements.Properties including high energy resolution,high detection efficiency and precise linearity of the new spectrometer will bring significant benefits in analyzing elemental composition via XRF.In this paper,we study the Ledge emission line profiles of three adjacent rare earth elements with the evenly mixed sample of their oxide components:terbium,dysprosium and holmium.Two orders of magnitude better energy resolution are obtained compared to a commercial silicon drift detector.With this TES-based spectrometer,the spectral lines overlapped or interfered by background can be clearly distinguished,thus making the chemical component analysis more accurate and quantitative.A database of coefficient values for the line strength of the spectrum can then be constructed thereafter.Equipped with the novel XRF spectrometer and an established coefficient database,a direct analysis of the composition proportion of a certain element in an unknown sample can be achieved with high accuracy.

Copy number variation of B1 controls awn length in wheat

Wheat awns contribute to photosynthesis and grain production.In this study,an F2population and F2:3families from a cross between the awned line 7D12 and the Chinese awnless variety Shiyou 20(SY20)were used to identify loci associated with awn length.Bulked-segregant RNA sequencing and linkage mapping identified a single dominant locus in a 0.3 cM interval on chromosome 5AL.Five genes were in the interval,including the recently cloned awn inhibitor B1.Although a single copy of the B1 gene was detected in 7D12,SY20 carried five copies of the gene.Increased copy number of B1 in SY20enhanced gene expression.Based on sequence variation among the promoter regions of five B1 gene copies in SY20,two dominant markers were developed and found to cosegregate with B1 in a population of 931 wheat accessions.All 77 awnless accessions harbored sequence variations in the B1 promoter regions similar to those of SY20 and thus carried multiple copies of the gene,whereas 15 randomly selected awned wheats carried only one copy.These results suggest that an increase in copy number of the B1 gene is associated with inhibition of awn length.

Nitrogen Content Inversion of Corn Leaf Data Based on Deep Neural Network Model

To obtain excellent regression results under the condition of small sample hyperspectral data,a deep neural network with simulated annealing(SA-DNN)is proposed.According to the characteristics of data,the attention mechanism was applied to make the network pay more attention to effective features,thereby improving the operating efficiency.By introducing an improved activation function,the data correlation was reduced based on increasing the operation rate,and the problem of over-fitting was alleviated.By introducing simulated annealing,the network chose the optimal learning rate by itself,which avoided falling into the local optimum to the greatest extent.To evaluate the performance of the SA-DNN,the coefficient of determination(R^(2)),root mean square error(RMSE),and other metrics were used to evaluate the model.The results show that the performance of the SA-DNN is significantly better than other traditional methods.

基于中能X射线的电催化基础研究:用于电化学体系中液/固和气/固界面原位探测的实验室近常压光电子能谱

在“双碳”目标背景下,推进产业和能源结构调整,发展可再生能源和提高能源利用效率成为当务之急.电催化在提高能源效率、减少碳排放和实现全球能源体系的可持续发展中扮演重要角色.阐明电解质/电极界面的反应机制是从原子分子层面理解电催化反应机理的前提,对于理性合成高效催化剂以及开发先进可再生能源技术至关重要.在界面反应机制的研究中,一项关键要求是如何在工况条件下原位探测界面处的反应中间体、化学环境和电子结构的实时变化.该要求对传统的X射线电子谱学实验方法提出了挑战.由于传统的X射线电子能谱需要在超高真空的环境中开展实验,导致该技术很难直接应用于电催化反应条件下的表征.为了克服这一难题,本文发展了用于电化学体系中液/固和气/固界面原位探测的实验室近常压光电子能谱.该装置利用中能X射线(金属Cr的Kα发射谱线,能量5.4 keV)作为激发光源,配备HiPP-2电子能量分析器.为满足电化学体系研究,整套系统采用紧凑型设计,通过分析测试腔体将X光源和电子能量分析器相连.该近常压X光电子能谱仪的工作压力为30 Torr(室温下水的饱和蒸汽压为20 Torr),可以直接将电化学溶液体系放入测试腔体.分析测试腔体配备快门,通过X射线窗口和分析器挡板,可在不影响X光源和分析器真空的条件下快速更换研究体系.通过原位样品杆的设计,满足电化学三电极装置在测试腔体内的使用.借助“浸-拉”方法在工作电极表面制备10纳米量级的连续液膜,从而实现液/固界面的探测.通过使用三电极装置,该近常压光电子能谱系统可以表征电极表面物种、电解液以及电解液/电极界面随电位的变化.此外,还通过对钠氧模型电池的研究,展示了该系统如何探测气/固界面在电化学反应中的变化.本文还总结了当前在电化学研究中应用近常压光电子能谱的一些挑战和发展前沿,期望通过仪器研发和电化学研究两个领域科学家的共同努力,为现实反应条件下电化学界面的组成-反应性能关系的理解做出贡献.

The biogenesis,function and clinical significance of circular RNAs in breast cancer

Circular RNAs(circ RNAs)are noncoding RNAs that form covalently closed loop structures.Circ RNAs are dysregulated in cancer and play key roles in tumorigenesis,diagnosis,and tumor therapy.Circ RNAs function as competing endogenous RNAs or micro RNA sponges that regulate transcription and splicing,binding to proteins,and translation.Circ RNAs may serve as novel biomarkers for cancer diagnosis,and they show potential as therapeutic targets in cancers including breast cancer(BC).In women,BC is the most common malignant tumor worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer death.Although evidence indicates that circ RNAs play a critical role in BC,the mechanisms regulating the function of circ RNAs in BC remain poorly understood.Here,we provide literature review aiming to clarify the role of circ RNAs in BC and summarize the latest research.We provide a systematic overview of the biogenesis and biological functions of circ RNAs,elaborate on the functional roles of circ RNAs in BC,and highlight the value of circ RNAs as diagnostic and therapeutic targets in BC.

保乳治疗的T1期乳腺癌患者是否可以免除外科腋窝分期?

背景与目的在后"Z0011"时代,外科腋窝分期在保乳治疗(breast-conserving therapy,BCT)的早期乳腺癌患者中的重要性逐渐受到质疑。我们使用监测、流行病学和最终结果(Sur veillance,Epidemiology,andEndResults,SEER)数据库进行了一项回顾性队列研究,评估保乳治疗的T1期乳腺癌患者免除外科腋窝分期的安全性。方法166,615例T1期乳腺癌患者于2000–2012年期间实施了保乳治疗(保乳手术+放疗),根据外科腋窝分期情况被分为两组:分期组(前哨淋巴结活检术或腋窝淋巴结清扫术)和未分期组(无淋巴结手术或仅行淋巴结针吸活检)。倾向评分匹配(propensity score matching,PSM)用于减少组间偏差和混杂变量的影响。多因素Cox比例风险模型用于分析乳腺癌特异性生存(breast cancer-specific survival,BCSS)的预后因素。结果虽然肿瘤大小随时间推移呈缩小趋势,但外科腋窝分期的比例从93.3%增加到96.9%。所有患者(PSM之前)和配对患者(PSM之后)的5年BCSS率分别为98.0%和97.5%。配对后分期组患者的BCSS明显优于未分期组(P<0.001)。然而,在分层分析中,外科腋窝分期没有使50–79岁、肿瘤直径<1 cm、组织学分级I级或预后良好组织型(管状/黏液性/乳头状)的患者获益(P>0.05)。种族、婚姻状况、激素受体、化疗与外科腋窝分期对BCSS的有利影响无关(P>0.05)。结论虽然外科腋窝分期对于T1期保乳治疗的患者仍然至关重要,然而对于老年、小肿瘤、Grade I级或预后良好组织型的患者,外科腋窝分期可能不是必要操作。

TaACTIN7-D regulates plant height and grain shape in bread wheat

Exploitation of new gene resources and genetic networks contributing to the control of crop yield-related traits,such as plant height,grain size,and shape,may enable us to breed modern high-yielding wheat varieties through molecular methods.In this study,via ethylmethanesulfonate mutagenesis,we identify a wheat mutant plant,mu-597,that shows semi-dwarf plant architecture and round grain shape.Through bulked segregant RNA-seq and map-based cloning,the causal gene for the semi-dwarf phenotype of mu-597 is located.We find that a single-base mutation in the coding region of TaACTIN7-D(TaACT7-D),leading to a Gly-to-Ser(G65S)amino acid mutation at the 65th residue of the deduced TaACT7-D protein,can explain the semi-dwarfism and round grain shape of mu-597.Further evidence shows that the G65S mutation in TaACT7-D hinders the polymerization of actin from monomeric(G-actin)to filamentous(F-actin)status while attenuates wheat responses to multiple phytohormones,including brassinosteroids,auxin,and gibberellin.Together,these findings not only define a new semi-dwarfing gene resource that can be potentially used to design plant height and grain shape of bread wheat but also establish a direct link between actin structure modulation and phytohormone signal transduction.

Discovery of the mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of migraine based on functional magnetic resonance imaging and omics

Migraine is one of the most prevalent and disabling neurological disease,but the current pharmacotherapies show limited efficacy and often accompanied by adverse effects.Acupuncture is a promising complementary therapy,but further clinical evidence is needed.The influence of acupuncture on migraine is not an immediate effect,and its mechanism remains unclear.This study aims to provide further clinical evidence for the anti-migraine effects of acupuncture and explore the mechanism involved.A randomized controlled trial was performed among 10 normal controls and 38 migraineurs.The migraineurs were divided into blank control,sham acupuncture,and acupuncture groups.Patients were subjected to two courses of treatment,and each treatment lasted for 5 days,with an interval of 1 day between the two courses.The effectiveness of treatment was evaluated using pain questionnaire.The functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI)data were analyzed for investigating brain changes induced by treatments.Blood plasma was collected for metabolomics and proteomics studies.Correlation and mediation analyses were performed to investigate the interaction between clinical,fMRI and omics changes.Results showed that acupuncture effectively relieved migraine symptoms in a way different from sham acupuncture in terms of curative effect,affected brain regions,and signaling pathways.The anti-migraine mechanism involves a complex network related to the regulation of the response to hypoxic stress,reversal of brain energy imbalance,and regulation of inflammation.The brain regions of migraineurs affected by acupuncture include the lingual gyrus,default mode network,and cerebellum.The effect of acupuncture on patients’metabolites/proteins may precede that of the brain.

The TaTCP4/10-B1 cascade regulates awn elongation in wheat(Triticum aestivum L.)

Awns are important morphological markers for wheat and exert a strong physiological effect on wheat yield.The awn elongation suppressor B1 has recently been cloned through association and linkage analysis in wheat.However,the mechanism of awn inhibition centered around B1 remains to be clarified.Here,we identified an allelic variant in the coding region of B1 through analysis of re-sequencing data;this variant causes an amino acid substitution and premature termination,resulting in a long-awn phenotype.Transcriptome analysis indicated that B1 inhibited awn elongation by impeding cytokinin-and auxinpromoted cell division.Moreover,B1 directly repressed the expression of TaRAE2 and TaLks2,whose orthologs have been reported to promote awn development in rice or barley.More importantly,we found that TaTCP4 and TaTCP10 synergistically inhibited the expression of B1,and a G-to-A mutation in the B1 promoter attenuated its inhibition by TaTCP4/10.Taken together,our results reveal novel mechanisms of awn development and provide genetic resources for trait improvement in wheat.

Microfluidic magnetic detection system combined with a DNA framework-mediated immune-sandwich assay for rapid and sensitive detection of tumor-derived exosomes

Tumor-derived circulating exosomes(TDEs)are being pursued as informative and noninvasive biomarkers.However,quantitatively detecting TDEs is still challenging.Herein,we constructed a DNA tetrahedral-structured probe(TSP)-mediated microfluidic magnetic detection system(μFMS)to provide a rapid and sensitive platform for analyzing TDEs.CD63 aptamer-modified Fe_(3)O_(4)magnetic nanoparticles(MNPs)were constructed to form magnetic nano-report probes(MNRs).The microfluidic chips were fabricated from glass functionalized with DNA TSP-modified aldehyde groups and a PDMS layer designed with serpentine microchannels.An induction coil-based magnetic detector was used to measure the magnetic signal.The linear dynamic range of theμFMS system for TDE assays was 1.98×10^(3)-1.98×10^(7)particles/mL with a limit of detection of 1.98×10^(3)particles/mL in PBS.There was no significant difference in TDE detection between the simulated serum and PBS,which indicated the feasibility of the constructedμFMS system for TDE analysis in complex biological systems.In terms of cost,reaction time and operation procedure,thisμFMS has the potential to be developed as a clinical point-of-care testing tool for cancer diagnosis and therapeutics.

A Collinearity-Incorporating Homology Inference Strategy for Connecting Emerging Assemblies in the Triticeae Tribe as a Pilot Practice in the Plant Pangenomic Era

Plant genome sequencing has dramatically increased,and some species even have multiple high-quality reference versions.Demands for clade-specific homology inference and analysis have increased in the pangenomic era.Here we present a novel method,GeneTribe(https://chenym1.github.io/genetribe/),for homology inference among genetically similar genomes that incorporates gene collinearity and shows bet-ter performance than traditional sequence-similarity-based methods in terms of accuracy and scalability.The Triticeae tribe is a typical allopolyploid-rich clade with complex species relationships that includes many important crops,such as wheat,barley,and rye.We built Triticeae-GeneTribe(http://wheat.cau.edu.cn/TGT/),a homology database,by integrating 12 Triticeae genomes and 3 outgroup model genomes and implemented versatile analysis and visualization functions.With macrocollinearity analysis,we were able to construct a refined model illustrating the structural rearrangements of the 4A-5A-7B chromosomes in wheat as two major translocation events.With collinearity analysis at both the macro-and microscale,we illustrated the complex evolutionary history of homologs of the wheat vernalization gene Vm2,which evolved as a combined result of genome translocation,duplication,and polyploidization and gene loss events.Our work provides a useful practice for connecting emerging genome assemblies,with awareness of the extensive polyploidy in plants,and will help researchers efficiently exploit genome sequence re-sources.

NbN superconducting nanowire single photon detector with efficiency over 90% at 1550 nm wavelength operational at compact cryocooler temperature

The rapid development of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors over the past decade has led to numerous advances in quantum information technology. The record for the best system detection efficiency at an incident photon wavelength of 1550 nm is 93%. This performance was attained from a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector made of amorphous WSi; such detectors are usually operated at sub-Kelvin temperatures. In this study, we first demonstrate superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors made of polycrystalline NbN with system detection efficiency of 90.2% for 1550-nm-wavelength photons at2.1 K, accessible with a compact cryocooler. The system detection efficiency saturated at 92.1% when the temperature was lowered to 1.8 K. We expect the results lighten the practical and high performance superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors to quantum information and other high-end applications.

Ectopic expression of VRT-A2 underlies the origin of Triticum polonicum and Triticum petropavlovskyi with long outer glumes and grains

Polish wheat (Triticum polonicum) is a unique tetraploid wheat species characterized by an elongated outer glume. The genetic control of the long-glume trait by a single semi-dominant locus, P1 (from Polish wheat), was established more than 100 years ago, but the underlying causal gene and molecular nature remain elusive. Here, we report the isolation of VRT-A2, encoding an SVP-clade MADS-box transcription factor, as the P1 candidate gene. Genetic evidence suggests that in T. polonicum, a naturally occurring sequence rearrangement in the intron-1 region of VRT-A2 leads to ectopic expression of VRT-A2 in floral organs where the long-glume phenotype appears. Interestingly, we found that the intron-1 region is a key ON/OFF molecular switch for VRT-A2 expression, not only because it recruits transcriptional repressors, but also because it confers intron-mediated transcriptional enhancement. Genotypic analyses using wheat accessions indicated that the P1 locus is likely derived from a single natural mutation in tetraploid wheat, which was subsequently inherited by hexaploid T. petropavlovskyi. Taken together, our findings highlight the promoter-proximal intron variation as a molecular basis for phenotypic differentiation, and thus species formation in Triticum plants.

Selective coordination and localized polarization in graphene quantum dots: Detection of fluoride anions using ultra-low-field NMR relaxometry

The development of ultra-sensitive methods for detecting anions is limited by their low charge to radius ratios, microenvironment sensitivity, and p H sensitivity. In this paper, a magnetic sensor is devised that exploits the controllable and selective coordination that occurs between a magnetic graphene quantum dot(GQD) and fluoride anion(F–). The sensor is used to measure the change in relaxation time of aqueous solutions of magnetic GQDs in the presence of F–using ultra-low-field(118 μT) nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry. The method was optimized to produce a limit of detection of 10 nmol/L and then applied to quantitatively detect F–in domestic water samples. More importantly, the key factors responsible for the change in relaxation time of the magnetic GQDs in the presence of F–are revealed to be the selective coordination that occurs between the GQDs and F–as well as the localized polarization of the water protons. This striking finding is not only significant for the development of other magnetic probes for sensing anions but also has important ramifications for the design of contrast agents with enhanced relaxivity for use in magnetic resonance imaging.

Introduction of a multicenter online database for non-metastatic breast cancer in China

Dear Editor,Breast cancer is now the most frequently diagnosed cancer and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death in Chinese women. Therefore, the burden of breast cancer in China is gradually increasing. According to figures released by the Chinese Cancer Center in 2018, the number of newly diagnostic breast cancer is about 278,900 cases, accounting for 16.51%of all women who were diagnosed with the first primary malignant tumors;and 66,000 cases of breast cancer died in 2014 (Chen et al., 2016).

High-resolution characterization of hexagonal boron nitride coatings exposed to aqueous and air oxidative environments

Hexagonal boron nitride （h-BN） is believed to offer better passivation to metallic surfaces than graphene owing to its insulating nature, which facilitates blocking the flow of electrons, thereby preventing the occurrence of galvanic reactions. Nevertheless, this may not be the case when an h-BN-protected material is exposed to aqueous environments. In this work, we analyzed the stability of mono and multilayer h-BN stacks exposed to H202 and atmospheric conditions. Our experiments revealed that monolayer h-BN is as inefficient as graphene as a protective coating when exposed to H202. Multilayer h-BN offered a good degree of protection. Monolayer h-BN was found to be ineffective in an air atmosphere as well. Even a 10-15 layers-thick h-BN stack could not completely protect the surface of the metal under consideration. By combining Auger electron spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry techniques, we observed that oxygen could diffuse through the grain boundaries of the h-BN stack to reach the metallic substrate. Fortunately, because of the diffusive nature of the process, the oxidized area did not increase with time once a saturated state was reached. This makes multflayer （not monolayer） h-BN a suitable long-term oxidation barrier. Oxygen infiltration could not be observed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This technique cannot assess the chemical composition of the deeper layers of a material. Hence, the previous reports, which relied on XPS to analyze the passivating properties of h-BN and graphene, may have ignored some important subsurface phenomena. The results obtained in this study provide new insights into the passivating properties of mono and multilayer h-BN in aqueous media and the degradation kinetics of h-BN-coated metals exposed to an air environment.

Supercontinuum single-photon detector using multilayer superconducting nanowires

High-efficiency superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors(SNSPDs), which have numerous applications in quantum information systems, function by using the optical cavity and the ultrasensitive photon response of their ultra-thin superconducting nanowires. However, the wideband response of superconducting nanowires is limited due to the resonance of the traditional optical cavity. Here, we report on a supercontinuum SNSPD that can efficiently detect single photons over an ultra-broad spectral range from visible to mid-infrared light. Our detection approach relies on using multiple cavities with well-separated absorbed resonances formed by fabricating multilayer superconducting nanowires on metallic mirrors with silica acting as spacer layers. Thus, we are able to extend the absorption spectral bandwidth while maintaining considerable efficiency, as opposed to a conventional single-layer SNSPD. Our calculations show that the proposed supercontinuum SNSPD exhibits an extended absorption bandwidth with increased nanowire layers. Its absorption efficiency is greater than 70%over the entire range from 400 to 2500 nm(or 400 to 3000 nm), when using two-layer(or three-layer) nanowires.As a proof of principle, the SNSPD with bilayer nanowires is fabricated based on the proposed detector architecture with simplified geometrical parameters. The detector achieves broadband detection efficiency over 60%from 950 to 1650 nm. This type of detector may replace multiple narrow band detectors in a system and find uses in the emerging and rapidly advancing field of atomic and molecular broadband spectroscopy.

Is surgical axillary staging necessary in women with T1 breast cancer who are treated with breast-conserving therapy?

Background:In the post-Z0011 trial era,the need to perform surgical axillary staging for early-stage breast cancer patients,who are treated with breast-conserving therapy(BCT),is being questioned.We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Surveillance,Epidemiology,and End Results(SEER)database to evaluate the safety of waiving surgical axillary staging in patients with T1 breast cancer treated with BCT.Methods:A total of 166,615 eligible patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2012 were divided into staging(sentinel lymph node biopsy or axillary lymph node dissection)and non-staging(no lymph node examined or only needle aspiration biopsy of lymph nodes)groups.Propensity score matching(PSM)was performed to balance disparities between the two groups.Multivariate analysis with the Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess factors related to breast cancer-specific survival(BCSS).Results:Although the tumor size at time of presentation was decreasing over years,the rate of surgical axillary stag-ing increased from 93.3%to 96.9%.The 5-year BCSS rates of the whole cohort(before PSM)and matched cohort(after PSM)were 98.0%and 97.5%.Within the matched cohort,the BCSS was significantly longer in the staging group than in the non-staging group(P<0.001).However,surgical axillary staging did not benefit patients who were 50-79 years old,had tumor size<1 cm,histological grade I disease,or favorable histological types(tubular/mucinous/papillary)in stratified analyses(P>0.05).Race,marital status,hormone receptors,and chemotherapy were not associated with the favorable impact of surgical axillary staging on BCSS(P>0.05).Conclusion:Although surgical axillary staging remains important for T1 breast cancer patients treated with BCT,it might be unnecessary for patients with old age,small tumor,grade I disease,or favorable histological types.

Host–Guest Interaction Driven Peptide Assembly into Photoresponsive Two-Dimensional Nanosheets with Switchable Antibacterial Activity

Selectively controlling the bioactivity of antimicrobial peptides is not only a fascinating scientific challenge but also a necessity in localized antibacterial therapy.Here,a smart antimicrobial system has been fabricated via host–guest driven dynamic selfassembly between a branched cyclodextrin and cationic linear peptides appended with azobenzene side chains.The self-assembly structure of the host–guest system could be controlled reversibly through the photoresponsive isomerization of azobenzene moieties.