The gap-free genome of mulberry elucidates the architecture and evolution of polycentric chromosomes

Mulberry is a fundamental component of the global sericulture industry,and its positive impact on our health and the environment cannot be overstated.However,the mulberry reference genomes reported previously remained unassembled or unplaced sequences.Here,we report the assembly and analysis of the telomere-to-telomere gap-free reference genome of the mulberry species,Morus notabilis,which has emerged as an important reference in mulberry gene function research and genetic improvement.The mulberry gap-free reference genome produced here provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to study the structure and function of centromeres.Our results revealed that all mulberry centromeric regions share conserved centromeric satellite repeats with different copies.Strikingly,we found that M.notabilis is a species with polycentric chromosomes and the only reported polycentric chromosome species up to now.We propose a compelling model that explains the formation mechanism of new centromeres and addresses the unsolved scientific question of the chromosome fusion-fission cycle in mulberry species.Our study sheds light on the functional genomics,chromosome evolution,and genetic improvement of mulberry species.

Recent advances in acid-resistant zeolite T membranes for dehydration of organics

Zeolite membranes offer outstanding potentials in separation of many molecular mixtures due to their molecular sieving selectivity and the high thermal and mechanical stability that allow them to operate at harsh conditions.Development of durable and high separation performance membranes with lower fabrication and operation cost are highly demanded for industrial applications. Zeolite T membrane possesses good acid-resistance with excellent hydrophilic properties as compared to NaA zeolite membrane and can be extended to industrial organic dehydrations under an acidic environment. In the present review the research advances in development of zeolite T membranes for the dehydration of organic mixtures in acidic conditions are summarized. Especially the low temperature synthesis, and epitaxial growth of the zeolite membrane with high performance are well addressed, besides emphasis is particularly placed on ensemble synthesis of hollow fiber zeolite T membrane module and its future prospects for industrial separations.

Abnormal expression of bHLH3 disrupts a flavonoid homeostasis network,causing differences in pigment composition among mulberry fruits

Mulberry fruits with high concentrations of anthocyanins are favored by consumers because of their good taste,bright color,and high nutritional value.However,neither the regulatory mechanism controlling flavonoid biosynthesis in mulberry nor the molecular basis of different mulberry fruit colors is fully understood.Here,we report that a flavonoid homeostasis network comprising activation and feedback regulation mechanisms determines mulberry fruit color.In vitro and in vivo assays showed that MYBA-bHLH3-TTG1 regulates the biosynthesis of anthocyanins,while TT2L1 and TT2L2 work with bHLH3 or GL3 and form a MYB-bHLH-WD40(MBW)complex with TTG1 to regulate proanthocyanidin(PA)synthesis.Functional and expression analyses showed that bHLH3 is a key regulator of the regulatory network controlling mulberry fruit coloration and that MYB4 is activated by MBW complexes and participates in negative feedback control of the regulatory network to balance the accumulation of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins.Our research demonstrates that the interaction between bHLH3 and MYB4 in the homeostasis regulatory network ensures that the fruits accumulate desirable flavonoids and that this network is stable in pigmentrich mulberry fruits.However,the abnormal expression of bHLH3 disrupts the balance of the network and redirects flavonoid metabolic flux in pale-colored fruits,resulting in differences in the levels and proportions of anthocyanins,flavones,and flavonols among differently colored mulberry fruits(red,yellow,and white).The results of our study reveal the molecular basis of the diversity of mulberry fruit colors.

Confined Ni-In intermetallic alloy nanocatalyst with excellent coking resistance for methane dry reforming

Carbon dioxide and methane are two main greenhouse gases which are contributed to serious global warming.Fortunately,dry reforming of methane(DRM),a very important reaction developed decades ago,can convert these two major greenhouse gases into value-added syngas or hydrogen.The main problem retarding its industrialization is the seriously coking formation upon the nickel-based catalysts.Herein,a series of confined indium-nickel(In-Ni)intermetallic alloy nanocatalysts(In_(x)Ni@SiO_(2))have been prepared and displayed superior coking resistance for DRM reaction.The sample containing 0.5 wt.%of In loading(In_(0.5)Ni@SiO_(2))shows the best balance of carbon deposition resistance and DRM reactivity even after 430 h long term stability test.The boosted carbon resistance can be ascribed to the confinement of core–shell structure and to the transfer of electrons from Indium to Nickel in In-Ni intermetallic alloys due to the smaller electronegativity of In.Both the silica shell and the increase of electron cloud density on metallic Ni can weaken the ability of Ni to activate C–H bond and decrease the deep cracking process of methane.The reaction over the confined InNi intermetallic alloy nanocatalyst was conformed to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood(L-H)mechanism revealed by in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy(in-situ DRIFTS).This work provides a guidance to design high performance coking resistance catalysts for methane dry reforming to efficiently utilize these two main greenhouse gases.

Numerical analysis of wind effects on aerodynamic characteristics of a ducted fan

Ducted fans have been extensively used in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAVs)for a variety of missions because of high efficiency,high safety and low noise.Wind,as a kind of typical meteorological condition,brings significant aerodynamic interference to the ducted fan,which seriously threatens flight stability and safety.In this work,the numerical simulation with the Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes(URANS)method and the sliding mesh technique is performed to evaluate the steady wind effect.The results show that the wind will lead to serious unsteady effects in the flow field,and the thrust fluctuates at the blade passing frequency of 200 Hz.As the wind speed increases,the rotor thrust increases,the duct thrust decreases,and the total thrust changes little.Flow instability may occur when the wind speed exceeds 8 m/s.As the angle of low-speed wind increases,the rotor thrust changes little,the duct thrust increases,and the total thrust increases.In addition,we figure out that cases with the same crosswind ratio are similar in results,and increasing the rotating speed or fan radius is beneficial to performance improvement in wind.The findings are essential to the ducted fan design and UAV flight control design for stable and safe operations in wind conditions.

Numerical investigation on unsteady characteristics of ducted fans in ground effect

Ducted fans are widely used in various applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAVs)due to the high efficiency,low noise and high safety.The unsteady characteristics of ducted fans flying near the ground are significant,which may bring stability problems.In this paper,the sliding mesh technology is applied and the Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes(URANS)method is adopted to evaluate the influence of ground on the aerodynamic performance of ducted fans.The time-averaged results show that the ground leads to the decrease of duct thrust,the increase of rotor thrust and the decrease of total thrust.The transient results show that there exist small-scale stall cells with circumferential movements in ground effect.The stall cells start to appear at the blade root when the height is 0.8 rotor radius distance,and arise at both the blade root and tip when the height drops to 0.2.It is found that the unsteady cells rotate between blade passages with an approximate relative speed of 30%-80%of the fan speed,and lead to thrust fluctuations up to 37%of the total thrust.The results are essential to the flight control design of the ducted fan flying vehicle,to ensure its stability in ground effect.

Genome-wide identification and expression analyses of cytochrome P450 genes in mulberry(Morus notabilis)

Cytochrome P450 S play critical roles in the biosynthesis of physiologically important compounds in plants.These compounds often act as defense toxins to prevent herbivory.In the present study,a total of 174 P450 genes of mulberry（Morus notabilis C.K.Schn） were identified based on bioinformatics analyses.These mulberry P450 genes were divided into nine clans and 47 families and were found to be expressed in a tissue-preferential manner.These genes were compared to the P450 genes in Arabidopsis thaliana.Families CYP80,CYP92,CYP728,CYP733,CYP736,and CYP749 were found to exist in mulberry,and they may play important roles in the biosynthesis of mulberry secondary metabolites.Analyses of the functional and metabolic pathways of these genes indicated that mulberry P450 genes may participate in the metabolism of lipids,other secondary metabolites,xenobiotics,amino acids,cofactors,vitamins,terpenoids,and poiyketides.These results provide a foundation for understanding of the structures and biological functions of mulberry P450 genes.