Increasing Fusarium verticillioides resistance in maize by genomicsassisted breeding:Methods,progress,and prospects

Maize(Zea mays L.)is an indispensable crop worldwide for food,feed,and bioenergy production.Fusarium verticillioides(F.verticillioides)is a widely distributed phytopathogen and incites multiple destructive diseases in maize:seedling blight,stalk rot,ear rot,and seed rot.As a soil-,seed-,and airborne pathogen,F.verticillioides can survive in soil or plant residue and systemically infect maize via roots,contaminated seed,silks,or external wounds,posing a severe threat to maize production and quality.Infection triggers complex immune responses:induction of defense-response genes,changes in reactive oxygen species,plant hormone levels and oxylipins,and alterations in secondary metabolites such as flavonoids,phenylpropanoids,phenolic compounds,and benzoxazinoid defense compounds.Breeding resistant maize cultivars is the preferred approach to reducing F.verticillioides infection and mycotoxin contamination.Reliable phenotyping systems are prerequisites for elucidating the genetic structure and molecular mechanism of maize resistance to F.verticillioides.Although many F.verticillioides resistance genes have been identified by genome-wide association study,linkage analysis,bulkedsegregant analysis,and various omics technologies,few have been functionally validated and applied in molecular breeding.This review summarizes research progress on the infection cycle of F.verticillioides in maize,phenotyping evaluation systems for F.verticillioides resistance,quantitative trait loci and genes associated with F.verticillioides resistance,and molecular mechanisms underlying maize defense against F.verticillioides,and discusses potential avenues for molecular design breeding to improve maize resistance to F.verticillioides.

Towards Solar-Driven Formation of Robust and Self-Healable Waterborne Polyurethane Containing Disulfide Bonds via in-situ Incorporation of 2D Titanium Carbide MXene

Waterborne polymers are vital for coating industry to reduce carbon emissions.However,formation of robust and self-healable films at ambient temperature remains a challenge owing to high energy cost of film formation process.This work reports a solar-driven film formation of waterborne polyurethanes(WPUs)containing disulfide bonds via in-situ incorporation of 2D titanium carbide(MXene)with ability to convert light to heat.Instead of directly mixed with WPUs,MXene is added to join the reaction with isocyanate-terminated pre-polymer before emulsification process.This approach not only prevents aggregation of MXene in water but stabilizes MXene against thermal degradation which is the key hurdle for mass production of MXene/WPU composites.More importantly,our results show that mechanical performance of WPU films under visible light(100 mW/cm^(2))is overwhelmingly competitive with that processed in oven.Furthermore,the existence of disulfide bonds in PU chains enables fast self-healing of micro-cracks under natural visible light which could vanish completely within 40 min.The fractured specimens were repaired under natural visible light for 2 h,and the self-healing efficiency of tensile strength and elongation at break reached over 94.00%.

Low-energy-consumption temperature swing system for CO_(2) capture by combining passive radiative cooling and solar heating

Temperature-swing adsorption(TSA)is an effective technique for CO_(2) capture,but the temperature swing procedure is energy-intensive.Herein,we report a low-energy-consumption system by combining passive radiative cooling and solar heating for the uptake of CO_(2) on commercial activated carbons(CACs).During adsorption,the adsorbents are coated with a layer of hierarchically porous poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropene)[P(VdF-HFP)HP],which cools the adsorbents to a low temperature under sunlight through radiative cooling.For desorption,CACs with broad absorption of the solar spectrum are exposed to light irradiation for heating.The heating and cooling processes are completely driven by solar energy.Adsorption tests under mimicked sunlight using the CACs show that the performance of this system is comparable to that of the traditional ones.Furthermore,under real sunlight irradiation,the adsorption capacity of the CACs can be well maintained after multiple cycles.The present work may inspire the development of new temperature swing procedures with little energy consumption.

Unveiling a Novel Insulator-to-Metal Transition in La_(N)iO_(4+δ):Challenging High-Temperature Superconductivity Claimed for Single-Layer Lanthanum Nickelates

La_(2)NiO_(4)has a similar structure to La_(2)CuO_(4)and was proposed as a high-temperature superconductor based on magnetic-moment measurements decades ago.Nevertheless,with the exception for electrical resistance drop behavior of about 4 orders of magnitude that is claimed to originate from the superconductivity ever observed in Sr-doped La_(N)iO_(4),most electrical data reported to date in La_(N)iO_(4)system exhibit a trivial insulating ground state.Here,we definitively identify the similar electrical resistance drop behavior of more than 3 orders of magnitude in La_(2)NiO_(4+δ).However,our extensive investigations reveal that this phenomenon is a novel insulatorto-metal transition,distinct from superconductivity.Intriguingly,compared to the weak magnetic-field effects,pressure can significantly suppress the transition and transform from the metallic to an insulating ground state,accompanied by an isostructural phase transition.Our work not only elucidates the fundamental properties of the metallic conducting ground state in La_(N)iO_(4)+δ,but also critically challenges the notion of superconductivity in single-layer lanthanum nickelates.

Chiral bound states in a staggered array of coupled resonators

We study the chiral bound states in a coupled-resonator array with staggered hopping strengths,which interacts with a two-level small atom through a single coupling point or two adjacent ones.In addition to the two typical bound states found above and below the energy bands,this system presents an extraordinary chiral bound state located within the energy gap.We use the chirality to quantify the breaking of the mirror symmetry.We find that the chirality value undergoes continuous changes by tuning the coupling strengths.The preferred direction of the chirality is controlled not only by the competition between the intracell and the intercell hoppings in the coupled-resonator array,but also by the coherence between the two coupling points.In the case with one coupling point,the chirality values varies monotonously with difference between the intracell hopping and the intercell hoppings.While in the case with two coupling points,due to the coherence between the two coupling points the perfect chiral states can be obtained.

Pressure generation under deformation in a large-volume press

Deformation can change the transition pathway of materials under high pressure,thus significantly affects physical and chemical properties of matters.However,accurate pressure calibration under deformation is challenging and thereby causes relatively large pressure uncertainties in deformation experiments,resulting in the synthesis of complex multiphase materials.Here,pressure generations of three types of deformation assemblies were well calibrated in a Walker-type largevolume press(LVP)by electrical resistance measurements combined with finite element simulations(FESs).Hard Al_(2)O_(3) or diamond pistons in shear and uniaxial deformation assemblies significantly increase the efficiency of pressure generation compared with the conventional quasi-hydrostatic assembly.The uniaxial deformation assembly using flat diamond pistons possesses the highest efficiency in these deformation assemblies.This finding is further confirmed by stress distribution analysis based on FESs.With this deformation assembly,we found shear can effectively promote the transformation of C60 into diamond under high pressure and realized the synthesis of phase-pure diamond at relatively moderate pressure and temperature conditions.The present developed techniques will help improve pressure efficiencies in LVP and explore the new physical and chemical properties of materials under deformation in both science and technology.

Atomically dispersed calcium as solid strong base catalyst with high activity and stability

Solid strong base catalysts are highly attractive for diverse reactions owing to their advantages of neglectable corrosion,facile separation,and environmental friendliness.However,their widespread applications are impeded by basic components aggregation and low stability.In this work,we fabricate single calcium atoms on graphene(denoted as Ca1/G)by use of a redox strategy for the first time,producing solid strong base catalyst with high activity and stability.The precursor Ca(NO_(3))_(2)is first reduced to CaO at 400℃ by the support graphene,forming CaO/G with conventional basic sites,and the subsequent reduction at 850℃results in the generation of Ca1/G with atomically dispersed Ca.Various characterizations reveal that Ca single atoms are anchored on graphene in tetra-coordination(Ca-C_(2)-N_(2))where N is in situ doped from Ca(NO_(3))_(2).The atomically dispersed Ca,along with their anchoring on the support,endow Ca1/G with high activity and stability toward the transesterification reaction of ethylene carbonate with methanol.The turnover frequency value reaches 128.0 h^(-1)on Ca1/G,which is much higher than the traditional counterpart CaO/G and various reported solid strong bases(2.9-46.2 h^(-1)).Moreover,the activity of Ca1/G is well maintained during 5 cycles,while 60%of activity is lost for the conventional analogue CaO/G due to the leaching of Ca.

Thermodynamics of charged AdS black hole surrounded by quintessence in restricted phase space

We study thermodynamics of charged AdS black hole surrounded by quintessence in a new formalism which is called the restricted phase space thermodynamics.This context is based on Visser’s holographic thermodynamics with a fixed antide Sitter radius and a variable Newton constant.The conjugate variables,central charge C and the chemical potential m,are introduced as a new pair of thermodynamic variables.We find that the iso-e-charge T-S curve becomes non-monotonic when Q<Q_(c).Correspondingly,the F-T curve exhibits a swallow tail structure.This behavior is considered as a van der Waals-like phase transition.As the value of b related to the energy density of Kiselev’s fluid becomes larger,the critical temperature T_(c)will decrease.Thus,the van derWaals-like phase transition will occur at lower temperature.There is always a non-quilibrium transition from a small unstable black hole to a large stable black hole state in the isocoltage T-S process.There exist a maximum and a Hawking-Page phase transition points in theμ-C plane.As the value of b related to Kiselev’s fluid becomes larger,the Hawking-Page phase transition will occur at lower temperature in the isovoltageμ-T process.For other values of the state parameterω,there also exists van der Waals-like phase transition.

Security analysis of satellite-to-ground reference-frame-independent quantum key distribution with beam wandering

The reference-frame-independent(RFI)quantum key distribution(QKD)is suitable for satellite-based links by removing the active alignment on the reference frames.However,how the beam wandering influences the performance of RFI-QKD remains a pending issue in satellite-to-ground links.In this paper,based on the mathematical model for characterizing beam wandering,we present the security analysis for satellite-to-ground RFI-QKD and analytically derive formulas for calculating the secret key rate with beam wandering.Our simulation results show that the performance of RFI-QKD is better than the Bennett–Brassard 1984(BB84)QKD with beam wandering in asymptotic case.Furthermore,the degree of influences of beam wandering is specifically presented for satellite-to-ground RFI-QKD when statistical fluctuations are taken into account.Our work can provide theoretical support for the realization of RFI-QKD using satellite-to-ground links and have implications for the construction of large-scale satellite-based quantum networks.

General Method of Combining Grover and Simon for Attacking Block Ciphers

The compatibility of different quantum algorithms should be considered when these algorithms are combined.In this paper,the method of combining Grover and Simon is studied for the first time,under some preconditions or assumptions.First,we give two preconditions of applying Grover’s algorithm,which ensure that the success probability of finding the marked element is close to 1.Then,based on these two preconditions,it is found out that the success probability of the quantum algorithm for FXconstruction is far less than 1.Furthermore,we give the design method of the Oracle function,and then present the general method of combining Grover and Simon algorithm for attacking block ciphers,with success probability close to 1.

In-situ deposited anti-aging TiN capping layer for Nb superconducting quantum circuits

The performance of Nb superconducting quantum devices is predominantly limited by dielectric loss at the metal–air interface,where Nb2O5 is considered the main loss source.Here,we suppress the formation of native oxides by in-situ deposition of a TiN capping layer on the Nb film.With TiN capping layers,no Nb2O5 forms on the surface of the Nb film.The quality factor Qi of the Nb resonator increases from 5.6×10^(5) to 7.9×10^(5) at low input power and from 6.8×10^(6) to 1.1×10^(7)at high input power.Furthermore,the TiN capping layer also shows good aging resistance in Nb resonator devices,with no significant performance fluctuations after one month of aging.These findings highlight the effectiveness of TiN capping layers in enhancing the performance and longevity of Nb superconducting quantum devices.

多硫化物修饰nZVI@BC对污染土壤中铬的稳定化:铬的生物可用性和稳定机制

土壤中铬(Cr)污染是最严重的环境问题之一,对人类健康构成了重大威胁。本研究探讨了多硫化物修饰的nZVI@BC(PS-nZVI@BC)对铬污染土壤的稳定化机制以及铬的生物可用性。经过30天的处理后,添加PS-nZVI@BC能够降低土壤中92.0%的可浸出Cr(VI)。根据序贯萃取分析,添加PS-nZVI@BC后,土壤中的可交换铬从20.8%急剧下降至4.0%,大部分转化为铁锰氧化物和有机物结合态。稳定机制包括静电吸附、氧化还原反应、表面络合和沉淀。此外,PS-nZVI@BC能有效改善铬污染土壤的肥力,降低土壤中的铬对玉米幼苗的毒性。这些结果表明采用PS-nZVI@BC对受铬污染的土壤进行修复具有巨大的潜力。

Protective mechanism of quercetin compounds against acrylamide-induced hepatotoxicity

Quercetin compounds have antioxidant,anti-inflammatory and anticancer pharmacological functions.Longterm exposure to acrylamide(AA)can cause liver injury and endanger human health.However,whether quercetin compounds can attenuate AA-induced liver injury and the specific mechanism are not clear.Here,we studied the mechanism and structure-activity relationship of quercetin compounds in reducing AA-induced hepatotoxicity in vivo and in vitro.In vivo studies found that quercetin-like compounds protect against AAinduced liver injury by reducing oxidative stress levels,activating the Akt/m TOR signaling pathway to attenuate autophagy,and improving mitochondrial apoptosis and endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated apoptosis.In vitro studies found that quercetin compounds protected Hep G2 cells from AA by attenuating the activation of AA-induced autophagy,lowering reactive oxygen species(ROS)levels by exerting antioxidant effects and thus attenuating oxidative stress,increasing mitochondrial membrane potential(MMP),and improving apoptosis-related proteins,thus attenuating AA-induced apoptosis.Furthermore,the conformational differences between quercetin compounds correlated with their protective capacity against AA-induced hepatotoxicity,with quercetin showing the best protective capacity due to its strongest antioxidant activity.In conclusion,quercetin compounds can protect against AA-induced liver injury through multiple pathways of oxidative stress,autophagy and apoptosis,and their protective capacity correlates with antioxidant activity.

Parameter estimation in n-dimensional massless scalar field

Quantum Fisher information(QFI)associated with local metrology has been used to parameter estimation in open quantum systems.In this work,we calculated the QFI for a moving Unruh-DeWitt detector coupled with massless scalar fields in n-dimensional spacetime,and analyzed the behavior of QFI with various parameters,such as the dimension of spacetime,evolution time,and Unruh temperature.We discovered that the QFI of state parameter decreases monotonically from 1 to 0 over time.Additionally,we noted that the QFI for small evolution times is several orders of magnitude higher than the QFI for long evolution times.We also found that the value of QFI decreases at first and then stabilizes as the Unruh temperature increases.It was observed that the QFI depends on initial state parameterθ,and Fθis the maximum forθ=0 orθ=π,Fφis the maximum forθ=π/2.We also obtain that the maximum value of QFI for state parameters varies for different spacetime dimensions with the same evolution time.

Correction of microwave pulse reflection by digital filters in superconducting quantum circuits

Reducing the control error is vital for high-fidelity digital and analog quantum operations.In superconducting circuits,one disagreeable error arises from the reflection of microwave signals due to impedance mismatch in the control chain.Here,we demonstrate a reflection cancelation method when considering that there are two reflection nodes on the control line.We propose to generate the pre-distortion pulse by passing the envelopes of the microwave signal through digital filters,which enables real-time reflection correction when integrated into the field-programmable gate array(FPGA).We achieve a reduction of single-qubit gate infidelity from 0.67%to 0.11%after eliminating microwave reflection.Real-time correction of microwave reflection paves the way for precise control and manipulation of the qubit state and would ultimately enhance the performance of algorithms and simulations executed on quantum processors.

Maxwell Demon and Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen Steering

Research of Maxwell demon and quantum entanglement is important because of its foundational significance in physics and its potential applications in quantum information. Previous studies on the Maxwell demon have primarily focused on thermodynamics, taking into account quantum correlations. Here we consider from another perspective and ask whether quantum non-locality correlations can be simulated by performing work. The Maxwell demon-assisted Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen(EPR) steering is thus proposed, which implies a new type of loophole. The application of Landauer's erasure principle suggests that the only way to close this loophole during a steering task is by continuously monitoring the heat fluctuation of the local environment by the participant.We construct a quantum circuit model of Maxwell demon-assisted EPR steering, which can be demonstrated by current programmable quantum processors, such as superconducting quantum computers. Based on this quantum circuit model, we obtain a quantitative formula describing the relationship between energy dissipation due to the work of the demon and quantum non-locality correlation. The result is of great physical interest because it provides a new way to explore and understand the relationship between quantum non-locality, information, and thermodynamics.

Quantum Voting Machine Encoded with Microwave Photons

We propose a simple quantum voting machine using microwave photon qubit encoding, based on a setup comprising multiple microwave cavities and a coupled superconducting flux qutrit. This approach primarily relies on a multi-control single-target quantum phase gate. The scheme offers operational simplicity, requiring only a single step, while ensuring verifiability through the measurement of a single qubit phase information to obtain the voting results. It provides voter anonymity, as the voting outcome is solely tied to the total number of affirmative votes. Our quantum voting machine also has scalability in terms of the number of voters.Additionally, the physical realization of the quantum voting machine is general and not limited to circuit quantum electrodynamics. Quantum voting machine can be implemented as long as the multi-control single-phase quantum phase gate is realized in other physical systems. Numerical simulations indicate the feasibility of this quantum voting machine within the current quantum technology.

A virtual thermometer for ultrahigh-temperature-pressure experiments in a large-volume press

Ultrahigh-temperature-pressure experiments are crucial for understanding the physical and chemical properties of matter.The recent development of boron-doped diamond(BDD)heaters has made such melting experiments possible in large-volume presses.However,estimates of temperatures above 2600 K and of the temperature distributions inside BDD heaters are not well constrained,owing to the lack of a suitable thermometer.Here,we establish a three-dimensional finite element model as a virtual thermometer to estimate the temperature and temperature field above 2600 K.The advantage of this virtual thermometer over those proposed in previous studies is that it considers both alternating and direct current heating modes,the actual sizes of cell assemblies after compression,the effects of the electrode,thermocouple and anvil,and the heat dissipation by the pressure-transmitting medium.The virtual thermometer reproduces the power-temperature relationships of ultrahigh-temperature-pressure experiments below 2600 K at press loads of 2.8-7.9 MN(~19 to 28 GPa)within experimental uncertainties.The temperatures above 2600 K predicted by our virtual thermometer are within the uncertainty of those extrapolated from power-temperature relationships below 2600 K.Furthermore,our model shows that the temperature distribution inside a BDD heater(19-26 K/mm along the radial direction and<83 K/mm along the longitudinal direction)is more homogeneous than those inside conventional heaters such as graphite or LaCrO_(3) heaters(100-200 K/mm).Our study thus provides a reliable virtual thermometer for ultrahigh-temperature experiments using BDD heaters in Earth and material sciences.

Proposal for sequential Stern-Gerlach experiment with programmable quantum processors

The historical significance of the Stern–Gerlach(SG)experiment lies in its provision of the initial evidence for space quantization.Over time,its sequential form has evolved into an elegant paradigm that effectively illustrates the fundamental principles of quantum theory.To date,the practical implementation of the sequential SG experiment has not been fully achieved.In this study,we demonstrate the capability of programmable quantum processors to simulate the sequential SG experiment.The specific parametric shallow quantum circuits,which are suitable for the limitations of current noisy quantum hardware,are given to replicate the functionality of SG devices with the ability to perform measurements in different directions.Surprisingly,it has been demonstrated that Wigner’s SG interferometer can be readily implemented in our sequential quantum circuit.With the utilization of the identical circuits,it is also feasible to implement Wheeler’s delayed-choice experiment.We propose the utilization of cross-shaped programmable quantum processors to showcase sequential experiments,and the simulation results demonstrate a strong alignment with theoretical predictions.With the rapid advancement of cloud-based quantum computing,such as BAQIS Quafu,it is our belief that the proposed solution is well-suited for deployment on the cloud,allowing for public accessibility.Our findings not only expand the potential applications of quantum computers,but also contribute to a deeper comprehension of the fundamental principles underlying quantum theory.

Microscopic growth mechanism and edge states of monolayer 1T'-MoTe_(2)

Transition metal ditellurides(TMTDs)have versatile physical properties,including non-trivial topology,Weyl semimetal states and unique spin texture.Controlled growth of high-quality and large-scale monolayer TMTDs with preferred crystal phases is crucial for their applications.Here,we demonstrate the epitaxial growth of 1T'-MoTe_(2) on Au(111)and graphitized silicon carbide(Gr/SiC)by molecular beam epitaxy(MBE).We investigate the morphology of the grown1T'-MoTe_(2) at the atomic level by scanning tunnelling microscopy(STM)and reveal the corresponding microscopic growth mechanism.It is found that the unique ordered Te structures preferentially deposited on Au(111)regulate the growth of monolayer single crystal 1T'-MoTe_(2),while the Mo clusters were preferentially deposited on the Gr/SiC substrate,which impedes the ordered growth of monolayer MoTe_(2).We confirm that the size of single crystal 1T'-MoTe_(2) grown on Au(111)is nearly two orders of magnitude larger than that on Gr/SiC.By scanning tunnelling spectroscopy(STS),we observe that the STS spectrum of the monolayer 1T'-MoTe_(2) nano-island at the edge is different from that at the interior,which exhibits enhanced conductivity.