A Fully Elastic Wearable Electrochemical Sweat Detection System of Tree-Bionic Microfluidic Structure for Real-Time Monitoring.

Fresh sweat contains a diverse range of physiological indicators that can effectively reflect changes in the body. However, existing wearable sweat detection systems face challenges in efficiently collecting and detecting fresh sweat in real-time. Additionally, they often lack the necessary deformation capabilities, resulting in discomfort for the wearer. Here, a fully elastic wearable electrochemical sweat detection system is developed that integrates a sweat-collecting microfluidic chip, a multi-parameter electrochemical sensor, a micro-heater, and a sweat detection elastic circuit board system. The unique tree-bionic structure of the microfluidic chip significantly enhances the efficiency of fresh sweat collection and discharge, enabling real-time detection by the electrochemical sensors. The sweat multi-parameter electrochemical sensor offers high-precision and high-sensitivity measurements of sodium ions, potassium ions, lactate, and glucose. The electronic system is built on an elastic circuit board that matches perfectly to wrinkled skin, ensuring improved wearing comfort and enabling multi-channel data sampling, processing, and wireless transmission. This state-of-the-art system represents a significant advancement in the field of elastic wearable sweat detection and holds promising potential for extending its capabilities to the detection of other sweat markers or various wearable applications.

Tryptophan catabolism via the kynurenine pathway regulates infection and inflammation: from mechanisms to biomarkers and therapies.

BACKGROUND: L-Tryptophan (L-Trp), an essential amino acid, is the only amino acid whose level is regulated specifically by immune signals. Most proportions of Trp are catabolized via the kynurenine (Kyn) pathway (KP) which has evolved to align the food availability and environmental stimulation with the host pathophysiology and behavior. Especially, the KP plays an indispensable role in balancing the immune activation and tolerance in response to pathogens. SCOPE OF REVIEW: In this review, we elucidate the underlying immunological regulatory network of Trp and its KP-dependent catabolites in the pathophysiological conditions by participating in multiple signaling pathways. Furthermore, the KP-based regulatory roles, biomarkers, and therapeutic strategies in pathologically immune disorders are summarized covering from acute to chronic infection and inflammation. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: The immunosuppressive effects dominate the functions of KP induced-Trp depletion and KP-produced metabolites during infection and inflammation. However, the extending minor branches from the KP are not confined to the immune tolerance, instead they go forward to various functions according to the specific condition. Nevertheless, persistent efforts should be made before the clinical use of KP-based strategies to monitor and cure infectious and inflammatory diseases.

Orchestrated feedback regulation between melatonin and sex hormones involving GPER1-PKA-CREB signaling in the placenta.

Maintaining placental endocrine homeostasis is crucial for a successful pregnancy. Pre-eclampsia (PE), a gestational complication, is a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Aberrant elevation of testosterone (T0 ) synthesis, reduced estradiol (E2 ), and melatonin productions have been identified in preeclamptic placentas. However, the precise contribution of disrupted homeostasis among these hormones to the occurrence of PE remains unknown. In this study, we established a strong correlation between suppressed melatonin production and decreased E2 as well as elevated T0 synthesis in PE placentas. Administration of the T0 analog testosterone propionate (TP; 2 mg/kg/day) to pregnant mice from E7.5 onwards resulted in PE-like symptoms, along with elevated T0 production and reduced E2 and melatonin production. Notably, supplementation with melatonin (10 mg/kg/day) in TP-treated mice had detrimental effects on fetal and placental development and compromised hormone synthesis. Importantly, E2 , but not T0 , actively enhanced melatonin synthetase AANAT expression and melatonin production in primary human trophoblast (PHT) cells through GPER1-PKA-CREB signaling pathway. On the other hand, melatonin suppressed the level of estrogen synthetase aromatase while promoting the expressions of androgen synthetic enzymes including 17ß-HSD3 and 3ß-HSD1 in PHT cells. These findings reveal an orchestrated feedback mechanism that maintains homeostasis of placental sex hormones and melatonin. It is implied that abnormal elevation of T0 synthesis likely serves as the primary cause of placental endocrine disturbances associated with PE. The suppression of melatonin may represent an adaptive strategy to correct the imbalance in sex hormone levels within preeclamptic placentas. The findings of this study offer novel evidence that identifies potential targets for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies for PE.

Phylogenomic approaches untangle early divergences and complex diversifications of the olive plant family.

BACKGROUND: Deep-branching phylogenetic relationships are often difficult to resolve because phylogenetic signals are obscured by the long history and complexity of evolutionary processes, such as ancient introgression/hybridization, polyploidization, and incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). Phylogenomics has been effective in providing information for resolving both deep- and shallow-scale relationships across all branches of the tree of life. The olive family (Oleaceae) is composed of 25 genera classified into five tribes with tribe Oleeae consisting of four subtribes. Previous phylogenetic analyses showed that ILS and/or hybridization led to phylogenetic incongruence in the family. It was essential to distinguish phylogenetic signal conflicts, and explore mechanisms for the uncertainties concerning relationships of the olive family, especially at the deep-branching nodes. RESULTS: We used the whole plastid genome and nuclear single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data to infer the phylogenetic relationships and to assess the variation and rates among the main clades of the olive family. We also used 2608 and 1865 orthologous nuclear genes to infer the deep-branching relationships among tribes of Oleaceae and subtribes of tribe Oleeae, respectively. Concatenated and coalescence trees based on the plastid genome, nuclear SNPs and multiple nuclear genes suggest events of ILS and/or ancient introgression during the diversification of Oleaceae. Additionally, there was extreme heterogeneity in the substitution rates across the tribes. Furthermore, our results supported that introgression/hybridization, rather than ILS, is the main factor for phylogenetic discordance among the five tribes of Oleaceae. The tribe Oleeae is supported to have originated via ancient hybridization and polyploidy, and its most likely parentages are the ancestral lineage of Jasmineae or its sister group, which is a "ghost lineage," and Forsythieae. However, ILS and ancient introgression are mainly responsible for the phylogenetic discordance among the four subtribes of tribe Oleeae. CONCLUSIONS: This study showcases that using multiple sequence datasets (plastid genomes, nuclear SNPs and thousands of nuclear genes) and diverse phylogenomic methods such as data partition, heterogeneous models, quantifying introgression via branch lengths (QuIBL) analysis, and species network analysis can facilitate untangling long and complex evolutionary processes of ancient introgression, paleopolyploidization, and ILS.

Discovery and Functional Analysis of Secondary Hair Follicle miRNAs during Annual Cashmere Growth.

Secondary hair follicles (SHFs) produce the thermoregulatory cashmere of goats. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play indispensable roles in hair follicle formation and growth. However, most studies examining miRNAs related to cashmere have been performed on goat skin. It remains unclear which miRNAs are highly expressed in SHFs or how miRNAs affect cashmere growth. In the present study, we isolated the SHFs under a dissecting microscope and analyzed the miRNA signatures during annual cashmere growth. Small-RNA sequencing followed by genome-wide expression analysis revealed that early anagen is a crucial phase for miRNA regulation of the cashmere growth, as revealed by two predominant groups of miRNAs. Although they exhibited opposite expression patterns, both groups demonstrated sharp changes of expression when in transit from early anagen to mid-anagen. In addition, we identified 96 miRNA signatures that were differentially expressed between different phases among 376 miRNAs. Functional analysis of the predicted target genes of highly expressed or differentially expressed miRNAs indicated that these miRNAs were involved in signal pathways associated with SHF development, regeneration, and regression. Furthermore, miR-143-3p was preferentially expressed in SHFs and Itga6 was identified as one of targets. The dual-luciferase and in situ hybridization assay demonstrated that miR-143-3p directly repressed the expression of Itga6, suggesting a possible novel role for miR-143-3p in cashmere growth.

Phylogenomics and biogeography of Catalpa (Bignoniaceae) reveal incomplete lineage sorting and three dispersal events.

Catalpa Scop. (Bignoniaceae) is a small genus (8 spp.) of trees that is disjunctly distributed among eastern Asia, eastern United States, and the West Indies. Catalpa bears beautiful inflorescences and have been cultivated as important ornamental trees for landscaping, gardening, and timber. However, the phylogenetic relationships and biogeographic history of the genus have remained unresolved. In this study, we used a large genomic dataset that includes data from the chloroplast (plastomes), and nuclear genomes (ITS and 5,759 single-copy nuclear genes) to reconstruct phylogenetic relationship within Catalpa, test interspecific gene flow events within the genus, and infer its biogeographic history. Our phylogenetic results indicate that Catalpa is monophyletic containing two main clades, section Catalpa and section Macrocatalpa. Section Catalpa is further divided into three subclades. While most relationships are congruent between the chloroplast and nuclear datasets, the position of C. ovata differs, likely due to incomplete lineage sorting. Interspecific gene flow events include C. bungei s.s. with vectors of inheritance from C. duclouxii and C. fargesii, supporting a combination of these three species and recognizing a broadly circumscribed C. bungei s.l. Our biogeographic study suggests three main dispersal events, two of which occurred during the Oligocene. The first dispersal event occurred from southwestern North America and Mexico into the Greater Antilles giving rise to the ancestor of the section of Macrocatalpa. The second dispersal event also occurred from southwestern North America and Mexico, but led to central and northern North America, subsequently reaching China through the Bering land bridge, and also reaching Europe through the North Atlantic land bridge. The third dispersal event took place in the Miocene from China to North America and gave rise to a clade composed of C. bignonioides and C. speciosa. This study uses a phylogenomic approach and biogeographical methods to infer the evolutionary history of Catalpa, highlighting issues associated with gene tree discordance, and suggesting that incomplete lineage sorting likely played an important role in the evolutionary history of Catalpa.

Deposition of Vertically Aligned Ag/Ag2 S Nanoflakes on EGaIn Particles for Humidity Sensing.

Liquid metals, which possess both good electrical conductivity and liquid-like processability, have drawn much attention recently. They are also capable of acting as synthesis templates to guide the deposition of other functional materials. Herein, through an in-situ galvanic replacement reaction assisted by ultrasonication, core-shell EGaIn/Ag particles composed of EGaIn cores and vertically aligned Ag nanoflakes as shells were prepared; they were further sulfurized to yield ternary EGaIn/Ag/Ag2 S core-shell composite particles. A humidity sensor based on EGaIn/Ag/Ag2 S particles showed much higher sensing response than EGaIn and EGaIn/Ag. Such superior performance could be attributed to the n-type semiconducting character of Ag2 S allowing it to receive electrons from water molecules at low humidity, and its highly hydrophilic surface allowing it to absorb more water molecules at higher humidity so as to enable the formation of ion-conductive paths.

MEIOK21: a new component of meiotic recombination bridges required for spermatogenesis.

Repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) with homologous chromosomes is a hallmark of meiosis that is mediated by recombination 'bridges' between homolog axes. This process requires cooperation of DMC1 and RAD51 to promote homology search and strand exchange. The mechanism(s) regulating DMC1/RAD51-ssDNA nucleoprotein filament and the components of 'bridges' remain to be investigated. Here we show that MEIOK21 is a newly identified component of meiotic recombination bridges and is required for efficient formation of DMC1/RAD51 foci. MEIOK21 dynamically localizes on chromosomes from on-axis foci to 'hanging foci', then to 'bridges', and finally to 'fused foci' between homolog axes. Its chromosome localization depends on DSBs. Knockout of Meiok21 decreases the numbers of HSF2BP and DMC1/RAD51 foci, disrupting DSB repair, synapsis and crossover recombination and finally causing male infertility. Therefore, MEIOK21 is a novel recombination factor and probably mediates DMC1/RAD51 recruitment to ssDNA or their stability on chromosomes through physical interaction with HSF2BP.

Chloroplast genome variation and phylogenetic relationships of Atractylodes species.

BACKGROUND: Atractylodes DC is the basic original plant of the widely used herbal medicines "Baizhu" and "Cangzhu" and an endemic genus in East Asia. Species within the genus have minor morphological differences, and the universal DNA barcodes cannot clearly distinguish the systemic relationship or identify the species of the genus. In order to solve these question, we sequenced the chloroplast genomes of all species of Atractylodes using high-throughput sequencing. RESULTS: The results indicate that the chloroplast genome of Atractylodes has a typical quadripartite structure and ranges from 152,294 bp (A. carlinoides) to 153,261 bp (A. macrocephala) in size. The genome of all species contains 113 genes, including 79 protein-coding genes, 30 transfer RNA genes and four ribosomal RNA genes. Four hotspots, rpl22-rps19-rpl2, psbM-trnD, trnR-trnT(GGU), and trnT(UGU)-trnL, and a total of 42-47 simple sequence repeats (SSR) were identified as the most promising potentially variable makers for species delimitation and population genetic studies. Phylogenetic analyses of the whole chloroplast genomes indicate that Atractylodes is a clade within the tribe Cynareae; Atractylodes species form a monophyly that clearly reflects the relationship within the genus. CONCLUSIONS: Our study included investigations of the sequences and structural genomic variations, phylogenetics and mutation dynamics of Atractylodes chloroplast genomes and will facilitate future studies in population genetics, taxonomy and species identification.

Chloroplast phylogenomics and divergence times of Lagerstroemia (Lythraceae).

BACKGROUND: Crape myrtles, belonging to the genus Lagerstroemia L., have beautiful paniculate inflorescences and are cultivated as important ornamental tree species for landscaping and gardening. However, the phylogenetic relationships within Lagerstroemia have remained unresolved likely caused by limited sampling and the insufficient number of informative sites used in previous studies. RESULTS: In this study, we sequenced 20 Lagerstroemia chloroplast genomes and combined with 15 existing chloroplast genomes from the genus to investigate the phylogenetic relationships and divergence times within Lagerstroemia. The phylogenetic results indicated that this genus is a monophyletic group containing four clades. Our dating analysis suggested that Lagerstroemia originated in the late Paleocene (~ 60 Ma) and started to diversify in the middle Miocene. The diversification of most species occurred during the Pleistocene. Four variable loci, trnD-trnY-trnE, rrn16-trnI, ndhF-rpl32-trnL and ycf1, were discovered in the Lagerstroemia chloroplast genomes. CONCLUSIONS: The chloroplast genome information was successfully utilized for molecular characterization of diverse crape myrtle samples. Our results are valuable for the global genetic diversity assessment, conservation and utilization of Lagerstroemia.

Chloroplast phylogenomic insights into the evolution of Distylium (Hamamelidaceae).

BACKGROUND: Most Distylium species are endangered. Distylium species mostly display homoplasy in their flowers and fruits, and are classified primarily based on leaf morphology. However, leaf size, shape, and serration vary tremendously making it difficult to use those characters to identify most species and a significant challenge to address the taxonomy of Distylium. To infer robust relationships and develop variable markers to identify Distylium species, we sequenced most of the Distylium species chloroplast genomes. RESULTS: The Distylium chloroplast genome size was 159,041-159,127 bp and encoded 80 protein-coding, 30 transfer RNAs, and 4 ribosomal RNA genes. There was a conserved gene order and a typical quadripartite structure. Phylogenomic analysis based on whole chloroplast genome sequences yielded a highly resolved phylogenetic tree and formed a monophyletic group containing four Distylium clades. A dating analysis suggested that Distylium originated in the Oligocene (34.39 Ma) and diversified within approximately 1 Ma. The evidence shows that Distylium is a rapidly radiating group. Four highly variable markers, matK-trnK, ndhC-trnV, ycf1, and trnT-trnL, and 74 polymorphic simple sequence repeats were discovered in the Distylium plastomes. CONCLUSIONS: The plastome sequences had sufficient polymorphic information to resolve phylogenetic relationships and identify Distylium species accurately.

DNA barcoding of Oryza: conventional, specific, and super barcodes.

KEY MESSAGE: We applied the phylogenomics to clarify the concept of rice species, aid in the identification and use of rice germplasms, and support rice biodiversity. Rice (genus Oryza) is one of the most important crops in the world, supporting half of the world's population. Breeding of high-yielding and quality cultivars relies on genetic resources from both cultivated and wild species, which are collected and maintained in seed banks. Unfortunately, numerous seeds are mislabeled due to taxonomic issues or misidentifications. Here, we applied the phylogenomics of 58 complete chloroplast genomes and two hypervariable nuclear genes to determine species identity in rice seeds. Twenty-one Oryza species were identified. Conspecific relationships were determined between O. glaberrima and O. barthii, O. glumipatula and O. longistaminata, O. grandiglumis and O. alta, O. meyeriana and O. granulata, O. minuta and O. malampuzhaensis, O. nivara and O. sativa subsp. indica, and O. sativa subsp. japonica and O. rufipogon. D and L genome types were not found and the H genome type was extinct. Importantly, we evaluated the performance of four conventional plant DNA barcodes (matK, rbcL, psbA-trnH, and ITS), six rice-specific chloroplast DNA barcodes (psaJ-rpl33, trnC-rpoB, rps16-trnQ, rpl22-rps19, trnK-matK, and ndhC-trnV), two rice-specific nuclear DNA barcodes (NP78 and R22), and a chloroplast genome super DNA barcode. The latter was the most reliable marker. The six rice-specific chloroplast barcodes revealed that 17% of the 53 seed accessions from rice seed banks or field collections were mislabeled. These results are expected to clarify the concept of rice species, aid in the identification and use of rice germplasms, and support rice biodiversity.

MicroRNA-210 regulates placental adaptation to maternal hypoxic stress during pregnancy†.

MicroRNA (miR)-210 is a well-known hypoxia-inducible small RNA. Increasing in vitro evidence demonstrates its involvement in regulating multiple behaviors of placental trophoblasts. However, direct in vivo evidence remains lacking. In the present study, we generated a miR-210-deficient mouse strain using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, in which miR-210 expression was markedly deficient in various tissues. Little influence on fertility rate and litter size was observed after the deletion of miR-210 in mice. Continuous exposure of pregnant mice to hypoxia (10.5% O2) from E6.5 to E10.5 or to E18.5 led to reduction in fetal weight, and such fetal weight loss was markedly worsened in miR-210-knockout dams. Analysis of the placental structure demonstrated the reduced expansion of placental spongiotrophoblast layer and hampered development of labyrinth fetal blood vessels in knockout mice compared to the wild-type controls upon hypoxia stimulation. The findings indicate that miR-210 participates in regulating placental adaptation to hypoxic stress during pregnancy.

Au-siRNA@ aptamer nanocages as a high-efficiency drug and gene delivery system for targeted lung cancer therapy.

BACKGROUND: Gene and chemical therapy has become one of the rising stars in the field of molecular medicine during the last two decades. However, there are still numerous challenges in the development of efficient, targeted, and safe delivery systems that can avoid siRNA degradation and reduce the toxicity and adverse effects of chemotherapy medicine. RESULTS: In this paper, a highly efficient AS1411 aptamer modified, dsDNA and MMP-2 cleavable peptide-fabricated gold nanocage vehicle, which could load doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) and siRNAs to achieve a combination of tumor responsive genetic therapy, chemotherapy, and photothermal treatment is presented. Our results show that this combined treatment achieved targeted gene silencing and tumor inhibition. After nearly one month of treatment with DOX-loaded Au-siRNA-PAA-AS1411 nanoparticles with one dose every three days in mice, a synergistic effect promoting the eradication of long-lived tumors was observed along with an increased survival rate of mice. The combined genetic, chemotherapeutic, and photothermal treatment group exhibited more than 90% tumor inhibition ratio (tumor signal) and a ~ 67% survival rate compared with a 30% tumor inhibition ratio and a 0% survival rate in the passive genetic treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: The development of nanocarriers with double-stranded DNA and MMP-2 cleavable peptides provides a new strategy for the combined delivery of gene and chemotherapy medicine. Au-siRNA-PAA-AS1411 exerts high anticancer activities on lung cancer, indicating immense potentials for clinical application.

Crossover Interference, Crossover Maturation, and Human Aneuploidy.

A striking feature of human female sexual reproduction is the high level of gametes that exhibit an aberrant number of chromosomes (aneuploidy). A high baseline observed in women of prime reproductive age is followed by a dramatic increase in older women. Proper chromosome segregation requires one or more DNA crossovers (COs) between homologous maternal and paternal chromosomes, in combination with cohesion between sister chromatid arms. In human females, CO designations occur normally, according to the dictates of CO interference, giving early CO-fated intermediates. However, ≈25% of these intermediates fail to mature to final CO products. This effect explains the high baseline of aneuploidy and is predicted to synergize with age-dependent cohesion loss to explain the maternal age effect. Here, modern advances in the understanding of crossing over and CO interference are reviewed, the implications of human female CO maturation inefficiency are further discussed, and areas of interest for future studies are suggested.

Multi-wavelength radiometric thermometry data processing algorithm based on the BFGS algorithm.

Multi-wavelength radiometric thermometry has a wide application prospect in many fields. However, due to unknown emissivity, the data processing algorithm remains a difficult problem. The Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno (BFGS) algorithm is proposed to inverse true temperature and spectral emissivity without assuming the emissivity model. The BFGS algorithm can automatically identify the emissivity models of different trends. These simulation results show that given different initial emissivity has no significant influence on the inverse temperature and emissivity. Then, we select 0.5 as the initial emissivity and carry out the simulation experiments at 800 and 900 K, respectively. The maximum absolute error of temperature is less than 3.5 K and the computation time is less than 0.2 s. Thus, the algorithm has high precision and efficiency. Finally, the verification experiment indicates that the BFGS algorithm is effective and reliable. The proposed method can be applied to real-time temperature measurement in many industrial processes.

CD133 antibody targeted delivery of gold nanostars loading IR820 and docetaxel for multimodal imaging and near-infrared photodynamic/photothermal/chemotherapy against castration resistant prostate cancer.

Due to the lack of effective strategies on the treatment of castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), we established a multifunctional nanoplatform (GNS@IR820/DTX-CD133) for the synergistic photothermal therapy (PTT)/photodynamic therapy (PDT)/chemotherapy (CT) under the monitoring of multimodal near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence/photoacoustic (PA) imaging. Benefiting from the guided effect of CD133 antibody, GNS@IR820/DTX-CD133 can targetedly deliver the loaded drug to the tumor tissues, which can further contribute to the combined therapeutic effect. Our experimental results prove that the bio-distribution of GNS@IR820/DTX-CD133 can be monitored with NIR fluorescence and PA imaging. In addition, the application of GNS@IR820/DTX-CD133 for in vitro and in vivo therapy achieves the excellent antitumor effects of the synergistic PTT/PDT/CT strategies under the NIR-light irradiation. Therefore, as a multifunctional nanoplatform integrating the PTT/PDT/CT strategies with tumor multimodal imaging or drug tracing, GNS@IR820/DTX-CD133 has the great potential for clinical applications in the antitumor therapy of CRPC.

Oral pH sensitive GNS@ab nanoprobes for targeted therapy of Helicobacter pylori without disturbance gut microbiome.

How to eradicate Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in vivo with antibiotic resistance owns tremendous clinical requirement. Herein, gold nanostars were conjugated with acid-sensitive cis-aconitic anhydride modified anti-H. pylori polyclonal antibodies, resultant pH sensitive gold nanostars@H. pylori-antibodies nanoprobes (GNS@Ab) were employed for the theranostics of H. pylori in vivo. Photoacoustic imaging confirmed that prepared GNS@Ab could target actively H. pylori in the stomach. GNS@Ab nanoprobes could kill H. pylori in vivo in model animals under NIR laser irradiation, all GNS@Ab nanoprobes could be excreted out of gut within 7 days after oral administration. Gastric local lesion caused by H. pylori restored to normal status within one month. GNS@Ab nanoprobes within therapeutic doses did not damage intestinal bacteria imbalance. Forty clinical specimens of H. pylori with antibiotic resistance were verified validity of GNS@Ab nanoprobes. Prepared oral pH-sensitive GNS@Ab nanoprobes own clinical translational potential in the theranostics of H. pylori in near future.

Interspecific chloroplast genome sequence diversity and genomic resources in Diospyros.

BACKGROUND: Fruits of persimmon plants are traditional healthy food in China, Korea and Japan. However, due to the shortage of morphological and DNA markers, the development of persimmon industry has been heavily inhibited. RESULTS: Chloroplast genomes of Diospyros cathayensis, D. virginiana, D. rhombifolia and D. deyangensis were newly sequenced. Comparative analyses of ten chloroplast genomes including six previously published chloroplast genomes of Diospyros provided new insights into the genome sequence diversity and genomic resources of the genus. Eight hyper-variable regions, trnH-psbA, rps16-trnQ, rpoB-trnC, rps4-trnT-trnL, ndhF, ndhF-rpl32-trnL, ycf1a, and ycf1b, were discovered and can be used as chloroplast DNA markers at/above species levels. The complete chloroplast genome sequences provided the best resolution at inter-specific level in comparison with different chloroplast DNA sequence datasets. CONCLUSION: Diospyros oleifera, D. deyangensis, D. virginiana, D. glaucifolia, D. lotus and D. jinzaoshi are important wild species closely related to the cultivated persimmon D. kaki. The hyper-variable regions can be used as DNA markers for global genetic diversity detection of Diospyros. Deeper study on these taxa would be helpful for elucidating the origin of D. kaki.

Electric-arc-induced strength-controllable weak polarization mode coupling in polarization maintaining fiber.

An electric-arc-based scheme to generate strength-controllable weak polarization mode coupling (PMC) points in polarization maintaining fiber (PMF) is described. The resulting PMC strengths can be readily controlled to be in the very weak range of -60 to -40 dB. In this range, excellent mechanical strength combined with high return loss is achieved. An experimental quasi-distributed temperature sensor is formed by three separate PMC points in a single PMF using the electric arc method.