High-Entropy Strategy to Achieve Electronic Band Convergence for High-Performance Thermoelectrics.

Multiband convergence has attracted significant interest due to its positive effects on further improving thermoelectric performance. However, the current research mainly focuses on two- or three-band convergence in lead chalcogenides through doping and alloying. Therefore, exploring a new strategy to facilitate more-band convergence has instructive significance and practical value in thermoelectric research. Herein, we first propose a high-entropy strategy to achieve four-band convergence for optimizing thermoelectric performance. Taking high-entropy AgSbPbSnGeTe5 as an example, we found that the emergence of more-band convergence occurs as the configuration entropy increases; in particular, the four-band convergence occurs in high-entropy AgSbPbSnGeTe5. The overlap of multiatom orbitals in the high-entropy sample contributes to the convergence of four valence bands, promoting the improvement of electrical performance. Meanwhile, due to large lattice distortion and disordered atoms, the phonon mean free path is effectively compressed, resulting in low lattice thermal conductivity of high-entropy AgSbPbSnGeTe5. Consequently, AgSbPbSnGeTe5 achieved an intrinsically high ZT value of 1.22 at 673 K, providing a cornerstone for further optimizing thermoelectric performance. For example, by generally optimizing the carrier concentration, a peak ZT value of ∼1.75 at 723 K is achieved. These insights offer a comprehensive understanding of the band structure affected by unique structures of high-entropy materials and also shed useful light on innovation mechanisms and functionalities for future improvement of thermoelectric performance.

Empagliflozin in children with glycogen storage disease-associated inflammatory bowel disease: a prospective, single-arm, open-label clinical trial.

Glycogen storage disease type Ib (GSD-Ib) is a rare inborn error of glycogen metabolism caused by mutations in SLC37A4. Patients with GSD-Ib are at high risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We evaluated the efficacy of empagliflozin, a renal sodium‒glucose cotransporter protein 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, on colonic mucosal healing in patients with GSD-associated IBD. A prospective, single-arm, open-label clinical trial enrolled eight patients with GSD-associated IBD from Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital in China from July 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023. Eight patients were enrolled with a mean age of 10.34 ± 2.61 years. Four male and four female. The endoscopic features included deep and large circular ulcers, inflammatory hyperplasia, obstruction and stenosis. The SES-CD score significantly decreased at week 48 compared with before empagliflozin. Six patients completed 48 weeks of empagliflozin therapy and endoscopy showed significant improvement or healing of mucosal ulcers, inflammatory hyperplasia, stenosis, and obstruction. One patient had severe sweating that required rehydration and developed a urinary tract infection. No serious or life-threatening adverse events. This study suggested that empagliflozin may promote colonic mucosal healing and reduce hyperplasia, stenosis, and obstruction in children with GSD-associated IBD.

Polyphenol Extracts from Ziziphus jujuba Mill. "Junzao" Attenuates Ulcerative Colitis by Inhibiting the NLRP3 and MAPKs Signaling Pathways and Regulating Gut Microbiota Homeostasis in Mice.

SCOPE: Polyphenols are the major active substances in red jujube fruit, and their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities suggest their potential utility in the prevention of ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, the effect of polyphenol extracts from red jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill. "Junzao") (PERJ) on the dextron sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC mice is investigated. The result shows that PERJ effectively improves clinical symptoms, including food and water intake, the disease activity insex (DAI) and spleen index, and routine blood levels, and alleviates the shortening of the colon, in mice with DSS-induced UC. Meanwhile, PERJ remarkably decreases the expression of proinflammatory factors. Moreover, PERJ repairs intestinal barrier damage by increasing the expression level of mucin 2 and mucin 3, and the result is also confirmed in the histological assessment. Besides, the expression levels of Nod-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) and mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade (MAPKs) signaling pathway-related proteins are inhibited by the PERJ administration. Finally, 16S rRNA sequencing analyses reveal that PERJ reverses intestinal microbiota dysbiosis by enhancing the abundance of Firmicutes and decreasing that of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. CONCLUSION: PERJ probably inhibits the development of UC by suppressing the NLRP3 and MAPKs signaling pathways and regulating gut microbiota homeostasis, and can be considered as a potential resource for preventing UC.

Mapping nucleosome-resolution chromatin organization and enhancer-promoter loops in plants using Micro-C-XL.

Although chromatin organizations in plants have been dissected at the scales of compartments and topologically associating domain (TAD)-like domains, there remains a gap in resolving fine-scale structures. Here, we use Micro-C-XL, a high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C)-based technology that involves micrococcal nuclease (instead of restriction enzymes) and long cross-linkers, to dissect single nucleosome-resolution chromatin organization in Arabidopsis. Insulation analysis reveals more than 14,000 boundaries, which mostly include chromatin accessibility, epigenetic modifications, and transcription factors. Micro-C-XL reveals associations between RNA Pols and local chromatin organizations, suggesting that gene transcription substantially contributes to the establishment of local chromatin domains. By perturbing Pol II both genetically and chemically at the gene level, we confirm its function in regulating chromatin organization. Visible loops and stripes are assigned to super-enhancers and their targeted genes, thus providing direct insights for the identification and mechanistic analysis of distal CREs and their working modes in plants. We further investigate possible factors regulating these chromatin loops. Subsequently, we expand Micro-C-XL to soybean and rice. In summary, we use Micro-C-XL for analyses of plants, which reveal fine-scale chromatin organization and enhancer-promoter loops and provide insights regarding three-dimensional genomes in plants.

Discovery of plant chemical defence mediated by a two-component system involving ß-glucosidase in Panax species.

Plants usually produce defence metabolites in non-active forms to minimize the risk of harm to themselves and spatiotemporally activate these defence metabolites upon pathogen attack. This so-called two-component system plays a decisive role in the chemical defence of various plants. Here, we discovered that Panax notoginseng, a valuable medicinal plant, has evolved a two-component chemical defence system composed of a chloroplast-localized ß-glucosidase, denominated PnGH1, and its substrates 20(S)-protopanaxadiol ginsenosides. The ß-glucosidase and its substrates are spatially separated in cells under physiological conditions, and ginsenoside hydrolysis is therefore activated only upon chloroplast disruption, which is caused by the induced exoenzymes of pathogenic fungi upon exposure to plant leaves. This activation of PnGH1-mediated hydrolysis results in the production of a series of less-polar ginsenosides by selective hydrolysis of an outer glucose at the C-3 site, with a broader spectrum and more potent antifungal activity in vitro and in vivo than the precursor molecules. Furthermore, such ß-glucosidase-mediated hydrolysis upon fungal infection was also found in the congeneric species P. quinquefolium and P. ginseng. Our findings reveal a two-component chemical defence system in Panax species and offer insights for developing botanical pesticides for disease management in Panax species.

Silencing PKM2 Attenuates Brain Injury Induced by Status Epilepticus by Inhibiting the AKT/mTOR Pathway and the NLRP3 Inflammasome.

PKM2 is a glycolytic pyruvate kinase isoenzyme, and its role in neurological diseases has been published. However, the role and mechanism of PKM2 in the process of status epilepticus have not been reported. The purpose of this study is to explore the role and mechanism of PKM2 in epilepsy. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blotting were used to explore the expression of PKM2 in cells. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were used to evaluate the level of inflammatory factors. An epilepsy model was established by intraperitoneal injection of lithium chloride in rats. Various behavioural assays were conducted to explore the learning ability and cognitive level of rats. PKM2 expression was upregulated in Mg2+-induced hippocampal neurons. PKM2 inhibition ameliorated Mg2+-induced hippocampal neuronal inflammation and reduced neuronal apoptosis. In addition, PKM2 silencing inhibited the metabolic dysfunction of Mg2+-induced hippocampal neurons. Subsequent experiments showed that the Akt/mTOR pathway and NLRP3 inflammasome are involved in PKM2-mediated neuronal regulation. More importantly, PKM2 inhibition could alleviate status epilepticus in rats. PKM2 inhibition attenuates Mg2+-induced hippocampal neuronal inflammation, apoptosis and metabolic dysfunction and improves the cognitive ability of rats. Therefore, PKM2 may be an important target for epilepsy treatment.

Molecular characterization of Clostridium perfringens isolates from a tertiary children's hospital in Guangzhou, China, establishing an association between bacterial colonization and food allergies in infants.

BACKGROUND: Cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) is one of the most common types of food allergy in infants. Faecal pathogen cultures showed that the positive rate of Clostridium perfringens was more than 30%, which was significantly higher than that for other bacteria. Therefore, it is speculated that Clostridium perfringens colonization may be one of the pathogenetic factors for CMPA in infants. We conducted a real-world evidence study. Infants aged 0-6 months with diarrhoea and mucoid and/or bloody stools were recruited from a large tertiary hospital in China. Faecal pathogen cultures for the detection of Clostridium perfringens were confirmed by flight mass spectrometry, and potential toxin genes were identified using PCR. After 12 months of follow-up, the diagnoses of CMPA and food allergy were recorded. The correlation was assessed by Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS: In this study, 358 infants aged 0-6 months with gastrointestinal symptoms and faecal pathogen cultures were recruited. A total of 270 (44.07% girls; mean age, 2.78 ± 2.84 months) infants were followed up for 12 months. Overall, the rate of positivity for Clostridium perfringens in faecal pathogen cultures was 35.75% (128/358) in infants aged ≤ 6 months. The earliest Clostridium perfringens colonization was detected within 2 days after birth. The majority of Clostridium perfringens isolates were classified as type C in 85 stool samples. In the Clostridium perfringens-positive group, 48.21% (54/112) of infants were clinically diagnosed with food allergies after 12 months, including 37.5% (42/112) with CMPA, which was significantly higher than that of the negative group, with 7.59% (12/158) exhibiting food allergies and 5.06% (8/158) presenting CMPA (P < 0.0001). Faecal Clostridium perfringens positivity was significantly correlated with CMPA, food allergy, faecal occult blood, faecal white blood cells, antibiotic use, increased peripheral blood platelet counts, and decreased haemoglobin levels (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that intestinal colonization by Clostridium perfringens is common in infants. The majority of Clostridium perfringens isolates are classified as type C. Colonization of the intestine by Clostridium perfringens is associated with the development of CMPA and food allergy in infants.

BCp12/PLA combination: A novel antibacterial agent targeting Mur family, DNA gyrase and DHFR.

The combination of natural antimicrobial peptide BCp12/phenyllatic acid (BCp12/PLA) presents a more efficient antibacterial effect, but its antibacterial mechanism remains unclear. This study studied the synergistic antibacterial mechanism of BCp12 and PLA against S. aureus. The results demonstrated that the BCp12/PLA combination presented a synergistic antibacterial effect against S. aureus, with a fractional inhibitory concentration of 0.05. Furthermore, flow cytometry and scanning electron microscope analysis revealed that BCp12 and PLA synergistically promoted cell membrane disruption compared with the group treated only with one compound, inducing structural cell damage and cytoplasmic leakage. In addition, fluorescence spectroscopy analysis suggested that BCp12 and PLA synergistically influenced genomic DNA. BCp12 and PLA targeted enzymes related to peptidoglycan and DNA synthesis and interacted by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions with mur enzymes (murC, murD, murE, murF, and murG), dihydrofolate reductase, and DNA gyrase. Additionally, the combined treatment successfully inhibited microbial reproduction in the storage of pasteurized milk, indicating that the combination of BCp12 and PLA can be used as a new preservative strategy in food systems. Overall, this study could provide potential strategies for preventing and controlling foodborne pathogens.

Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of the Plant Cysteine Oxidase (PCO) Gene Family in Brassica napus and Its Role in Abiotic Stress Response.

Plant Cysteine Oxidase (PCO) is a plant O2-sensing enzyme catalyzing the oxidation of cysteine to Cys-sulfinic acid at the N-termini of target proteins. To better understand the Brassica napus PCO gene family, PCO genes in B. napus and related species were analyzed. In this study, 20, 7 and 8 PCO genes were identified in Brassica napus, Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea, respectively. According to phylogenetic analysis, the PCOs were divided into five groups: PCO1, PCO2, PCO3, PCO4 and PCO5. Gene organization and motif distribution analysis suggested that the PCO gene family was relatively conserved during evolution. According to the public expression data, PCO genes were expressed in different tissues at different developmental stages. Moreover, qRT-PCR data showed that most of the Bna/Bra/BoPCO5 members were expressed in leaves, roots, flowers and siliques, suggesting an important role in both vegetative and reproductive development. Expression of BnaPCO was induced by various abiotic stress, especially waterlogging stress, which was consistent with the result of cis-element analysis. In this study, the PCO gene family of Brassicaceae was analyzed for the first time, which contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the origin and evolution of PCO genes in Brassicaceae and the function of BnaPCO in abiotic stress responses.

Overdamped Phonon Diffusion and Nontrivial Electronic Structure Leading to a High Thermoelectric Figure of Merit in KCu5Se3.

Thermoelectric copper selenides are highly attractive owing to not only their constituent nontoxic, abundant elements but also their ultralow liquid-like lattice thermal conductivity (κlat). For the first time, the promising thermoelectric properties of the new KCu5Se3 are reported herein, showing a high power factor (PF = 9.0 µWcm-1 K-2) and an intrinsically ultralow κlat = 0.48 Wm-1 K-1. The doped K1-xBaxCu5Se3 (x = 0.03) realizes a figure-of-merit ZT = 1.3 at 950 K. The crystallographic structure of KCu5Se3 allows complex lattice dynamics that obey a rare dual-phonon transport model well describing a high scattering rate and an extremely short phonon lifetime that are attributed to interband phonon tunneling, confinement of the transverse acoustic branches, and temperature-dependent anharmonic renormalization, all of which generate an unprecedently high contribution of the diffusive phonons (70% at 300 K). The overall weak chemical bonding feature of KCu5Se3 gives K+ cations a quiescence behavior that further blocks the heat flux transfer. In addition, the valence band edge energy dispersion of KCu5Se3 is quasilinear that allows a large Seebeck coefficient even at high hole concentrations. These in-depth understandings of the ultralow lattice thermal conductivity provide new insights into the property-oriented design and synthesis of advanced complex chalcogenide materials.

Two haplotype-resolved, gap-free genome assemblies for Actinidia latifolia and Actinidia chinensis shed light on the regulatory mechanisms of vitamin C and sucrose metabolism in kiwifruit.

Kiwifruit is a recently domesticated horticultural fruit crop with substantial economic and nutritional value, especially because of the high content of vitamin C in its fruit. In this study, we de novo assembled two telomere-to-telomere kiwifruit genomes from Actinidia chinensis var. 'Donghong' (DH) and Actinidia latifolia 'Kuoye' (KY), with total lengths of 608 327 852 and 640 561 626 bp for 29 chromosomes, respectively. With a burst of structural variants involving inversion, translocations, and duplications within 8.39 million years, the metabolite content of DH and KY exhibited differences in saccharides, lignans, and vitamins. A regulatory ERF098 transcription factor family has expanded in KY and Actinidia eriantha, both of which have ultra-high vitamin C content. With each assembly phased into two complete haplotypes, we identified allelic variations between two sets of haplotypes, leading to protein sequence variations in 26 494 and 27 773 gene loci and allele-specific expression of 4687 and 12 238 homozygous gene pairs. Synchronized metabolome and transcriptome changes during DH fruit development revealed the same dynamic patterns in expression levels and metabolite contents; free fatty acids and flavonols accumulated in the early stages, but sugar substances and amino acids accumulated in the late stages. The AcSWEET9b gene that exhibits allelic dominance was further identified to positively correlate with high sucrose content in fruit. Compared with wild varieties and other Actinidia species, AcSWEET9b promoters were selected in red-flesh kiwifruits that have increased fruit sucrose content, providing a possible explanation on why red-flesh kiwifruits are sweeter. Collectively, these two gap-free kiwifruit genomes provide a valuable genetic resource for investigating domestication mechanisms and genome-based breeding of kiwifruit.

Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses Reveal That Fullerol Improves Drought Tolerance in Brassica napus L.

Carbon nanoparticles have potential threats to plant growth and stress tolerance. The polyhydroxy fullerene-fullerol (one of the carbon nanoparticles) could increase biomass accumulation in several plants subjected to drought; however, the underlying molecular and metabolic mechanisms governed by fullerol in improving drought tolerance in Brassica napus remain unclear. In the present study, exogenous fullerol was applied to the leaves of B. napus seedlings under drought conditions. The results of transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed changes in the molecular and metabolic profiles of B. napus. The differentially expressed genes and the differentially accumulated metabolites, induced by drought or fullerol treatment, were mainly enriched in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways related to carbohydrate metabolism (e.g., "carbon metabolism" and "galactose metabolism"), amino acid metabolism (e.g., "biosynthesis of amino acids" and "arginine and proline metabolism"), and secondary metabolite metabolism (e.g., "biosynthesis of secondary metabolites"). For carbohydrate metabolism, the accumulation of oligosaccharides (e.g., sucrose) was decreased, whereas that of monosaccharides (e.g., mannose and myo-inositol) was increased by drought. With regard to amino acid metabolism, under drought stress, the accumulation of amino acids such as phenylalanine and tryptophan decreased, whereas that of glutamate and proline increased. Further, for secondary metabolite metabolism, B. napus subjected to soil drying showed a reduction in phenolics and flavonoids, such as hyperoside and trans-3-coumaric acid. However, the accumulation of carbohydrates was almost unchanged in fullerol-treated B. napus subjected to drought. When exposed to water shortage, the accumulation of amino acids, such as proline, was decreased upon fullerol treatment. However, that of phenolics and flavonoids, such as luteolin and trans-3-coumaric acid, was enhanced. Our findings suggest that fullerol can alleviate the inhibitory effects of drought on phenolics and flavonoids to enhance drought tolerance in B. napus.

Coexistence of Strong and Weak Topological Orders in a Quasi-One-Dimensional Material.

Topological materials have broad application prospects in quantum computing and spintronic devices. Among them, dual topological materials with low dimensionality provide an excellent platform for manipulating various topological states and generating highly conductive spin currents. However, direct observation of their topological surface states still lacks. Here, we reveal the coexistence of the strong and weak topological phases in a quasi-one-dimensional material, TaNiTe_{5}, by spin- and angle- resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The surface states protected by weak topological order forms Dirac-node arcs in the vicinity of the Fermi energy, providing the opportunity to develop spintronics devices with high carrier density that is tunable by bias voltage.

Decreased peripheral basophil counts in urticaria and mouse model of oxazolone-induced hypersensitivity, the latter suggesting basopenia reflecting migration to skin.

A decrease in the number of basophils in the peripheral blood, or basopenia, has been noted, reflecting the activity of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). Infiltration of basophils into the skin has also been reported, but the mechanism of basopenia in CSU has not been clarified. The phenomenon of basopenia during the active phase of urticaria was confirmed, and basophil numbers increased following symptom improvement in 15 out of 17 patients treated with omalizumab and in 13 of 15 patients treated with antihistamines. Our examination by immunostaining also revealed basophil infiltration of the CSU lesions, as in previous reports, but since most of our patients were already taking oral steroids, it was not considered appropriate to examine the relationship between basophil numbers in tissue and peripheral blood. Then, we used mouse model of contact hypersensitivity with a single application of oxazolone, which is known to stimulate basophil infiltration, and investigated basophil counts in the skin, peripheral blood, and bone marrow. In this model, a decrease in peripheral blood basophil numbers was observed one day after challenge, but not after 2 days, reflecting supplementation from the bone marrow. Indeed, when cultured basophils expressing GFP were transplanted into the peripheral blood, GFP-positive basophil numbers in the peripheral blood remained low even after 2 days of challenge. Despite differences among species and models, these results suggest that one reason for the decrease of basophils in the peripheral blood in CSU may involve migration of circulating basophils into the skin.

Thermoelectric Zintl Compound In1-x Gax Te: Pure Acoustic Phonon Scattering and Dopant-Induced Deformation Potential Reduction and Lattice Shrink.

We report a Zintl phase thermoelectric material, coarse grain-In0.99 Ga0.01 Te, achieving a ZT peak of 1.2 at 648 K and an average ZT=0.8 in 300-650 K, which outperforms all the known InTe-based materials to date. The synergistic optimization of electronic property and phonon transport are achieved by the purification of grain boundary scattering, together with the Ga-doping-induced weak phonon-electron coupling, which enhances the carrier mobility and carrier concentration simultaneously and consequently gives a remarkably increased power factor of 8.9 µW cm-1 K-2 . The DFT phonon calculations indicate the dopant reduces the deformation potential coefficient and induces the lattice shrink, which reduces significantly the acoustic cutoff frequency, and enhances the scattering phase space. Moreover, the bonding hierarchy leads to the dense intragranular dislocation arrays, which suppresses the lattice thermal conductivity further and induces an ultralow lattice thermal conductivity (0.21 Wm-1 K-1 ).

PKC-SWI6 signaling regulates asexual development, cell wall integrity, stress response, and lifestyle transition in the nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora.

Predatory fungi possess intricate signal transduction systems that regulate their development and support successful infection of the host. Herein, we characterized three components of the cell wall integrity-controlling pathway, namely protein kinase C (AoPKC), SLT2-MAPK (AoSLT2), and SWI6 (AoSWI6), in a representative nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora, using gene disruption and multi-omics approaches. The phenotypic traits (such as mycelia development, conidiation, stress response, and trap morphogenesis) and metabolic profiles of ΔAopkc and ΔAoswi6 mutants were similar but differed from those of the ΔAoslt2 mutants. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that the genes differentially expressed in the absence of Aoswi6 were involved in DNA replication, repair, and recombination during trap formation. Moreover, the yeast two-hybrid assay showed that AoPKC interacted with AoSWI6, suggesting that in A. oligospora, PKC can directly regulate SWI6, bypassing the SLT2 signaling cascade. Conclusively, our findings deepen our understanding of the regulatory mechanism of asexual development and lifestyle switching in nematode-trapping fungi.

The Potential Role of Basophils in Urticaria.

Urticaria is a symptom of acute skin allergies that is not clearly understood, but mast cell histamine is hypothesized to cause swelling and itching. Omalizumab, an anti-human IgE antibody that traps IgE and prevents its binding to high-affinity IgE receptors, is effective in treating urticaria. We recently experienced a case of urticaria refractory to antihistamine therapy in which the peripheral-blood basophil count responded to omalizumab therapy and its withdrawal. Furthermore, the peripheral-blood basophils showed an unexpected increase in the expression of a cell surface activation marker. This phenomenon has been reported by other analyses of basophil and mast cell dynamics during omalizumab treatment. Here, we analyze these observations and formulate a hypothesis for the role of basophils in urticaria. Specifically, that activated basophils migrate to the local skin area, lowering peripheral-blood counts, omalizumab therapy alters basophilic activity and causes their stay in the peripheral blood. We hope that our analysis will focus urticaria research on basophils and reveal new aspects of its pathogenesis.

Phonon Symphony of Stacked Multilayers and Weak Bonds Lowers Lattice Thermal Conductivity.

Controlling lattice vibrations to obtain intrinsic low thermal conductivity play a critical role in thermal management of electronic and photonic devices, energy converters, and thermal insulation, which necessitates exploring new compounds and a thorough understanding of their chemical structure, bonding, and lattice dynamics. Herein, a new chalcogenide, Ga6 Cr5 Se16 , shows intrinsic low lattice thermal conductivity κlat , which crystallizes in the monoclinic phase (C2/m) with the stacked inverse GaSe4 layers (g'), close-packed Cr3+ Se6 layers (c), GaSe4 layers (g) and loosely-stacked Cr2+ Se6 layers (c') along the c-axis. In this structure, a wide variety of chemical bonding is arranged in each layer, such as covalent Ga-Se, covalent Cr3+ -Se, and weaker Cr2+ -Se bonding, which endow it with a large phonon symphony by strong coupling of soft acoustic and low-lying optical phonons. As a result, Ga6 Cr5 Se16 realizes an intrinsic low κlat of 0.79 W m- 1  K- 1 at 323 K, which is almost four times, or twice lower than that of Cr3 Se4 (2.95 W m- 1  K- 1 ), or Cr2 Se3 (1.56 W m- 1  K- 1 ), Ga2 Se3 (1.36 W m- 1 K- 1 ) at 323 K, respectively. These insights will offer comprehensive understanding of the phonon propagation in complex layered chalcogenides, and also shed useful light on future design of low-κlat solids.

Functional Analysis of Two Affinity cAMP Phosphodiesterases in the Nematode-Trapping Fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora.

Phosphodiesterases are essential regulators of cyclic nucleotide signaling with diverse physiological functions. Two phosphodiesterases, PdeH and PdeL, have been identified from yeast and filamentous fungi. Here, the orthologs of PdeH and PdeL were characterized in a typical nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora by gene disruption and phenotypic comparison. Deletion of AopdeH caused serious defects in mycelial growth, conidiation, stress response, trap formation, and nematicidal efficiency compared to the wild-type strain. In contrast, these phenotypes have no significant difference in the absence of AopdeL. In addition, deletion of AopdeH and AopdeL resulted in a remarkable increase in cAMP level during vegetative growth and trap formation, and the number of autophagosomes was decreased in ΔAopdeH and ΔAopdeL mutants, whereas their volumes considerably increased. Moreover, metabolomic analyses revealed that many metabolites were downregulated in ΔAopdeH mutant compared to their expression in the wild-type strain. Our results indicate that AoPdeH plays a crucial role in mycelial growth, conidiation, stress response, secondary metabolism, and trap formation. In contrast, AoPdeL only plays a minor role in hyphal and conidial morphology, autophagy, and trap formation in A. oligospora. This work expands the roles of phosphodiesterases and deepens the understanding of the regulation of trap formation in nematode-trapping fungi.