Identification and functional analysis of the LEAFY gene in longan flower induction.

BACKGROUND: Flowering at the right time is a very important factor affecting the stable annual yield of longan. However, a lack of knowledge of the regulatory mechanism and key genes of longan flowering restricts healthy development of the longan industry. Therefore, identifying relevant genes and analysing their regulatory mechanism are essential for scientific research and longan industry development. RESULTS: DlLFY (Dimocarpus longan LEAFY) contains a 1167 bp open reading frame and encodes 388 amino acids. The amino acid sequence has a typical LFY/FLO family domain. DlLFY was expressed in all tissues tested, except for the leaf, pericarp, and pulp, with the highest expression occurring in flower buds. Expression of DlLFY was significantly upregulated at the early flower induction stage in "SX" ("Shixia"). The results of subcellular localization and transactivation analysis showed that DlLFY is a typical transcription factor acting as a transcriptional activator. Moreover, overexpression of DlLFY in Arabidopsis promoted early flowering and restrained growth, resulting in reduced plant height and rosette leaf number and area in transgenic plants. DNA affinity purification sequencing (DAP-Seq) analysis showed that 13 flower-related genes corresponding to five homologous genes of Arabidopsis may have binding sites and be putative target genes. Among these five flower-related genes, only AtTFL1 (terminal flower 1) was strongly inhibited in transgenic lines. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results indicate that DlLFY plays a pivotal role in controlling longan flowering, possibly by interacting with TFL1.

Integrated analyses of metabolomics and transcriptomics reveal the potential regulatory roles of long non-coding RNAs in gingerol biosynthesis.

BACKGROUND: As the characteristic functional component in ginger, gingerols possess several health-promoting properties. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) act as crucial regulators of diverse biological processes. However, lncRNAs in ginger are not yet identified so far, and their potential roles in gingerol biosynthesis are still unknown. In this study, metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses were performed in three main ginger cultivars (leshanhuangjiang, tonglingbaijiang, and yujiang 1 hao) in China to understand the potential roles of the specific lncRNAs in gingerol accumulation. RESULTS: A total of 744 metabolites were monitored by metabolomics analysis, which were divided into eleven categories. Among them, the largest group phenolic acid category contained 143 metabolites, including 21 gingerol derivatives. Of which, three gingerol analogs, [8]-shogaol, [10]-gingerol, and [12]-shogaol, accumulated significantly. Moreover, 16,346 lncRNAs, including 2,513, 1,225, and 2,884 differentially expressed (DE) lncRNA genes (DELs), were identified in all three comparisons by transcriptomic analysis. Gene ontology enrichment (GO) analysis showed that the DELs mainly enriched in the secondary metabolite biosynthetic process, response to plant hormones, and phenol-containing compound metabolic process. Correlation analysis revealed that the expression levels of 11 DE gingerol biosynthesis enzyme genes (GBEGs) and 190 transcription factor genes (TF genes), such as MYB1, ERF100, WRKY40, etc. were strongly correlation coefficient with the contents of the three gingerol analogs. Furthermore, 7 and 111 upstream cis-acting lncRNAs, 1,200 and 2,225 upstream trans-acting lncRNAs corresponding to the GBEGs and TF genes were identified, respectively. Interestingly, 1,184 DELs might function as common upstream regulators to these GBEGs and TFs genes, such as LNC_008452, LNC_006109, LNC_004340, etc. Furthermore, protein-protein interaction networks (PPI) analysis indicated that three TF proteins, MYB4, MYB43, and WRKY70 might interact with four GBEG proteins (PAL1, PAL2, PAL3, and 4CL-4). CONCLUSION: Based on these findings, we for the first time worldwide proposed a putative regulatory cascade of lncRNAs, TFs genes, and GBEGs involved in controlling of gingerol biosynthesis. These results not only provide novel insights into the lncRNAs involved in gingerol metabolism, but also lay a foundation for future in-depth studies of the related molecular mechanism.

Stereopsis-Inspired 3D Visual Imaging System Based on 2D Ruddlesden-Popper Perovskite.

Stereopsis is of great important functions for humans to perceive and interact with the world. To realize the function of stereoscopic imaging, optoelectronic sensors shall possess good photoresponsive performance, multidirectional sensing, and 3D building capabilities. However, the current imaging sensors are mainly focused on 2D imaging, limiting their practical application scenarios. In this study, a stereopsis-inspired flexible 3D visual imaging system (VIS) based on 2D Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite is demonstrated. The 3D-VIS consists of 800 device units, each of which demonstrates excellent photoresponse performance, mechanical characteristics, and environmental stability. In addition to the capability of detecting 2D reflective images, the 3D-VIS realizes the function of detecting the depth of field and fusing object projections of two directions to invert the 3D image by utilizing voxels to rebuild the spatial structure of the object. In the future, the 3D-VIS will have broad application prospects in medical imaging, virtual reality, industrial automation, and other fields.

CMOS-Compatible Tellurium/Silicon Ultra-Fast Near-Infrared Photodetector.

High-quality photodetectors are always the main way to obtain external information, especially near-infrared sensors play an important role in remote sensing communication. However, due to the limitation of Silicon (Si) wide bandgap and the incompatibility of most near infrared photoelectric materials with traditional integrated circuits, the development of high performance and wide detection spectrum near infrared detectors suitable for miniaturization and integration is still facing many obstacles. Herein, the monolithic integration of large area tellurium optoelectronic functional units is realized by magnetron sputtering technology. Taking advantage of the type II heterojunction constructed by tellurium (Te) and silicon (Si), the photogenerated carriers are effectively separated, which prolongs the carrier lifetime and improves the photoresponse by several orders of magnitude. The tellurium/silicon (Te/Si) heterojunction photodetector demonstrates excellent detectivity and ultra-fast turn-on time. Importantly, an imaging array (20 × 20 pixels) based on the Te/Si heterojunction is demonstrated and high-contrast photoelectric imaging is realized. Because of the high contrast obtained by the Te/Si array, in comparison with the Si arrays, it significantly improve the efficiency and accuracy of the subsequent processing tasks when the electronic pictures are applied to artificial neural network (ANN) to simulate the artificial vision system.

Sweet-Potato-Vine-Based High-Performance Porous Carbon for Methylene Blue Adsorption.

In this study, sweet-potato-vine-based porous carbon (SPVPC) was prepared using zinc chloride as an activating and pore-forming agent. The optimised SPVPC exhibited abundant porous structures with a high specific surface area of 1397.8 m2 g-1. Moreover, SPVPC exhibited excellent adsorption characteristics for removing methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. The maximum adsorption capacity for MB reached 653.6 mg g-1, and the reusability was satisfactory. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm were in good agreement with the pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir models, respectively. The adsorption mechanism was summarised as the synergistic effects of the hierarchically porous structures in SPVPC and various interactions between SPVPC and MB. Considering its low cost and excellent adsorption performance, the prepared porous carbon is a promising adsorbent candidate for dye wastewater treatment.

Unraveling the mechanism of efficient adsorption of riboflavin onto activated biochar derived from algal blooms.

Riboflavin is commercially produced primarily by bio-fermentation. Nonetheless, purification and separation are particularly complex and costly. Adsorption from the fermentation liquor is an alternative riboflavin separation technology during which a cost-efficient adsorbent is highly desired. In this study, a low-cost activated algal biomass-derived biochar (AABB) was applied as an adsorbent to efficiently adsorb riboflavin from an aqueous solution. The adsorption capacity of riboflavin on AABB increased with the increase in pyrolysis temperature and initial riboflavin concentration. The adsorption isotherms were well described by the Freundlich and Langmuir models. The AABB displayed excellent adsorption performance and its maximum adsorption capacity was 476.9 mg/g, which was 6.8, 6.8, and 5.2 times higher than that of laboratory-prepared activated rape straw biochar, activated broadbean shell biochar and commercial activated carbon, respectively, which was mainly ascribed to its larger specific surface area and abundant functional groups. The mass transfer model results showed that mass transfer resistance was dependent on both the film mass transfer and porous diffusion. Raman and Fourier transform-infrared spectra confirmed the presence of π-π interactions and hydrogen bonding between riboflavin and the AABB. The adsorption of riboflavin onto AABB was a spontaneous process, which was dominated by van der Waals forces. These results will be beneficial for developing effective riboflavin recovery technologies and simultaneously utilizing waste algal blooms.

Investigation of the role of AcTPR2 in kiwifruit and its response to Botrytis cinerea infection.

BACKGROUND: Elucidation of the regulatory mechanism of kiwifruit response to gray mold disease caused by Botrytis cinerea can provide the basis for its molecular breeding to impart resistance against this disease. In this study, 'Hongyang' kiwifruit served as the experimental material; the TOPLESS/TOPLESS-RELATED (TPL/TPR) co-repressor gene AcTPR2 was cloned into a pTRV2 vector (AcTPR2-TRV) and the virus-induced gene silencing technique was used to establish the functions of the AcTPR2 gene in kiwifruit resistance to Botrytis cinerea. RESULTS: Virus-induced silencing of AcTPR2 enhanced the susceptibility of kiwifruit to Botrytis cinerea. Defensive enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and endogenous phytohormones such as indole acetic acid (IAA), gibberellin (GA3), abscisic acid (ABA), and salicylic acid (SA) were detected. Kiwifruit activated these enzymes and endogenous phytohormones in response to pathogen-induced stress and injury. The expression levels of the IAA signaling genes-AcNIT, AcARF1, and AcARF2-were higher in the AcTPR2-TRV treatment group than in the control. The IAA levels were higher and the rot phenotype was more severe in AcTPR2-TRV kiwifruits than that in the control. These results suggested that AcTPR2 downregulation promotes expression of IAA and IAA signaling genes and accelerates postharvest kiwifruit senescence. Further, Botrytis cinerea dramatically upregulated AcTPR2, indicating that AcTPR2 augments kiwifruit defense against pathogens by downregulating the IAA and IAA signaling genes. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study could help clarify the regulatory mechanisms of disease resistance in kiwifruit and furnish genetic resources for molecular breeding of kiwifruit disease resistance.

LaMIR166a-mediated auxin biosynthesis and signalling affect somatic embryogenesis in Larix leptolepis.

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) involves complex molecular signalling pathways. Understanding molecular mechanism of SE in Larix leptolepis (L. leptolepis) can aid research on genetic improvement of gymnosperms. Previously, we obtained five LaMIR166a (miR166a precursor) -overexpression embryonic cell lines in the gymnosperm Larix leptolepis. The proliferation rates of pro-embryogenic masses in transgenic and wild-type lines were calculated. Overexpression of the miR166a precursor LaMIR166a led to slower proliferation. When pro-embryogenic masses were transferred to maturation medium, the relative expression of LaMIR166a and miR166a in the LaMIR166a-overexpression lines was higher than in the wild-type during SE, while LaHDZ31-34 expression levels also increased without negative control by miR166, suggesting that regulation of HD-ZIP III by miR166a exits stage-specific characteristics. The key indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) biosynthetic gene Nitrilase of L. leptolepis (LaNIT) was identified and the effects of miR166a on auxin biosynthesis and signalling genes were studied. During SE, LaNIT, Auxin response factor1 (LaARF1) and LaARF2 mRNA levels and IAA contents were markedly higher in LaMIR166a-overexpression lines, which revealed lower deformity rate of embryos, indicating endogenous IAA synthesis is required for somatic embryo maturation in L. leptolepis. Additionally, the IAA biosynthesis and signalling genes showed similar expression patterns to LaHDZ31-34, suggesting HD-ZIP III genes have a positive regulatory effect on LaNIT. Our results suggest miR166a and LaHDZ31-34 have important roles in auxin biosynthesis and signalling during SE, which might determine if the somatic embryo normally developed to mature in L. leptolepis.

Transcriptome Analysis of mRNA and miRNA in Somatic Embryos of Larix leptolepis Subjected to Hydrogen Treatment.

Hydrogen is a therapeutic antioxidant that has been used extensively in clinical trials. It also acts as a bioactive molecule that can alleviate abiotic stress in plants. However, the biological effects of hydrogen in somatic embryos and the underlying molecular basis remain largely unknown. In this study, the morphological and physiological influence of exogenous H2 treatment during somatic embryogenesis was characterized in Larix leptolepis Gordon. The results showed that exposure to hydrogen increased the proportions of active pro-embryogenic cells and normal somatic embryos. We sequenced mRNA and microRNA (miRNA) libraries to identify global transcriptome changes at different time points during H2 treatment of larch pro-embryogenic masses (PEMs). A total of 45,393 mRNAs and 315 miRNAs were obtained. Among them, 4253 genes and 96 miRNAs were differentially expressed in the hydrogen-treated libraries compared with the control. Further, a large number of the differentially expressed mRNAs and miRNAs were related to reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis and cell cycle regulation. We also identified 4399 potential target genes for 285 of the miRNAs. The differential expression data and the mRNA-miRNA interaction network described here provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms that determine the performance of PEMs exposed to H2 during somatic embryogenesis.

Interindividual- and blood-correlated sweat phenylalanine multimodal analytical biochips for tracking exercise metabolism.

In situ monitoring of endogenous amino acid loss through sweat can provide physiological insights into health and metabolism. However, existing amino acid biosensors are unable to quantitatively assess metabolic status during exercise and are rarely used to establish blood-sweat correlations because they only detect a single concentration indicator and disregard sweat rate. Here, we present a wearable multimodal biochip integrated with advanced electrochemical electrodes and multipurpose microfluidic channels that enables simultaneous quantification of multiple sweat indicators, including phenylalanine and chloride, as well as sweat rate. This combined measurement approach reveals a negative correlation between sweat phenylalanine levels and sweat rates among individuals, which further enables identification of individuals at high metabolic risk. By tracking phenylalanine fluctuations induced by protein intake during exercise and normalizing the concentration indicator by sweat rates to reduce interindividual variability, we demonstrate a reliable method to correlate and analyze sweat-blood phenylalanine levels for personal health monitoring.

Transcriptome characterisation of Pinus tabuliformis and evolution of genes in the Pinus phylogeny.

BACKGROUND: The Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis) is an indigenous conifer species in northern China but is relatively underdeveloped as a genomic resource; thus, limiting gene discovery and breeding. Large-scale transcriptome data were obtained using a next-generation sequencing platform to compensate for the lack of P. tabuliformis genomic information. RESULTS: The increasing amount of transcriptome data on Pinus provides an excellent resource for multi-gene phylogenetic analysis and studies on how conserved genes and functions are maintained in the face of species divergence. The first P. tabuliformis transcriptome from a normalised cDNA library of multiple tissues and individuals was sequenced in a full 454 GS-FLX run, producing 911,302 sequencing reads. The high quality overlapping expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were assembled into 46,584 putative transcripts, and more than 700 SSRs and 92,000 SNPs/InDels were characterised. Comparative analysis of the transcriptome of six conifer species yielded 191 orthologues, from which we inferred a phylogenetic tree, evolutionary patterns and calculated rates of gene diversion. We also identified 938 fast evolving sequences that may be useful for identifying genes that perhaps evolved in response to positive selection and might be responsible for speciation in the Pinus lineage. CONCLUSIONS: A large collection of high-quality ESTs was obtained, de novo assembled and characterised, which represents a dramatic expansion of the current transcript catalogues of P. tabuliformis and which will gradually be applied in breeding programs of P. tabuliformis. Furthermore, these data will facilitate future studies of the comparative genomics of P. tabuliformis and other related species.

Proper gibberellin localization in vascular tissue is required to regulate adventitious root development in tobacco.

Bioactive gibberellins (GAs) are involved in many developmental aspects of the life cycle of plants, acting either directly or through interaction with other hormones. Accumulating evidence suggests that GAs have an important effect on root growth; however, there is currently little information on the specific regulatory mechanism of GAs during adventitious root development. A study was conducted on tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants for altered rates of biosynthesis, catabolism, and GA signalling constitutively or in specific tissues using a transgenic approach. In the present study, PtGA20ox, PtGA2ox1, and PtGAI were overexpressed under the control of the 35S promoter, vascular cambium-specific promoter (LMX5), or root meristem-specific promoter (TobRB7), respectively. Evidence is provided that the precise localization of bioactive GA in the stem but not in the roots is required to regulate adventitious root development in tobacco. High levels of GA negatively regulate the early initiation step of root formation through interactions with auxin, while a proper and mobile GA signal is required for the emergence and subsequent long-term elongation of established primordia. The results demonstrated that GAs have an inhibitory effect on adventitious root formation but a stimulatory effect on root elongation.

Extensible Integrated System for Real-Time Monitoring of Cardiovascular Physiological Signals and Limb Health.

In recent decades, the rapid growth in flexible materials, new manufacturing technologies, and wearable electronics design techniques has helped establish the foundations for noninvasive photoelectric sensing systems with shape-adaptability and "skin-like" properties. Physiological sensing includes humidity, mechanical, thermal, photoelectric, and other aspects. Photoplethysmography (PPG), an important noninvasive method for measuring pulse rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen, uses the attenuated signal obtained by the light absorbed and reflected from living tissue to a light source to realize real-time monitoring of human health status. This work illustrates a patch-type optoelectronic system that integrates a flexible perovskite photodetector and all-inorganic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to realize the real-time monitoring of human PPG signals. The pulse rate of the human body and the swelling degree of finger joints can be extracted and analyzed using photodetectors, thus monitoring human health for the prevention and early diagnosis of certain diseases. Specifically, this work develops a 3D wrinkled-serpentine interconnection wire that increases the shape adaptability of the device in practical applications. The PPG signal sensor reported in this study has considerable potential for future wearable intelligent medical applications.

Transcriptome profiles reveal gene regulation of ginger flowering induced by photoperiod and light quality.

BACKGROUND: Under natural conditions, ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) rarely blossom and has seed, which limits new variety breeding of ginger and industry development. In this study, the effects of different photoperiods and light quality on flowering induction in ginger were performed, followed by gene expression analysis of flower buds differentiation under induced treatment using RNA-seq technology. RESULTS: First, both red light and long light condition (18 h light/6 h dark) could effectively induce differentiation of flower buds in ginger. Second, a total of 3395 differentially expressed genes were identified from several different comparisons, among which nine genes, including CDF1, COP1, GHD7, RAV2-like, CO, FT, SOC1, AP1 and LFY, were identified to be associated with flowering in induced flower buds and natural leaf buds. Aside from four down-regulated genes (CDF1, COP1, GHD7 and RAV2-like), other five genes were all up-regulated expression. These differentially expressed genes were mainly classified into 2604 GO categories, which were further enriched into 120 KEGG metabolic pathways. Third, expression change of flowering-related genes in ginger indicated that the induction may negatively regulated expression of CDF1, COP1, GHD7 and RAV2-like, and subsequently positively regulated expression of CO, FT, SOC1, LFY and AP1, which finally led to ginger flowering. In addition, the RNA-seq results were verified by qRT-PCR analysis of 18 randomly selected genes, which further demonstrated the reliability of transcriptome analysis. CONCLUSION: This study revealed the ginger flowering mechanism induced by light treatment and provided abundant gene information, which contribute to the development of hybrid breeding of ginger.

Molecular Mechanism of miR160d in Regulating Kiwifruit Resistance to Botrytis cinerea.

Gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea leads to huge economic losses to the kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) industry. Elucidating the molecular mechanism responding to B. cinerea is the theoretical basis for the resistance to molecular breeding of kiwifruit. Previous studies have shown that miR160 regulates plant disease resistance through the indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) signaling pathway. In this study, kiwifruit "Hongyang" was used as the material, and Ac-miR160d and its target genes were identified and cloned. Overexpression and virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) technology combined with RNA-seq were adopted to analyze the regulatory role of Ac-miR160d in kiwifruit resistance to B. cinerea. Silencing Ac-miR160d (AcMIR160d-KN) increased kiwifruit sensitivity to B. cinerea, whereas overexpression of Ac-miR160d (AcMIR160d-OE) increased kiwifruit resistance to B. cinerea, suggesting that Ac-miR160d positively regulates kiwifruit resistance to B. cinerea. In addition, overexpression of Ac-miR160d in kiwifruit increased antioxidant enzyme activities, such as catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), and endogenous phytohormone IAA and salicylic acid (SA) content, in response to B. cinerea-induced stress. RNA-seq identified 480 and 858 unique differentially expressed genes in the AcMIR160d-KN vs CK and AcMIR160d-OE vs CK groups, respectively, with fold change ≥2 and false discovery rate <0.01. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed that families associated with "biosynthesis of secondary metabolites" are possibly regulated by Ac-miR160d. "Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis", "flavonoid biosynthesis", and "terpenoid backbone biosynthesis" were further activated in the two comparison groups upon B. cinerea infection. Our results may reveal the molecular mechanism by which miR160d regulates kiwifruit resistance to B. cinerea and may provide gene resources for molecular breeding in kiwifruit resistance.

Determination of the effects of pre-harvest bagging treatment on kiwifruit appearance and quality via transcriptome and metabolome analyses.

Bagging is an effective cultivation strategy to produce attractive and pollution-free kiwifruit. However, the effect and metabolic regulatory mechanism of bagging treatment on kiwifruit quality remain unclear. In this study, transcriptome and metabolome analyses were conducted to determine the regulatory network of the differential metabolites and genes after bagging. Using outer and inner yellow single-layer fruit bags, we found that bagging treatment improved the appearance of kiwifruit, increased the soluble solid content (SSC) and carotenoid and anthocyanin levels, and decreased the chlorophyll levels. We also identified 41 differentially expressed metabolites and 897 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the bagged and control 'Hongyang' fruit. Transcriptome and metabolome analyses revealed that the increase in SSC after bagging treatment was mainly due to the increase in D-glucosamine metabolite levels and eight DEGs involved in amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolic pathways. A decrease in glutamyl-tRNA reductase may be the main reason for the decrease in chlorophyll. Downregulation of lycopene epsilon cyclase and 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase increased carotenoid levels. Additionally, an increase in the levels of the taxifolin-3'-O-glucoside metabolite, flavonoid 3'-monooxygenase, and some transcription factors led to the increase in anthocyanin levels. This study provides novel insights into the effects of bagging on the appearance and internal quality of kiwifruit and enriches our theoretical knowledge on the regulation of color pigment synthesis in kiwifruit.

Chloroplast Genome Comparison and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Commercial Variety Actinidia chinensis 'Hongyang'.

Actinidia chinensis 'Hongyang', also known as red yangtao (red heart kiwifruit), is a vine fruit tree native to China possessing significant nutritional and economic value. However, information on its genetic diversity and phylogeny is still very limited. The first chloroplast (cp) genome of A. chinensis 'Hongyang' cultivated in China was sequenced using de novo technology in this study. A. chinensis 'Hongyang' possesses a cp genome that spans 156,267 base pairs (bp), exhibiting an overall GC content of 37.20%. There were 132 genes that were annotated, with 85 of them being protein-coding genes, 39 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and 8 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. A total of 49 microsatellite sequences (SSRs) were detected, mainly single nucleotide repeats, mostly consisting of A or T base repeats. Compared with 14 other species, the cp genomes of A. chinensis 'Hongyang' were biased towards the use of codons containing A/U, and the non-protein coding regions in the A. chinensis 'Hongyang' cpDNA showed greater variation than the coding regions. The nucleotide polymorphism analysis (Pi) yielded nine highly variable region hotspots, most in the large single copy (LSC) region. The cp genome boundary analysis revealed a conservative order of gene arrangement in the inverted repeats (IRs) region of the cp genomes of 15 Actinidia plants, with small expansions and contractions of the boundaries. Furthermore, phylogenetic tree indicated that A. chinensis 'Hongyang' was the closest relative to A. indochinensis. This research provides a useful basis for future genetic and evolutionary studies of A. chinensis 'Hongyang', and enriches the biological information of Actinidia species.

Cultivar differences in carbon and nitrogen accumulation, balance, and grain yield in maize.

The balance of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) metabolism influences plant growth and development as well as yield. A two-year field experiment was conducted in a hilly region in southwest China in 2019-2020 to investigate the correlation between the accumulation and balance of C and N, as well as the grain yield of maize cultivars with contrasting N efficiencies. Using Zhenghong 311 (ZH 311) and Xianyu 508 (XY 508) as research sources, the differences in C and N accumulation and balance in maize cultivars with contrasting N efficiencies were compared to analyze the correlation between the accumulation and balance of C and N with grain yield. According to the results, the ZH 311 cultivar had higher C and N accumulation in each stage and grain yield than the XY 508 cultivar, while the C/N ratio in each stage and organ was significantly lower in ZH 311 than in XY 508, with the greatest difference occurring in the silking stage and leaf, indicating that the N-efficient cultivar ZH 311 had evident advantages in accumulation and balance of C and N and grain yield than the N-inefficient cultivar XY 508. Moreover, the C and N accumulation and grain yield increased significantly with N application, while the C/N ratio in each stage and organ decreased significantly with N application, but the differences between ZH 311 and XY 508 increased first and then decreased with the increase of N level, the optimum N level when obtaining the highest grain yield of ZH 311 (273.21 kg ha-1) was significantly lower than that of XY 508 (355.88 kg ha-1). Furthermore, grain yield was positively correlated with C (R 2 = 0.9251) and N (R 2 = 0.9033) accumulation, affected by pre-anthesis N (R 2 = 0.9198) and post-anthesis C (R 2 = 0.8632) accumulation, and negatively correlated with the C/N ratio (R 2 = 0.7664), with the highest correlation between grain yield and the C/N ratio in silking stage (R 2 = 0.7984) and leaf (R 2 = 0.7616). In conclusion, the N-efficient cultivar ZH 311 could better coordinate the C and N balance of the plant, especially the C and N balance in the silking stage and leaf, promote photosynthetic product storage and transport, prolong the leaf function period, and make the pre-anthesis and post-anthesis C and N accumulation of ZH 311 significantly higher than those of XY 508, allowing higher grain yields.

Dual sensing signal decoupling based on tellurium anisotropy for VR interaction and neuro-reflex system application.

Anisotropy control of the electronic structure in inorganic semiconductors is an important step in developing devices endowed with multi-function. Here, we demonstrate that the intrinsic anisotropy of tellurium nanowires can be used to modulate the electronic structure and piezoelectric polarization and decouple pressure and temperature difference signals, and realize VR interaction and neuro-reflex applications. The architecture design of the device combined with self-locking effect can eliminate dependence on displacement, enabling a single device to determine the hardness and thermal conductivity of materials through a simple touch. We used a bimodal Te-based sensor to develop a wearable glove for endowing real objects to the virtual world, which greatly improves VR somatosensory feedback. In addition, we successfully achieved stimulus recognition and neural-reflex in a rabbit sciatic nerve model by integrating the sensor signals using a deep learning technique. In view of in-/ex-vivo feasibility, the bimodal Te-based sensor would be considered a novel sensing platform for a wide range application of metaverse, AI robot, and electronic medicine.

Insights into the highly efficient treatment of dyeing wastewater using algal bloom derived activated carbon with wide-range adaptability to solution pH and temperature.

Here, a low-cost acid-base and temperature tolerant algal bloom derived activated carbon (ABAC) was successfully prepared to remove rhodamine B (RhB) from water. The ABAC exhibited maximum adsorption capacity of RhB (1101 ± 11 mg/g), higher than that of laboratory-prepared rape straw activated carbon (176 ± 5 mg/g) and commercial activated carbon (489 ± 5 mg/g). It is attributed to larger surface area and mesoporous structure of the ABAC. Furthermore, the effective adsorption of RhB by using ABAC was achieved at a wide range of solution pH (3.2-10.8) and temperature(25-50 °C). The mass transfer resistance of RhB adsorption process well depicted by Langmuir model was controlled by external mass transfer. The adsorption process involved both secondly chemisorption (H-bonds and π-π interaction) and dominated physisorption. Four dyes in river water were efficiently removed. This work provides a promising approach for developing high-absorption biomass materials for actual dye wastewater treatment.