Long-term herbicide residues affect soil multifunctionality and the soil microbial community.

Residues of herbicides with the extensive applications may impact the soil ecosystem and ultimately threaten agricultural sustainability. However, the effects of long-term herbicide residues on soil multifunctionality and the soil microbial community remain poorly understood. Here, we evaluated relationships between soil multifunctionality and soil microbial communities with residual herbicide concentrations by surveying and analyzing 62 black soil samples collected from an agricultural area in northeastern China. Total residual herbicide concentrations varied from 35 to 568 µg/kg in the soil samples. The response of soil multifunctionality to increasing residual herbicide concentrations exhibited an inverted U-shaped relationship with a peak at approximately 310 µg/kg, with net mineralized organic nitrogen (Nm) and total nitrogen (TN) exhibiting the same trend. Microbial community richness was significantly lower in soil samples with high residual herbicide concentrations (> 310 µg/kg, HG) compared to low residual herbicide concentrations (< 310 µg/kg, LG). In addition, the relative abundances of specific keystone microbial genera differed significantly between LG and HG: norank_f_Acetobacteraceae, norank_f_Caldilineaceae, Candidatus_Alysiosphaera, and Gonytrichum. The relative abundances of these genera were also significantly correlated with soil multifunctionality. Structural equation models (SEMs) further showed that herbicide residues influenced soil multifunctionality by affecting these specific keystone genera. Our study demonstrates that long-term herbicide residues significantly impact the multifunctionality of agricultural black soil, where low concentrations stimulate while high concentrations inhibit, underscoring the need for reasonable application of herbicides to maintain soil ecosystem health.

Legacy of herbicides in water from Hailun City, Northeast China: Occurrence, source, and ecological risk assessment.

Herbicides (HBCs) are extensively used in modern agriculture. However, their potential negative impacts on environmental media have emerged as a significant environmental concern. In this study, we employed positive matrix factorization (PMF) to identify the potential sources of HBCs. Furthermore, we utilized a multi-matrix ecological risk model to assess the risks associated with HBCs in both surface water and groundwater in the black soil region of Northeast China. The findings revealed that the levels of ∑15HBCs in surface water and groundwater ranged from 585.84 to 6466.96 ng/L and 4.80 to 11,774.64 ng/L, respectively. The PMF results indicated that surface runoff and erosion accounted for 50% of the total HBCs in water, serving as the primary sources. All tested HBCs exhibited acute risk values within acceptable levels. The risk index for the ∑15HBCs was categorized as "moderate risk" in 31% of the surface waters and 13% of the groundwaters. However, 4% of the groundwater sampling sites reached the "high risk" level. The chronic risk quotient of ∑15HBCs in surface water and groundwater was 92% and 62% at the "high risk" level, respectively. Interestingly, non-carcinogenic HBCs contributed more significantly to the ecotoxicology of the aquatic system than carcinogenic HBCs. This study provides comprehensive information on the legacy of HBCs in water bodies and emphasizes the potential risks posed by HBCs to aquatic systems. The results obtained from this study could help relevant management authorities in developing and implementing effective regulations to mitigate the ecological and environmental risks associated with HBCs.

Ultra-High-Speed Accelerator Architecture for Convolutional Neural Network Based on Processing-in-Memory Using Resistive Random Access Memory.

Processing-in-Memory (PIM) based on Resistive Random Access Memory (RRAM) is an emerging acceleration architecture for artificial neural networks. This paper proposes an RRAM PIM accelerator architecture that does not use Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) and Digital-to-Analog Converters (DACs). Additionally, no additional memory usage is required to avoid the need for a large amount of data transportation in convolution computation. Partial quantization is introduced to reduce the accuracy loss. The proposed architecture can substantially reduce the overall power consumption and accelerate computation. The simulation results show that the image recognition rate for the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) algorithm can reach 284 frames per second at 50 MHz using this architecture. The accuracy of the partial quantization remains almost unchanged compared to the algorithm without quantization.

The volatile cedrene from Trichoderma guizhouense modulates Arabidopsis root development through auxin transport and signalling.

Rhizosphere microorganisms interact with plant roots by producing chemical signals that regulate root development. However, the distinct bioactive compounds and signal transduction pathways remain to be identified. Here, we showed that sesquiterpenes are the main volatile compounds produced by plant-beneficial Trichoderma guizhouense NJAU4742. Inhibition of sesquiterpene biosynthesis eliminated the promoting effect of this strain on root growth, indicating its involvement in plant-fungus cross-kingdom signalling. Sesquiterpene component analysis identified cedrene, a highly abundant sesquiterpene in strain NJAU4742, to stimulate plant growth and root development. Genetic analysis and auxin transport inhibition showed that the TIR1 and AFB2 auxin receptors, IAA14 auxin-responsive protein, and ARF7 and ARF19 transcription factors affected the response of lateral roots to cedrene. Moreover, the AUX1 auxin influx carrier and PIN2 efflux carrier were also found to be indispensable for cedrene-induced lateral root formation. Confocal imaging showed that cedrene affected the expression of pPIN2:PIN2:GFP and pPIN3:PIN3:GFP, which might be related to the effect of cedrene on root morphology. These results suggested that a novel sesquiterpene molecule from plant-beneficial T. guizhouense regulates plant root development through the transport and signalling of auxin.

A conserved but plant-specific CDK-mediated regulation of DNA replication protein A2 in the precise control of stomatal terminal division.

The R2R3-MYB transcription factor FOUR LIPS (FLP) controls the stomatal terminal division through transcriptional repression of the cell cycle genes CYCLIN-DEPENDENT KINASE (CDK) B1s (CDKB1s), CDKA;1, and CYCLIN A2s (CYCA2s). We mutagenized the weak mutant allele flp-1 seeds with ethylmethane sulfonate and screened out a flp-1 suppressor 1 (fsp1) that suppressed the flp-1 stomatal cluster phenotype. FSP1 encodes RPA2a subunit of Replication Protein A (RPA) complexes that play important roles in DNA replication, recombination, and repair. Here, we show that FSP1/RPA2a functions together with CDKB1s and CYCA2s in restricting stomatal precursor proliferation, ensuring the stomatal terminal division and maintaining a normal guard-cell size and DNA content. Furthermore, we provide direct evidence for the existence of an evolutionarily conserved, but plant-specific, CDK-mediated RPA regulatory pathway. Serine-11 and Serine-21 at the N terminus of RPA2a are CDK phosphorylation target residues. The expression of the phosphorylation-mimic variant RPA2aS11,21/D partially complemented the defective cell division and DNA damage hypersensitivity in cdkb1;1 1;2 mutants. Thus, our study provides a mechanistic understanding of the CDK-mediated phosphorylation of RPA in the precise control of cell cycle and DNA repair in plants.

Diagnostic and treatment protocol for a patient with temporomandibular disorder using a stabilization splint and temporary anchorage devices.

Treatment of orthodontic patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is challenging for orthodontists because of the TMD signs and symptoms and unstable mandible position, which may lead to improper diagnosis and treatment design. This case report presents a 22-year-old woman with proclined maxillary incisors and TMD. First, stabilization splint therapy was implemented to eliminate temporomandibular joint pain and to obtain the stable adapted centric posture. Subsequently, orthodontic treatment was initiated on the basis of a definitive diagnosis made from the postsplint records. Temporary anchorage devices were used to intrude maxillary molars and distalize the maxillary dental arch. Favorable soft tissue, skeletal, and dental relationship were accomplished after 12 months of comprehensive orthodontic treatment. Functional occlusion was established with teeth as well as vacuum-formed retainers. Excellent posttreatment stability was maintained after a 20-month retention.

Accurate bracket placement using a computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing-guided bonding device: An in vivo study.

INTRODUCTION: A protocol was introduced to achieve accurate bracket placement in vivo, which consisted of operative procedures for precise control, and a computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing-guided bonding device. To evaluate the accuracy of this protocol, a 3-dimensional assessment was performed. METHODS: Ten consecutive patients were enrolled. Strictly following the protocol, from December 2017 to March 2018, brackets were placed on the teeth of each patient using the device. To evaluate the accuracy, deviations of positions and orientations for bracket placement were measured. Each patient was followed up after 3 months regarding bracket failures. RESULTS: The guided bonding device was used in all cases, and a total of 205 brackets were successfully bonded and evaluated. Except for 15.12% brackets with torque deviation over 2°, the deviations in mesiodistal, buccolingual, vertical, rotation, and angulation were below the clinical acceptable range (0.5 mm in translation or 2° in orientation) for all brackets. In the 3-month follow-up, there was no bracket failure in any patient. CONCLUSION: This protocol transferred the planned bracket position from the digital setup to patient's dentition with generally high positional accuracy.

High-efficiency CdSe/CdS nanorod-based red light-emitting diodes.

In this paper, we report the synthesis, the structural and optical characterization of CdSe/CdS//CdS nanorods (NRs) and their exploitation in nanorod-based light-emitting diodes (NR-LEDs). Two kinds of NRs of CdSe/CdS and CdSe/CdS//CdS were incorporated into the structure of solution-processed hybrid NR-LEDs. Compared to CdSe/CdS, the efficiencies of CdSe/CdS//CdS NR-based LEDs are overwhelmingly higher, specifically showing unprecedented values of peak current efficiency of 19.8 cd/A and external quantum efficiency of 15.7%. Such excellent results are likely attributable to a unique structure in CdSe/CdS//CdS NRs with a relatively high quantum yield, thick CdS outer shell, and rod structure which minimize nonradiative energy transfer between closely packed NRs in emitting layer.

Optimization of preparation process of activated carbon from chestnut burs assisted by microwave and pore structural characterization analysis.

UNLABELLED: In this study, activated carbon was prepared from Chinese chestnut burs assisted by microwave irradiation with potassium hydroxide (KOH) as activator, and the process conditions were optimized employing Box-Behnken design (BBD) and response surface methodology (RSM). The optimized variables were irradiation time, impregnation time, and mass ratio of alkali-to-carbon, and the iodine adsorption value was used to evaluate the adsorption property of activated carbon. The optimal preparation conditions were determined as follows: irradiation time 17 min, impregnation time 240 min, and mass ratio of alkali-to-char 1.5:1. Meanwhile, the relatively high iodine adsorption value (1141.4 mg/g) was also obtained. Furthermore, the pore structural characterization of activated carbon was analyzed. The analyzed results showed a larger Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area (1254.5 m(2)/g) and a higher microporosity ratio (87.2%), a bigger total pore volume (0.6565 m(3)/g), but a smaller average pore size (2.093 nm), which demonstrated the obtained activated carbon possessed strong adsorption capacity and well-developed microporous structure. This research could not only establish the foundation of utilizing chestnut burs to prepare activated carbon, but also provide the basis for exploitation of Chinese chestnut by-products. IMPLICATIONS: Because Chinese chestnut burs are the by-products and usually discarded upon harvesting subsequently, the utilization of chestnut burs as a potential source of activated carbon is of great profit to the chestnut processing industries.

Requirement for A-type cyclin-dependent kinase and cyclins for the terminal division in the stomatal lineage of Arabidopsis.

The Arabidopsis stoma is a specialized epidermal valve made up of a pair of guard cells around a pore whose aperture controls gas exchange between the shoot and atmosphere. Guard cells (GCs) are produced by a symmetric division of guard mother cells (GMCs). The R2R3-MYB transcription factor FOUR LIPS (FLP) and its paralogue MYB88 restrict the division of a GMC to one. Previously, the upstream regions of several core cell cycle genes were identified as the direct targets of FLP/MYB88, including the B-type cyclin-dependent kinase CDKB1;1 and A2-type cyclin CYCA2;3. Here we show that CDKA;1 is also an immediate direct target of FLP/MYB88 through the binding to cis-regulatory elements in the CDKA;1 promoter region. CDKA;1 activity is required not only for normal GMC divisions but also for the excessive cell overproliferation in flp myb88 mutant GMCs. The impaired defects of GMC division in cdkb1;1 1;2 mutants could be partially rescued by a stage-specific expression of CDKA;1. Although targeted overexpression of CDKA;1 does not affect stomatal development, ectopic expression of the D3-type cyclin CYCD3;2 induces GC subdivision, resulting in a stoma with 3-4 GCs instead of the normal two. Co-overexpression of CDKA;1 with CYCD3;2, but not with CYCA2;3, confers a synergistic effect with respect to GC subdivision. Thus, in addition to a role in stomatal formative asymmetric divisions at early developmental stages, CDKA;1 is needed in triggering GMC symmetric divisions at the late stage of stomatal development. However, timely down-regulation of CDKA;1-CYCD3 activity is required for restriction of GC proliferation.

Drought-induced assembly of rhizosphere mycobiomes shows beneficial effects on plant growth.

Beneficial interactions between plants and rhizosphere fungi can enhance plant adaptability during drought stress. However, harnessing these interactions will require an in-depth understanding of the response of fungal community assembly to drought. Herein, by using different varieties of wheat plants, we analyzed the drought-induced changes in fungal community assembly in rhizosphere and bulk soil. We demonstrated that drought significantly altered the fungal communities, with the contribution of species richness to community beta diversity increased in both rhizosphere and bulk soil compartments during drought stress. The stochastic processes dominated fungal community assembly, but the relative importance of deterministic processes, mainly homogeneous selection, increased in the drought-stressed rhizosphere. Drought induced an increase in the relative abundance of generalists in the rhizosphere, as opposed to specialists, and the top 10 abundant taxa that enriched under drought conditions were predominantly generalists. Notably, the most abundant drought-enriched taxon in rhizosphere was a generalist, and the corresponding Chaetomium strain was found capable of improving root length and activating ABA signaling in wheat plants through culture-based experiment. Together, these findings provide evidence that host plants exert a strong influence on rhizospheric fungal community assembly during stress and suggest the fungal communities that have experienced drought have the potential to confer fitness advantages to the host plants. IMPORTANCE: We have presented a framework to integrate the shifts in community assembly processes with plant-soil feedback during drought stress. We found that environmental filtering and host plant selection exert influence on the rhizospheric fungal community assembly, and the re-assembled community has great potential to alleviate plant drought stress. Our study proposes that future research should incorporate ecology with plant, microbiome, and molecular approaches to effectively harness the rhizospheric microbiome for enhancing the resilience of crop production to drought.

Biohydrogen utilization in legume-rhizobium symbiosis reveals a novel mechanism of accelerated tetrachlorobiphenyl transformation.

Symbiosis between Glycine max and Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens were used as a model system to investigate whether biohydrogen utilization promotes the transformation of the tetrachlorobiphenyl PCB77. Both a H2 uptake-positive (Hup+) strain (wild type) and a Hup- strain (a hupL deletion mutant) were inoculated into soybean nodules. Compared with Hup- nodules, Hup+ nodules increased dechlorination significantly by 61.1 % and reduced the accumulation of PCB77 in nodules by 37.7 % (p < 0.05). After exposure to nickel, an enhancer of uptake hydrogenase, dechlorination increased significantly by 2.2-fold, and the accumulation of PCB77 in nodules decreased by 54.4 % (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the tetrachlorobiphenyl transformation in the soybean root nodules was mainly testified to be mediated by nitrate reductase (encoded by the gene NR) for tetrachlorobiphenyl dechlorination and biphenyl-2,3-diol 1,2-dioxygenase (bphC) for biphenyl degradation. This study demonstrates for the first time that biohydrogen utilization has a beneficial effect on tetrachlorobiphenyl biotransformation in a legume-rhizobium symbiosis.

Elementary cellular automata realized by stateful three-memristor logic operations.

Cellular automata (CA) are computational systems that exhibit complex global behavior arising from simple local rules, making them a fascinating candidate for various research areas. However, challenges such as limited flexibility and efficiency on conventional hardware platforms still exist. In this study, we propose a memristor-based circuit for implementing elementary cellular automata (ECA) by extending the stateful three-memristor logic operations derived from material implication (IMP) logic gates. By leveraging the inherent physical properties of memristors, this approach offers simplicity, minimal operational steps, and high flexibility in implementing ECA rules by adjusting the circuit parameters. The mathematical principles governing circuit parameters are analyzed, and the evolution of multiple ECA rules is successfully demonstrated, showcasing the robustness in handling the stochastic nature of memristors. This approach provides a hardware solution for ECA implementation and opens up new research opportunities in the hardware implementation of CA.

Highly efficient near-infrared light-emitting diodes by using type-II CdTe/CdSe core/shell quantum dots as a phosphor.

In this paper, we present an innovative method for the synthesis of CdTe/CdSe type-II core/shell structure quantum dots (QDs) using 'greener' chemicals. The PL of CdTe/CdSe type-II core/shell structure QDs ranges from 600 to 820 nm, and the as-synthesized core/shell structures show narrow size distributions and stable and high quantum yields (50­75%). Highly efficient near-infrared light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been demonstrated by employing the CdTe/CdSe type-II core/shell QDs as emitters. The devices fabricated based on these type-II core/shell QDs show color-saturated near-infrared emission from the QD layers, a low turn-on voltage of 1.55 V, an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 1.59%, and a current density and maximum radiant emittance of 2.1 × 10(3) mA cm−2 and 17.7 mW cm−2 at 8 V; it is the first report to use type-II core/shell QDs as near-infrared emitters and these results may offer a practicable platform for the realization of near-infrared QD-based light-emitting diodes, night-vision-readable displays, and friend/foe identification system.

Effect of internal interface layer on dielectric properties of doped Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3thin films and its simulation in filters.

Effect of the internal interface layer on the dielectric properties of doped Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3(BST) films and their simulation research in filters. Based on the interfacial effect in the multi-layer ferroelectric thin film, a different number of internal interface layers was proposed and introduced into the Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3thin film. First, Ba0.6Sr0.4Ti0.99Zn0.01O3(ZBST) sol and Ba0.6Sr0.4Ti0.99Mg0.01O3(MBST) sols were prepared using the sol-gel method. Ba0.6Sr0.4Ti0.99Zn0.01O3/Ba0.6Sr0.4Ti0.99Mg0.01O3/Ba0.6Sr0.4Ti0.99Zn0.01O3thin films with 2 layer internal interface layer, 4 layer internal interface layer and 8 layer internal interface layer were designed and prepared (I2, I4, I8). The effects of the internal interface layer on the structure, morphology, dielectric properties, and leakage current behavior of the films were studied. The results showed that all the films were of the cubic perovskite BST phase and had the strongest diffraction peak in the (110) crystal plane. The surface composition of the film was uniform, and there was no cracked layer. When the bias of the applied DC field was 600 kV cm-1, the high-quality factor values of the I8 thin film at 10 MHz and 100 kHz were 111.3 and 108.6, respectively. The introduction of the internal interface layer changed the leakage current of the Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3thin film, and the I8 thin film exhibited the minimum leakage current density. The I8 thin-film capacitor was used as the tunable element to design a fourth-step 'tapped' complementary bandpass filter. When the permittivity was reduced from 500 to 191, the central frequency-tunable rate of the filter was 5.7%.

Efficacy and Safety of PARP Inhibitor Therapy in Advanced Ovarian Cancer: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

AIMS: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PARP inhibitor therapy in advanced ovarian cancer and identify the optimal treatment for the survival of patients. BACKGROUND: The diversity of PARP inhibitors makes clinicians confused about the optimal strategy and the most effective BRCAm mutation-based regimen for the survival of patients with advanced ovarian cancer. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to compare the effects of various PARP inhibitors alone or in combination with other agents in advanced ovarian cancer. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched for relevant studies on PARP inhibitors for ovarian cancer. Bayesian network meta-analysis was performed using Stata 15.0 and R 4.0.4. The primary outcome was the overall PFS, and the secondary outcomes included OS, AE3, DISAE, and TFST. RESULTS: Fifteen studies involving 5,788 participants were included. The Bayesian network metaanalysis results showed that olaparibANDAI was the most beneficial in prolonging overall PFS and non-BRCAm PFS, followed by niraparibANDAI. However, for BRCAm patients, olaparibTR might be the most effective, followed by niraparibANDAI. Olaparib was the most effective for the OS of BRCAm patients. AI, olaparibANDAI, and veliparibTR were more likely to induce grade 3 or higher adverse events. AI and olaparibANDAI were more likely to cause DISAE. CONCLUSION: PARP inhibitors are beneficial to the survival of patients with advanced ovarian cancer. The olaparibTR is the most effective for BRCAm patients, whereas olaparibANDAI and niraparibANDAI are preferable for non-BRCAm patients. Other: More high-quality studies are desired to investigate the efficacy and safety of PARP inhibitors in patients with other genetic performances.

Uncovering the transcriptional regulatory network involved in boosting wheat regeneration and transformation.

Genetic transformation is important for gene functional study and crop improvement. However, it is less effective in wheat. Here we employed a multi-omic analysis strategy to uncover the transcriptional regulatory network (TRN) responsible for wheat regeneration. RNA-seq, ATAC-seq and CUT&Tag techniques were utilized to profile the transcriptional and chromatin dynamics during early regeneration from the scutellum of immature embryos in the wheat variety Fielder. Our results demonstrate that the sequential expression of genes mediating cell fate transition during regeneration is induced by auxin, in coordination with changes in chromatin accessibility, H3K27me3 and H3K4me3 status. The built-up TRN driving wheat regeneration was found to be dominated by 446 key transcription factors (TFs). Further comparisons between wheat and Arabidopsis revealed distinct patterns of DNA binding with one finger (DOF) TFs in the two species. Experimental validations highlighted TaDOF5.6 (TraesCS6A02G274000) and TaDOF3.4 (TraesCS2B02G592600) as potential enhancers of transformation efficiency in different wheat varieties.

Dual functional states of working memory realized by memristor-based neural network.

Working memory refers to the brain's ability to store and manipulate information for a short period. It is disputably considered to rely on two mechanisms: sustained neuronal firing, and "activity-silent" working memory. To develop a highly biologically plausible neuromorphic computing system, it is anticipated to physically realize working memory that corresponds to both of these mechanisms. In this study, we propose a memristor-based neural network to realize the sustained neural firing and activity-silent working memory, which are reflected as dual functional states within memory. Memristor-based synapses and two types of artificial neurons are designed for the Winner-Takes-All learning rule. During the cognitive task, state transformation between the "focused" state and the "unfocused" state of working memory is demonstrated. This work paves the way for further emulating the complex working memory functions with distinct neural activities in our brains.

Nitrogen transfer and cross-feeding between Azotobacter chroococcum and Paracoccus aminovorans promotes pyrene degradation.

Nitrogen is a limiting nutrient for degraders function in hydrocarbon-contaminated environments. Biological nitrogen fixation by diazotrophs is a natural solution for supplying bioavailable nitrogen. Here, we determined whether the diazotroph Azotobacter chroococcum HN can provide nitrogen to the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading bacterium Paracoccus aminovorans HPD-2 and further explored the synergistic interactions that facilitate pyrene degradation in nitrogen-deprived environments. We found that A. chroococcum HN and P. aminovorans HPD-2 grew and degraded pyrene more quickly in co-culture than in monoculture. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy combined with 15N stable isotope probing (SERS - 15N SIP) demonstrated that A. chroococcum HN provided nitrogen to P. aminovorans HPD-2. Metabolite analysis and feeding experiments confirmed that cross-feeding occurred between A. chroococcum HN and P. aminovorans HPD-2 during pyrene degradation. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses further revealed that co-culture significantly upregulated key pathways such as nitrogen fixation, aromatic compound degradation, protein export, and the TCA cycle in A. chroococcum HN and quorum sensing, aromatic compound degradation and ABC transporters in P. aminovorans HPD-2. Phenotypic and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays demonstrated that A. chroococcum HN produced large amounts of biofilm and was located at the bottom of the biofilm in co-culture, whereas P. aminovorans HPD-2 attached to the surface layer and formed a bridge-like structure with A. chroococcum HN. This study demonstrates that distinct syntrophic interactions occur between A. chroococcum HN and P. aminovorans HPD-2 and provides support for their combined use in organic pollutant degradation in nitrogen-deprived environments.