Growth of diamond in liquid metal at 1 atm pressure.

Natural diamonds were (and are) formed (thousands of million years ago) in the upper mantle of Earth in metallic melts at temperatures of 900-1,400 °C and at pressures of 5-6 GPa (refs. 1,2). Diamond is thermodynamically stable under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions as per the phase diagram of carbon3. Scientists at General Electric invented and used a high-pressure and high-temperature apparatus in 1955 to synthesize diamonds by using molten iron sulfide at about 7 GPa and 1,600 °C (refs. 4-6). There is an existing model that diamond can be grown using liquid metals only at both high pressure and high temperature7. Here we describe the growth of diamond crystals and polycrystalline diamond films with no seed particles using liquid metal but at 1 atm pressure and at 1,025 °C, breaking this pattern. Diamond grew in the subsurface of liquid metal composed of gallium, iron, nickel and silicon, by catalytic activation of methane and diffusion of carbon atoms into and within the subsurface regions. We found that the supersaturation of carbon in the liquid metal subsurface leads to the nucleation and growth of diamonds, with Si playing an important part in stabilizing tetravalently bonded carbon clusters that play a part in nucleation. Growth of (metastable) diamond in liquid metal at moderate temperature and 1 atm pressure opens many possibilities for further basic science studies and for the scaling of this type of growth.

Single-crystal, large-area, fold-free monolayer graphene.

Chemical vapour deposition of carbon-containing precursors on metal substrates is currently the most promising route for the scalable synthesis of large-area, high-quality graphene films1. However, there are usually some imperfections present in the resulting films: grain boundaries, regions with additional layers (adlayers), and wrinkles or folds, all of which can degrade the performance of graphene in various applications2-7. There have been numerous studies on ways to eliminate grain boundaries8,9 and adlayers10-12, but graphene folds have been less investigated. Here we explore the wrinkling/folding process for graphene films grown from an ethylene precursor on single-crystal Cu-Ni(111) foils. We identify a critical growth temperature (1,030 kelvin) above which folds will naturally form during the subsequent cooling process. Specifically, the compressive stress that builds up owing to thermal contraction during cooling is released by the abrupt onset of step bunching in the foil at about 1,030 kelvin, triggering the formation of graphene folds perpendicular to the step edge direction. By restricting the initial growth temperature to between 1,000 kelvin and 1,030 kelvin, we can produce large areas of single-crystal monolayer graphene films that are high-quality and fold-free. The resulting films show highly uniform transport properties: field-effect transistors prepared from these films exhibit average room-temperature carrier mobilities of around (7.0 ± 1.0) × 103 centimetres squared per volt per second for both holes and electrons. The process is also scalable, permitting simultaneous growth of graphene of the same quality on multiple foils stacked in parallel. After electrochemical transfer of the graphene films from the foils, the foils themselves can be reused essentially indefinitely for further graphene growth.

[Analysis and prospect of correlation between relative molecular weight and efficacy of polysaccharides from medicinal plant resources].

Polysaccharides from medicinal plant resources are a kind of polymers extracted from medicinal plants. They are complex long chains formed by different monosaccharides connected via glucosidic bonds. These polysaccharides usually have straight chain and branched chain structures, and their relative molecular weight changes greatly. Modern studies have shown that the biological activi-ty of polysaccharides from medicinal plant resources is closely related to their relative molecular weight. This paper first reviewed the preparation and detection methods of polysaccharides from medicinal plant resources with different relative molecular weights. Then, the paper summarized and analyzed the general experience of the correlation between efficacy and relative molecular weight of polysaccharides from medicinal plant resources with different molecular weights. It was considered that polysaccharides with large relative molecular weights(>100 kDa) play a leading role in immune regulation. Polysaccharides with medium relative molecular weights(10-100 kDa) play a leading role in immune regulation and the protection of the liver. Polysaccharides with small relative molecular weights(<10 kDa) play a leading role in anti-oxidation, regulation of intestinal flora, regulation of blood glucose and lipids, anti-fatigue, and the protection of nerves. Therefore, precise development of polysaccharides from medicinal plant resources based on relative molecular weight is expected to improve their biological activity and application value.

Downregulated calmodulin expression contributes to endothelial cell impairment in diabetes.

Endothelial dysfunction, a central hallmark of cardiovascular pathogenesis in diabetes mellitus, is characterized by impaired endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and NO bioavailability. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here in this study, we aimed to identify the role of calmodulin (CaM) in diabetic eNOS dysfunction. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells and murine endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) treated with high glucose (HG) exhibited downregulated CaM mRNA/protein and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression with impeded eNOS phosphorylation and cell migration/tube formation. These perturbations were reduplicated in CALM1-knockdown cells but prevented in CALM1-overexpressing cells. EPCs from type 2 diabetes animals behaved similarly to HG-treated normal EPCs, which could be rescued by CALM1-gene transduction. Consistently, diabetic animals displayed impaired eNOS phosphorylation, endothelium-dependent dilation, and CaM expression in the aorta, as well as deficient physical interaction of CaM and eNOS in the gastrocnemius. Local CALM1 gene delivery into a diabetic mouse ischemic hindlimb improved the blunted limb blood perfusion and gastrocnemius angiogenesis, and foot injuries. Diabetic patients showed insufficient foot microvascular autoregulation, eNOS phosphorylation, and NO production with downregulated CaM expression in the arterial endothelium, and abnormal CALM1 transcription in genome-wide sequencing analysis. Therefore, our findings demonstrated that downregulated CaM expression is responsible for endothelium dysfunction and angiogenesis impairment in diabetes, and provided a novel mechanism and target to protect against diabetic endothelial injury.

Using Single-Crystal Graphene to Form Arrays of Nanocapsules Enabling the Observation of Light Elements in Liquid Cell Transmission Electron Microscopy.

We have designed and fabricated a TEM (transmission electron microscopy) liquid cell with hundreds of graphene nanocapsules arranged in a stack of two Si3N4-x membranes. These graphene nanocapsules are formed on arrays of nanoholes patterned on the Si3N4-x membrane by focused ion beam milling, allowing for better resolution than for the conventional graphene liquid cells, which enables the observation of light elements, such as atomic structures of silicon. We suggest that multiple nanocapsules provide opportunities for consecutive imaging under the same conditions in a single liquid cell. The use of single-crystal graphene windows offers an excellent signal-to-noise ratio and high spatial resolution. The motion of silicon nanoparticles (a low atomic number (Z) material) interacting with nanobubbles was observed, and analyzed, in detail. Our approach will help advance liquid-phase TEM observations by providing a straightforward method to encapsulate liquid between monolayers of various 2-dimensional materials.

A homolog of the ALOG family controls corolla tube differentiation in Torenia fournieri.

Flowers of honey plants (Torenia) face various abiotic stressors, including rain, that can damage pollens and dilute nectar. Many Torenia species are thought to have evolved a modified corolla base termed the corolla neck to prevent raindrops from contacting the nectar. Although this hypothesis was postulated long ago, direct validation is lacking. Here, we have evaluated Torenia fournieri, the corolla tube of which differentiates into distinct regions: a conical tube above that connects to an inflated base through a constriction. This constriction and inflated base are collectively referred to as the corolla neck. Using transcriptomic sequencing and genome-editing approaches, we have characterized an ALOG gene, TfALOG3, that is involved in formation of the corolla neck. TfALOG3 was found expressed in the epidermis of the corolla neck. Cells in the corolla bottom differentiated and expanded in wild-type T. fournieri, whereas such cells in TfALOG3 loss-of-function mutants failed to develop into a corolla neck. Water easily contacted the nectary in the absence of the corolla neck. Taken together, our study unveils a novel gene that controls corolla tube differentiation and demonstrates a hypothetical property of the corolla neck.

Silica Particle-Mediated Growth of Single Crystal Graphene Ribbons on Cu(111) Foil.

The authors report the growth of micrometer-long single-crystal graphene ribbons (GRs) (tapered when grown above 900 °C, but uniform width when grown in the range 850 °C to 900 °C) using silica particle seeds on single crystal Cu(111) foil. Tapered graphene ribbons grow strictly along the Cu<101> direction on Cu(111) and polycrystalline copper (Cu) foils. Silica particles on both Cu foils form (semi-)molten Cu-Si-O droplets at growth temperatures, then catalyze nucleation and drive the longitudinal growth of graphene ribbons. Longitudinal growth is likely by a vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism but edge growth (above 900 °C) is due to catalytic activation of ethylene (C2 H4 ) and attachment of C atoms or species ("vapor solid" or VS growth) at the edges. It is found, based on the taper angle of the graphene ribbon, that the taper angle is determined by the growth temperature and the growth rates are independent of the particle size. The activation enthalpy (1.73 ± 0.03 eV) for longitudinal ribbon growth on Cu(111) from ethylene is lower than that for VS growth at the edges of the GRs (2.78 ± 0.15 eV) and for graphene island growth (2.85 ± 0.07 eV) that occurs concurrently.

Connexin 43 hyper-phosphorylation at serine 282 triggers apoptosis in rat cardiomyocytes via activation of mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

Cx43 is the major connexin in ventricular gap junctions, and plays a pivotal role in control of electrical and metabolic communication among adjacent cardiomyocytes. We previously found that Cx43 dephosphorylation at serine 282 (pS282) caused cardiomyocyte apoptosis, which is involved in cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury. In this study we investigated whether Cx43-S282 hyper-phosphorylation could protect cardiomyocytes against apoptosis. Adenovirus carrying rat full length Cx43 gene (Cx43-wt) or a mutant gene at S282 substituted with aspartic acid (S282D) were transfected into neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) or injected into rat ventricular wall. Rat abdominal aorta constriction model (AAC) was used to assess Cx43-S282 phosphorylation status. We showed that Cx43 phosphorylation at S282 was increased over 2-times compared to Cx43-wt cells at 24 h after transfection, while pS262 and pS368 were unaltered. S282D-transfected cells displayed enhanced gap junctional communication, and increased basal intracellular Ca2+ concentration and spontaneous Ca2+ transients compared to Cx43-wt cells. However, spontaneous apoptosis appeared in NRVMs transfected with S282D for 34 h. Rat ventricular myocardium transfected with S282D in vivo also exhibited apoptotic responses, including increased Bax/Bcl-xL ratio, cytochrome c release as well as caspase-3 and caspase-9 activities, while factor-associated suicide (Fas)/Fas-associated death domain expression and caspase-8 activity remained unaltered. In addition, AAC-induced hypertrophic ventricles had apoptotic injury with Cx43-S282 hyper-phosphorylation compared with Sham ventricles. In conclusion, Cx43 hyper-phosphorylation at S282, as dephosphorylation, also triggers cardiomyocyte apoptosis, but through activation of mitochondrial apoptosis pathway, providing a fine-tuned Cx43-S282 phosphorylation range required for the maintenance of cardiomyocyte function and survival.

Nonlocal magnon entanglement generation in coupled hybrid cavity systems.

We investigate dynamical generation of macroscopic nonlocal entanglements between two remote massive magnon-superconducting-circuit hybrid systems. Two fiber-coupled microwave cavities are employed to serve as an interaction channel connecting two sets of macroscopic hybrid units, each containing a magnon (hosted by an yttrium-iron-garnet sphere) and a superconducting-circuit qubit. Surprisingly, it is found that stronger coupling does not necessarily mean faster entanglement generation. The proposed hybrid system allows the existence of an optimal fiber coupling strength that requires the shortest amount of time to generate a systematic maximal entanglement. Our theoretical results are shown to be within the scope of specific parameters that can be achieved with current technology. The noise effects on the implementation of systems are also treated in a general environment, suggesting the robustness of entanglement generation. Our discrete-variable qubit-like entanglement theory of magnons may lead to direct applications in various quantum information tasks.

Multifunctional titanium phosphate carriers for enhancing drug delivery and evaluating real-time therapeutic efficacy of a hydrophobic drug component in Euphorbia kansui.

Nanoparticles are often used to serve as drug delivery systems to improve the therapeutic efficacy of some hydrophobic drugs. In this work, PEG and peptide-modified titanium phosphate nanoparticles (TiP-PEG/peptide) were synthesized to enhance the drug delivery efficacy of tirucalla-8,24-diene-3ß,11ß-diol-7-one (KS-01), a major bioactive and hydrophobic component extracted from Euphorbia kansui. This drug delivery system with a loading efficiency of about 29.8 mg KS-01/1 g TiP-PEG/peptide exerted a significantly lower cell viability rate of MCF-7 than free KS-01, indicating that these carriers can effectively increase the therapeutic efficacy by improving its water solubility. Moreover, according to the fluorescence intensity of FAM which can be generated by caspase-3 cleaving DEVD-embedded peptide, the caspase-3 level could be determined and the therapeutic efficacy could be visualized in real time.

Development and validation of a risk prediction nomogram for in-stent restenosis in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to develop and validate a nomogram to predict probability of in-stent restenosis (ISR) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: Patients undergoing PCI with drug-eluting stents between July 2009 and August 2011 were retrieved from a cohort study in a high-volume PCI center, and further randomly assigned to training and validation sets. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model was used to screen out significant features for construction of nomogram. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was applied to build a nomogram-based predicting model incorporating the variables selected in the LASSO regression model. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristics (ROC), calibration plot and decision curve analysis (DCA) were performed to estimate the discrimination, calibration and utility of the nomogram model respectively. RESULTS: A total of 463 patients with DES implantation were enrolled and randomized in the development and validation sets. The predication nomogram was constructed with five risk factors including prior PCI, hyperglycemia, stents in left anterior descending artery (LAD), stent type, and absence of clopidogrel, which proved reliable for quantifying risks of ISR for patients with stent implantation. The AUC of development and validation set were 0.706 and 0.662, respectively, indicating that the prediction model displayed moderate discrimination capacity to predict restenosis. The high quality of calibration plots in both datasets demonstrated strong concordance performance of the nomogram model. Moreover, DCA showed that the nomogram was clinically useful when intervention was decided at the possibility threshold of 9%, indicating good utility for clinical decision-making. CONCLUSIONS: The individualized prediction nomogram incorporating 5 commonly clinical and angiographic characteristics for patients undergoing PCI can be conveniently used to facilitate early identification and improved screening of patients at higher risk of ISR.

Estrogen-dependent KCa1.1 modulation is essential for retaining neuroexcitation of female-specific subpopulation of myelinated Ah-type baroreceptor neurons in rats.

Female-specific subpopulation of myelinated Ah-type baroreceptor neurons (BRNs) in nodose ganglia is the neuroanatomical base of sexual-dimorphic autonomic control of blood pressure regulation, and KCa1.1 is a key player in modulating the neuroexcitation in nodose ganglia. In this study we investigated the exact mechanisms underlying KCa1.1-mediated neuroexcitation of myelinated Ah-type BRNs in the presence or absence of estrogen. BRNs were isolated from adult ovary intact (OVI) or ovariectomized (OVX) female rats, and identified electrophysiologically and fluorescently. Action potential (AP) and potassium currents were recorded using whole-cell recording. Consistently, myelinated Ah-type BRNs displayed a characteristic discharge pattern and significantly reduced excitability after OVX with narrowed AP duration and faster repolarization largely due to an upregulated iberiotoxin (IbTX)-sensitive component; the changes in AP waveform and repetitive discharge of Ah-types from OVX female rats were reversed by G1 (a selective agonist for estrogen membrane receptor GPR30, 100 nM) and/or IbTX (100 nM). In addition, the effect of G1 on repetitive discharge could be completely blocked by G15 (a selective antagonist for estrogen membrane receptor GPR30, 3 µM). These data suggest that estrogen deficiency by removing ovaries upregulates KCa1.1 channel protein in Ah-type BRNs, and subsequently increases AP repolarization and blunts neuroexcitation through estrogen membrane receptor signaling. Intriguingly, this upregulated KCa1.1 predicted electrophysiologically was confirmed by increased mean fluorescent intensity that was abolished by estrogen treatment. These electrophysiological findings combined with immunostaining and pharmacological manipulations reveal the crucial role of KCa1.1 in modulation of neuroexcitation especially in female-specific subpopulation of myelinated Ah-type BRNs and extend our current understanding of sexual dimorphism of neurocontrol of BP regulation.

Centimeter-Scale and Highly Crystalline Two-Dimensional Alcohol: Evidence for Graphenol (C6OH).

We report a chemical route to synthesize centimeter-scale stoichiometric "graphenol (C6OH1)", a 2D crystalline alcohol, via vapor phase hydroxylation of epitaxial graphene on Cu(111). Atomic resolution scanning tunneling microscopy revealed this highly-ordered configuration of graphenol and low energy electron diffraction studies on a large-area single crystal graphene film demonstrated the feasibility of the same superstructure being achieved at the centimeter length scale. Periodic density functional theory (DFT) calculations about the formation of C6(OH)1 and its electronic structure are also reported.

Not Just a Bystander: The Emerging Role of Astrocytes and Research Tools in Studying Cognitive Dysfunctions in Schizophrenia.

Cognitive dysfunction is one of the core symptoms in schizophrenia, and it is predictive of functional outcomes and therefore useful for treatment targets. Rather than improving cognitive deficits, currently available antipsychotics mainly focus on positive symptoms, targeting dopaminergic/serotoninergic neurons and receptors in the brain. Apart from investigating the neural mechanisms underlying schizophrenia, emerging evidence indicates the importance of glial cells in brain structure development and their involvement in cognitive functions. Although the etiopathology of astrocytes in schizophrenia remains unclear, accumulated evidence reveals that alterations in gene expression and astrocyte products have been reported in schizophrenic patients. To further investigate the role of astrocytes in schizophrenia, we highlighted recent progress in the investigation of the effect of astrocytes on abnormalities in glutamate transmission and impairments in the blood-brain barrier. Recent advances in animal models and behavioral methods were introduced to examine schizophrenia-related cognitive deficits and negative symptoms. We also highlighted several experimental tools that further elucidate the role of astrocytes. Instead of focusing on schizophrenia as a neuron-specific disorder, an additional astrocytic perspective provides novel and promising insight into its causal mechanisms and treatment. The involvement of astrocytes in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and other brain disorders is worth further investigation.

Reference-free THz-TDS conductivity analysis of thin conducting films.

We present a reference-free method to determine electrical parameters of thin conducting films by steady state transmission-mode terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). We demonstrate that the frequency-dependent AC conductivity of graphene can be acquired by comparing the directly transmitted THz pulse with a transient internal reflection within the substrate which avoids the need for a standard reference scan. The DC sheet conductivity, scattering time, carrier density, mobility, and Fermi velocity of graphene are retrieved subsequently by fitting the AC conductivity with the Drude model. This reference-free method was investigated with two complementary THz setups: one commercial fibre-coupled THz spectrometer with fast scanning rate (0.2-1.5 THz) and one air-plasma based ultra-broadband THz spectrometer for greatly extended frequency range (2-10 THz). Certain propagation correction terms for more accurate retrieval of electrical parameters are discussed.

Chirality-specific growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes on solid alloy catalysts.

Carbon nanotubes have many material properties that make them attractive for applications. In the context of nanoelectronics, interest has focused on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) because slight changes in tube diameter and wrapping angle, defined by the chirality indices (n, m), will shift their electrical conductivity from one characteristic of a metallic state to one characteristic of a semiconducting state, and will also change the bandgap. However, this structure-function relationship can be fully exploited only with structurally pure SWNTs. Solution-based separation methods yield tubes within a narrow structure range, but the ultimate goal of producing just one type of SWNT by controlling its structure during growth has proved to be a considerable challenge over the last two decades. Such efforts aim to optimize the composition or shape of the catalyst particles that are used in the chemical vapour deposition synthesis process to decompose the carbon feedstock and influence SWNT nucleation and growth. This approach resulted in the highest reported proportion, 55 per cent, of single-chirality SWNTs in an as-grown sample. Here we show that SWNTs of a single chirality, (12, 6), can be produced directly with an abundance higher than 92 per cent when using tungsten-based bimetallic alloy nanocrystals as catalysts. These, unlike other catalysts used so far, have such high melting points that they maintain their crystalline structure during the chemical vapour deposition process. This feature seems crucial because experiment and simulation both suggest that the highly selective growth of (12, 6) SWNTs is the result of a good structural match between the carbon atom arrangement around the nanotube circumference and the arrangement of the catalytically active atoms in one of the planes of the nanocrystal catalyst. We anticipate that using high-melting-point alloy nanocrystals with optimized structures as catalysts paves the way for total chirality control in SWNT growth and will thus promote the development of SWNT applications.

SYMMETRIC PETALS 1 Encodes an ALOG Domain Protein that Controls Floral Organ Internal Asymmetry in Pea (Pisum sativum L.).

In contrast to typical radially symmetrical flowers, zygomorphic flowers, such as those produced by pea (Pisum sativum L.), have bilateral symmetry, manifesting dorsoventral (DV) and organ internal (IN) asymmetry. However, the molecular mechanism controlling IN asymmetry remains largely unclear. Here, we used a comparative mapping approach to clone SYMMETRIC PETALS 1 (SYP1), which encodes a key regulator of floral organ internal asymmetry. Phylogenetic analysis showed that SYP1 is an ortholog of Arabidopsis thaliana LIGHT-DEPENDENT SHORT HYPOCOTYL 3 (LSH3), an ALOG (Arabidopsis LSH1 and Oryza G1) family transcription factor. Genetic analysis and physical interaction assays showed that COCHLEATA (COCH, Arabidopsis BLADE-ON-PETIOLE ortholog), a known regulator of compound leaf and nodule identity in pea, is involved in organ internal asymmetry and interacts with SYP1. COCH and SYP1 had similar expression patterns and COCH and SYP1 target to the nucleus. Furthermore, our results suggested that COCH represses the 26S proteasome-mediated degradation of SYP1 and regulates its abundance. Our study suggested that the COCH-SYP1 module plays a pivotal role in floral organ internal asymmetry development in legumes.

Love on wings, a Dof family protein regulates floral vasculature in Vigna radiata.

BACKGROUND: The interaction among plants and their pollinators has been a major factor which enriched floral traits known as pollination syndromes and promoted the diversification of flowering plants. One of the bee-pollination syndromes in Faboideae with keel blossoms is the formation of a landing platform by wing and keel petals. However, the molecular mechanisms of elaborating a keel blossom remain unclear. RESULTS: By performing large scale mutagenesis, we isolated and characterized a mutant in Vigna radiata, love on wings (low), which shows developmental defects in petal asymmetry and vasculature, leading to a failure in landing platform formation. We cloned the locus through map-based cloning together with RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis. We found that LOW encoded a nucleus-localized Dof-like protein and was expressed in the flower provascular and vascular tissues. A single copy of LOW was detected in legumes, in contrast with other taxa where there seems to be at least 2 copies. Thirty one Dof proteins have been identified from the V. radiata's genome, which can be further divided into four Major Cluster of Orthologous Groups (MCOGs). We also showed that ectopic expression of LOW in Arabidopsis driven by its native promoter caused changes in petal vasculature pattern. CONCLUSIONS: To summarize, our study isolated a legume Dof-like factor LOW from V. radiata, which affects vasculature development in this species and this change can, in turn, impact petal development and overall morphology of keel blossom.

Few-Layered Tin Sulfide Nanosheets Supported on Reduced Graphene Oxide as a High-Performance Anode for Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Anodes involving conversion and alloying reaction mechanisms are attractive for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) due to their high theoretical capacities. However, serious volume change and metal aggregation upon potassiation/depotassiation usually cause poor electrochemical performance. Herein, few-layered SnS2 nanosheets supported on reduced graphene oxide (SnS2 @rGO) are fabricated and investigated as anode material for PIBs, showing high specific capacity (448 mAh g-1 at 0.05 A g-1 ), high rate capability (247 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 ), and improved cycle performance (73% capacity retention after 300 cycles). In this composite electrode, SnS2 nanosheets undergo sequential conversion (SnS2 to Sn) and alloying (Sn to K4 Sn23 , KSn) reactions during potassiation/depotassiation, giving rise to a high specific capacity. Meanwhile, the hybrid ultrathin nanosheets enable fast K storage kinetics and excellent structure integrity because of fast electron/ionic transportation, surface capacitive-dominated charge storage mechanism, and effective accommodation for volume variation. This work demonstrates that K storage performance of alloy and conversion-based anodes can be remarkably promoted by subtle structure engineering.

Regulation of compound leaf development in mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) by CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON/NO APICAL MERISTEM (CUC/NAM) gene.

MAIN CONCLUSION: The results provide a significant verification of functional redundancy and diversity of CUC/NAM genes in legumes. The CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON/NO APICAL MERISTEM (CUC/NAM) orthologs play key roles for plant organ boundary formation and organ development. Here, we performed a forward screen of the gamma irradiation mutagenesis population in mungbean and characterised a mutant, reduced rachis and fused leaflets (rrf1), which gave rise to the formation of compound leaves with reduced rachis and fused leaflets. Map-based cloning revealed that RRF1 encoded a CUC/NAM protein in mungbean. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that legume CUC1/CUC2 genes were classified as belonging to two subclades, and there are different copies of CUC1/CUC2 genes in legumes. Transcriptomic analysis showed that expression levels of a set of developmental regulators, including class I KNOTTED-LIKE HOMEOBOXI (KNOXI) gene and LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN (LBD) gene, were altered in rrf1 mutants compared to the wild-type plants. Furthermore, rrf1 genetically interacted with heptafoliate leaflets1 (hel1), a mutant displaying a seven-leaflet compound leaf, to regulate leaf development in mungbean. Our results suggest functional redundancy and diversity of two subclades of CUC1/CUC2 genes in legumes, following the duplication of an ancestral gene.