Plant leaf disease recognition based on improved SinGAN and improved ResNet34.

The identification of plant leaf diseases is crucial in precision agriculture, playing a pivotal role in advancing the modernization of agriculture. Timely detection and diagnosis of leaf diseases for preventive measures significantly contribute to enhancing both the quantity and quality of agricultural products, thereby fostering the in-depth development of precision agriculture. However, despite the rapid development of research on plant leaf disease identification, it still faces challenges such as insufficient agricultural datasets and the problem of deep learning-based disease identification models having numerous training parameters and insufficient accuracy. This paper proposes a plant leaf disease identification method based on improved SinGAN and improved ResNet34 to address the aforementioned issues. Firstly, an improved SinGAN called Reconstruction-Based Single Image Generation Network (ReSinGN) is proposed for image enhancement. This network accelerates model training speed by using an autoencoder to replace the GAN in the SinGAN and incorporates a Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) into the autoencoder to more accurately capture important features and structural information in the images. Random pixel Shuffling are introduced in ReSinGN to enable the model to learn richer data representations, further enhancing the quality of generated images. Secondly, an improved ResNet34 is proposed for plant leaf disease identification. This involves adding CBAM modules to the ResNet34 to alleviate the limitations of parameter sharing, replacing the ReLU activation function with LeakyReLU activation function to address the problem of neuron death, and utilizing transfer learning-based training methods to accelerate network training speed. This paper takes tomato leaf diseases as the experimental subject, and the experimental results demonstrate that: (1) ReSinGN generates high-quality images at least 44.6 times faster in training speed compared to SinGAN. (2) The Tenengrad score of images generated by the ReSinGN model is 67.3, which is improved by 30.2 compared to the SinGAN, resulting in clearer images. (3) ReSinGN model with random pixel Shuffling outperforms SinGAN in both image clarity and distortion, achieving the optimal balance between image clarity and distortion. (4) The improved ResNet34 achieved an average recognition accuracy, recognition precision, recognition accuracy (redundant as it's similar to precision), recall, and F1 score of 98.57, 96.57, 98.68, 97.7, and 98.17%, respectively, for tomato leaf disease identification. Compared to the original ResNet34, this represents enhancements of 3.65, 4.66, 0.88, 4.1, and 2.47%, respectively.

Spatial accumulation of lignin monomers and cellulose underlying stalk strength in maize.

Lodging largely affects yield, quality and mechanical harvesting of maize. Stalk strength is one of the major factors that affect maize lodging. Although plant cell wall components including lignin and cellulose were known to be associated with stalk strength and lodging resistance, spatial accumulation of specific lignin monomers and cellulose in different tissues and their association with stalk strength in maize was not clearly understood. In this study, we found that both G and S lignin monomers accumulate highest in root, stem rind and leaf vein. Consistently, most lignin biosynthetic genes were expressed higher in root and stem than in other tissues. However, cellulose appears to be lowest in root. There are only mild changes of G lignin and cellulose in different internodes. Instead, we noticed a dramatic decrease of S-lignin accumulation and lignin biosynthetic gene expression in 2nd to 4th internodes wherein stem breakage usually occurs, thereby revealing a few candidate lignin biosynthetic genes associated with stalk strength. Moreover, stalk strength is positively correlated with G, S lignin, and cellulose, but negatively correlated with S/G ratio based on data of maize lines with high or low stalk strength. Loss-of-function of a caffeic acid o-methyltransferase (COMT), which is involved in S lignin biosynthesis, in the maize bm3 mutant, leads to lower stalk strength. Our data collectively suggest that stalk strength is determined by tissue-specific accumulation of lignin monomers and cellulose, and manipulation of the cell wall components by genetic engineering is vital to improve maize stalk strength and lodging resistance.

New Monoterpenoid Glycosides from the Fruits of Hypericum patulum Thunb.

The whole Hypericum patulum Thunb. plant is utilized in traditional medicine for its properties of clearing heat, detoxifying, soothing meridians, relaxing the liver, and stopping bleeding. In folk medicine, it is frequently used to treat hepatitis, colds, tonsillitis, and bruises. Phytochemical investigation of a 30% ethanol extract of the fresh ripe fruits of H. patulum has resulted in the isolation of two new pinane-type monoterpenoid glycosides 1-2, named patulumside E-F, and three new chain-shaped monoterpenoid glycosides 3-5, named patulumside G-H, J. Their structures were determined using extensive spectroscopic techniques, such as HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation. The anti-inflammatory activities of these compounds were evaluated in the LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells. This research represents the inaugural comprehensive phytochemical study of H. patulum, paving the way for further exploration of monoterpenoid glycosides.

Molybdenum disulfide nanosheets based non-oxygen-dependent and heat-initiated free radical nanogenerator with antimicrobial peptides for antimicrobial, biofilm ablation and wound healing.

Chronic refractory wounds caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial and biofilm infections are a substantial threat to human health, which presents a persistent challenge in managing clinical wound care. We here synthesized a composite nanosheet AIPH/AMP/MoS2, which can potentially be used for combined therapy because of the photothermal effect induced by MoS2, its ability to deliver antimicrobial peptides, and its ability to generate alkyl free radicals independent of oxygen. The synthesized nanosheets exhibited 61 % near-infrared (NIR) photothermal conversion efficiency, marked photothermal stability and free radical generating ability. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the composite nanosheets against MDR Escherichia coli (MDR E. coli) and MDR Staphylococcus aureus (MDR S. aureus) were approximately 38 µg/mL and 30 µg/mL, respectively. The composite nanosheets (150 µg/mL) effectively ablated >85 % of the bacterial biofilm under 808-nm NIR irradiation for 6 min. In the wound model experiment, approximately 90 % of the wound healed after the 4-day treatment with the composite nanosheets. The hemolysis experiment, mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEFs) cytotoxicity experiment, and mouse wound healing experiment all unveiled the excellent biocompatibility of the composite nanosheets. According to the transcriptome analysis, the composite nanosheets primarily exerted a synergistic therapeutic effect by disrupting the cellular membrane function of S. aureus and inhibiting quorum sensing mediated by the two-component system. Thus, the synthesized composite nanosheets exhibit remarkable antibacterial and biofilm ablation properties and therefore can be used to improve wound healing in chronic biofilm infections.

A complete review on the oxygen-containing functional groups of biochar: Formation mechanisms, detection methods, engineering, and applications.

Biochar is a porous carbon material generated by the thermal treatment of biomass under anaerobic or anoxic conditions with wealthy Oxygen-containing functional groups (OCFGs). To date, OCFGs of biochar have been extensively studied for their significant utility in pollutant removal, catalysis, capacitive applications, etc. This review adopted a whole system philosophy and systematically summarizes up-to-date knowledge of formation, detection methods, engineering, and application for OCFGs. The formation mechanisms and detection methods of OCFGs, as well as the relationships between OCFGs and pyrolysis conditions (such as feedstocks, temperature, atmosphere, and heating rate), were discussed in detail. The review also summarized strategies and mechanisms for the oxidation of biochar to afford OCFGs, with the performances and mechanisms of OCFGs in the various application fields (environmental remediation, catalytic biorefinery, and electrode material) being highlighted. In the end, the future research direction of biochar OCFGs was put forward.

Polyaniline/Tungsten Trioxide Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Anode for Aqueous Proton Batteries.

Aqueous proton batteries have received increasing attention due to their outstanding rate performance, stability and high capacity. However, the selection of anode materials in strongly acidic electrolytes poses a challenge in achieving high-performance aqueous proton batteries. This study optimized the proton reaction kinetics of layered metal oxide WO3 by introducing interlayer structural water and coating polyaniline (PANI) on its surface to prepare organic-inorganic hybrid material (WO3 ⋅ 2H2O@PANI). We constructed an aqueous proton battery with WO3 ⋅ 2H2O@PANI anode and MnO2@GF cathode. After 1500 cycles at a current density of 10 A g-1, the capacity retention rate can still reach 80.2 %. These results can inspire the development of new aqueous proton batteries.

Metricizing policy texts: Comprehensive dataset on China's Agri-policy intensity spanning 1982-2023.

Due to the lack of direct assessment metrics, existing studies on the intensity of agricultural policies often utilize indicators such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of agriculture or the quantity of agricultural policies as measures. Optimizing methods for analyzing the intensity of agricultural policies will significantly impact parameter selection in agricultural policy research and the evaluation of policy effectiveness. In this study, we constructed a Chinese Agricultural Policy Corpus using agricultural policies released by various governmental agencies at the national level in China from 1982 to April 2023. We quantified the values of agricultural domain terms in the corpus and evaluated the intensity of each agricultural policy document. The validation results of this study indicate a strong correlation between the intensity of agricultural policies and agricultural GDP. The trend in agricultural GDP changes lags behind policy intensity by 2.5 years (at a 95% confidence level), thus validating the rationality of our constructed corpus, agricultural policy scoring dataset, and methodology.

The Promising Potential of Gallium Based Liquid Metals for Energy Storage.

Energy storage devices play a crucial role in various applications, such as powering electronics, power backup for homes and businesses, and support for the integration of renewable energy sources into electrical grid applications. Electrode materials for energy storage devices are preferred to have a flexible nature, conductive, better capacity, and low-toxicity. Using Gallium based liquid metal alloys, such as Eutectic Gallium-Indium (EGaIn), Eutectic Gallium-Tin (EGaSn), and Eutectic Gallium-Indium-Tin (EGaInSn), as electrode materials play very important role in energy storage devices. These liquid metals have some interesting properties with a self-healing nature, high mechanical stability, compatibility with various materials, fluidity, low young's modulus, high electrical and thermal conductivity. Those properties have made it suitable to be used in various energy storage devices. In this mini review, we have concisely described the advantages and challenges of using liquid metal as electrode materials for various energy storage devices.

Natural variations of heterosis-related allele-specific expression genes in promoter regions lead to allele-specific expression in maize.

BACKGROUND: Heterosis has successfully enhanced maize productivity and quality. Although significant progress has been made in delineating the genetic basis of heterosis, the molecular mechanisms underlying its genetic components remain less explored. Allele-specific expression (ASE), the imbalanced expression between two parental alleles in hybrids, is increasingly being recognized as a factor contributing to heterosis. ASE is a complex process regulated by both epigenetic and genetic variations in response to developmental and environmental conditions. RESULTS: In this study, we explored the differential characteristics of ASE by analyzing the transcriptome data of two maize hybrids and their parents under four light conditions. On the basis of allele expression patterns in different hybrids under various conditions, ASE genes were divided into three categories: bias-consistent genes involved in basal metabolic processes in a functionally complementary manner, bias-reversal genes adapting to the light environment, and bias-specific genes maintaining cell homeostasis. We observed that 758 ASE genes (ASEGs) were significantly overlapped with heterosis quantitative trait loci (QTLs), and high-frequency variations in the promoter regions of heterosis-related ASEGs were identified between parents. In addition, 10 heterosis-related ASEGs participating in yield heterosis were selected during domestication. CONCLUSIONS: The comprehensive analysis of ASEGs offers a distinctive perspective on how light quality influences gene expression patterns and gene-environment interactions, with implications for the identification of heterosis-related ASEGs to enhance maize yield.

Identification of a Rye Spring Mutant Derived from a Winter Rye Variety by High-Altitude Environment Screening Using RNA Sequencing Technology.

Wintergrazer-70 and Ganyin No1 are high-yield forage varieties suitable for cultivation in high-altitude areas of Tibet (4300 m above sea level). Ganyin No1 was developed from Wintergrazer-70, with the latter serving as its parent variety. Ganyin No1 was identified as a spring variety, and subsequent RNA sequencing was conducted. RNA sequencing analysis identified 4 differentially expressed genes related to vernalization and 28 genes related to photoperiod regulation. The Sc7296g5-i1G3 gene is related to the flowering inhibition of rye, which may be related to the phenotypic difference in the Ganyin No1 variety in winter and spring. This finding provides valuable insights for future research on Ganyin No1, especially in addressing feed shortages in Tibet during winter and spring.

Warming affects leaf light use efficiency and functional traits in alpine plants: evidence from a 4-year in-situ field experiment.

Introduction: Light use efficiency (LUE) is a crucial determinant of plant productivity, while leaf functional traits directly affect ecosystem functions. However, it remains unclear how climate warming affects LUE and leaf functional traits of dominant species in alpine meadows. Methods: We conducted a 4-year in-situ field warming experiment to investigate the eco-physiological characteristics for a dominant species (Elymus nutans) and a common species (Potentilla anserina) on the Tibetan Plateau. The leaf traits, photosynthesis and fluorescence characteristics were measured, along with the soil physical-chemical properties associated with the two species. Results and discussions: Experimental warming increased the leaf LUE, maximum photochemical efficiency, non-photochemical quenching, relative water content and specific leaf area for both species. However, there was a decrease in leaf and soil element content. Different species exhibit varying adaptability to warming. Increasing temperature significantly increased the photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, total water content, and specific leaf volume of E. nutans; however, all these traits exhibited an opposite trend in P. anserina. Warming has a direct negative impact on leaf LUE and an indirectly enhances LUE through its effects on leaf traits. The impact of warming on plant photosynthetic capacity is primarily mediated by soil nutrients and leaf traits. These results indicate that the two different species employ distinct adaptive strategies in response to climate change, which are related to their species-specific variations. Such changes can confer an adaptive advantage for plant to cope with environmental change and potentially lead to alterations to ecosystem structure and functioning.

Ordered mesoporous nanofibers mimicking vascular bundles for lithium metal batteries.

Hierarchical self-assembly with long-range order above centimeters widely exists in nature. Mimicking similar structures to promote reaction kinetics of electrochemical energy devices is of immense interest, yet remains challenging. Here, we report a bottom-up self-assembly approach to constructing ordered mesoporous nanofibers with a structure resembling vascular bundles via electrospinning. The synthesis involves self-assembling polystyrene (PS) homopolymer, amphiphilic diblock copolymer, and precursors into supramolecular micelles. Elongational dynamics of viscoelastic micelle solution together with fast solvent evaporation during electrospinning cause simultaneous close packing and uniaxial stretching of micelles, consequently producing polymer nanofibers consisting of oriented micelles. The method is versatile for the fabrication of large-scale ordered mesoporous nanofibers with adjustable pore diameter and various compositions such as carbon, SiO2, TiO2 and WO3. The aligned longitudinal mesopores connected side-by-side by tiny pores offer highly exposed active sites and expedite electron/ion transport. The assembled electrodes deliver outstanding performance for lithium metal batteries.

Unveiling synergy of strain and ligand effects in metallic aerogel for electrocatalytic polyethylene terephthalate upcycling.

Recently, there has been a notable surge in interest regarding reclaiming valuable chemicals from waste plastics. However, the energy-intensive conventional thermal catalysis does not align with the concept of sustainable development. Herein, we report a sustainable electrocatalytic approach allowing the selective synthesis of glycolic acid (GA) from waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) over a Pd67Ag33 alloy catalyst under ambient conditions. Notably, Pd67Ag33 delivers a high mass activity of 9.7 A mgPd-1 for ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR) and GA Faradaic efficiency of 92.7 %, representing the most active catalyst for selective GA synthesis. In situ experiments and computational simulations uncover that ligand effect induced by Ag incorporation enhances the GA selectivity by facilitating carbonyl intermediates desorption, while the lattice mismatch-triggered tensile strain optimizes the adsorption of *OH species to boost reaction kinetics. This work unveils the synergistic of strain and ligand effect in alloy catalyst and provides guidance for the design of future catalysts for PET upcycling. We further investigate the versatility of Pd67Ag33 catalyst on CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) and assemble EGOR//CO2RR integrated electrolyzer, presenting a pioneering demonstration for reforming waste carbon resource (i.e., PET and CO2) into high-value chemicals.

Physiological and molecular mechanisms of ZnO quantum dots mitigating cadmium stress in Salvia miltiorrhiza.

This study delved into the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying the mitigation of cadmium (Cd) stress in the model medicinal plant Salvia miltiorrhiza through the application of ZnO quantum dots (ZnO QDs, 3.84 nm). A pot experiment was conducted, wherein S. miltiorrhiza was subjected to Cd stress for six weeks with foliar application of 100 mg/L ZnO QDs. Physiological analyses demonstrated that compared to Cd stress alone, ZnO QDs improved biomass, reduced Cd accumulation, increased the content of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll and carotenoids), and enhanced the levels of essential nutrient elements (Ca, Mn, and Cu) under Cd stress. Furthermore, ZnO QDs significantly lowered Cd-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) content, including H2O2, O2-, and MDA, while enhancing the activity of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, APX, and GSH-PX). Additionally, ZnO QDs promoted the biosynthesis of primary and secondary metabolites, such as total protein, soluble sugars, terpenoids, and phenols, thereby mitigating Cd stress in S. miltiorrhiza. At the molecular level, ZnO QDs were found to activate the expression of stress signal transduction-related genes, subsequently regulating the expression of downstream target genes associated with metal transport, cell wall synthesis, and secondary metabolite synthesis via transcription factors. This activation mechanism contributed to enhancing Cd tolerance in S. miltiorrhiza. In summary, these findings shed light on the mechanisms underlying the mitigation of Cd stress by ZnO QDs, offering a potential nanomaterial-based strategy for enhancing Cd tolerance in medicinal plants.

Identification of cotton pest and disease based on CFNet- VoV-GCSP -LSKNet-YOLOv8s: a new era of precision agriculture.

Introduction: The study addresses challenges in detecting cotton leaf pests and diseases under natural conditions. Traditional methods face difficulties in this context, highlighting the need for improved identification techniques. Methods: The proposed method involves a new model named CFNet-VoV-GCSP-LSKNet-YOLOv8s. This model is an enhancement of YOLOv8s and includes several key modifications: (1) CFNet Module. Replaces all C2F modules in the backbone network to improve multi-scale object feature fusion. (2) VoV-GCSP Module. Replaces C2F modules in the YOLOv8s head, balancing model accuracy with reduced computational load. (3) LSKNet Attention Mechanism. Integrated into the small object layers of both the backbone and head to enhance detection of small objects. (4) XIoU Loss Function. Introduced to improve the model's convergence performance. Results: The proposed method achieves high performance metrics: Precision (P), 89.9%. Recall Rate (R), 90.7%. Mean Average Precision (mAP@0.5), 93.7%. The model has a memory footprint of 23.3MB and a detection time of 8.01ms. When compared with other models like YOLO v5s, YOLOX, YOLO v7, Faster R-CNN, YOLOv8n, YOLOv7-tiny, CenterNet, EfficientDet, and YOLOv8s, it shows an average accuracy improvement ranging from 1.2% to 21.8%. Discussion: The study demonstrates that the CFNet-VoV-GCSP-LSKNet-YOLOv8s model can effectively identify cotton pests and diseases in complex environments. This method provides a valuable technical resource for the identification and control of cotton pests and diseases, indicating significant improvements over existing methods.

Biomimetic mercury immobilization by selenium functionalized polyphenylene sulfide fabric.

Highly efficient decontamination of elemental mercury (Hg0) remains an enormous challenge for public health and ecosystem protection. The artificial conversion of Hg0 into mercury chalcogenides could achieve Hg0 detoxification and close the global mercury cycle. Herein, taking inspiration from the bio-detoxification of mercury, in which selenium preferentially converts mercury from sulfoproteins to HgSe, we propose a biomimetic approach to enhance the conversion of Hg0 into mercury chalcogenides. In this proof-of-concept design, we use sulfur-rich polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) as the Hg0 transporter. The relatively stable, sulfur-linked aromatic rings result in weak adsorption of Hg0 on the PPS rather than the formation of metastable HgS. The weakly adsorbed mercury subsequently migrates to the adjacent selenium sites for permanent immobilization. The sulfur-selenium pair affords an unprecedented Hg0 adsorption capacity and uptake rate of 1621.9 mg g-1 and 1005.6 µg g-1 min-1, respectively, which are the highest recorded values among various benchmark materials. This work presents an intriguing concept for preparing Hg0 adsorbents and could pave the way for the biomimetic remediation of diverse pollutants.

Bioinspired Tandem Electrode for Selective Electrocatalytic Synthesis of Ammonia from Aqueous Nitrate.

The electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) has recently emerged as a promising technique for readily converting aqueous nitrate (NO3-) pollutants into valuable ammonia (NH3). It is vital to thoroughly understand the mechanism of the reaction to rationally design and construct advanced electrocatalytic systems that can effectively and selectively drive the NO3RR. There are several natural enzymes that incorporate molybdenum (Mo) and that can activate NO3-. Based on this, a cadmium (Cd) single-atom anchored Mo2TiC2Tx electrocatalyst (referred to as CdSA-Mo2TiC2Tx) through the NO3RR to generate NH3 was rationally designed and demonstrated. In an H-type electrolysis cell and at a current density of 42.5 mA cm-2, the electrocatalyst had a Faradaic efficiency of >95% and an impressive NH3 yield rate of 48.5 mg h-1 cm-2. Moreover, the conversion of NO3- to NH3 on the CdSA-Mo2TiC2Tx surface was further revealed by operando attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and an electrochemical differential mass spectrometer. The electrocatalyst significantly outperformed Mo2TiC2Tx as well as reported state-of-the-art catalysts. Density functional theory calculations revealed that CdSA-Mo2TiC2Tx decreased the ability of the d-p orbital to hybridize with NH3* intermediates, thereby decreasing the activation energy of the potential-determining step. This work not only highlights the application prospects of heavy metal single-atom catalysts in the NO3RR but also provides examples of bio-inspired electrocatalysts for the synthesis of NH3.

A genome-wide association study identifies genes associated with cuticular wax metabolism in maize.

The plant cuticle is essential in plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. To systematically elucidate the genetic architecture of maize (Zea mays L.) cuticular wax metabolism, 2 cuticular wax-related traits, the chlorophyll extraction rate (CER) and water loss rate (WLR) of 389 maize inbred lines, were investigated and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed using 1.25 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). In total, 57 nonredundant quantitative trait loci (QTL) explaining 5.57% to 15.07% of the phenotypic variation for each QTL were identified. These QTLs contained 183 genes, among which 21 strong candidates were identified based on functional annotations and previous publications. Remarkably, 3 candidate genes that express differentially during cuticle development encode ß-ketoacyl-CoA synthase (KCS). While ZmKCS19 was known to be involved in cuticle wax metabolism, ZmKCS12 and ZmKCS3 functions were not reported. The association between ZmKCS12 and WLR was confirmed by resequencing 106 inbred lines, and the variation of WLR was significant between different haplotypes of ZmKCS12. In this study, the loss-of-function mutant of ZmKCS12 exhibited wrinkled leaf morphology, altered wax crystal morphology, and decreased C32 wax monomer levels, causing an increased WLR and sensitivity to drought. These results confirm that ZmKCS12 plays a vital role in maize C32 wax monomer synthesis and is critical for drought tolerance. In sum, through GWAS of 2 cuticular wax-associated traits, this study reveals comprehensively the genetic architecture in maize cuticular wax metabolism and provides a valuable reference for the genetic improvement of stress tolerance in maize.

Cryptochrome 1b represses gibberellin signaling to enhance lodging resistance in maize.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important crops worldwide. Photoperiod, light quality, and light intensity in the environment can affect the growth, development, yield, and quality of maize. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), cryptochromes are blue-light receptors that mediate the photocontrol of stem elongation, leaf expansion, shade tolerance, and photoperiodic flowering. However, the function of maize cryptochrome ZmCRY in maize architecture and photomorphogenic development remains largely elusive. The ZmCRY1b transgene product can activate the light signaling pathway in Arabidopsis and complement the etiolation phenotype of the cry1-304 mutant. Our findings show that the loss-of-function mutant of ZmCRY1b in maize exhibits more etiolation phenotypes under low blue light and appears slender in the field compared with wild-type plants. Under blue and white light, overexpression of ZmCRY1b in maize substantially inhibits seedling etiolation and shade response by enhancing protein accumulation of the bZIP transcription factors ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (ZmHY5) and ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5-LIKE (ZmHY5L), which directly upregulate the expression of genes encoding gibberellin (GA) 2-oxidase to deactivate GA and repress plant height. More interestingly, ZmCRY1b enhances lodging resistance by reducing plant and ear heights and promoting root growth in both inbred lines and hybrids. In conclusion, ZmCRY1b contributes blue-light signaling upon seedling de-etiolation and integrates light signals with the GA metabolic pathway in maize, resulting in lodging resistance and providing information for improving maize varieties.

Organic Electrode Materials for Dual-Ion Batteries.

Organic materials are widely used in various energy storage devices due to their renewable, environmental friendliness and adjustable structure. Dual-ion batteries (DIBs), which use organic materials as the electrodes, are an attractive alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries for sustainable energy storage devices owing to the advantages of low cost, environmental friendliness, and high operating voltage. To date, various organic electrode materials have been applied in DIBs. In this review, we present the development of DIBs with a following brief introduction of characteristics and mechanisms of organic materials. The latest progress in the application of organic materials as anode and cathode materials for DIBs is mainly reviewed. Finally, we also discussed the challenges and prospects of organic electrode materials for DIBs.