Fast synthesis of nanoporous Cu/Ag bimetallic triangular nanoprisms via galvanic replacement for efficient 4-nitrophenol reduction.

We report the synthesis of nanoporous Cu/Ag bimetallic triangular nanoprisms (BTNPs) using a galvanic replacement method. Based on ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses, the structure of Cu/Ag BTNPs was characterized. The prepared Cu/Ag BTNPs exhibited excellent catalytic activity and good cycling stability for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) due to the synergistic effect between Cu and Ag elements. The kinetic rate constant (k) and turnover frequency (TOF) values reached 331 × 10-3 s-1 and 500 × 10-3 s-1, respectively, which were higher than those of previously reported Cu, Ag, Au, Cu/Ag or Cu/Au-based catalysts. We hope that the development of promising routes for high-quality BTNPs can broaden their applications in catalysis and environmental sustainability.

Optimizing the Cell-Nanostructure Interface: Nanoconcave/Nanoconvex Device for Intracellular Recording of Cardiomyocytes.

Nanostructures are powerful components for the development of high-performance nanodevices. Revealing and understanding the cell-nanostructure interface are essential for improving and guiding nanodevice design for investigations of cell physiology. For intracellular electrophysiological detection, the cell-nanostructure interface significantly affects the quality of recorded intracellular action potentials and the application of nanodevices in cardiology research and pharmacological screening. Most of the current investigations of biointerfaces focus on nanovertical structures, and few involve nanoconcave structures. Here, we design both nanoconvex and nanoconcave devices to perform intracellular electrophysiological recordings. The amplitude, signal-to-noise ratio, duration, and repeatability of the recorded intracellular electrophysiological signals provide a multifaceted characterization of the cell-nanostructure interface. We demonstrate that devices based on both convex and concave nanostructures can create tight coupling, which facilitates high-quality and stable intracellular recordings and paves the way for precise electrophysiological study.

A pleiotropic QTL increased economic water use efficiency in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Wheat is one of the most important food crops in the world and drought can severely impact on wheat productivity. The identification and deployment of genes for improved water use efficiency (WUE) can help alleviate yield loss under water limitation. In this study, a high-density genetic linkage map of wheat recombinant inbred lines (Ningchun 4 x Ningchun 27) containing 8751 specific locus amplified fragment (SLAF) tags (including 14757 SNPs), with a total map distance of 1685 cM and an average inter-marker map distance of 0.19 cM was constructed by SLAF-seq technology. The economic yield WUE and nine related traits under three water treatments was monitored over four years. The results showed that loci conditioning WUE were also associated with grain carbon isotope discrimination (CID), flag leaf chlorophyll content, plant height, 1000-grain weight, grain weight per spike and grain number per spike. One locus on chromosome 2B explained 26.3% WUE variation in multiple environments. Under good soil moisture conditions before flowering, the high CID genotype QWue.acn-2B Ningchun 27, was associated with WUE, high grain weight per spike, and kilo-grain weight. Under rain-fed conditions, the low CID genotype QWue.acn-2B Ningchun 4 tended to maintain more spike number and was associated with improved WUE and yield. The introduction of good chromosome fragments of QWue.acn-2B into elite lines by molecular marker assisted selection will boost up the cultivation of high-yield and water-saving wheat varieties.

Improvement of Salt Tolerance Using Wild Rice Genes.

Salt stress causes significant reductions in rice production worldwide; thus, improving salt tolerance is a promising approach to meet the increasing food demand. Wild rice germplasm is considered a valuable genetic resource for improving rice cultivars. However, information regarding the improvement of salt tolerance in cultivated rice using wild rice genes is limited. In this study, we identified a salt-tolerant line Dongxiang/Ningjing 15 (DJ15) under salt-stress field conditions from the population of a salt tolerant Dongxiang wild rice × a cultivated rice variety Ningjing16 (NJ16). Genomic resequencing analysis of NJ16, DJ15 and Dongxiang wild rice revealed that the introgressed genomic fragments were unevenly distributed over the 12 chromosomes (Chr.) and mainly identified on Chr. 6, 7, 10, and 11. Using quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, we found 9 QTL for salt tolerance (qST) at the seedling stage located on Chr. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10. In addition, sequence variant analysis within the QTL regions demonstrated that SKC1/HKT8/HKT1;5 and HAK6 transporters along with numerous transcriptional factors were the candidate genes for the salt tolerant QTL. The DJ15/Koshihikari recombinant inbred lines that contained both qST1.2 and qST6, two QTL with the highest effect for salt tolerance, were more tolerant than the parental lines under salt-stress field conditions. Furthermore, the qST6 near-isogenic lines with IR29 background were more tolerant than IR29, indicating that qST1.2 and qST6 could improve salt tolerance in rice. Overall, our study indicates that wild rice genes could markedly improve the salt tolerance of cultivated rice.