A self-regulated interface enabled by trivalent gadolinium ions toward highly reversible zinc metal anodes.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have become an ideal candidate for large-scale energy storage systems owing to their inherent safety and highly competitive capacity. However, severe dendrite growth and side reactions on the surface of zinc metal anodes lead to quick performance deterioration, seriously impeding the commercialization of AZIBs. In this work, a self-regulated zinc metal/electrolyte interface is constructed to solve these problems by incorporating the trivalent Gd3+ additive with a lower effective reduction potential into the aqueous ZnSO4 electrolyte. It is revealed that the inert Gd3+ ions preferentially adsorb on the active sites of the zinc anode, and the induced electrostatic shielding layer is beneficial to uniform Zn deposition. Meanwhile, the adsorbed Gd3+ ions act as a buffer interface to lower the direct contact of the zinc anode with water molecules, thereby suppressing the interfacial parasitic reaction. These features endow the Zn//Zn battery using 0.2 M Gd3+ ions with 2940 h of cycling life at 5 mA cm-2 and a cumulative plating capacity (CPC) of 6.2 Ah cm-2 at 40 mA cm-2. When assembling with a MnO2 cathode, the full cell using the modified electrolyte exhibits a high capacity of 268.9 mAh/g at 0.2 A/g, as well as improved rate capability and cycle stability. The results suggest the great potential of a rare earth ion additive in reinforcing Zn metal anodes for developing practical AZIBs.

Hypoxia-induced ALKBH5 aggravates synovial aggression and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis by regulating the m6A modification of CH25H.

Previous studies have shown that epigenetic factors are involved in the occurrence and development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation in RA has not been determined. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and regulatory mechanisms of hypoxia-induced expression of the m6A demethylase alkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5) in RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs). Synovial tissues were collected from RA and osteoarthritis (OA) patients, and RA FLSs were obtained. ALKBH5 expression in RA FLSs and collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model rats was determined using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR), western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Using ALKBH5 overexpression and knockdown, we determined the role of ALKBH5 in RA FLS aggression and inflammation. The role of ALKBH5 in RA FLS regulation was explored using m6A-methylated RNA sequencing and methylated RNA immunoprecipitation coupled with quantitative real-time PCR. The expression of ALKBH5 was increased in RA synovial tissues, CIA model rats and RA FLSs, and a hypoxic environment increased the expression of ALKBH5 in FLSs. Increased expression of ALKBH5 promoted the proliferation and migration of RA-FLSs and inflammation. Conversely, decreased ALKBH5 expression inhibited the migration of RA-FLSs and inflammation. Mechanistically, hypoxia-induced ALKBH5 expression promoted FLS aggression and inflammation by regulating CH25H mRNA stability. Our study elucidated the functional roles of ALKBH5 and mRNA m6A methylation in RA and revealed that the HIF1α/2α-ALKBH5-CH25H pathway may be key for FLS aggression and inflammation. This study provides a novel approach for the treatment of RA by targeting the HIF1α/2α-ALKBH5-CH25H pathway.

Preoperative multimodal ultrasonic imaging in a case of Peutz-Jeghers syndrome complicated by atypical lobular endocervical glandular hyperplasia: a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS), an autosomal dominant multiple cancerous disorder, is clinically characterized by mucocutaneous macules and multiple gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyps. Gastric-type endocervical adenocarcinoma (G-EAC), a special subtype of cervical adenocarcinoma with non-specific symptoms and signs, is known to occur in approximately 11% of female patients with PJS. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we report a case of PJS in a 24-year-old female with multiple mucocutaneous black macules who complained of vaginal discharge and menorrhagia. Moreover, we first described the multimodal ultrasonographical manifestations of PJS-correlated G-EAC. The three-dimensional reconstructed view of G-EAC on 3D realisticVue exhibited a distinctive "cosmos pattern" resembling features on magnetic resonance imaging, and the contrast-enhanced ultrasound displayed a "quick-up and slow-down" pattern of the solid components inside the mixed cervical echoes. We reported the multimodal ultrasonographical characteristics of a case of PJS-related G-EAC, as well as reviewed PJS-related literature and medical imaging features and clinical characteristics of G-EAC to provide insight into the feasibility and potential of utilizing multimodal ultrasonography for the diagnosis of G-EAC. CONCLUSIONS: Multimodal ultrasound can visualize morphological features, solid components inside, and blood supplies of the G-EAC lesion and distinguish the G-EAC lesion from normal adjacent tissues. This facilitates preoperative diagnosis and staging of PJS-related G-EAC, thereby aiding subsequent health and reproductive management for patients with PJS.

SYNOPSIS: We reported multimodal ultrasonographical characteristics of a case of Peutz-Jeghers syndrome-related gastric-type endocervical adenocarcinoma (G-EAC), indicating the potential use of multimodal ultrasonography for G-EAC diagnosis.

Si-enriched biochars improved soil properties, reduced Cd bioavailability while enhanced Cd translocation to grains of rice.

Biochar and silicon (Si) have been widely considered to play an important role in mitigating cadmium (Cd) toxicity. In this study, wild-type rice (WT, high-Si) and Si-deficient mutant rice (lsi1, low-Si) were used as raw materials to prepare biochar at 500℃; the Si concentrations of high- and low-Si biochar were 15.9% and 5.3%, respectively. The impacts of different application rates (0%, 2%, 4%) of high- and low-Si biochars on soil chemical properties, Si and Cd fractions and availability, Cd absorption, and translocation were investigated. The results showed that both types of biochars increased soil pH, soil available nitrogen, and available phosphorus and potassium; and promoted Si uptake and plant growth of rice. Soil available Si, CaCl2-Si, acetic-Si, H2O2-Si, oxalate-Si, and Na2CO3-Si were also increased by biochar supply, especially for high-Si biochar treatments. In addition, both types of biochars had no effects on soil total Cd, but reduced soil available Cd by 2-17% in early season 2022, and reduced oxidizable Cd and residual Cd. Biochar application did not influence Cd concentrations in roots, stems, and leaves, but significantly increased Cd uptake and transport from stems and leaves to grains. The results suggested that Si-rich biochar could improve soil nutrients, change soil Si/Cd fractions and availability, promote rice growth but increase the risk of Cd toxicity in grains, indicating the complex of straw biochar in remediating Cd-contaminated paddy soil.

A workflow for the enrichment, the identification, and the isolation of non-apoptotic single circulating tumor cells for RNA sequencing analysis.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are constantly shed by tumor tissue and can serve as a valuable analyte for a gene expression analysis from a liquid biopsy. However, a high proportion of CTCs can be apoptotic leading to rapid mRNA decay and challenging the analysis of their transcriptome. We established a workflow to enrich, to identify, and to isolate single CTCs including the discrimination of apoptotic and non-apoptotic CTCs for further single CTC transcriptome analysis. Viable tumor cells-we first used cells from breast cancer cell lines followed by CTCs from metastatic breast cancer patients-were enriched with the CellSearch system from diagnostic leukapheresis products, identified by immunofluorescence analysis for neoplastic markers, and isolated by micromanipulation. Then, their cDNA was generated, amplified, and sequenced. In order to exclude early apoptotic tumor cells, staining with Annexin V coupled to a fluorescent dye was used. Annexin V staining intensity was associated with decreased RNA integrity as well as lower numbers of total reads, exon reads, and detected genes in cell line cells and CTCs. A comparative RNA analysis of single cells from MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 cell lines revealed the expected differential transcriptome profiles. Enrichment and staining procedures of cell line cells that were spiked into blood had only little effect on the obtained RNA sequencing data compared to processing of naïve cells. Further, the detection of transcripts of housekeeping genes such as GAPDH was associated with a significantly higher quality of expression data from CTCs. This workflow enables the enrichment, detection, and isolation of single CTCs for individual transcriptome analyses. The discrimination of apoptotic and non-apoptotic cells allows to focus on CTCs with a high RNA integrity to ensure a successful transcriptome analysis.

Pet Ownership, Living Alone, and Cognitive Decline Among Adults 50 Years and Older.

Importance: It remains unclear whether pet ownership is associated with cognitive decline and to what extent pet ownership mitigates the association between living alone and cognitive decline. Objective: To explore the association of pet ownership with cognitive decline, the interaction between pet ownership and living alone, and the extent to which pet ownership mitigates the association between living alone and cognitive decline in older adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study used data from waves 5 (June 2010 to July 2011) to 9 (from June 2018 to July 2019) in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Participants included adults 50 years and older. Data were analyzed from April 1 to June 30, 2023. Exposures: Pet ownership and living alone in wave 5. Main Outcomes and Measures: In waves 5 to 9, verbal memory and verbal fluency were assessed, and composite verbal cognition was further calculated. Results: Of the 7945 participants included, the mean (SD) age was 66.3 (8.8) years, and 4446 (56.0%) were women. Pet ownership was associated with slower rates of decline in composite verbal cognition (ß = 0.008 [95% CI, 0.002-0.014] SD/y), verbal memory (ß = 0.006 [95% CI, 0.001-0.012] SD/y), and verbal fluency (ß = 0.007 [95% CI, 0.001-0.013] SD/y). Three-way interaction tests showed that living alone was a significant modifier in all 3 associations. Stratified analyses showed that pet ownership was associated with slower rates of decline in composite verbal cognition (ß = 0.023 [95% CI, 0.011-0.035] SD/y), verbal memory (ß = 0.021 [95% CI, 0.008-0.034] SD/y), and verbal fluency (ß = 0.018 [95% CI, 0.005-0.030] SD/y) among individuals living alone, but not among those living with others. Joint association analyses showed no significant difference in rates of decline in composite verbal cognition, verbal memory, or verbal fluency between pet owners living alone and pet owners living with others. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, pet ownership was associated with slower rates of decline in verbal memory and verbal fluency among older adults living alone, but not among those living with others, and pet ownership offset the associations between living alone and declining rates in verbal memory and verbal fluency. Further studies are needed to assess whether pet ownership slows the rate of cognitive decline in older adults living alone.

Nitrate Radical Induced "Two in One" Interface Engineering toward High Reversibility of Zn Metal Anode.

Advanced interfacial engineering performs a forceful modulation effect on Zn2+ plating/stripping with simultaneous inhibition of hydrogen evolution reaction, chemical corrosion, and dendrite growth, which is responsible for high reversibility of Zn anode. Herein, a "two in one" interface engineering is developed to improve the reversibility of Zn anode, in which multi-functional Zn5 (NO3 )2 (OH)8 ·2H2 O layer and preferential Zn (002) texture are constructed simultaneously. Due to nucleophilicity to Zn2+ arising from electronegativity, the layer can accelerate the desolvation process of [Zn (H2 O)6 ]2+ and transfer kinetics of Zn2+ ions, leading to uniform nucleation and effective inhibition of water-induced side reactions. Meanwhile, the latter is beneficial to guiding   Zn (002)-preferred orientation deposition with compact structure. Consequently, the Zn electrodes with such complementary interface modulation exhibit prominent reversibility. With an area capacity of 1 mAh cm-2 at 1 mA cm-2 , the symmetric cell operates steadily for 4000 h. Highly reversible Zn anode is maintained even at 50 mA cm-2 . For full cells coupled with MnO2 cathode, impressive rate capability and cycling stability with a high capacity beyond 100 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 after 2000 cycles are achieved. The results provide new insights into Zn anodes with high reversibility for next-generation aqueous zinc ion batteries.

Preoperative prediction and risk assessment of microvascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and highly lethal tumors worldwide. Microvascular invasion (MVI) is a significant risk factor for recurrence and poor prognosis after surgical resection for HCC patients. Accurately predicting the status of MVI preoperatively is critical for clinicians to select treatment modalities and improve overall survival. However, MVI can only be diagnosed by pathological analysis of postoperative specimens. Currently, numerous indicators in serology (including liquid biopsies) and imaging have been identified to effective in predicting the occurrence of MVI, and the multi-indicator model based on deep learning greatly improves accuracy of prediction. Moreover, several genes and proteins have been identified as risk factors that are strictly associated with the occurrence of MVI. Therefore, this review evaluates various predictors and risk factors, and provides guidance for subsequent efforts to explore more accurate predictive methods and to facilitate the conversion of risk factors into reliable predictors.

NO at low concentration can enhance the formation of highly oxygenated biogenic molecules in the atmosphere.

The interaction between nitrogen monoxide (NO) and organic peroxy radicals (RO2) greatly impacts the formation of highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOM), the key precursors of secondary organic aerosols. It has been thought that HOM production can be significantly suppressed by NO even at low concentrations. Here, we perform dedicated experiments focusing on HOM formation from monoterpenes at low NO concentrations (0 - 82 pptv). We demonstrate that such low NO can enhance HOM production by modulating the RO2 loss and favoring the formation of alkoxy radicals that can continue to autoxidize through isomerization. These insights suggest that HOM yields from typical boreal forest emissions can vary between 2.5%-6.5%, and HOM formation will not be completely inhibited even at high NO concentrations. Our findings challenge the notion that NO monotonically reduces HOM yields by extending the knowledge of RO2-NO interactions to the low-NO regime. This represents a major advance towards an accurate assessment of HOM budgets, especially in low-NO environments, which prevails in the pre-industrial atmosphere, pristine areas, and the upper boundary layer.

Multiscale Structural Engineering of Sulfur/Carbon Cathodes Enables High Performance All-Solid-State LiS Batteries.

Constructing all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries (ASSLSBs) cathodes with efficient charge transport and mechanical flexibility is challenging but critical for the practical applications of ASSLSBs. Herein, a multiscale structural engineering of sulfur/carbon composites is reported, where ultrasmall sulfur nanocrystals are homogeneously anchored on the two sides of graphene layers with strong SC bonds (denoted as S@EG) in chunky expanded graphite particles via vapor deposition method. After mixing with Li9.54 Si1.74 P1.44 S11.7 Cl0.3 (LSPSCL) solid electrolytes (SEs), the fabricated S@EG-LSPSCL cathode with interconnected "Bacon and cheese sandwich" feature can simultaneously enhance electrochemical reactivity, charge transport, and chemomechanical stability due to the synergistic atomic, nanoscopic and microscopic structural engineering. The assembled InLi/LSPSCL/S@EG-LSPSCL ASSLSBs demonstrate ultralong cycling stability over 2400 cycles with 100% capacity retention at 1 C, and a record-high areal capacity of 14.0 mAh cm-2 at a record-breaking sulfur loading of 8.9 mg cm-2 at room temperature as well as high capacities with capacity retentions of ≈100% after 600 cycles at 0 and 60 °C. Multiscale structural engineered sulfur/carbon cathode has great potential to enable high-performance ASSLSBs for energy storage applications.

Restoration of bladder neck activity and levator hiatus dimensions in Asian primipara: a prospective study.

Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) reduces the symptoms in women with pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD); however, the optimal initial timing for secondary prevention of PFD by PFMT is not clear. To identify the optimal timing in Asian primiparas with vaginal delivery, bladder neck descent (BND), levator hiatus areas, and levator hiatus distensibility and contractility were assessed in 26 nulliparous women at 36 weeks of gestation and at 2, 4, 6, and 12 weeks postpartum. We found that BND increased significantly from 2 weeks onwards until 6 weeks postpartum (p = 0.004); the levator hiatus area at rest and contraction both showed the largest value at 2 weeks postpartum (p = 0.005 and p < 0.005 respectively), followed by a continuous decrease; the hiatus area during Valsalva manoeuvre, and the levator hiatus distensibility and contractility showed the lowest value at 2 weeks postpartum, followed by a continuous increase; the changes in BND showed no correlation with the changes in distensibility or hiatus area during Valsalva manoeuvre (p = 0.073 and 0.590 respectively). In Asian primiparas with vaginal delivery, the recovery of levator hiatus and bladder neck mobility begins at 2 and 6 weeks, respectively. This information could be useful in defining the best time to begin PFMT for secondary prevention of postpartum PFD in Asian primiparous women.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) helps to reduce symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD), however, there are no clear time strategies for the secondary prevention of PFD by PFMT in Asian primiparas with vaginal delivery.What do the results of this study add? This study was the first longitudinal study in Asian primipara to investigate the natural regeneration of pelvic floor functions in the early postpartum period by intensively monitoring the bladder neck mobility and levator hiatus dimensions at multiple time points. We found that bladder neck descent (BND) increased significantly from 2 weeks onwards until 6 weeks postpartum; the levator hiatus area at rest and contraction both showed the largest value at 2 weeks postpartum, followed by a continuous decrease; the hiatus area during Valsalva manoeuvre, and the levator hiatus distensibility and contractility showed the lowest value at 2 weeks postpartum, followed by a continuous increase; the changes in BND showed no correlation with the changes in distensibility or hiatus area during Valsalva manoeuvre.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Our study suggested that in Asian primipara, the recovery of bladder neck mobility after vaginal delivery begins at 6 weeks postpartum, while the levator hiatus muscle begins to recover within the first 2 weeks postpartum. Therefore, it could be useful in deciding the best time to start PFMT for secondary prevention of postpartum PFD in Asian primiparous women.

Comparative analysis of EpCAM high-expressing and low-expressing circulating tumour cells with regard to their clonal relationship and clinical value.

BACKGROUND: Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are mainly enriched based on the epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM). Although it was shown that an EpCAM low-expressing CTC fraction is not captured by such approaches, knowledge about its prognostic and predictive relevance and its relation to EpCAM-positive CTCs is lacking. METHODS: We developed an immunomagnetic assay to enrich CTCs from metastatic breast cancer patients EpCAM independently using antibodies against Trop-2 and CD-49f and characterised their EpCAM expression. DNA of single EpCAM high expressing and low expressing CTCs was analyzed regarding chromosomal aberrations and predictive mutations. Additionally, we compared CTC-enrichment on the CellSearch system using this antibody mix and the EpCAM based enrichment. RESULTS: Both antibodies acted synergistically in capturing CTCs. Patients with EpCAM high-expressing CTCs had a worse overall and progression-free survival. EpCAM high- and low-expressing CTCs presented similar chromosomal aberrations and mutations indicating a close evolutionary relationship. A sequential enrichment of CTCs from the EpCAM-depleted fraction yielded a population of CTCs not captured EpCAM dependently but harbouring predictive information. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that EpCAM low-expressing CTCs could be used as a valuable tumour surrogate material-although they may be prognostically less relevant than EpCAM high-expressing CTCs-and have particular benefit if no CTCs are detected using EpCAM-dependent technologies.

Chromatin accessibility illuminates single-cell regulatory dynamics of rice root tips.

BACKGROUND: Root development and function have central roles in plant adaptation to the environment. The modification of root traits has additionally been a major driver of crop performance since the green revolution; however, the molecular underpinnings and the regulatory programmes defining root development and response to environmental stress remain largely unknown. Single-cell reconstruction of gene regulatory programmes provides an important tool to understand the cellular phenotypic variation in complex tissues and their response to endogenous and environmental stimuli. While single-cell transcriptomes of several plant organs have been elucidated, the underlying chromatin landscapes associated with cell type-specific gene expression remain largely unexplored. RESULTS: To comprehensively delineate chromatin accessibility during root development of an important crop, we applied single-cell ATAC-seq (scATAC-seq) to 46,758 cells from rice root tips under normal and heat stress conditions. Our data revealed cell type-specific accessibility variance across most of the major cell types and allowed us to identify sets of transcription factors which associate with accessible chromatin regions (ACRs). Using root hair differentiation as a model, we demonstrate that chromatin and gene expression dynamics during cell type differentiation correlate in pseudotime analyses. In addition to developmental trajectories, we describe chromatin responses to heat and identify cell type-specific accessibility changes to this key environmental stimulus. CONCLUSIONS: We report chromatin landscapes during rice root development at single-cell resolution. Our work provides a framework for the integrative analysis of regulatory dynamics in this important crop organ at single-cell resolution.

Plant synthetic epigenomic engineering for crop improvement.

Efforts have been directed to redesign crops with increased yield, stress adaptability, and nutritional value through synthetic biology-the application of engineering principles to biology. A recent expansion in our understanding of how epigenetic mechanisms regulate plant development and stress responses has unveiled a new set of resources that can be harnessed to develop improved crops, thus heralding the promise of "synthetic epigenetics." In this review, we summarize the latest advances in epigenetic regulation and highlight how innovative sequencing techniques, epigenetic editing, and deep learning-driven predictive tools can rapidly extend these insights. We also proposed the future directions of synthetic epigenetics for the development of engineered smart crops that can actively monitor and respond to internal and external cues throughout their life cycles.

Mo-O-C Between MoS2 and Graphene Toward Accelerated Polysulfide Catalytic Conversion for Advanced Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

MoS2 /C composites constructed with van der Waals forces have been extensively applied in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. However, the catalytic conversion effect on polysulfides is limited because the weak electronic interactions between the composite interfaces cannot fundamentally improve the intrinsic electronic conductivity of MoS2 . Herein, density functional theory calculations reveal that the MoS2 and nitrogen-doped carbon composite with an Mo-O-C bond can promote the catalytic conversion of polysulfides with a Gibbs free energy of only 0.19 eV and a low dissociation energy barrier of 0.48 eV, owing to the strong covalent coupling effect on the heterogeneous interface. Guided by theoretical calculations, a robust MoS2 strongly coupled with a 3D carbon matrix composed of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide and carbonized melamine foam is designed and constructed as a multifunctional coating layer for lithium-sulfur batteries. As a result, excellent electrochemical performance is achieved for Li-S batteries, with a capacity of 615 mAh g-1 at 5 C, an areal capacity of 6.11 mAh cm-2 , and a low self-discharge of only 8.6% by resting for five days at 0.5 C. This study opens a new avenue for designing 2D material composites toward promoted catalytic conversion of polysulfides.

Implementing microwell slides for detection and isolation of single circulating tumor cells from complex cell suspensions.

Cell loss during detection and isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is a challenge especially when label-free pre-enrichment technologies are used without the aid of magnetic particles. Although microfluidic systems can remove the majority of "contaminating" white blood cells (WBCs), their remaining numbers are still impeding single CTC isolation, thus making additional separation steps needed. This study aimed to develop a workflow from blood-to-single CTC for complex cell suspensions by testing two microwell formats. In the first step, different cell lines were used to compare the performances of Sievewell™ 370 K (TOK, Japan) and CellCelector™ Nanowell U25 (ALS Automated Lab Solutions, Germany) slides for cell labelling and single-cell micromanipulation. Confounding levels of auto-fluorescence inherent to different plastic materials used to cast the microwells, staining recovery rates, and cell isolation rates were determined. In the second step, three different blood preservation tubes were tested for RNA analysis. Lastly, the established workflow was applied to isolate CTCs from peripheral blood samples obtained from metastasized breast cancer (mBC) patients for single-cell DNA and RNA analysis. The detection of CTCs in Sievewell slides profit from better signal-to-noise ratios in the fluorescence channels mainly used for CTC detection. In addition, due to its design, Sievewell supports direct in situ CTC labelling, which minimizes cell loss and leads to single-cell recovery rates after staining of approx. 94%. Detection of PIK3CA mutations in single CTCs verified the applicability of the workflow for the analysis of genomic DNA of CTCs. Furthermore, combined with blood preservation up to 48 h at room temperature in LBguard tubes, panel RT-PCR transcript analysis was successful for single cell line cells and CTCs, respectively. The combined use of Sievewell microwell slides and CellCelector™ automated micromanipulation system improves single CTC detection, labelling and isolation from complex cell suspensions. This approach is especially valuable when samples of high cellular content are processed.

Genome-edited ATP BINDING CASSETTE B1 transporter SD8 knockouts show optimized rice architecture without yield penalty.

This study reports the identification of the rice open reading frame Semi-Dwarf in chr8 (SD8) that encodes a putative ortholog of Arabidopsis thaliana ABCB1. Genome editing of SD8 leads to optimized rice architecture by reducing plant height and flag-leaf angle without yield penalty. Rice SD8 knockouts may also have the potential for increased yield under high density planting.

Highly Oriented {010} Crystal Plane Induced by Boron in Cobalt-Free Li- and Mn-Rich Layered Oxide.

Li- and Mn-rich layered oxide (LMR) materials are a promising candidates for next-generation Li-ion battery (LIB) anode materials because of their high specific capacity. However, their low initial Coulombic efficiency, voltage decay, and irreversible phase transition during cycling are the fatal drawbacks of LMR materials. This work reports on a cobalt-free LMR material composed of primary particles with a boron-induced exposed long- strip-like {010} plane. Because of this unique structure, the long strip-like cathode exhibits excellent electrochemical performance with a discharge capacity of 202 mAh g-1 at 1 C and a retention rate of 95.2% after 200 cycles. In addition, it is found that this long strip-like structure can modulate the redox of oxygen and enhance the reversibility. The irreversible phase transition process from the layered to a spinel and then to a rock-salt phase during cycling is also significantly suppressed. This work provides a feasible method for regulating the exposed {010} plane and a new idea for the structural design of LMR materials.