The correlation between brain structure characteristics and emotion regulation ability in children at high risk of autism spectrum disorder.

As indicated by longitudinal observation, autism has difficulty controlling emotions to a certain extent in early childhood, and most children's emotional and behavioral problems are further aggravated with the growth of age. This study aimed at exploring the correlation between white matter and white matter fiber bundle connectivity characteristics and their emotional regulation ability in children with autism using machine learning methods, which can lay an empirical basis for early clinical intervention of autism. Fifty-five high risk of autism spectrum disorder (HR-ASD) children and 52 typical development (TD) children were selected to complete the skull 3D-T1 structure and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The emotional regulation ability of the two groups was compared using the still-face paradigm (SFP). The classification and regression models of white matter characteristics and white matter fiber bundle connections of emotion regulation ability in the HR-ASD group were built based on the machine learning method. The volume of the right amygdala (R2 = 0.245) and the volume of the right hippocampus (R2 = 0.197) affected constructive emotion regulation strategies. FA (R2 = 0.32) and MD (R2 = 0.34) had the predictive effect on self-stimulating behaviour. White matter fiber bundle connection predicted constructive regulation strategies (positive edging R2 = 0.333, negative edging R2 = 0.334) and mother-seeking behaviors (positive edging R2 = 0.667, negative edging R2 = 0.363). The emotional regulation ability of HR-ASD children is significantly correlated with the connections of multiple white matter fiber bundles, which is a potential neuro-biomarker of emotional regulation ability.

Achieving Stable Lithium Metal Anode at 50 mA cm-2 Current Density by LiCl Enriched SEI.

Lithium metal batteries are intensively studied due to the potential to bring up breakthroughs in high energy density devices. However, the inevitable growth of dendrites will cause the rapid failure of battery especially under high current density. Herein, the utilization of tetrachloroethylene (C2 Cl4 ) is reported as the electrolyte additive to induce the formation of the LiCl-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). Because of the lower Li ion diffusion barrier of LiCl, such SEI layer can supply sufficient pathway for rapid Li ion transport, alleviate the concentration polarization at the interface and inhibit the growth of Li dendrites. Meanwhile, the C2 Cl4 can be continuously replenished during the cycle to ensure the stability of the SEI layer. With the aid of C2 Cl4 -based electrolyte, the Li metal electrodes can maintain stable for >300 h under high current density of 50 mA cm-2 with areal capacity of 5 mAh cm-2 , broadening the compatibility of lithium metal anode toward practical application scenarios.

Immune landscape of viral cancers: Insights from single-cell sequencing.

Viral infections trigger a wide range of immune responses thought to drive tumorigenesis and malignant progression. Dissecting virus-induced changes in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) is therefore crucial to identify key leukocyte populations that may represent novel targets for cancer therapy. Single-cell sequencing approaches have now been widely applied to the analysis of various tumors, thus enabling multiomics characterization of the highly heterogeneous TIME that bulk-sequencing cannot fully elucidate. In this review, we summarized key recent findings from sequencing studies of the immune infiltrate and antitumor response in virus-associated cancers at single cell resolution. Additionally, we also reviewed recent developments in immunotherapy for virus-associated cancers. We anticipate that the strategic use of single-cell sequencing will advance our understanding of the TIME of viral cancers, leading to the development of more potent novel treatments.

Single-cell transcriptomics dissects epithelial heterogeneity in HPV+ cervical adenocarcinoma.

The intra- and intertumoral heterogeneity of epithelial cells in human papillomavirus (HPV+ ) cervical adenocarcinoma (CEAD) remains largely unknown. To investigate this issue, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on 19 229 epithelial cells sorted from three tumor samples of three patients with HPV+ CEAD. Six epithelial subclusters (Epi1-Epi6) were identified that showed distinct gene expression. Among these, Epi1 and Epi4 had apparent tumor hallmarks and metabolic activities. Epi1 was highly enriched in hallmarks of hypoxia, IL2/STAT5 signaling, retinol metabolism, glycolysis, and arachidonic acid metabolism, while Epi4 was highly enriched in hallmarks of G2M checkpoint, E2F targets, DNA repair, PI3K/AKT/MTOR signaling, glycolysis, fatty acid degradation, TCA cycle, and glutathione metabolism. We also investigated intertumoral epithelial heterogeneity and found that Patient 1 was highly enriched for KRAS signaling and angiogenesis, while Patient 2 was highly enriched for epithelial-mesenchymal transition and TGF-ß signaling, and Patient 3 was highly enriched for hypoxia, DNA repair, G2M checkpoint, and E2F targets. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, we revealed the intra- and intertumoral heterogeneity of epithelial cells in HPV+ CEAD, providing insights into the importance of personalized treatment for patients with HPV+ CEAD.

GGDB: A Grameneae genome alignment database of homologous genes hierarchically related to evolutionary events.

The genomes of Gramineae plants have been preferentially sequenced owing to their economic value. These genomes are often quite complex, for example harboring many duplicated genes, and are the main source of genetic innovation and often the result of recurrent polyploidization. Deciphering these complex genome structures and linking duplicated genes to specific polyploidization events are important for understanding the biology and evolution of plants. However, efforts have been hampered by the complexity of analyzing these genomes. Here, we analyzed 29 well-assembled and up-to-date Gramineae genome sequences by hierarchically relating duplicated genes in collinear regions to specific polyploidization or speciation events. We separated duplicated genes produced by each event, established lists of paralogous and orthologous genes, and ultimately constructed an online database, GGDB (http://www.grassgenome.com/). Homologous gene lists from each plant and between plants can be displayed, searched, and downloaded from the database. Interactive comparison tools are deployed to demonstrate homology among user-selected plants and to draw genome-scale or local alignment figures and gene-based phylogenetic trees corrected by exploiting gene collinearity. Using these tools and figures, users can easily detect structural changes in genomes and explore the effects of paleo-polyploidy on crop genome structure and function. The GGDB will provide a useful platform for improving our understanding of genome changes and functional innovation in Gramineae plants.

Cancer mutation profiles predict ICIs efficacy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have produced remarkable responses in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, receivers still have a relatively low response rate. Initial response assessment by conventional imaging and evaluation criteria is often unable to identify whether patients can achieve durable clinical benefit from ICIs. Overall, there are sparse effective biomarkers identified to screen NSCLC patients responding to this therapy. A lot of studies have reported that patients with specific gene mutations may benefit from or resist to immunotherapy. However, the single gene mutation may be not effective enough to predict the benefit from immunotherapy for patients. With the advancement in sequencing technology, further studies indicate that many mutations often co-occur and suggest a drastic transformation of tumour microenvironment phenotype. Moreover, co-mutation events have been reported to synergise to activate or suppress signalling pathways of anti-tumour immune response, which also indicates a potential target for combining intervention. Thus, the different mutation profile (especially co-mutation) of patients may be an important concern for predicting or promoting the efficacy of ICIs. However, there is a lack of comprehensive knowledge of this field until now. Therefore, in this study, we reviewed and elaborated the value of cancer mutation profile in predicting the efficacy of immunotherapy and analysed the underlying mechanisms, to provide an alternative way for screening dominant groups, and thereby, optimising individualised therapy for NSCLC patients.

Mapping Techniques for the Design of Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Mapping technique has been the powerful tool for the design of next-generation energy storage devices. Unlike the traditional ion-insertion based lithium batteries, the Li-S battery is based on the complex conversion reactions, which require more cooperation from mapping techniques to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Therefore, in this review, the representative works of mapping techniques for Li-S batteries are summarized, and categorized into the studies of lithium metal anode and sulfur cathode, with sub-sections based on shared characterization mechanisms. Due to specific features of mapping techniques, various aspects such as compositional distribution, in-plain/cross section characterization, coin cell/pouch cell configuration, and structural/mechanical analysis are emphasized in each study, aiming for the guidance for developing strategies to improve the battery performances. Benefited from the achieved progresses, suggestions for future studies based on mapping techniques are proposed to accelerate the development and commercialization of the Li-S battery.

Single Nickel Atom Catalysts Enable Fast Polysulfide Redox for Safe and Long-Cycle Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have attracted great interest due to their low cost, high theoretical energy density, and environmental friendliness. However, the sluggish conversion of lithium polysulfides (LiPS) to S and Li2 S during the charge/discharge process leads to unsatisfactory rate performance of lower to 0.1 C (1 C = 1675 mA g-1 ) especially for Li-S pouch batteries, thus hindering their practical applications in high power batteries. Here, well-defined and monodispersed Ni single-atom catalysts (SACs) embedded in highly porous nitrogen-doped graphitic carbons (NiSA-N-PGC) are designed and synthesized to form Ni-N4 catalytic sites at the atomic level. When serving as a bifunctional electrocatalyst, the Ni-N4 catalytic sites cannot only promote the interfacial conversion redox of LiPS by accelerating the transformation kinetics, but also suppress the undesirable shuttle effect by immobilizing LiPS. These findings are verified by both experimental results and DFT theoretical calculations. Furthermore, Li ions show low diffusion barrier on the surface of Ni-N4 sites, resulting in enhanced areal capacity of batteries. As a result, the Li-S battery delivers stable cycling life of more than 600 cycles with 0.069% capacity decay per cycle at a rate of 0.5 C. More importantly, the Li-S pouch cells with NiSA-N-PGC show an initial capacity of 1299 mAh g-1 at a rate of 0.2 C even with high sulfur loading of 6 mg cm-2 . This work opens up an avenue for developing single-atom catalysts to accelerate the kinetic conversion of LiPS for highly stable Li-S batteries.

Single-cell RNA-sequencing dissects cellular heterogeneity and identifies two tumor-suppressing immune cell subclusters in HPV-related cervical adenosquamous carcinoma.

The intratumor heterogeneity of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cervical cancer remains poorly defined. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on 18 046 individual cells derived from two HPV-related cervical adenosquamous carcinoma samples to analyze the transcriptional heterogeneity of both epithelial and immune constituents, identifying seven epithelial (Epi1-7) and 11 immune subclusters. Based on expression of known cervical cancer markers, Epi1-2 primarily displayed features of adenocarcinoma, whereas Epi3-6 were instead characterized by features of squamous carcinoma. Our analyses also revealed that hypoxia and Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene signaling were highly represented within Epi1; metabolic pathways mediating glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation were enriched in Epi2-4; while Epi5 was enriched in p53 pathway components and features of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Moreover, CD8+ FGFBP2+ T cells and FGFBP2+ natural killer cells were found to display high levels of cytotoxic effectors (GZMA, GZMB, GNLY, and PRF1) and low levels of inhibitory markers (PDCD1, TIGIT, and CTLA4), such that tumor infiltration by these populations was positively associated with survival in a cohort of n = 165 patients with HPV-related cervical cancer from The Cancer Genome Atlas database (p = 0.017 and 0.014, respectively). These results shed new light on the intratumor heterogeneity of HPV-related cervical adenosquamous carcinoma, which will help to refine diagnostic and treatment approaches.

The immune response of T cells and therapeutic targets related to regulating the levels of T helper cells after ischaemic stroke.

Through considerable effort in research and clinical studies, the immune system has been identified as a participant in the onset and progression of brain injury after ischaemic stroke. Due to the involvement of all types of immune cells, the roles of the immune system in stroke pathology and associated effects are complicated. Past research concentrated on the functions of monocytes and neutrophils in the pathogenesis of ischaemic stroke and tried to demonstrate the mechanisms of tissue injury and protection involving these immune cells. Within the past several years, an increasing number of studies have elucidated the vital functions of T cells in the innate and adaptive immune responses in both the acute and chronic phases of ischaemic stroke. Recently, the phenotypes of T cells with proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory function have been demonstrated in detail. T cells with distinctive phenotypes can also influence cerebral inflammation through various pathways, such as regulating the immune response, interacting with brain-resident immune cells and modulating neurogenesis and angiogenesis during different phases following stroke. In view of the limited treatment options available following stroke other than tissue plasminogen activator therapy, understanding the function of immune responses, especially T cell responses, in the post-stroke recovery period can provide a new therapeutic direction. Here, we discuss the different functions and temporal evolution of T cells with different phenotypes during the acute and chronic phases of ischaemic stroke. We suggest that modulating the balance between the proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory functions of T cells with distinct phenotypes may become a potential therapeutic approach that reduces the mortality and improves the functional outcomes and prognosis of patients suffering from ischaemic stroke.

Ion-Inserted Metal-Organic Frameworks Accelerate the Mass Transfer Kinetics in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur battery promises great potential to promote the reform of energy storage field. Modified functional interlayer on separator has been recognized as efficient method to promote battery performances, mainly focusing on the entrapment and catalytic effect toward lithium polysulfide, while the mass transfer property across the interlayers has not been carefully considered. Herein, a dense layer composed of ion-inserted metal-organic frameworks is used to facilitate mass transfer across the layer and ensure high polysulfides entrapment efficiency. In situ Raman study reveals that the dense functional layer blocks the transfer of Li ions, while the ion-inserted layer can accelerate the ion-transfer kinetics and avoid the ion depletion caused polarization. As a result, a specific capacity of 742 mAh g-1 is obtained at 2 C, with the decay rate of 0.089% per cycle at 1 C over 600 cycles, demonstrating great potential for the application in advanced Li-S batteries.

Deciphering the high-quality genome sequence of coriander that causes controversial feelings.

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L. 2n = 2x = 22), a plant from the Apiaceae family, also called cilantro or Chinese parsley, is a globally important crop used as vegetable, spice, fragrance and traditional medicine. Here, we report a high-quality assembly and analysis of its genome sequence, anchored to 11 chromosomes, with total length of 2118.68 Mb and N50 scaffold length of 160.99 Mb. We found that two whole-genome duplication events, respectively, dated to ~45-52 and ~54-61 million years ago, were shared by the Apiaceae family after their split from lettuce. Unbalanced gene loss and expression are observed between duplicated copies produced by these two events. Gene retention, expression, metabolomics and comparative genomic analyses of terpene synthase (TPS) gene family, involved in terpenoid biosynthesis pathway contributing to coriander's special flavour, revealed that tandem duplication contributed to coriander TPS gene family expansion, especially compared to their carrot counterparts. Notably, a TPS gene highly expressed in all 4 tissues and 3 development stages studied is likely a major-effect gene encoding linalool synthase and myrcene synthase. The present genome sequencing, transcriptome, metabolome and comparative genomic efforts provide valuable insights into the genome evolution and spice trait biology of Apiaceae and other related plants, and facilitated further research into important gene functions and crop improvement.

Reconstruction of evolutionary trajectories of chromosomes unraveled independent genomic repatterning between Triticeae and Brachypodium.

BACKGROUND: After polyploidization, a genome may experience large-scale genome-repatterning, featuring wide-spread DNA rearrangement and loss, and often chromosome number reduction. Grasses share a common tetraploidization, after which the originally doubled chromosome numbers reduced to different chromosome numbers among them. A telomere-centric reduction model was proposed previously to explain chromosome number reduction. With Brachpodium as an intermediate linking different major lineages of grasses and a model plant of the Pooideae plants, we wonder whether it mediated the evolution from ancestral grass karyotype to Triticeae karyotype. RESULTS: By inferring the homology among Triticeae, rice, and Brachpodium chromosomes, we reconstructed the evolutionary trajectories of the Triticeae chromosomes. By performing comparative genomics analysis with rice as a reference, we reconstructed the evolutionary trajectories of Pooideae plants, including Ae. Tauschii (2n = 14, DD), barley (2n = 14), Triticum turgidum (2n = 4x = 28, AABB), and Brachypodium (2n = 10). Their extant Pooidea and Brachypodium chromosomes were independently produced after sequential nested chromosome fusions in the last tens of millions of years, respectively, after their split from rice. More frequently than would be expected by chance, in Brachypodium, the 'invading' and 'invaded' chromosomes are homoeologs, originating from duplication of a common ancestral chromosome, that is, with more extensive DNA-level correspondence to one another than random chromosomes, nested chromosome fusion events between homoeologs account for three of seven cases in Brachypodium (P-value≈0.00078). However, this phenomenon was not observed during the formation of other Pooideae chromosomes. CONCLUSIONS: Notably, we found that the Brachypodium chromosomes formed through exclusively distinctive trajectories from those of Pooideae plants, and were well explained by the telomere-centric model. Our work will contribute to understanding the structural and functional innovation of chromosomes in different Pooideae lineages and beyond.

An Overlooked Paleotetraploidization in Cucurbitaceae.

Cucurbitaceae plants are of considerable biological and economic importance, and genomes of cucumber, watermelon, and melon have been sequenced. However, a comparative genomics exploration of their genome structures and evolution has not been available. Here, we aimed at performing a hierarchical inference of genomic homology resulted from recursive paleopolyploidizations. Unexpectedly, we found that, shortly after a core-eudicot-common hexaploidy, a cucurbit-common tetraploidization (CCT) occurred, overlooked by previous reports. Moreover, we characterized gene loss (and retention) after these respective events, which were significantly unbalanced between inferred subgenomes, and between plants after their split. The inference of a dominant subgenome and a sensitive one suggested an allotetraploid nature of the CCT. Besides, we found divergent evolutionary rates among cucurbits, and after doing rate correction, we dated the CCT to be 90-102 Ma, likely common to all Cucurbitaceae plants, showing its important role in the establishment of the plant family.

Modulating Electronic Structures of Inorganic Nanomaterials for Efficient Electrocatalytic Water Splitting.

Electrocatalytic water splitting is one of the most promising sustainable energy conversion technologies, but is limited by the sluggish electrochemical reactions. Inorganic nanomaterials have been widely used as efficient catalysts for promoting the electrochemical kinetics. Several approaches to optimize the activities of these nanocatalysts have been developed. The electronic structures of the catalysts play a pivotal role in governing the activity and thus have been identified as an essential descriptor. However, the underlying working mechanisms related to the refined electronic structures remain elusive. To establish the structure-electronic-behavior-activity relationship, a comprehensive overview of the developed strategies to regulate the electronic structures is presented, emphasizing the surface modification, strain, phase transition, and heterostructure. Current challenges to the fundamental understanding of electron behaviors in the nanocatalysts are fully discussed.

Genomic, expressional, protein-protein interactional analysis of Trihelix transcription factor genes in Setaria italia and inference of their evolutionary trajectory.

BACKGROUND: Trihelix transcription factors (TTF) play important roles in plant growth and response to adversity stress. Until now, genome-wide identification and analysis of this gene family in foxtail millet has not been available. Here, we identified TTF genes in the foxtail millet and its grass relatives, and characterized their functional domains. RESULTS: As to sequence divergence, TTF genes were previously divided into five subfamilies, I-V. We found that Trihelix family members in foxtail millet and other grasses mostly preserved their ancestral chromosomal locations during millions of years' evolution. Six amino acid sites of the SIP1 subfamily possibly were likely subjected to significant positive selection. Highest expression level was observed in the spica, with the SIP1 subfamily having highest expression level. As to the origination and expansion of the gene family, notably we showed that a subgroup of subfamily IV was the oldest, and therefore was separated to define a new subfamily O. Overtime, starting from the subfamily O, certain genes evolved to form subfamilies III and I, and later from subfamily I to develop subfamilies II and V. The oldest gene, Si1g016284, has the most structural changes, and a high expression in different tissues. What's more interesting is that it may have bridge the interaction with different proteins. CONCLUSIONS: By performing phylogenetic analysis using non-plant species, notably we showed that a subgroup of subfamily IV was the oldest, and therefore was separated to define a new subfamily O. Starting from the subfamily O, certain genes evolved to form other subfamilies. Our work will contribute to understanding the structural and functional innovation of Trihelix transcription factor, and the evolutionary trajectory.

High-Performance SERS Substrate Based on Hierarchical 3D Cu Nanocrystals with Efficient Morphology Control.

Cu nanocrystals of various shapes are synthesized via a universal, eco-friendly, and facile colloidal method on Al substrates using hexadecylamine (HDA) as a capping agent and glucose as a reductant. By tuning the concentration of the capping agent, hierarchical 3D Cu nanocrystals show pronounced surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) through the concentrated hot spots at the sharp tips and gaps due to the unique 3D structure and the resulting plasmonic couplings. Intriguingly, 3D sword-shaped Cu crystals have the highest enhancement factor (EF) because of their relatively uniform size distribution and alignment. This work opens new pathways for efficiently realizing morphology control for Cu nanocrystals as highly efficient SERS platforms.

Hierarchically Aligning 10 Legume Genomes Establishes a Family-Level Genomics Platform.

Mainly due to their economic importance, genomes of 10 legumes, including soybean (Glycine max), wild peanut (Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaensis), and barrel medic (Medicago truncatula), have been sequenced. However, a family-level comparative genomics analysis has been unavailable. With grape (Vitis vinifera) and selected legume genomes as outgroups, we managed to perform a hierarchical and event-related alignment of these genomes and deconvoluted layers of homologous regions produced by ancestral polyploidizations or speciations. Consequently, we illustrated genomic fractionation characterized by widespread gene losses after the polyploidizations. Notably, high similarity in gene retention between recently duplicated chromosomes in soybean supported the likely autopolyploidy nature of its tetraploid ancestor. Moreover, although most gene losses were nearly random, largely but not fully described by geometric distribution, we showed that polyploidization contributed divergently to the copy number variation of important gene families. Besides, we showed significantly divergent evolutionary levels among legumes and, by performing synonymous nucleotide substitutions at synonymous sites correction, redated major evolutionary events during their expansion. This effort laid a solid foundation for further genomics exploration in the legume research community and beyond. We describe only a tiny fraction of legume comparative genomics analysis that we performed; more information was stored in the newly constructed Legume Comparative Genomics Research Platform (www.legumegrp.org).

Self-Powered, Flexible, and Solution-Processable Perovskite Photodetector Based on Low-Cost Carbon Cloth.

Flexible perovskite photodetectors are usually constructed on indium-tin-oxide-coated polymer substrates, which are expensive, fragile, and not resistant to high temperature. Herein, for the first time, a high-performance flexible perovskite photodetector is fabricated based on low-cost carbon cloth via a facile solution processable strategy. In this device, perovskite microcrystal and Spiro-OMeTAD (hole transporting material) blended film act as active materials for light detection, and carbon cloth serves as both a flexible substrate and a conductive electrode. The as-fabricated photodetector shows a broad spectrum response from ultraviolet to near-infrared light, high responsivity, fast response speed, long-term stability, and self-powered capability. Flexible devices show negligible degradation after several tens of bending cycles and at the extremely bending angle of 180°. This work promises a new technique to construct flexible, high-performance photodetectors with low cost and self-powered capability.

TiO2 Feather Duster as Effective Polysulfides Restrictor for Enhanced Electrochemical Kinetics in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

The rechargeable lithium-sulfur battery is recognized as a promising candidate for electrochemical energy storage system because of their exceptional advance in energy density. However, the fast capacity decay of sulfur cathode caused by polysulfide dissolution and low specific capacity caused by poor electrical conductivity still impede the further development of lithium-sulfur battery. To address above issues, this study reports the synthesis of feather duster-like TiO2 architecture by in situ growth of TiO2 nanowires on carbon cloth and further evaluates as sulfur host material. The strong chemical binding interaction between the polysulfides and TiO2 feather duster efficiently restrains the shuttle effect, leading to enhanced electrochemical kinetics. Besides, the in situ grown TiO2 NWs array also supply high surface for sulfur-loading and fast path for electron transfer and ion diffusion. As results, the novel CC/TiO2 /S composite cathode exhibits a high capacity of 608 mA h g-1 at 1.0 C after 700 cycles corresponding to capacity decay as low as 0.045% per cycle with excellent Coulombic efficiency higher than 99.5%.