The m6A reader ECT8 is an abiotic stress sensor that accelerates mRNA decay in Arabidopsis.

N 6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant mRNA modification and plays diverse roles in eukaryotes, including plants. It regulates various processes, including plant growth, development, and responses to external or internal stress responses. However, the mechanisms underlying how m6A is related to environmental stresses in both mammals and plants remain elusive. Here, we identified EVOLUTIONARILY CONSERVED C-TERMINAL REGION 8 (ECT8) as an m6A reader protein and showed that its m6A-binding capability is required for salt stress responses in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). ECT8 accelerates the degradation of its target transcripts through direct interaction with the decapping protein DECAPPING 5 within processing bodies. We observed a significant increase in the ECT8 expression level under various environmental stresses. Using salt stress as a representative stressor, we found that the transcript and protein levels of ECT8 rise in response to salt stress. The increased abundance of ECT8 protein results in the enhanced binding capability to m6A-modified mRNAs, thereby accelerating their degradation, especially those of negative regulators of salt stress responses. Our results demonstrated that ECT8 acts as an abiotic stress sensor, facilitating mRNA decay, which is vital for maintaining transcriptome homeostasis and enhancing stress tolerance in plants. Our findings not only advance the understanding of epitranscriptomic gene regulation but also offer potential applications for breeding more resilient crops in the face of rapidly changing environmental conditions.

FIONA1-mediated methylation of the 3'UTR of FLC affects FLC transcript levels and flowering in Arabidopsis.

Adenosine bases of RNA can be transiently modified by the deposition of a methyl-group to form N6-methyladenosine (m6A). This adenosine-methylation is an ancient process and the enzymes involved are evolutionary highly conserved. A genetic screen designed to identify suppressors of late flowering transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing the miP1a microProtein yielded a new allele of the FIONA1 (FIO1) m6A-methyltransferase. To characterize the early flowering phenotype of fio1 mutant plants we employed an integrative approach of mRNA-seq, Nanopore direct RNA-sequencing and meRIP-seq to identify differentially expressed transcripts as well as differentially methylated RNAs. We provide evidence that FIO1 is the elusive methyltransferase responsible for the 3'-end methylation of the FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) transcript. Furthermore, our genetic and biochemical data suggest that 3'-methylation stabilizes FLC mRNAs and non-methylated FLC is a target for rapid degradation.

Broadband Achromatic Imaging of a Metalens with Optoelectronic Computing Fusion.

The remarkable ultrathin ability of metalenses gives them potential as a next-generation imaging candidate. However, the inherent chromatic aberration of metalenses restricts their widespread application. We present an achromatic metalens with optoelectronic computing fusion (OCF) to mitigate the impact of chromatic aberration and simultaneously avoid the significant challenges of nanodesign, nanofabrication, and mass production of metalenses, a method different from previous methods. Leveraging the nonlinear fitting, we demonstrate that OCF can effectively learn the chromatic aberration mapping of metalens and thus restore the chromatic aberration. In terms of the peak signal-to-noise ratio index, there is a maximum improvement of 12 dB, and ∼8 ms is needed to correct the chromatic aberration. Furthermore, the edge extraction of images and super-resolution reconstruction that effectively enhances resolution by a factor of 4 are also demonstrated with OCF. These results offer the possibility of applications of metalenses in mobile cameras, virtual reality, etc.

Coexistence of Ferroelectricity and Ferromagnetism in Atomically Thin Two-Dimensional Cr2S3/WS2 Vertical Heterostructures.

Two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures with ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity provide a promising avenue to miniaturize the device size, increase computational power, and reduce energy consumption. However, the direct synthesis of such eye-catching heterostructures has yet to be realized up to now. Here, we design a two-step chemical vapor deposition strategy to growth of Cr2S3/WS2 vertical heterostructures with atomically sharp and clean interfaces on sapphire. The interlayer charge transfer and periodic moiré superlattice result in the emergence of room-temperature ferroelectricity in atomically thin Cr2S3/WS2 vertical heterostructures. In parallel, long-range ferromagnetic order is discovered in 2D Cr2S3 via the magneto-optical Kerr effect technique with the Curie temperature approaching 170 K. The charge distribution variation induced by the moiré superlattice changes the ferromagnetic coupling strength and enhances the Curie temperature. The coexistence of ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism in 2D Cr2S3/WS2 vertical heterostructures provides a cornerstone for the further design of logic-in-memory devices to build new computing architectures.

Species delimitation of tea plants (Camellia sect. Thea) based on super-barcodes.

BACKGROUND: The era of high throughput sequencing offers new paths to identifying species boundaries that are complementary to traditional morphology-based delimitations. De novo species delimitation using traditional or DNA super-barcodes serve as efficient approaches to recognizing putative species (molecular operational taxonomic units, MOTUs). Tea plants (Camellia sect. Thea) form a group of morphologically similar species with significant economic value, providing the raw material for tea, which is the most popular nonalcoholic caffeine-containing beverage in the world. Taxonomic challenges have arisen from vague species boundaries in this group. RESULTS: Based on the most comprehensive sampling of C. sect. Thea by far (165 individuals of 39 morphospecies), we applied three de novo species delimitation methods (ASAP, PTP, and mPTP) using plastome data to provide an independent evaluation of morphology-based species boundaries in tea plants. Comparing MOTU partitions with morphospecies, we particularly tested the congruence of MOTUs resulting from different methods. We recognized 28 consensus MOTUs within C. sect. Thea, while tentatively suggesting that 11 morphospecies be discarded. Ten of the 28 consensus MOTUs were uncovered as morphospecies complexes in need of further study integrating other evidence. Our results also showed a strong imbalance among the analyzed MOTUs in terms of the number of molecular diagnostic characters. CONCLUSION: This study serves as a solid step forward for recognizing the underlying species boundaries of tea plants, providing a needed evidence-based framework for the utilization and conservation of this economically important plant group.

Ultrafast Unidirectional On-Chip Heat Transfer.

Effective and rapid heat transfer is critical to improving electronic components' performance and operational stability, particularly for highly integrated and miniaturized devices in complex scenarios. However, current thermal manipulation approaches, including the recent advancement in thermal metamaterials, cannot realize fast and unidirectional heat flow control. In addition, any defects in thermal conductive materials cause a significant decrease in thermal conductivity, severely degrading heat transfer performance. Here, the utilization of silicon-based valley photonic crystals (VPCs) is proposed and numerically demonstrated to facilitate ultrafast, unidirectional heat transfer through thermal radiation on a microscale. Utilizing the infrared wavelength region, the approach achieves a significant thermal rectification effect, ensuring continuous heat flow along designed paths with high transmission efficiency. Remarkably, the process is unaffected by temperature gradients due to the unidirectional property, maintaining transmission directionality. Furthermore, the VPCs' inherent robustness affords defect-immune heat transfer, overcoming the limitations of traditional conduction methods that inevitably cause device heating, performance degradation, and energy waste. The design is fully CMOS compatible, thus will find broad applications, particularly for integrated optoelectronic devices.

OsALKBH9-mediated m6A demethylation regulates tapetal PCD and pollen exine accumulation in rice.

The N6-methyladenosine (m6A) mRNA modification is crucial for plant development and stress responses. In rice, the male sterility resulting from the deficiency of OsFIP37, a core component of m6A methyltransferase complex, emphasizes the significant role of m6A in male fertility. m6A is reversible and can be removed by m6A demethylases. However, whether mRNA m6A demethylase regulates male fertility in rice has remained unknown. Here, we identify the mRNA m6A demethylase OsALKBH9 and demonstrate its involvement in male fertility regulation. Knockout of OsALKBH9 causes male sterility, dependent on its m6A demethylation activity. Cytological analysis reveals defective tapetal programmed cell death (PCD) and excessive accumulation of microspores exine in Osalkbh9-1. Transcriptome analysis of anthers shows up-regulation of genes involved in tapetum development, sporopollenin synthesis, and transport pathways in Osalkbh9-1. Additionally, we demonstrate that OsALKBH9 demethylates the m6A modification in TDR and GAMYB transcripts, which affects the stability of these mRNAs and ultimately leads to excessive accumulation of pollen exine. Our findings highlight the precise control of mRNA m6A modification and reveal the pivotal roles played by OsALKBH9-mediated m6A demethylation in tapetal PCD and pollen exine accumulation in rice.

Compatible camouflage for dual-band guided-laser radar and infrared via a metamaterial perfect absorber.

Laser-guided detector and infrared detection have attracted increasing attention in a wide range of research fields, including multispectral detection, radiative cooling, and thermal management. Previously reported absorbers presented shortcomings of lacking either tunability or compatibility. In this study, a metamaterial perfect absorber based on a Helmholtz resonator and fractal structure is proposed, which realizes tunable perfect absorptivity (α 1.06µ m >0.99,α 10.6µ m >0.99) of guided-laser radar dual operating bands (1.06 µm and 10.6 µm) and a low infrared average emissivity (ε¯3-5µ m =0.03,ε¯8-14µ m =0.31) in two atmospheric windows for compatible camouflage. The proposed perfect absorber provides a dynamically tunable absorptivity without structural changes and can be applied to optical communication, military stealth or protection, and electromagnetic detection.

Real-time channel selection in multi-mode multiplexing optical interconnection implemented by hybrid algorithm and material system.

Multi-mode multiplexing optical interconnection (MMOI) has been widely used as a new technology that can significantly expand communication bandwidth. However, the constant-on state of each channel in the existing MMOI systems leads to serious interference for receivers when extracting and processing information, necessitating introducing real-time selective-on function for each channel in MMOI systems. To achieve this goal, combining several practical requirements, we propose a real-time selective mode switch based on phase-change materials, which can individually tune the passing/blocking of different modes in the bus waveguide. We utilize our proposed particle swarm optimization algorithm with embedded neural network surrogate models (NN-in-PSO) to design this mode switch. The proposed NN-in-PSO significantly reduces the optimization cost, enabling multi-dimensional simultaneous optimization. The resulting mode switch offers several advantages, including ultra-compactness, rapid tuning, nonvolatility, and large extinction ratio. Then, we demonstrate the real-time channel selection function by integrating the mode switch into the MMOI system. Finally, we prove the fabricating robustness of the proposed mode switch, which paves the way for its large-scale application.

Multifunctional emitter based on inverse design for infrared stealth, thermal imaging and radiative cooling.

In contrast to conventional emitters fashioned from traditional materials, tunable thermal emitters exhibit a distinct propensity to fulfill the demands of diverse scenarios, thereby engendering an array of prospects within the realms of communications, military applications, and control systems. In this paper, a tunable thermal emitter without continuous external excitation is introduced using Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) and high-temperature-resistant material Mo. It is automatically optimized by inverse design with genetic algorithm (GA) to switch between different functions according to the object temperature to adapt to diverse scenarios. In "off" mode, the emitter orchestrates a blend of infrared (IR) stealth and thermal management. This is evidenced by average absorptivity values of 0.08 for mid-wave infrared (MIR, 3-5 µm), 0.19 for long-wave infrared (LIR, 8-14 µm), and 0.68 for the non-atmospheric window (NAW, 5-8 µm). Conversely, when confronted with high-temperature entities, the emitter seamlessly transitions to "on" mode, instigating a process of radiative cooling. This transformation is reflected in the augmented emissivity of the dual-band atmospheric window including MIR and LIR, attaining peak values of 0.96 and 0.97. This transition yields a cooling potential, quantified at 64 W/m2 at the ambient temperature of 25°C. In addition, our design employs a layered structure, which avoids complex patterned resonators and facilitates large-area fabrication. The emitter in this paper evinces robust insensitivity to polarization variations and the angle of incidence. We believe that this work will contribute to the development in the fields of dynamic tunability for IR stealth, dynamic radiative cooling systems, and thermal imaging.

Multifunctional metalens optical tweezers for optical information recognition.

Traditional optical information recognition (OIR), particle capture and manipulation require many optical devices or mechanical moving system components to achieve a specific function, which is difficult to achieve integration. This paper proposes a new method to realize these functions by using multi-focus metalens combining spectrum and polarization selection. The design incorporates three spectral bands, namely 500 nm, 580 nm, and 660 nm, within the visible light range. Additionally, it utilizes either left-handed or right-handed circularly polarized (LCP/RCP) light, resulting in six distinct focus focusing effects on a single focal plane. By analyzing the normalized light intensity (NLI) at the corresponding focus position, the OIR of any wavelength and polarization detection in the design can be realized, and the particle capture at different focusing positions can be realized. Our work can provide a new idea for the high integration of on-chip light recognition and operation and inspire the design of a highly integrated optical system with a smaller size and more substantial function.

Optimized wideband and compact multifunctional photonic device based on Sb2S3 phase change material.

In this paper, a 1 × 2 photonic switch is designed based on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform combined with the phase change material (PCM), Sb2S3, assisted by the direct binary search (DBS) algorithm. The designed photonic switch exhibits an impressive operating bandwidth ranging from 1450 to 1650 nm. The device has an insertion loss (IL) from 0.44 dB to 0.70 dB (of less than 0.7 dB) and cross talk (CT) from -26 dB to -20 dB (of less than -20 dB) over an operating bandwidth of 200 nm, especially an IL of 0.52 dB and CT of -24 dB at 1550 nm. Notably, the device is highly compact, with footprints of merely 3 × 4 µm2. Furthermore, we have extended the device's functionality for multifunctional operation in the C-band that can serve as both a 1 × 2 photonic switch and a 3 dB photonic power splitter. In the photonic switch mode, the device demonstrates an IL of 0.7 dB and a CT of -13.5 dB. In addition, when operating as a 3 dB photonic power splitter, the IL is less than 0.5 dB.

Compact mode converters in thin-film lithium niobate integrated platforms.

Mode converters, crucial elements within photonic integrated circuits (PICs) designed for multimode optical transmission and switching systems, present a challenge due to their bulky structures in thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) integrated platforms, which are incompatible with the compact and efficient nature desired for dense PICs. In this work, we propose TE1-TE0, TE2-TE0, and TE3-TE0 mode converters in shallowly etched TFLN, within small footprints. The experimental results show that the insertion loss is 0.4 dB, 0.6 dB, and 0.5 dB for the compact TE1-TE0, TE2-TE0, and TE3-TE0 mode converters, respectively, and these devices can be operated within a wide 1 dB bandwidth (BW) over 100 nm. This work facilitates the development of low-loss, broadband, and compact monolithically integrated photonic devices for future multimode communication networks in TFLN integrated platforms.

Young evolutionary origins of dioecy in the genus Asparagus.

PREMISE: Dioecy (separate sexes) has independently evolved numerous times across the angiosperm phylogeny and is recently derived in many lineages. However, our understanding is limited regarding the evolutionary mechanisms that drive the origins of dioecy in plants. The recent and repeated evolution of dioecy across angiosperms offers an opportunity to make strong inferences about the ecological, developmental, and molecular factors influencing the evolution of dioecy, and thus sex chromosomes. The genus Asparagus (Asparagaceae) is an emerging model taxon for studying dioecy and sex chromosome evolution, yet estimates for the age and origin of dioecy in the genus are lacking. METHODS: We use plastome sequences and fossil time calibrations in phylogenetic analyses to investigate the age and origin of dioecy in the genus Asparagus. We also review the diversity of sexual systems present across the genus to address contradicting reports in the literature. RESULTS: We estimate that dioecy evolved once or twice approximately 2.78-3.78 million years ago in Asparagus, of which roughly 27% of the species are dioecious and the remaining are hermaphroditic with monoclinous flowers. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support previous work implicating a young age and the possibility of two origins of dioecy in Asparagus, which appear to be associated with rapid radiations and range expansion out of Africa. Lastly, we speculate that paleoclimatic oscillations throughout northern Africa may have helped set the stage for the origin(s) of dioecy in Asparagus approximately 2.78-3.78 million years ago.

Interisland-Distance-Mediated Growth of Centimeter-Scale Two-Dimensional Magnetic Fe3O4 Arrays with Unidirectional Domain Orientations.

Two-dimensional (2D) nanosheet arrays with unidirectional orientations are of great significance for synthesizing wafer-scale single crystals. Although great efforts have been devoted, the growth of atomically thin magnetic nanosheet arrays and single crystals is still unaddressed. Here we design an interisland-distance-mediated chemical vapor deposition strategy to synthesize centimeter-scale atomically thin Fe3O4 arrays with unidirectional orientations on mica. The unidirectional alignment of nearly all the Fe3O4 nanosheets is driven by a dual-coupling-guided growth mechanism. The Fe3O4/mica interlayer interaction induces two preferred antiparallel orientations, whereas the interisland interaction of Fe3O4 breaks the energy degeneracy of antiparallel orientations. The room-temperature long-range ferrimagnetic order and thickness-tunable magnetic domain evolution are uncovered in atomically thin Fe3O4. This strategy to tune the orientations of nanosheets through the an interisland interaction can guide the synthesis of other 2D transition-metal oxides, thereby laying a solid foundation for future spintronic device applications at the integration level.

FeN Coordination Induced Ultralong Lifetime of Sodium-Ion Battery with the Cycle Number Exceeding 65 000.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have received increasing attention because of their appealing cell voltages and cost-effective features. However, the atom aggregation and electrode volume variation inevitably deteriorate the sodium storage kinetics. Here a new strategy is proposed to boost the lifetime of SIB by synthesizing sea urchin-like FeSe2 /nitrogen-doped carbon (FeSe2 /NC) composites. The robust FeN coordination hinders the Fe atom aggregation and accommodates the volume expansion, while the unique biomorphic morphology and high conductivity of FeSe2 /NC enhance the intercalation/deintercalation kinetics and shorten the ion/electron diffusion length. As expected, FeSe2 /NC electrodes deliver excellent half (387.6 mAh g-1 at 20.0 A g-1 after 56 000 cycles) and full (203.5 mAh g-1 at 1.0 A g-1 after 1200 cycles) cell performances. Impressively, an ultralong lifetime of SIB composed of FeSe2 /Fe3 Se4 /NC anode is uncovered with the cycle number exceeding 65 000. The sodium storage mechanism is clarified with the aid of density function theory calculations and in situ characterizations. This work hereby provides a new paradigm for enhancing the lifetime of SIB by constructing a unique coordination environment between active material and framework.

93-THz ultra-broadband and ultra-low loss Y-junction photonic power splitter with phased inverse design.

Optical power splitters with ultra-broadband and ultra-low insertion loss are desired in the field of photonic integration. Combining two inverse design algorithms for staged optimization, we present the design of a Y-junction photonic power splitter with 700 nm wavelength bandwidth (from 1200 nm to 1900 nm) within a 0.2 dB insertion loss, corresponding to a 93 THz frequency bandwidth. The average insertion loss is approximately -0.057 dB in the valuable C-band. Moreover, we comprehensively compared the insertion loss performance of different types and sizes of curved waveguides, and also give the cases of 1:4 and 1:6 cascaded power splitters. These scalable Y-junction splitters provide new alternatives for high-performance photonic integration.

Inverse design of a near-infrared metalens with an extended depth of focus based on double-process genetic algorithm optimization.

Metalens with extended depth of focus (EDOF) can extend the mapping area of the image, which leads to novel applications in imaging and microscopy. Since there are still some disadvantages for existing EDOF metalenses based on forward design, such as asymmetric point spread function (PSF) and non-uniformly distributed focal spot, which impair the quality of images, we propose a double-process genetic algorithm (DPGA) optimization to inversely design the EDOF metalens for addressing these drawbacks. By separately adopting different mutation operators in successive two genetic algorithm (GA) processes, DPGA exhibits significant advantages in searching for the ideal solution in the whole parameter space. Here, the 1D and 2D EDOF metalenses operating at 980 nm are separately designed via this method, and both of them exhibit significant depth of focus (DOF) improvement to that of conventional focusing. Furthermore, a uniformly distributed focal spot can be maintained well, which can guarantee stable imaging quality along the longitudinal direction. The proposed EDOF metalenses have considerable potential applications in biological microscopy and imaging, and the scheme of DPGA can be promoted to the inverse design of other nanophotonics devices.

Metal-coated high-temperature strain optical fiber sensor based on cascaded air-bubble FPI-FBG structure.

Metal coatings can protect the fragile optical fiber sensors and extend their life in harsh environments. However, simultaneous high-temperature strain sensing in a metal-coated optical fiber remains relatively unexplored. In this study, a nickel-coated fiber Bragg grating (FBG) cascaded with an air bubble cavity Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) fiber optic sensor was developed for simultaneous high temperature and strain sensing. The sensor was successfully tested at 545 °C for 0-1000 µÉ›, and the characteristic matrix was used to decouple temperature and strain. The metal layer allows easy attachment to metal surfaces that operate at high temperatures, enabling sensor-object integration. As a result, the metal-coated cascaded optical fiber sensor has the potential to be used in real-world structural health monitoring.

Tensor completion algorithm-aided structural color design.

In recent years, structural color has developed rapidly due to its distinct advantages, such as low loss, high spatial resolution and environmental friendliness. Various inverse design methods have been extensively investigated to efficiently design optical structures. However, the optimization method for the inverse design of structural color remains a formidable challenge. Traditional optimization approaches, such as genetic algorithms require time-consuming repetitions of structural simulations. Deep learning-assisted design necessitates prior simulations and large amounts of data, making it less efficient for systems with a small number of features. This study proposes a tensor completion algorithm capable of swiftly and accurately predicting missing datasets based on partially obtained datasets to assist in structural color design. Transforming the complex physical problem of structural color design into a spatial structure relationship problem linking geometric parameters and spectral data. The method utilizes tensor multilinear data analysis to effectively capture the complex relationships associated with geometric parameters and spectral data in higher-order data. Numerical and experimental results demonstrate that the algorithm exhibits high reliability in terms of speed and accuracy for diverse structures, datasets of varying sizes, and different materials, significantly enhancing design efficiency. The proposed algorithm offers a viable solution for inverse design problems involving complex physical systems, thereby introducing a novel approach to the design of photonic devices. Additionally, numerical experiments illustrate that the structural color of cruciform resonators with diamond can overcome the high loss issues observed in traditional dielectric materials within the blue wavelength region and enhance the corrosion resistance of the structure. We achieve a wide color gamut and a high-narrow reflection spectrum nearing 1 by this structure, and the theoretical analysis further verifies that diamond holds great promise in the realm of optics.