Salicylic acid-activated BIN2 phosphorylation of TGA3 promotes Arabidopsis PR gene expression and disease resistance.

The plant defense hormone, salicylic acid (SA), plays essential roles in immunity and systemic acquired resistance. Salicylic acid induced by the pathogen is perceived by the receptor nonexpressor of pathogenesis-related genes 1 (NPR1), which is recruited by TGA transcription factors to induce the expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes. However, the mechanism by which post-translational modifications affect TGA's transcriptional activity by salicylic acid signaling/pathogen infection is not well-established. Here, we report that the loss-of-function mutant of brassinosteroid insensitive2 (BIN2) and its homologs, bin2-3 bil1 bil2, causes impaired pathogen resistance and insensitivity to SA-induced PR gene expression, whereas the gain-of-function mutant, bin2-1, exhibited enhanced SA signaling and immunity against the pathogen. Our results demonstrate that salicylic acid activates BIN2 kinase, which in turn phosphorylates TGA3 at Ser33 to enhance TGA3 DNA binding ability and NPR1-TGA3 complex formation, leading to the activation of PR gene expression. These findings implicate BIN2 as a new component of salicylic acid signaling, functioning as a key node in balancing brassinosteroid-mediated plant growth and SA-induced immunity.

Deep learning-based quantification and transcriptomic profiling reveal a methyl jasmonate-mediated glandular trichome formation pathway in Cannabis sativa.

Cannabis glandular trichomes (GTs) are economically and biotechnologically important structures that have a remarkable morphology and capacity to produce, store, and secrete diverse classes of secondary metabolites. However, our understanding of the developmental changes and the underlying molecular processes involved in cannabis GT development is limited. In this study, we developed Cannabis Glandular Trichome Detection Model (CGTDM), a deep learning-based model capable of differentiating and quantifying three types of cannabis GTs with a high degree of efficiency and accuracy. By profiling at eight different time points, we captured dynamic changes in gene expression, phenotypes, and metabolic processes associated with GT development. By integrating weighted gene co-expression network analysis with CGTDM measurements, we established correlations between phenotypic variations in GT traits and the global transcriptome profiles across the developmental gradient. Notably, we identified a module containing methyl jasmonate (MeJA)-responsive genes that significantly correlated with stalked GT density and cannabinoid content during development, suggesting the existence of a MeJA-mediated GT formation pathway. Our findings were further supported by the successful promotion of GT development in cannabis through exogenous MeJA treatment. Importantly, we have identified CsMYC4 as a key transcription factor that positively regulates GT formation via MeJA signaling in cannabis. These findings provide novel tools for GT detection and counting, as well as valuable information for understanding the molecular regulatory mechanism of GT formation, which has the potential to facilitate the molecular breeding, targeted engineering, informed harvest timing, and manipulation of cannabinoid production.

The deubiquitinating enzymes UBP12 and UBP13 positively regulate recovery after carbon starvation by modulating BES1 stability in Arabidopsis thaliana.

BRI1-EMS-SUPPRESSOR1 (BES1), a core transcription factor in the brassinosteroid (BR) signaling pathway, primarily regulates plant growth and development by influencing BR-regulated gene expression. Several E3 ubiquitin (Ub) ligases regulate BES1 stability, but little is known about BES1 deubiquitination, which antagonizes E3 ligase-mediated ubiquitination to maintain BES1 homeostasis. Here, we report that two Arabidopsis thaliana deubiquitinating enzymes, Ub-SPECIFIC PROTEASE (UBP) 12 and UBP13, interact with BES1. UBP12 and UBP13 removed Ub from polyubiquitinated BES1 to stabilize both phosphorylated and dephosphorylated forms of BES1. A double mutant, ubp12-2w ubp13-3, lacking UBP12 and UBP13 function showed both BR-deficient and BR-insensitive phenotypes, whereas transgenic plants overexpressing UBP12 or UBP13 exhibited an increased BR response. Expression of UBP12 and UPB13 was induced during recovery after carbon starvation, which led to BES1 accumulation and quick recovery of stressed plants. Our work thus establishes a mechanism by which UBP12 and UBP13 regulate BES1 protein abundance to enhance BR-regulated growth during recovery after carbon starvation.

Electrolyte-Induced Morphology Evolution to Boost Potassium Storage Performance of Perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic Dianhydride.

Organic materials have attracted extensive attention for potassium-ion batteries due to their flexible structure designability and environmental friendliness. However, organic materials generally suffer from unavoidable dissolution in aprotic electrolytes, causing an unsatisfactory electrochemical performance. Herein, we designed a weakly solvating electrolyte to boost the potassium storage performance of perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA). The electrolyte induces an in situ morphology evolution and achieves a nanowire structure. The weakly dissolving capability of ethylene glycol diethyl ether-based electrolyte and unique nanowire structure effectively avoid the dissolution of PTCDA. As a result, PTCDA shows excellent cycling stability (a capacity retention of 89.1% after 2000 cycles) and good rate performance (70.3 mAh g-1 at 50C). In addition, experimental detail discloses that the sulfonyl group plays a key role in inducing morphology evolution during the charge/discharge process. This work opens up new opportunities in electrolyte design for organic electrodes and illuminates further developments of potassium-ion batteries.

Effects of Vergence Eye Movement Planning on Size Perception and Early Visual Processing.

Our perception of objects depends on non-oculomotor depth cues, such as pictorial distance cues and binocular disparity, and oculomotor depth cues, such as vergence and accommodation. Although vergence eye movements are always involved in perceiving real distance, previous studies have mainly focused on the effect of oculomotor state via "proprioception" on distance and size perception. It remains unclear whether the oculomotor command of vergence eye movement would also influence visual processing. To address this question, we placed a light at 28.5 cm and a screen for stimulus presentation at 57 cm from the participants. In the NoDivergence condition, participants were asked to maintain fixation on the light regardless of stimulus presentation throughout the trial. In the WithDivergence condition, participants were instructed to initially maintain fixation on the near light and then turn their two eyes outward to look at the stimulus on the far screen. The stimulus was presented for 100 msec, entirely within the preparation stage of the divergence eye movement. We found that participants perceived the stimulus as larger but were less sensitive to stimulus sizes in the WithDivergence condition than in the NoDivergence condition. The earliest visual evoked component C1 (peak latency 80 msec), which varied with stimulus size in the NoDivergence condition, showed similar amplitudes for larger and smaller stimuli in the WithDivergence condition. These results show that vergence eye movement planning affects the earliest visual processing and size perception, and demonstrate an example of the effect of motor command on sensory processing.

Recent Advances in the Crosstalk between Brassinosteroids and Environmental Stimuli.

Due to their sessile lifestyle, plants need to optimize their growth in order to adapt to ever-changing environments. Plants receive stimuli from the environment and convert them into cellular responses. Brassinosteroids (BRs), as growth-promoting steroid hormones, play a significant role in the tradeoff between growth and environmental responses. Here, we provide a comprehensive summary for understanding the crosstalk between BR and various environmental stresses, including water availability, temperature fluctuations, salinization, nutrient deficiencies and diseases. We also highlight the bottlenecks that need to be addressed in future studies. Ultimately, we suppose to improve plant environmental adaptability and crop yield by excavating natural BR mutants or modifying BR signaling and its targets.

Characterization of Pediatric Rectal Absorption, Drug Disposition, and Sedation Level for Midazolam Gel Using Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Modeling.

This study aims to explore and characterize the role of pediatric sedation via rectal route. A pediatric physiologically based pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PBPK/PD) model of midazolam gel was built and validated to support dose selection for pediatric clinical trials. Before developing the rectal PBPK model, an intravenous PBPK model was developed to determine drug disposition, specifically by describing the ontogeny model of the metabolic enzyme. Pediatric rectal absorption was developed based on the rectal PBPK model of adults. The improved Weibull function with permeability, surface area, and fluid volume parameters was used to extrapolate pediatric rectal absorption. A logistic regression model was used to characterize the relationship between the free concentrations of midazolam and the probability of sedation. All models successfully described the PK profiles with absolute average fold error (AAFE) < 2, especially our intravenous PBPK model that extended the predicted age to preterm. The simulation results of the PD model showed that when the free concentrations of midazolam ranged from 3.9 to 18.4 ng/mL, the probability of "Sedation" was greater than that of "Not-sedation" states. Combined with the rectal PBPK model, the recommended sedation doses were in the ranges of 0.44-2.08 mg/kg for children aged 2-3 years, 0.35-1.65 mg/kg for children aged 4-7 years, 0.24-1.27 mg/kg for children aged 8-12 years, and 0.20-1.10 mg/kg for adolescents aged 13-18 years. Overall, this model mechanistically quantified drug disposition and effect of midazolam gel in the pediatric population, accurately predicted the observed clinical data, and simulated the drug exposure for sedation that will inform dose selection for following pediatric clinical trials.

Polysaccharide-Based Coating with Excellent Antibiofilm and Repeatable Antifouling-Bactericidal Properties for Treating Infected Hernia.

In recent years, the utilization of medical devices has gradually increased and implantation procedures have become common treatments. However, patients are susceptible to the risk of implant infections. This study utilized chemical grafting to immobilize polyethylenimine (QPEI) and hyaluronic acid (HA) on the surface of the mesh to improve biocompatibility while being able to achieve antifouling antimicrobial effects. From the in vitro testing, PP-PDA-Q-HA exhibited a high antibacterial ratio of 93% against S. aureus, 93% against E. coli, and 85% against C. albicans. In addition, after five rounds of antimicrobial testing, the coating continued to exhibit excellent antimicrobial properties; PP-PDA-Q-HA also inhibits the formation of bacterial biofilms. In addition, PP-PDA-Q-HA has good hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility. In vivo studies in animal implantation infection models also demonstrated the excellent antimicrobial properties of PP-PDA-Q-HA. Our study provides a promising strategy for the development of antimicrobial surface medical materials with excellent biocompatibility.

Perception of visual variance is mediated by subcortical mechanisms.

Variance characterizes the structure of the environment. This statistical concept plays a critical role in evaluating the reliability of evidence for human decision-making. The present study examined the involvement of subcortical structures in the processing of visual variance. To this end, we used a stereoscope to sequentially present two circle arrays in a dichoptic or monocular fashion while participants compared the perceived variance of the two arrays. In Experiment 1, two arrays were presented monocularly to the same eye, dichopticly to different eyes, or binocularly to both eyes. The variance judgment was less accurate in different-eye condition than the other conditions. In Experiment 2, the first circle array was split into a large-variance and a small-variance set, with either the large-variance or small-variance set preceding the presentation of the second circle array in the same eye. The variance of the first array was judged larger when the second array was preceded by the large-variance set in the same eye, showing that the perception of variance was modulated by the visual variance processed in the same eye. Taken together, these findings provide evidence for monocular processing of visual variance, suggesting that subcortical structures capture the statistical structure of the visual world.

Synthesis of triazole AD-1 derivatives and its mechanism of mediating DNA damage of ROS in lung cancer cells.

Based on the significant biological activities and the remarkable physical and chemical properties of 1H-1,2,3-triazole pharmacophore, we herein adopted the strategy of click chemistry to combine the triazole fragment and the unique scaffold of 25-OCH3-PPD (AD-1) to design a series of potent compounds inducing apoptosis and DNA damage. The anti-proliferative effect was verified by MTT assay and colony formation assay. DNA double-stand breaks (DSBs) were obtained by observing the nuclear focus formation and the protein expression of γ-H2AX. Cell cycle arrest was evaluated by the cycle-related proteins such as CDK2, CDK4, CDK6, Cyclin D1 and P21. Apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) detection and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was measured with 2', 7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) staining. According to SAR analysis, the most potent compound 6a exhibited great inhibitory effect against A549 cells, which IC50 value of 2.84 ± 0.68 µM. Furthermore, 6a remarkably induced DNA damage, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in A549 cells. 6a treatment increased the levels of ROS. Network pharmacology and molecular docking predicted the potential signaling pathways and ligand-receptor interactions, and the results of western blotting showed that 6a inhibited the PI3K/Akt/Bcl-2 signaling pathway by decreasing PI3K and Bcl-2 and total level of Akt expression, while Bax and Cyt c were increasing in 6a-treated A549 cells. As mentioned above, 6a has a potent inhibitory effect in A549 cells through induction of DNA damage, apoptosis via ROS generation and modulation of PI3K/Akt/Bcl-2 signaling pathway.

Study of novel ginsenoside metabolites targeting HSP70 as anti-prostate cancer drugs.

Ginsenoside 20 (R)-25-methoxy-dammarane-3 ß, twelve ß, 20 triol (AD-1) is a promising new drug for the treatment of prostate cancer, but its bioavailability is low. This study investigated the effects of the main metabolites PD and M6 of AD-1 on prostate cancer cell PC3. The in vitro experimental results showed that the IC50 values of PC3 cells treated with PD and M6 were 65.61 and 11.72, respectively. Both PD and M6 inhibited the migration of PC3 cells, and the cell cycle was blocked in the G1 phase. The apoptosis rates of cells following M6 treatment at concentrations of 7.5, 15, and 30 µM were 13.4 %, 17.5 %, and 41.4 %, respectively, which stimulated the expression of apoptosis protein and significantly increased intracellular ROS levels. In xenograft models, PD and M6 have been reported to significantly inhibit tumor growth. We used a genome-wide mRNA expression profile to study the effects of PD and M6 on gene expression in PC3 cancer cells. PD and M6 induced downregulation of HSP70 subtypes HSPA1A and HSPA1B. RT-PCR confirmed that the significant down-regulation of HSP70 subtype expressions was consistent with the results of Transcriptome analysis. Moreover, M6 significantly downregulated the expression of AR, which was further proved by Western blot analysis. In summary, our research findings provide a scientific basis for interpreting the significant activity of AD-1 in prostate cancer, and for the research and development of PD and M6 as novel HSP70 inhibitors.

Cedrol in ginger (Zingiber officinale) as a promising hair growth drug: The effects of oral and external administration on hair regeneration and its mechanism.

Ginger is an important cooking spice and herb worldwide, and scientific research has gradually confirmed the effect of ginger on preventing hair loss. Cedrol (CE) is a small sesquiterpene molecule in ginger and its external administration (EA) has shown hope in promoting hair growth, and alternative administration mode has become a potential treatment scheme to improve the efficacy of CE. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of oral administration (OA) and EA of CE on hair regeneration of C57BL/6 alopecia areata (AA) mice induced by cyclophosphamide (CP) and to clarify the potential hair growth mechanism of CE in AA model in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that CE-OA has a shorter hair-turning black time and faster hair growth rate, and can lessen hair follicle damage induced by CP and promote hair follicle cell proliferation. Its effect is superior to CE-EA. At the same time, CE can increase the cytokines IFN-γ, IL-2, and IL-7 in the serum of mice, and decrease the expression of adhesion factors ICAM-1 and ELAM-1, thus alleviating the immunosuppression induced by CP. Mechanism research shows that CE regulates the JAK3/STAT3 signaling pathway, activates the Wnt3α/ß-catenin germinal center, and ameliorates oxidative stress induced by CP, thus promoting the proliferation of hair follicle cells and reversing AA. These results provide a theoretical basis for understanding the anti-AA mechanism of CE-OA, indicating that CE can be used as raw material for developing oral hair growth drugs.

Rapid identification of potential nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug overdose-induced liver toxicity and prediction of follow-up exposure: Integrating bioanalytical and population pharmacokinetic assay.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most frequently used drugs that can cause liver toxicity. The aim of this study was to integrate bioanalytical and population pharmacokinetic (PopPK) assay to rapidly screen and quantify the concentrations of NSAIDs in plasma and monitor clinical safety. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of acetaminophen (APAP), flurbiprofen (FLB), aspirin (ASP), and ibuprofen (IBP), four commonly used NSAIDs. The PopPK model of the signature toxicant was analyzed based on the published literature. The LC-MS/MS method was successfully validated and applied to determine NSAID concentrations in patient plasma samples. APAP, ASP, and IBP data were best fitted using a one-compartment model, and FLB data were best fitted using a two-compartment model. Bootstrapping and visual predictive checks suggested that a robust and reliable pharmacokinetic model was developed. A fast, simple, and sensitive LC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for determining APAP, FLB, ASP, and IBP in human plasma. Combined with the PopPK model, this method was applied to rapidly analyze the concentrations of NSAIDs in clinical samples from patients presenting to the emergency department with acute liver dysfunction and monitored NSAIDs clinical safety.

Evaluation of changes in macular structures after subthreshold micropulse laser therapy on chronic central serous chorioretinopathy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the changes in macular structures following subthreshold micropulse laser (SHML) treatment for chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (cCSC). METHODS: Data of 33 eyes from 31 cCSC patients treated with SHML and followed up for at least 6 months has been included in this retrospective study. Main outcome measurements include resolution of subretinal fluid (SRF) and pigment epithelial detachment (PED), the recovery of ellipsoid zone (EZ) continuity, and the foveal outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness along with its ratio. RESULTS: Mean observation period is 7.355 months (ranging from 6 to 24 months) and mean number of treatments administered is 1.839 (ranging from 1 to 5). 6 months after SHML treatment, there is a significant decrease in the area of SRF and PED (P < 0.001, P = 0.010, respectively). Additionally, the frequency of continuous EZ and the foveal ONL thickness reveal a significant increase (P<0.001, P = 0.005, respectively). The ratio of foveal ONL thickness is significantly higher after laser treatment, particularly in patients with a disease duration of ≤12 months (p = 0.022, P=0.036, respectively). CONCLUSION: SHML treatment proves to be effective in cCSC eyes, leading to satisfactory recovery of macular structures, especially the photoreceptor layer.

Preliminary exploration of deep learning-assisted recognition of superior labrum anterior and posterior lesions in shoulder MR arthrography.

PURPOSE: MR arthrography (MRA) is the most accurate method for preoperatively diagnosing superior labrum anterior-posterior (SLAP) lesions, but diagnostic results can vary considerably due to factors such as experience. In this study, deep learning was used to facilitate the preliminary identification of SLAP lesions and compared with radiologists of different seniority. METHODS: MRA data from 636 patients were retrospectively collected, and all patients were classified as having/not having SLAP lesions according to shoulder arthroscopy. The SLAP-Net model was built and tested on 514 patients (dataset 1) and independently tested on data from two other MRI devices (122 patients, dataset 2). Manual diagnosis was performed by three radiologists with different seniority levels and compared with SLAP-Net outputs. Model performance was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, area under the ROC curve (AUC), etc. McNemar's test was used to compare performance among models and between radiologists' models. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess the radiologists' reliability. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: SLAP-Net had AUC = 0.98 and accuracy = 0.96 for classification in dataset 1 and AUC = 0.92 and accuracy = 0.85 in dataset 2. In dataset 1, SLAP-Net had diagnostic performance similar to that of senior radiologists (p = 0.055) but higher than that of early- and mid-career radiologists (p = 0.025 and 0.011). In dataset 2, SLAP-Net had similar diagnostic performance to radiologists of all three seniority levels (p = 0.468, 0.289, and 0.495, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Deep learning can be used to identify SLAP lesions upon initial MR arthrography examination. SLAP-Net performs comparably to senior radiologists.

Adaptive orthogonal directional total variation with kernel regression for CT image denoising.

BACKGROUND: Low-dose computed tomography (CT) has been successful in reducing radiation exposure for patients. However, the use of reconstructions from sparse angle sampling in low-dose CT often leads to severe streak artifacts in the reconstructed images. OBJECTIVE: In order to address this issue and preserve image edge details, this study proposes an adaptive orthogonal directional total variation method with kernel regression. METHODS: The CT reconstructed images are initially processed through kernel regression to obtain the N-term Taylor series, which serves as a local representation of the regression function. By expanding the series to the second order, we obtain the desired estimate of the regression function and localized information on the first and second derivatives. To mitigate the noise impact on these derivatives, kernel regression is performed again to update the first and second derivatives. Subsequently, the original reconstructed image, its local approximation, and the updated derivatives are summed using a weighting scheme to derive the image used for calculating orientation information. For further removal of stripe artifacts, the study introduces the adaptive orthogonal directional total variation (AODTV) method, which denoises along both the edge direction and the normal direction, guided by the previously obtained orientation. RESULTS: Both simulation and real experiments have obtained good results. The results of two real experiments show that the proposed method has obtained PSNR values of 34.5408 dB and 29.4634 dB, which are 1.2392-5.9333 dB and 2.828-6.7995 dB higher than the contrast denoising algorithm, respectively, indicating that the proposed method has good denoising performance. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates the effectiveness of the method in eliminating strip artifacts and preserving the fine details of the images.

Weakly Coordinating Diluent Modulated Solvation Chemistry for High-Performance Sodium Metal Batteries.

Diluents have been extensively employed to overcome the disadvantages of high viscosity and sluggish kinetics of high-concentration electrolytes, but generally do not change the pristine solvation structure. Herein, a weakly coordinating diluent, hexafluoroisopropyl methyl ether (HFME), is applied to regulate the coordination of Na+ with diglyme and anion and form a diluent-participated solvate. This unique solvation structure promotes the accelerated decomposition of anions and diluents, with the construction of robust inorganic-rich electrode-electrolyte interphases. In addition, the introduction of HFME reduces the desolvation energy of Na+, improves ionic conductivity, strengthens the antioxidant, and enhances the safety of the electrolyte. As a result, the assembled Na||Na symmetric cell achieves a stable cycle of over 1800 h. The cell of Na||P'2-Na0.67MnO2 delivers a high capacity retention of 87.3 % with a high average Coulombic efficiency of 99.7 % after 350 cycles. This work provides valuable insights into solvation chemistry for advanced electrolyte engineering.

Anion-Reinforced Solvation Structure Enables Stable Operation of Ether-Based Electrolyte in High-Voltage Potassium Metal Batteries.

Electrolytes with anion-dominated solvation are promising candidates to achieve dendrite-free and high-voltage potassium metal batteries. However, it's challenging to form anion-reinforced solvates at low salt concentrations. Herein, we construct an anion-reinforced solvation structure at a moderate concentration of 1.5 M with weakly coordinated cosolvent ethylene glycol dibutyl ether. The unique solvation structure accelerates the desolvation of K+, strengthens the oxidative stability to 4.94 V and facilitates the formation of inorganic-rich and stable electrode-electrolyte interface. These enable stable plating/stripping of K metal anode over 2200 h, high capacity retention of 83.0 % after 150 cycles with a high cut-off voltage of 4.5 V in K0.67MnO2//K cells, and even 91.5 % after 30 cycles under 4.7 V. This work provides insight into weakly coordinated cosolvent and opens new avenues for designing ether-based high-voltage electrolytes.

CBL1/9-CIPK23-NRAMP1 axis regulates manganese toxicity.

Manganese (Mn) is an essential micronutrient in plants. However, excessive Mn absorption in acidic soils can cause Mn toxicity, which adversely affects plant growth and crop yields. At present, acidic soils cover c. 30% of the Earth's surface. However, the mechanism underpinning Mn uptake remains largely unknown. We identified cbl1/9 and cipk23 mutants exhibiting high-Mn-sensitive phenotype through the reverse genetics method. Furthermore, we identified the CIPK23 phosphorylated NRAMP1 through a variety of protein interaction techniques and protein kinase assays. Here, we demonstrated that two calcineurin B-like proteins, CBL1/9, and their interacting kinase CIPK23 positively regulated the tolerance of Mn toxicity in Arabidopsis. The cbl1 cbl9 double mutant and cipk23 mutants exhibited high-Mn-sensitive phenotypes, which manifested as decreased primary root length, biomass, and chlorophyll concentration, and higher accumulation of Mn. In addition, CIPK23 interacted with and phosphorylated the Mn transporter NRAMP1 primarily at Ser20/22 in vitro and in vivo, and thereby induced clathrin-mediated endocytosis of NRAMP1 to reduce its distribution on the plasma membrane and enhance plant tolerance to Mn toxicity. In summary, we found that the CBL1/9-CIPK23-NRAMP1 module regulates the tolerance to high-Mn toxicity and provide insight into a mechanism of the tolerance of plants to Mn toxicity.

Gain optimization of an erbium-ytterbium co-doped amplifier via a Si3N4 photonic platform.

Erbium-doped waveguide amplifiers enable the integration of various active functions on a silicon platform. Er3+ can provide the basis for efficient optical amplification of photonic integrated circuits, but the gain is limited by cooperative upconversion leading to doping concentration limitations and insufficient optimization of the waveguide structure. In this paper, an erbium-ytterbium co-doped Al2O3 amplifier has been innovatively implemented on a low loss Si3N4 waveguide by careful design and optimization with the finite difference method. A more accurate and comprehensive theoretical model of erbium-ytterbium co-doping is established, with consideration of upconversions, energy transfer, amplified spontaneous radiation and propagation loss to perform optimization of the high-gain erbium-ytterbium co-doped waveguide amplifier. The optimized waveguide amplifier achieves a small-signal gain of more than 36 dB at 1550 nm under Er3+ concentration of 3 × 1020 cm-3 and Yb3+ concentration of 3 × 1021 cm-3. Endowing Si3N4 photonic integrated circuits with gain can enable the miniaturization of various on-chip based active devices.