Search

Simple Summary: Erect leaves are one of the important phenotypes for plants to adapt to dense planting. This study obtained the erect leaf mutant mths29 through fast neutron irradiation and directional breeding. Dynamic observation of lamina joint development in the mutant and its genetic parent Heng S29 revealed an extreme phenotype during the booting stage, characterized by the complete absence of lamina joint on the inverted second leaves and flag leaves, resulting in a close adhesion of the leaf blade to the stem and the formation of an erect leaf phenotype. Through map-based cloning, the erect leaf QTL was localized within a physical interval of 1.03 Mb on chromosome 5A, and four potential candidate genes were predicted. Here, we demonstrate that mths29 represents a novel genetic resource for erect leaf traits in wheat. This study contributes to a better understanding of lamina joint development in graminaceous and aids in shaping plant architecture for denser planting. The erect leaf plays a crucial role in determining plant architecture, with its growth and development regulated by genetic factors. However, there has been a lack of comprehensive studies on the regulatory mechanisms governing wheat lamina joint development, thus failing to meet current breeding demands. In this study, a wheat erect leaf mutant, mths29, induced via fast neutron mutagenesis, was utilized for QTL fine mapping and investigation of lamina joint development. Genetic analysis of segregating populations derived from mths29 and Jimai22 revealed that the erect leaf trait was controlled by a dominant single gene. Using BSR sequencing and map-based cloning techniques, the QTL responsible for the erect leaf trait was mapped to a 1.03 Mb physical region on chromosome 5A. Transcriptome analysis highlighted differential expression of genes associated with cell division and proliferation, as well as several crucial transcription factors and kinases implicated in lamina joint development, particularly in the boundary cells of the preligule zone in mths29. These findings establish a solid foundation for understanding lamina joint development and hold promise for potential improvements in wheat plant architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuously increasing bank sizes have received much attention from both policymakers and researchers. We present new estimates of returns to scale in cost, revenue, and profit for European banks over 2000–2020 based on nonparametric, local‐linear methods. We find that most banks faced increasing returns to scale in cost and decreasing returns to scale in revenue and profit across years, across European countries, and across bank size quartiles. Our results suggest that restricting the size of banks may not bring too much loss of revenue and profit, but could prevent European banks from exploiting increasing returns to scale in cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum), a major staple crop, has a remarkably large genome of ~14.4 Gb (containing 106 913 high‐confidence [HC] and 159 840 low‐confidence [LC] genes in the Chinese Spring v2.1 reference genome), which poses a major challenge for functional genomics studies. To overcome this hurdle, we performed whole‐exome sequencing to generate a nearly saturated wheat mutant database containing 18 025 209 mutations induced by ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), carbon (C)‐ion beams, or γ‐ray mutagenesis. This database contains an average of 47.1 mutations per kb in each gene‐coding sequence: the potential functional mutations were predicted to cover 96.7% of HC genes and 70.5% of LC genes. Comparative analysis of mutations induced by EMS, γ‐rays, or C‐ion beam irradiation revealed that γ‐ray and C‐ion beam mutagenesis induced a more diverse array of variations than EMS, including large‐fragment deletions, small insertions/deletions, and various non‐synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms. As a test case, we combined mutation analysis with phenotypic screening and rapidly mapped the candidate gene responsible for the phenotype of a yellow‐green leaf mutant to a 2.8‐Mb chromosomal region. Furthermore, a proof‐of‐concept reverse genetics study revealed that mutations in gibberellic acid biosynthesis and signalling genes could be associated with negative impacts on plant height. Finally, we built a publically available database of these mutations with the corresponding germplasm (seed stock) repository to facilitate advanced functional genomics studies in wheat for the broad plant research community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Si-based optical position-sensitive detectors (PSDs) have stimulated the interest of researchers due to their wide range of practical applications. However, due to the rigidity and fragility of Si crystals, the applications of flexible PSDs have been limited. Therefore, we presented a flexible broadband PSD based on a WS2/Si heterostructure for the first time. A scalable sputtering method was used to deposit WS2 thin films onto the etched ultrathin crystalline Si surface. The fabricated flexible PSD device has a broad spectral response in the wavelength range of 450–1350 nm, with a high position sensitivity of ∼539.8 mV·mm−1 and a fast response of 2.3 µs, thanks to the strong light absorption, the built-in electrical field at the WS2/Si interface, and facilitated transport. Furthermore, mechanical-bending tests revealed that after 200 mechanical-bending cycles, the WS2/Si PSDs have excellent mechanical flexibility, stability, and durability, demonstrating the great potential in wearable PSDs with competitive performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: A minor-effect QTL, Qhd.2AS, that affects heading date in wheat was mapped to a genomic interval of 1.70-Mb on 2AS, and gene analysis indicated thatthe C2H2-type zinc finger proteingene TraesCS2A02G181200is the best candidate for Qhd.2AS. Heading date (HD) is a complex quantitative trait that determines the regional adaptability of cereal crops, and identifying the underlying genetic elements with minor effects on HD is important for improving wheat production in diverse environments. In this study, a minor QTL for HD that we named Qhd.2AS was detected on the short arm of chromosome 2A by Bulked Segregant Analysis and validated in a recombinant inbred population. Using a segregating population of 4894 individuals, Qhd.2AS was further delimited to an interval of 0.41 cM, corresponding to a genomic region spanning 1.70 Mb (from 138.87 to 140.57 Mb) that contains 16 high-confidence genes based on IWGSC RefSeq v1.0. Analyses of sequence variations and gene transcription indicated that TraesCS2A02G181200, which encodes a C2H2-type zinc finger protein, is the best candidate gene for Qhd.2AS that influences HD. Screening a TILLING mutant library identified two mutants with premature stop codons in TraesCS2A02G181200, both of which exhibited a delay in HD of 2–4 days. Additionally, variations in its putative regulatory sites were widely present in natural accession, and we also identified the allele which was positively selected during wheat breeding. Epistatic analyses indicated that Qhd.2AS-mediated HD variation is independent of VRN-B1 and environmental factors. Phenotypic investigation of homozygous recombinant inbred lines (RILs) and F2:3 families showed that Qhd.2AS has no negative effect on yield-related traits. These results provide important cues for refining HD and therefore improving yield in wheat breeding programs and will deepen our understanding of the genetic regulation of HD in cereal plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heading date (HD) is an important trait for wide adaptability and yield stability in wheat. The Vernalization 1 (VRN1) gene is a key regulatory factor controlling HD in wheat. The identification of allelic variations in VRN1 is crucial for wheat improvement as climate change becomes more of a threat to agriculture. In this study, we identified an EMS-induced late-heading wheat mutant je0155 and crossed it with wide-type (WT) Jing411 to construct an F2 population of 344 individuals. Through Bulk Segregant Analysis (BSA) of early and late-heading plants, we identified a Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) for HD on chromosome 5A. Further genetic linkage analysis limited the QTL to a physical region of 0.8 Mb. Cloning and sequencing revealed three copies of VRN-A1 in the WT and mutant lines; one copy contained a missense mutation of C changed to T in exon 4 and another copy contained a mutation in intron 5. Genotype and phenotype analysis of the segregation population validated that the mutations in VRN-A1 contributed to the late HD phenotype in the mutant. Expression analysis of C- or T-type alleles in exon 4 of the WT and mutant lines indicated that this mutation led to lower expression of VRN-A1, which resulted in the late-heading of je0155. This study provides valuable information for the genetic regulation of HD and many important resources for HD refinement in wheat breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant height is a key agronomic trait that is closely to the plant morphology and lodging resistance in wheat. However, at present, the few dwarf genes widely used in wheat breeding have narrowed wheat genetic diversity. In this study, we selected a semi-dwarf wheat mutant dwarf33 that exhibits decreased plant height with little serious negative impact on other agronomic traits. Genetic analysis and mutant gene mapping indicated that dwarf33 contains a new recessive semi-dwarf gene Rht-SN33d, which was mapped into ~1.3 Mb interval on the 3DL chromosome. The gibberellin metabolism-related gene TraesCS3D02G542800, which encodes gibberellin 2-beta-dioxygenase, is considered a potential candidate gene of Rht-SN33d. Rht-SN33d reduced plant height by approximately 22.4% in mutant dwarf33. Further study revealed that shorter stem cell length may be the main factor causing plant height decrease. In addition, the coleoptile length of dwarf33 was just 9.3% shorter than that of wild-type Shaannong33. These results will help to expand our understanding of new mechanisms of wheat height regulation, and obtain new germplasm for wheat improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several health benefits are obtained from resistant starch, also known as healthy starch. Enhancing resistant starch with genetic modification has huge commercial importance. The variation of resistant starch content is narrow in wheat, in relation to which limited improvement has been attained. Hence, there is a need to produce a wheat population that has a wide range of variations in resistant starch content. In the present study, stable mutants were screened that showed significant variation in the resistant starch content. A megazyme kit was used for measuring the resistant starch content, digestible starch, and total starch. The analysis of variance showed a significant difference in the mutant population for resistant starch. Furthermore, four diverse mutant lines for resistant starch content were used to study the quantitative expression patterns of 21 starch metabolic pathway genes; and to evaluate the candidate genes for resistant starch biosynthesis. The expression pattern of 21 starch metabolic pathway genes in two diverse mutant lines showed a higher expression of key genes regulating resistant starch biosynthesis (GBSSI and their isoforms) in the high resistant starch mutant lines, in comparison to the parent variety (J411). The expression of SBEs genes was higher in the low resistant starch mutants. The other three candidate genes showed overexpression (BMY, Pho1, Pho2) and four had reduced (SSIII, SBEI, SBEIII, ISA3) expression in high resistant starch mutants. The overexpression of AMY and ISA1 in the high resistant starch mutant line JE0146 may be due to missense mutations in these genes. Similarly, there was a stop_gained mutation for PHO2; it also showed overexpression. In addition, the gene expression analysis of 21 starch metabolizing genes in four different mutants (low and high resistant starch mutants) shows that in addition to the important genes, several other genes (phosphorylase, isoamylases) may be involved and contribute to the biosynthesis of resistant starch. There is a need to do further study about these new genes, which are responsible for the fluctuation of resistant starch in the mutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a two-dimensional crystal, molybdenum trioxides (α-MoO 3) has been considered as a typical candidate for next-generation photodetectors (PDs) but with limited photodetection applications in the ultraviolet region. Here, a photo-induced thermoelectric (PTE) effect in α-MoO 3 is proposed as a practical approach to realize the broadband photodetection of α-MoO 3 /Si heterojunction PDs. High-quality α-MoO 3 films are grown on Si by using an e-beam evaporation method. By modulating the photo-induced thermoelectric potential along the c-axis on the transport properties, the α-MoO 3 /Si PDs can be operated as a self-powered device, showing broadband photoresponse beyond the bandgap limitation in the wavelength range of 405–1550 nm. The manipulation of the PTE effect in the heterojunction is investigated carefully, clarifying the corresponding physical mechanisms of the unique photoresponse behaviors. Furthermore, the fabricated device exhibits competitive photodetection performance with a high photoresponsivity of 63.3 mA/W, a high optical detectivity of 3.1 × 1011 cm Hz1/2W−1, fast response speeds with the rise/fall times of 0.47/0.76 ms, as well as high durability and environmental stability under 980-nm infrared illumination. These results not only provide a novel strategy to develop novel PDs with high performance, but also supply a deeply understanding of the PTE effect in α-MoO 3 /Si heterojunctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its striking optical, electrical and mechanical properties, cadmium telluride (CdTe) has received tremendous interest in developing next-generation optoelectronic devices. However, stretchable photodetectors (PDs) based on high-quality CdTe films are still challenging. Herein, single-crystalline (111)-oriented CdTe ultrathin films are grown epitaxially onto the surface of NaCl by using a sputtering method. Through designing the exfoliation and transfer procedure of the centimeter level film from the NaCl crystal onto the PDMS template, stretchable CdTe PDs are fabricated successfully. The PDs have a broadband photoresponse in the wavelength range of 404–808 nm, especially displaying a high photoresponsivity of 127.2 mA W−1, a high photodetectivity of 9.1 × 1010 Jones under 650 nm-laser irradiation and fast response rates. Significantly, the CdTe PDs exhibit excellent mechanical durability over 200 stretching cycles and high environmental stability. This work provides novel strategies to develop high-performance wearable CdTe optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating shadow prices is critical in devising environmental regulatory policies for pollutants. Compared to traditional frontier estimation methods, this paper uses a recently developed data-driven approach named convex quantile regression, taking both the noise and inefficiency into account and estimating the shadow prices locally. This paper is the first work applying convex quantile regression to jointly evaluate shadow prices of CO2, SO2, and NOx produced by U.S. coal power plants from 2010 to 2017. During this period, five major regulatory provisions were implemented for U.S. coal power plants. We find that the shadow prices of CO2, SO2, and NOx increased from 2010 to 2017. The increase in the shadow price of CO2 is mainly due to the increase in electricity prices, while the increase in shadow prices of SO2 and NOx is mainly due to the successful emission reductions. Moreover, the results show that the CSARP and CSARP Update have significantly increased the shadow prices of SO2 and NOx. However, the relatively lower market allowance prices compared to the shadow prices indicate that society could benefit more if the government could increase the market prices of the pollutants to be more close to the shadow prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper combines the semiparametric modified ordinary least-squares approach by Simar et al. (2017) with the nonparametric shape constraint regression approach by Du et al. (2013) to evaluate the performance in the semiconductor industry. Using panel data on 470 companies in the global semiconductor industry over 1999–2018, we compare technical eficiencies between the integrated device manufacturer business model and the fabless-foundry business model. The performance differences between the vertically integrated device manufacturers and the vertically specialized fabless and foundry firms are disentangled by the intensity of labour and capital in a very flexible form. The estimation results indicate that the capital-intensive integrated device manufacturers taking advantage of the economies of scale are operating more efficiently than the niche fabless companies in the global semiconductor industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Induced mutagenesis is a powerful approach for the creation of novel germplasm and the improvement of agronomic traits. The evaluation of mutagenic effects and functional variations in crops is needed for breeding mutant strains. To investigate the mutagenic effects of gamma-ray irradiation in wheat, this study characterized genomic variations of wheat early heading mutant (eh1) as compared to wild-type (WT) Zhongyuan 9 (ZY9). Whole-genome resequencing of eh1 and ZY9 produced 737.7 Gb sequencing data and identified a total of 23,537,117 homozygous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and 1,608,468 Indel. Analysis of SNP distribution across the chromosome suggests that mutation hotspots existed in certain chromosomal regions. Among the three subgenomes, the variation frequency in subgenome D was significantly lower than in subgenomes A and B. A total of 27.8 Gb data were obtained by exome-capturing sequencing, while 217,948 SNP and 13,554 Indel were identified. Variation annotation in the gene-coding sequences demonstrated that 5.0% of the SNP and 5.3% of the Indel were functionally important. Characterization of exomic variations in 12 additional gamma-ray-induced mutant lines further provided additional insights into the mutagenic effects of this approach. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) analysis suggested that genes with functional variations were enriched in several metabolic pathways, including plant–pathogen interactions and ADP binding. Kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) genotyping with selected SNP within functional genes indicated that 85.7% of the SNPs were polymorphic between the eh1 and wild type. This study provides a basic understanding of the mechanism behind gamma-ray irradiation in hexaploid wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wheat AP2 family gene Q controls domestication traits, including spike morphology and threshability, which are critical for the widespread cultivation and yield improvement of wheat. Although many studies have investigated the molecular mechanisms of the Q gene, its direct target genes, especially those controlling spike morphology, are not clear, and its regulatory pathways are not well established. In this study, we conducted gene mapping of a wheat speltoid spike mutant and found that a new allele of the Q gene with protein truncation played a role in spike morphology variation in the mutant. Dynamic expression levels of the Q gene throughout the spike development process suggested that the transcript abundances of the mutant were decreased at the W6 and W7 scales compared to those of the WT. We identified several mutation sites on the Q gene and showed that mutations in different domains resulted in distinct phenotypes. In addition, we found that the Q gene produced three transcripts via alternative splicing and that they exhibited differential expression patterns in nodes, internodes, flag leaves, and spikes. Finally, we identified several target genes directly downstream of Q, including TaGRF1-2D and TaMGD-6B , and proposed a possible regulatory network. This study uncovered the target genes of Q, and the results can help to clarify the mechanism of wheat spike morphology and thereby improve wheat grain yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stem elongation is a critical phase for yield determination and, as a major trait, is targeted for manipulation for improvement in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In a previous study, we characterized a mutant showing rapid stem elongation but with no effect on plant height at maturity. The present study aimed to finely map the underlying mutated gene, qd1 , in this mutant. By analyzing an F2 segregating population consisting of 606 individuals, we found that the qd1 gene behaved in a dominant manner. Moreover, by using the bulked segregant RNA sequencing (BSR-seq)-based linkage analysis method, we initially mapped the qd1 gene to a 13.55 Mb region on chromosome 4B (from 15.41 to 28.96 Mb). This result was further confirmed in F2 and BC3F2 segregating populations. Furthermore, by using transcriptome sequencing data, we developed 14 Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR (KASP) markers and then mapped the qd1 gene to a smaller and more precise 5.08 Mb interval from 26.80 to 31.88 Mb. To develop additional markers to finely map the qd1 gene, a total of 4,481 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the 5.08 Mb interval were screened, and 25 KASP markers were developed based on 10x-depth genome resequencing data from both wild-type (WT) and mutant plants. The qd1 gene was finally mapped to a 1.33 Mb interval from 28.86 to 30.19 Mb on chromosome 4B. Four candidate genes were identified in this region. Among them, the expression pattern of only TraesCS4B02G042300 in the stems was concurrent with the stem development of the mutant and WT. The qd1 gene could be used in conjunction with molecular markers to manipulate stem development in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives High-frequent opioid use tends to increase an individual's risk of opioid use disorder, overdose and death. Thus, it is important to predict an individuals' opioid use frequency to improve opioid prescription utilization outcomes. Methods Individuals receiving at least one opioid prescription from 2016 to 2018 in the national representative data, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, were included. This study applied five machine learning (ML) techniques, including support vector machine, random forest, neural network, gradient boosting and XGBoost (extreme gradient boosting), to predict opioid use frequency. This study compared the performance of these ML models with penalized logistic regression. The study outcome was whether an individual lied in the upper 10% of the opioid prescription distribution. Predictors were selected based on Gelberg–Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Utilization. The prediction performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and the area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC) in the test data. Patient characteristics as predictors for high-frequency use of opioids were ranked by the relative importance in prediction in the test data. Key findings Random forest and gradient boosting achieved the top values of both AUROC and AUPRC, outperforming logistic regression and three other ML methods. In the best performing model, the random forest, the following characteristics had high predictive power in the frequency of opioid use: age, number of chronic conditions, public insurance and self-perceived health status. Conclusions The results of this study demonstrate that ML techniques can be a promising and powerful technique in predicting the frequency of opioid use and health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are challenged with adhering to complex medication regimens. We examined effects of Comprehensive Medication Review (CMR), a required Medicare Part D Medication Therapy Management (MTM) program component, on medication adherence among AD patients. This retrospective study analyzed 100% of 2016–2017 Medicare claims covering the entire United States, linked to Area Health Resources Files. Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65 years were included. Propensity score matching identified comparable intervention and comparison groups with the intervention defined as receiving a CMR in 2017. A difference-in-differences analysis included in multivariate logistic regressions an interaction term between CMR receipt and year 2017. The outcome measured was nonadherence to diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia medications, with nonadherence defined as proportion of days covered <80% for study medications. Unadjusted comparisons indicated the proportion of nonadherence for intervention group members decreased from 2016 to 2017 but increased for the comparison group. In adjusted analyses, reduction in medication nonadherence among the intervention group remained higher: odds ratios for the interaction term were 0.62 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.54–0.71), 0.54 (95% CI = 0.50–0.58) and 0.50 (95% CI = 0.47–0.53) respectively for diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia medications. This suggests that the likelihood of nonadherence in the intervention group was respectively reduced by 38%, 46% and 50% more than the comparison group. CMR was found to reduce nonadherence to diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia medications among older Medicare beneficiaries with AD. This provides evidence that the MTM program is effective for a population with unique medication compliance challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manipulation of genes involved in starch synthesis could significantly affect wheat grain weight and yield. The starch-branching enzyme (SBE) catalyzes the formation of branch points by cleaving the α-1,4 linkage in polyglucans and reattaching the chain via an α-1,6 linkage. Three types of SBE isoforms (SBEI, SBEII, and SBEIII) exist in higher plants, with the number of SBE isoforms being species-specific. In this study, the coding sequence of the wheat TaSBEIII gene was amplified. After the multiple sequence alignment of TaSBEIII genome from 20 accessions in a wheat diversity panel, one SNP was observed in TaSBEIII-A , which formed the allelic marker allele-T. Based on this SNP at 294 bp (C/T), a KASP molecular marker was developed to distinguish allelic variation among the wheat genotypes for thousand grain weight (TGW). The results were validated using 262 accessions of mini core collection (MCC) from China, 153 from Pakistan, 53 from CIMMYT, and 17 diploid and 18 tetraploid genotypes. Association analysis between TaSBEIII-A allelic variation and agronomic traits found that TaSBEIII-A was associated with TGW in mini core collection of China (MCC). The accessions possessing Allele-T had higher TGW than those possessing Allele-C ; thus, Allele-T was a favorable allelic variation. By analyzing the frequency of the favorable allelic variation Allele-T in MCC, it increased from pre-1950 (25%) to the 1960s (45%) and increased continuously from 1960 to 1990 (80%). The results suggested that the KASP markers can be utilized in grain weight improvement, which ultimately improves wheat yield by marker-assisted selection in wheat breeding. The favorable allelic variation allele-T should be valuable in enhancing grain yield by improving the source and sink simultaneously. Furthermore, the newly developed KASP marker validated in different genetic backgrounds could be integrated into a breeding kit for screening high TGW wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]