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Summary: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation influences development and genome stability in organisms; however, its impact on meiosis, a special cell division essential for the delivery of genetic information across generations in eukaryotes, has not yet been elucidated.In this study, by performing cytogenetic studies, we reported that UV radiation does not damage meiotic chromosome integrity but attenuates centromere‐mediated chromosome stability and induces unreduced gametes in Arabidopsis thaliana.We showed that functional centromere‐specific histone 3 (CENH3) is required for obligate crossover formation and plays a role in the protection of sister chromatid cohesion under UV stress. Moreover, we found that UV specifically alters the orientation and organization of spindles and phragmoplasts at meiosis II, resulting in meiotic restitution and unreduced gametes. We determined that UV‐induced meiotic restitution does not rely on the UV Resistance Locus8‐mediated UV perception and the Tapetal Development and Function1‐ and Aborted Microspores‐dependent tapetum development, but possibly occurs via altered JASON function and downregulated Parallel Spindle1.This study provides evidence that UV radiation influences meiotic genome stability and gametophytic ploidy consistency in flowering plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) modeling is a widely used double‐exponential model for describing diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) signal, with a slow component related to pure molecular diffusion and a fast component associated with microcirculatory perfusion, which compensates for the limitations of traditional DWI. IVIM is a noninvasive technique for obtaining liver pathological information and characterizing liver lesions, and has potential applications in the initial diagnosis and treatment monitoring of liver diseases. Recent studies have demonstrated that IVIM‐derived parameters are useful for evaluating liver lesions, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), liver fibrosis and liver tumors. However, the results are not stable. Therefore, it is necessary to summarize the current applications of IVIM in liver disease research, identify existing shortcomings, and point out the future development direction. In this review, we searched for studies related to hepatic IVIM‐DWI applications over the past two decades in the PubMed database. We first introduce the fundamental principles and influential factors of IVIM, and then discuss its application in NAFLD, liver fibrosis, and focal hepatic lesions. It has been found that IVIM is still unstable in ensuring the robustness and reproducibility of measurements in the assessment of liver fibrosis grade and liver tumors differentiation, due to inconsistent and substantial overlap in the range of IVIM‐derived parameters for different fibrotic stages. In the end, the future direction of IVIM‐DWI in the assessment of liver diseases is discussed, emphasizing the need for further research on the stability of IVIM‐derived parameters, particularly perfusion‐related parameters, in order to promote the clinical practice of IVIM‐DWI. Level of Evidence: 5 Technical Efficacy: Stage 3 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of thoracic vertebrae (NTV) in pigs is an important economic trait that significantly influences pork production. While the Licha black pig is a well-known Chinese pig breed with multiple thoracic vertebrae, the genetic mechanism is still unknown. Here, we performed a selective signal analysis on the genome of Licha black pigs, comparing individuals with 15 NTV versus those with 16 NTV to better understand functional genes associated with NTV. A total of 2265 selection signal regions were detected across the genome, including 527 genes and 1073 QTL that overlapped with the selection signal regions. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that LRP5 and SP5 genes were involved in biological processes such as bone morphogenesis and Wnt protein binding. Furthermore, three genes, LRP8, DEF6, and SCUBE3, associated with osteoblast differentiation and bone formation, were located within or close to the QTL related to bone development and vertebrae number. These five genes were hypothesized to be potential candidates for regulating the NTV trait in Licha black pigs. Our findings revealed several candidate genes that play crucial roles in NTV regulation and provide a theoretical foundation to understand the genetic mechanism of the NTV trait in pig breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel modulation and multiplexing technology for reducing out-of-band leakage is proposed for multicarrier schemes based on CP-OFDM. The proposed method is to spread data of N layers with N selected spreading codes, then multiplex them into a data sequence and transmit it on 2K subcarriers. The N spreading codes, which can suppress out-of-band leakage, are selected out from a complete set of mutual orthogonal spreading codes. The simulation results show that the data modulation and multiplexing technology effectively reduces interference with neighboring frequency bands or adjacent sub-bands for different numerologies and so significantly improves spectrum efficiency

Laterally epitaxial two‐dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) heterojunctions are of considerable interest in recent years due to atomically sharp interfaces and tunable band alignment, which have potential applications in novel functional electronics and optoelectronics. However, the studies of 2D lateral heterostructures have mainly focused on the synthesis methods and pristine performance of the fabricated heterojunctions. Herein, the controllable photocurrent generation and enhanced performances of the lateral bilayer (LBL) MoS2–WS2 heterojunctions are reported. A tunable and abrupt built‐in field forms at the interface, and the gate‐tunable rectifying behavior and photovoltaic effect are realized. It is demonstrated that the generation of the photocurrent in the device can be highly controlled to realize ultrahigh responsivity of 1.06 × 104 A W−1 and detectivity of 1.14 × 1013 Jones at a 638 nm incident light. The lateral TMDs heterostructures are expected to constitute the ultimate functional elements of novel electronics and optoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The risk of toxic metals in sediments were assessed at different depths. • Pb and cd binding to surface sediments is mainly mediated by organic functional groups. • Mineral components were mainly bound to toxic metals in the bottom sediments. • Mineral compounds (Fe, Mn), Pb, and c functional groups were unevenly distributed. • The type and sequence of toxic metal binding changed with sediment depth. The excessive accumulation of potentially toxic metals (Pb and Cd) in coastal wetlands is among the main factors threatening wetland ecosystems. However, the effects of water table depth (WTD) on the risk and binding mechanisms of potentially toxic metals in sediments remain unclear. Here, sediments from different WTD obtained from a typical coastal wetland were evaluated using a newly developed strategy based on chemical extraction methods coupled with high-resolution spectroscopy. Our findings indicated that the WTD of the coastal wetland fluctuates frequently and the average enrichment factor for Pb was categorized as minor, whereas Cd enrichment was categorized as moderate. High-resolution spectroscopy techniques also demonstrated that organic functional groups and partly inorganic compounds (e.g., Fe-O/Si-O) played a vital role in the binding of Pb and Cd to surface sediments. Additionally, mineral components rather than organic groups were mainly bound to these metals in the bottom sediments. Collectively, our findings provide key insights into the potential health effects and binding characteristics of potentially toxic metals in sediments, as well as their dynamic behavior under varying sediment depths at a microscale. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus (P) is typically associated with iron (Fe) hydroxides in paddy soils. Our study investigated the impact of different fertilization treatments on the availability of P regulated by Fe redox transformation in a rice (Oryza sativa L.)–wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cropping system in the mid‐low reaches of the Yangtze River. Five fertilization treatments were examined: control (CK), chemical fertilizer (CF), 35% CF (P) plus pig manure compost (CFM), 100% CF (P) plus straw (CFS), and 35% CF (P) plus pig manure compost and straw (CFMS). Nine‐year rice–wheat rotations increased the oxalate‐extractable poorly crystalline Fe hydroxides (i.e., Feo) by 33%–87% compared with the initial soil, while fertilization further accelerated this process. Compost application increased the proportion of labile P by 75%–108% and decreased the proportion of non‐labile P by 14%–22% compared with the single chemical fertilization treatment. Furthermore, organic fertilization increased the mass proportions of macroaggregates and macroaggregate‐associated labile P. The Feo was positively correlated with the content of labile P but negatively correlated with the proportion of non‐labile P. Moreover, the reductive dissolution of Fe hydroxides was accompanied by the transformation of P from NaOH‐extractable to NaHCO3‐ and H2O‐extractable phases. These results indicate that seasonal alternation of drying and wetting can progressively drive the redox transformation of Fe hydroxides and promote the formation of Feo, thereby affecting the availability of P. Therefore, we suggested that P fertilizer should be reduced in the rice season due to the reduction of Fe hydroxides, particularly in the compost‐amended soils in the temperate rice–wheat cropping system. Core Ideas: Fertilization accelerated the poorly crystalline iron hydroxide formation.Organic fertilization enhanced the availability of phosphorus.Poorly crystalline iron hydroxide formation contributed to the increase in phosphorus availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]