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Summary The optimization of plant architecture in order to breed high‐yielding soya bean cultivars is a goal of researchers. Tall plants bearing many long branches are desired, but only modest success in reaching these goals has been achieved. MicroRNA156 (miR156)‐SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN‐LIKE (SPL) gene modules play pivotal roles in controlling shoot architecture and other traits in crops like rice and wheat. However, the effects of miR156‐SPL modules on soya bean architecture and yield, and the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects, remain largely unknown. In this study, we achieved substantial improvements in soya bean architecture and yield by overexpressing GmmiR156b. Transgenic plants produced significantly increased numbers of long branches, nodes and pods, and they exhibited an increased 100‐seed weight, resulting in a 46%–63% increase in yield per plant. Intriguingly, GmmiR156b overexpression had no significant impact on plant height in a growth room or under field conditions; however, it increased stem thickness significantly. Our data indicate that GmmiR156b modulates these traits mainly via the direct cleavage of SPL transcripts. Moreover, we found that GmSPL9d is expressed in the shoot apical meristem and axillary meristems (AMs) of soya bean, and that GmSPL9d may regulate axillary bud formation and branching by physically interacting with the homeobox gene WUSCHEL (WUS), a central regulator of AM formation. Together, our results identify GmmiR156b as a promising target for the improvement of soya bean plant architecture and yields, and they reveal a new and conserved regulatory cascade involving miR156‐SPL‐WUS that will help researchers decipher the genetic basis of plant architecture.

Developing advanced membranes with high separation performance and robust mechanical properties is critical to the current water crisis. Herein, a general and scalable fabrication of nanoparticles (NPs)@reduced graphene oxide (rGO) membranes with significantly expanded nanochannels meanwhile ordered laminar structures using in situ synthesized NPs@rGO nanosheets as building blocks is reported. Size- and density-controllable NPs were uniformly grown on the regularly stacked rGO nanosheets through coordination, followed by filtration-deposition on inner surface of porous ceramic tubes. The NPs bonded rGO building blocks enabled the as-prepared membranes 1–2 orders of magnitudes higher water permeance than the counterparts while keeping excellent rejections for various organic matters and ions. Moreover, the industrially preferred GO-based tubular membrane exhibited an extraordinary structural stability under high-pressure and cross-flow process of water purification, which is considered as a notable step toward realizing scalable GO-based membranes. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2017

Graphene oxide (GO)-polyether block amide (PEBA) mixed matrix membranes were fabricated and the effects of GO lateral size on membranes morphologies, microstructures, physicochemical properties, and gas separation performances were systematically investigated. By varying the GO lateral sizes (100–200 nm, 1–2 μm, and 5–10 μm), the polymer chains mobility, as well as the length of the gas channels could be effectively manipulated. Among the as-prepared membranes, a GO-PEBA mixed matrix membrane (GO-M-PEBA) containing 0.1 wt % medium-lateral sized (1–2 μm) GO sheets showed the highest CO2 permeation performance (CO2 permeability of 110 Barrer and CO2/N2 mixed gas selectivity of 80), which transcends the Robeson upper bound. Also, this GO-PEBA mixed matrix membrane exhibited high stability during long-term operation testing. Optimized by GO lateral size, the developed GO-PEBA mixed matrix membrane shows promising potential for industrial implementation of efficient CO2 capture. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 2843–2852, 2016