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Bipolar membranes (BPMs) have emerged as a promising solution for mitigating CO2 losses, salt precipitation and high maintenance costs associated with the commonly used anion‐exchange membrane electrode assembly for CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). However, the industrial implementation of BPM‐based zero‐gap electrolyzer is hampered by the poor CO2RR performance, largely attributed to the local acidic environment. Here, we report a backbone engineering strategy to improve the CO2RR performance of molecular catalysts in BPM‐based zero‐gap electrolyzers by covalently grafting cobalt tetraaminophthalocyanine onto a positively charged polyfluorene backbone (PF‐CoTAPc). PF‐CoTAPc shows a high acid tolerance in BPM electrode assembly (BPMEA), achieving a high FE of 82.6 % for CO at 100 mA/cm2 and a high CO2 utilization efficiency of 87.8 %. Notably, the CO2RR selectivity, carbon utilization efficiency and long‐term stability of PF‐CoTAPc in BPMEA outperform reported BPM systems. We attribute the enhancement to the stable cationic shield in the double layer and suppression of proton migration, ultimately inhibiting the undesired hydrogen evolution and improving the CO2RR selectivity. Techno‐economic analysis shows the least energy consumption (957 kJ/mol) for the PF‐CoTAPc catalyst in BPMEA. Our findings provide a viable strategy for designing efficient CO2RR catalysts in acidic environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bipolar membranes (BPMs) have emerged as a promising solution for mitigating CO2 losses, salt precipitation and high maintenance costs associated with the commonly used anion‐exchange membrane electrode assembly for CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). However, the industrial implementation of BPM‐based zero‐gap electrolyzer is hampered by the poor CO2RR performance, largely attributed to the local acidic environment. Here, we report a backbone engineering strategy to improve the CO2RR performance of molecular catalysts in BPM‐based zero‐gap electrolyzers by covalently grafting cobalt tetraaminophthalocyanine onto a positively charged polyfluorene backbone (PF‐CoTAPc). PF‐CoTAPc shows a high acid tolerance in BPM electrode assembly (BPMEA), achieving a high FE of 82.6 % for CO at 100 mA/cm2 and a high CO2 utilization efficiency of 87.8 %. Notably, the CO2RR selectivity, carbon utilization efficiency and long‐term stability of PF‐CoTAPc in BPMEA outperform reported BPM systems. We attribute the enhancement to the stable cationic shield in the double layer and suppression of proton migration, ultimately inhibiting the undesired hydrogen evolution and improving the CO2RR selectivity. Techno‐economic analysis shows the least energy consumption (957 kJ/mol) for the PF‐CoTAPc catalyst in BPMEA. Our findings provide a viable strategy for designing efficient CO2RR catalysts in acidic environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective was to synthesize results from studies that assessed symptom relief after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment for post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and investigate the long‐term effectiveness of rTMS for treating PTSD. We searched multiple databases for relevant randomized controlled trials of rTMS for PTSD treatment up to 1 January 2023. Two researchers evaluated the studies and focused on the CAPS and PCL as outcome indicators. We used STATA17 SE software for the data analysis. Eight articles involving 309 PTSD patients were analysed in a meta‐analysis, which found that rTMS had a significant and large effect on reducing core post‐traumatic symptoms [Hedges'g = 1.75, 95% CI (1.18, 2.33)]. Both low and high‐frequency rTMS also significantly reduced symptoms, with the latter having a greater effect. rTMS was shown to have a long‐term effect on PTSD, with all three subgroup analyses demonstrating significant results. Interestingly, no significant difference in symptom relief was found between the follow‐up and completion of treatments [Hedges'g = 0.01, 95% CI (−0.30, 0.33)], suggesting that the treatment effect of rTMS is stable. The meta‐analysis provides strong evidence that rTMS is effective in reducing the severity and symptoms of PTSD in patients, and follow‐up studies confirm its long‐term stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nineteen polyoxygenated eunicellin diterpenoids, named klyflaccilins B‐T (1–19), were isolated from the South China Sea soft coral Klyxum flaccidum. Their structures were established by extensive spectroscopic analysis and for several of the isolated compounds the absolute configurations were determined by X‐ray diffraction analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new diterpene synthase from the actinomycete Catenulispora acidiphila was identified and the structures of its products were elucidated, including the absolute configurations by an enantioselective deuteration approach. The mechanism of the cationic terpene cyclisation cascade was deeply studied through the use of isotopically labelled substrates and of substrate analogues with partially blocked reactivity, resulting in derailment products that gave further insights into the intermediates along the cascade. Their chemistry was studied, leading to the biomimetic synthesis of a diterpenoid analogue of a brominated sesquiterpene known from the red seaweed Laurencia microcladia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eine neue Diterpensynthase aus dem Actinomyceten Catenulispora acidiphila wurde identifiziert und die Strukturen ihrer Produkte wurden aufgeklärt, einschließlich der absoluten Konfigurationen, die durch enantioselektive Deuterierung ermittelt wurden. Der Mechanismus der kationischen Terpencyclisierungskaskade wurde mit isotopenmarkierten Substraten und mit Substratanaloga mit partiell blockierter Reaktivität studiert. Letztere lieferten Abbruchprodukte, die detaillierte Einblicke in die Intermediate entlang der Kaskadenreaktion gaben. Untersuchungen zu ihrer Chemie erlaubten die biomimetische Synthese eines diterpenoiden Analogons eines bromierten Sesquiterpens aus der Rotalge Laurencia microcladia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most, if not all, modern vertebrate species have evolved exquisite inner ears to discriminate acoustic signals of different frequencies, through a process called frequency tuning. For non-mammalian species, at least part of frequency tuning has been attributed to intrinsic electrical properties of hair cells, i.e. electrical tuning. Since it was first discovered, the traditional method to assess electrical tuning has been to inject step current into hair cells and examine dampened membrane voltage oscillation. However, this method is not applicable for hair cells that do not oscillate. In this study, we developed a Zap current method that can be unbiasedly applied to all hair cells regardless of their oscillating behavior. Similar to a chirp sound in acoustic stimulation, a Zap current is a sinusoidal current with the frequency increased linearly with time. We first validated this new method with the traditional step current method on hair cells with dampened membrane voltage oscillation, and then applied it to all hair cells in the intact amphibian papilla of bullfrogs. We found that while hair cells with dampened membrane voltage oscillation are sharply tuned, non-oscillating hair cells are broadly tuned. In addition, we found a third type of hair cells, which oscillate continuously and are extremely sharply tuned, with multiple peaks that are reminiscent of harmonics in the mammalian cochlea. In conclusion, the new Zap current method provides an unbiased way to assess electrical tuning, and it reveals an underappreciated heterogeneity of electrical tuning in the bullfrog amphibian papilla. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten novel xylan bisphenylcarbamate derivatives bearing meta- and para-substituents on their phenyl groups were synthesized and their abilities were evaluated as the chiral stationary phases (CSPs) for high-performance (HPLC) after coating them on macroporous silica. The abilities of these CSPs depended on the nature, position, and number of the substituents on the phenyl moieties. The introduction of an electron-donating group was more attractive than an electron-withdrawing group to improve the ability of the xylan phenylcarbamate derivatives. Among the CSPs discussed in this study, xylan bis(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate)-based CSP seems to possess the highest resolving power for many racemates, and the meta-substituted CSPs showed relatively better than the para-substituted ones. For some racemates, the xylan bis(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) derivative exhibited higher than the CSP based on cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate). Chirality 27:518-522, 2015 © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnesium‐based hydrogen storage material (MgH2) has attracted much attention due to its high hydrogen storage density (7.6 wt%). However, the high hydrogen dissociation enthalpy and slow hydrogen dissociation rate in bulk Mg hinder its wide application in the efficient hydrogen storage. In the present work, we study the hydrogen adsorption and desorption reactions of MgmHn (m = 1–6) nanoclusters using density functional theory. From the global search for the configurations of MgmHn nanoclusters, we found not only stable saturated MgmHn (n = 2m) nanoclusters, but four hydrogen‐enriched MgmHn (n:m > 2:1) nanoclusters, Mg3H7, Mg4H9, Mg5H11, Mg6H13, with the hydrogen storage density higher than 8.3 wt%. The electronic‐structure calculations indicate that the stability of the hydrogen‐enriched cluster gets relatively higher for larger nanocluster. The ab initio dynamics simulations shows that all hydrogen‐enriched clusters have very fast hydrogen dissociation rates, which is promising for the hydrogen dissociation at ambient temperature and pressure. This work provides valuable insights into the hydrogen storage mechanism of nano‐magnesium materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hair cell synapses in the ear and photoreceptor synapses in the eye are the first synapses in the auditory and visual system. These specialized synapses transmit a large amount of sensory information in a fast and efficient manner. Moreover, both small and large signals with widely variable kinetics must be quickly encoded and reliably transmitted to allow an animal to rapidly monitor and react to its environment. Here we briefly review some aspects of these primary synapses, which are characterized by a synaptic ribbon in their active zones of transmitter release. We propose that these synapses are themselves highly specialized for the task at hand. Photoreceptor and bipolar cell ribbon synapses in the retina appear to have versatile properties that permit both tonic and phasic transmitter release. This allows them to transmit changes of both luminance and contrast within a visual field at different ambient light levels. By contrast, hair cell ribbon synapses are specialized for a highly synchronous form of multivesicular release that may be critical for phase locking to low-frequency sound-evoked signals at both low and high sound intensities. The microarchitecture of a hair cell synapse may be such that the opening of a single Ca2+ channel evokes the simultaneous exocytosis of multiple synaptic vesicles. Thus, the differing demands of sensory encoding in the eye and ear generate diverse designs and capabilities for their ribbon synapses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graph classification is an important data mining task, and various graph kernel methods have been proposed recently for this task. These methods have proven to be effective, but they tend to have high computational overhead. In this paper, we propose an alternative approach to graph classification that is based on feature vectors constructed from different global topological attributes, as well as global label features. The main idea is that the graphs from the same class should have similar topological and label attributes. Our method is simple and easy to implement, and via a detailed comparison on real benchmark datasets, we show that our topological and label feature-based approach delivers competitive classification accuracy, with significantly better results on those datasets that have large unlabeled graph instances. Our method is also substantially faster than most other graph kernels. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycomb-group (Pc-G) proteins repress their target gene expression by assemble complexes in Drosophila and mammals. Three groups of Pc-G genes, controlling seed development, flower development and vernalization response, have been identified in Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana L.). MEDEA (MEA), FERTILIZATION INDEPENDENT SEED2 ( FIS2), and FERTILIZATION INDEPENDENT ENDOSPERM ( FIE) are Pc-G genes in Arabidopsis. Their functions in seed development have been extensively explored. The advanced findings of molecular mechanism on how MEA, FIS2 and FIE control seed development in Arabidopsis are reviewed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) were used to map brain activation during language tasks. While previous studies have compared performance between alphabetic literate and illiterate subjects, there have been no such data in Chinese-speaking individuals. In this study, we used fMRI to examine the effects of education on neural activation associated with silent word recognition and silent picture-naming tasks in 24 healthy right-handed Chinese subjects (12 illiterates and 12 literates). There were 30 single Chinese characters in the silent word recognition task and 30 meaningful road-signs in the silent picture-naming task. When we compared literate and illiterate subjects, we observed education-related differences in activation patterns in the left inferior/middle frontal gyrus and both sides of the superior temporal gyrus for the silent word recognition task and in the bilateral inferior/middle frontal gyrus and left limbic cingulated gyrus for the silent picture-naming task. These results indicate that the patterns of neural activation associated with language tasks are strongly influenced by education. Education appears to have enhanced cognitive processing efficiency in language tasks. Hum Brain Mapp, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimization problems widely exist in different real‐world applications. Ant lion optimizer (ALO) is an effective optimization algorithm that simulates the hunting behavior of antlions, but it will easily fall into local optima. To address this issue, this paper proposes a modified version of ALO called spatial ant lion optimizer (SALO). SALO makes full use of spatial informations of solutions to promote its searchability. It utilizes a distance‐based indicator instead of objective fitness to choose ant lions for updating solutions. Besides, it maintains a candidate enhanced archive by a distance‐based updating approach and implements a hybrid‐enhanced strategy in the archive to search for better solutions. Exhaust experiments are carried out through six classic benchmark functions and seven state‐of‐the‐art compared algorithms, and the results validate the superior performance of SALO. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meat intake, particularly from oily fish, has been associated with various chronic diseases. However, its relationship with acne has always been controversial. Therefore, we have adopted Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the causal relationship between different types of meat intake and acne. The exposure and outcome datasets for this study were obtained from the Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU) Open GWAS project. Seven datasets on meat intake were included, which consisted of non‐oily fish, oily fish, lamb/mutton, poultry, pork, beef, and processed meat. The main methods used for MR analysis were inverse variance weighted, weighted median, and MR‐egger. To ensure the accuracy of the results, heterogeneity, pleiotropy, and Mendelian randomization pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR‐PRESSO) analyses were conducted. Additionally, an analysis of four risk factors (fasting insulin, insulin resistance, total testosterone level, and estradiol level) was performed to investigate the underlying mechanisms linking statistically significant meat intake to acne. Oily fish intake was found to be a protective factor for acne (OR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.10–0.49, p <.001), and it was also observed that oily fish intake can reduce the level of fasting insulin by the IVW method (OR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.81–0.98, p =.02). No causal relationship was identified between other types of meat intake and acne. The intake of oily fish reduces the risk of acne by lowering fasting insulin levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral hybrid organic–inorganic metal halides (HOMHs) offer an ideal platform for the advancement of second‐order nonlinear optical (NLO) materials owing to their inherent noncentrosymmetric structures. The enhancement of optical nonlinearity of chiral HOMHs could be achieved by matching the free exciton and/or self‐trapped exciton energy levels with desired NLO frequencies. However, the current scarcity of resonance modes and low resonance ratio hamper the further improvements of NLO performance. Herein, we propose a new resonant channel of charge transfer (CT) excited states from metal halide polyhedra to organic ligand to boost the second‐order optical nonlinearity of chiral HOMHs. The model lead halide (C7H10N)PbBr3 (C7H10N=1‐ethylpyridinium) exhibits a drastically enhanced second harmonic generation in resonance to the deep CT exciton energy, with intensity of up to 111.0 times that of KDP and 10.9 times that of urea. The effective NLO coefficient has been determined to be as high as ~40.2 pm V−1, balanced with a large polarization ratio and high laser damage threshold. This work highlights the contribution of organic ligands in the construction of a resonant channel for enhancing second‐order NLO coefficients of metal halides, and thus provides guidelines for designing new chiral HOMHs materials for advanced nonlinear photonic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral hybrid organic–inorganic metal halides (HOMHs) offer an ideal platform for the advancement of second‐order nonlinear optical (NLO) materials owing to their inherent noncentrosymmetric structures. The enhancement of optical nonlinearity of chiral HOMHs could be achieved by matching the free exciton and/or self‐trapped exciton energy levels with desired NLO frequencies. However, the current scarcity of resonance modes and low resonance ratio hamper the further improvements of NLO performance. Herein, we propose a new resonant channel of charge transfer (CT) excited states from metal halide polyhedra to organic ligand to boost the second‐order optical nonlinearity of chiral HOMHs. The model lead halide (C7H10N)PbBr3 (C7H10N=1‐ethylpyridinium) exhibits a drastically enhanced second harmonic generation in resonance to the deep CT exciton energy, with intensity of up to 111.0 times that of KDP and 10.9 times that of urea. The effective NLO coefficient has been determined to be as high as ~40.2 pm V−1, balanced with a large polarization ratio and high laser damage threshold. This work highlights the contribution of organic ligands in the construction of a resonant channel for enhancing second‐order NLO coefficients of metal halides, and thus provides guidelines for designing new chiral HOMHs materials for advanced nonlinear photonic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the imaging features, lymph node metastasis, and genetic mutations in micropapillary lung adenocarcinoma (imaging with mixed ground‐glass nodules) ≤2 cm, to provide a more precise and refined basis for the selection of lung segment resection. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 162 patients with surgically resected pathologically confirmed cancers ≤2.0 cm in diameter (50 cases of micropapillary mixed ground‐glass nodules [mGGNs], 50 cases of nonmicropapillary mGGNs, and 62 cases of micropapillary SNs [solid nodules]) was performed. mGGNs were classified into five categories according to imaging features. The distribution of these five morphologies in micropapillary with mGGN and nonmicropapillary with mGGN was analyzed. The postoperative pathology and prognosis of lymph node metastasis were also compared between micropapillary mGGNs and micropapillary with SNs. After searching the TCGA database, we demonstrated heterogeneity, high malignancy and high risk of microcapillary lung cancer cancers. Results: Different pathological subtypes of mGGN differed in morphological features (p < 0.05). The rate of lymph node metastasis was significantly higher in micropapillary mGGNs than in nonmicropapillary mGGNs. In the TCGA database samples, lactate transmembrane protein activity, collagen transcription score, and fibroblast EMT score were remarkably higher in micropapillary adenocarcinoma. Other pathological subtypes had a better survival prognosis and longer disease‐free survival compared with micropapillary adenocarcinoma. Conclusion: mGGNs ≤2 cm with a micropapillary pattern have a higher risk of lymph node metastasis compared with SNs, and computed tomography (CT) imaging features can assist in their diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practical application of solid‐state lithium‐metal batteries (SSLMBs) based on polymer solid electrolytes has been hampered by their low ion conductivity and lithium‐dendrite‐induced short circuits. This study innovatively introduces 1D ferroelectric ceramic‐based Bi4Ti3O12‐BiOBr heterojunction nanofibers (BIT‐BOB HNFs) into poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) matrix, constructing lithium‐ion conduction highways with "dissociators" and "accelerating regions." BIT‐BOB HNFs, as 1D ceramic fillers, not only can construct long‐range organic/inorganic interfaces as ion transport pathways, but also install "dissociators" and "accelerating regions" for these pathways through the electric dipole layer and built‐in electric field of BIT‐BOB HNFs, promoting the dissociation of lithium salts and the transfer of lithium ions. The working mechanisms of BIT‐BOB HNFs in the polymer matrix are verified by experimental tests and density functional theory calculations. The obtained composite solid electrolytes exhibit excellent lithium‐ion conductivity and migration number (6.67 × 10−4 S cm−1 and 0.54 at 50 °C, respectively). The assembled lithium symmetric battery achieves good cycling stability of over 4500 h. The LiFePO4||Li full battery delivers a high Coulombic efficiency (>99.9%) and discharge capacity retention rate (>87%) after 2200 cycles. In addition, the prepared composite polymer solid electrolyte demonstrates good practical application potential in flexible pouch batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In nature, plants are exposed to a dynamic light environment. Fluctuations in light decreased the photosynthetic light utilization efficiency (PLUE) of leaves, and much more severely in C4 species than in C3 species. However, little is known about the plasticity of PLUE under dynamic light in C4 species. Present study focused on the influence of planting density to the photosynthesis under dynamic light in maize (Zea mays L.), a most important C4 crop. In addition, the molecular mechanism behind photosynthetic adaptation to planting density were also explored by quantitative proteomics analysis. Results revealed that as planting density increases, maize leaves receive less light that fluctuates more. The maize planted at high density (HD) improved the PLUE under dynamic light, especially in the middle and later growth stages. Quantitative proteomics analysis showed that the transfer of nitrogen from Rubisco to RuBP regeneration and C4 pathway related enzymes contributes to the photosynthetic adaptation to lower and more fluctuating light environment in HD maize. This study provides potential ways to further improve the light energy utilization efficiency of maize in HD. Summary statement: 1.As planting density increases, maize leaves receive less light that fluctuates more.2.The maize grown at high density improved the light utilization efficiency under dynamic light, especially in the middle and later growth stages.3.The transfer of nitrogen from Rubisco to RuBP regeneration and C4 pathway related enzymes contributes to the photosynthetic adaptation to lower and more fluctuating light environment in maize grown at high density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen electrocatalysis, including the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), is one of the most important electrochemical processes for sustainable energy conversion and storage technologies. Herein, nickel‐based bicarbonates are, for the first time, developed as catalysts for oxygen electrocatalysis, and demonstrate superior electrocatalytic performance in alkaline media. Iron doping can significantly tune the real valence of nickel ions, and consequently tailor the electrocatalytic ability of bicarbonates. Among the nickel‐based bicarbonates, Ni0.9Fe0.1(HCO3)2 exhibits the highest bifunctional catalytic activity, with a potential difference of 0.86 V between the OER potential at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and the ORR potential at a current density of −1 mA cm−2, which outperforms most of the reported precious‐metal‐free catalysts. The present work provides new insights into exploring efficient catalysts for oxygen electrocatalysis, and it suggests that, in addition to the extensively studied transition metal hydroxides and oxides, bicarbonates and carbonates also show great potential as precious metal‐free catalysts. Hot ORR not? Nickel‐based bicarbonates are, for the first time, proposed as bifunctional catalysts for oxygen electrocatalysis, and demonstrate excellent electrocatalytic performance in alkaline media. This study opens a new strategy for developing cost‐effective and highly efficient catalysts towards oxygen electrocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructing a reliable solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) is imperative for enabling highly reversible zinc metal (Zn0) electrodes. Contrary to conventional "bulk solvation" mechanism, we found the SEI structure is dominated by electric double layer (EDL) adsorption. We manipulate the EDL adsorption and Zn2+ solvation with ether additives (i.e. 15‐crown‐5, 12‐crown‐4, and triglyme). The 12‐crown‐4 with medium adsorption on EDL leads to a layer‐structured SEI with inner inorganic ZnFx/ZnSx and outer organic C−O−C components. This structure endows SEI with high rigidness and strong toughness enabling the 100 cm2 Zn||Zn pouch cell to exhibit a cumulative capacity of 4250 mAh cm−2 at areal‐capacity of 10 mAh cm−2. More importantly, a 2.3 Ah Zn||Zn0.25V2O5⋅n H2O pouch cell delivers a recorded energy density of 104 Wh Lcell−1 and runs for >70 days under the harsh conditions of low negative/positive electrode ratio (2.2 : 1), lean electrolyte (8 g Ah−1), and high‐areal‐capacity (≈13 mAh cm−2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructing a reliable solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) is imperative for enabling highly reversible zinc metal (Zn0) electrodes. Contrary to conventional "bulk solvation" mechanism, we found the SEI structure is dominated by electric double layer (EDL) adsorption. We manipulate the EDL adsorption and Zn2+ solvation with ether additives (i.e. 15‐crown‐5, 12‐crown‐4, and triglyme). The 12‐crown‐4 with medium adsorption on EDL leads to a layer‐structured SEI with inner inorganic ZnFx/ZnSx and outer organic C−O−C components. This structure endows SEI with high rigidness and strong toughness enabling the 100 cm2 Zn||Zn pouch cell to exhibit a cumulative capacity of 4250 mAh cm−2 at areal‐capacity of 10 mAh cm−2. More importantly, a 2.3 Ah Zn||Zn0.25V2O5⋅n H2O pouch cell delivers a recorded energy density of 104 Wh Lcell−1 and runs for >70 days under the harsh conditions of low negative/positive electrode ratio (2.2 : 1), lean electrolyte (8 g Ah−1), and high‐areal‐capacity (≈13 mAh cm−2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pathogenic variants in KCNQ4 cause DFNA2 nonsyndromic hearing loss. However, the understanding of genotype–phenotype correlations between KCNQ4 and hearing is limited. Here, we identified a novel KCNQ4 mutation p.G228D from a Chinese family, including heterozygotes characterized by high‐frequency hearing loss that is progressive across all frequencies and homozygotes with more severe hearing loss. We constructed a novel murine model with humanized homologous Kcnq4 mutation. The heterozygotes had mid‐frequency and high‐frequency hearing loss at 4 weeks, and moved toward all frequencies hearing loss at 12 weeks, while the homozygotes had severe‐to‐profound hearing loss at 8 weeks. The degeneration of outer hair cells (OHCs) was observed from basal to apical turn of cochlea. The reduced K+ currents and depolarized resting potentials were revealed in OHCs. Remarkably, we observed the loss of inner hair cells (IHCs) in the region corresponding to the frequency above 32 kHz at 8–12 weeks. The results suggest the degeneration of OHCs and IHCs may contribute to high‐frequency hearing loss in DFNA2 over time. Our findings broaden the variants of KCNQ4 and provide a novel mouse model of progressive hearing loss, which contributes to an understanding of pathogenic mechanism and eventually treatment of DFNA2 progressive hearing loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral hybrid organic–inorganic metal halides (HOMHs) with intrinsic noncentrosymmetry have shown great promise for applications in second‐order nonlinear optics (NLO). However, established chiral HOMHs often suffer from their relatively small band gaps, which lead to negative impacts on transparent window and laser‐induced damage thresholds (LDT). Here, we have synthesized two chiral HOMHs based on CuI halides, namely (R‐/S‐MBA)CuBr2, which feature well‐balanced NLO performances with a highly efficient SHG response, outstanding optical transparency, and high LDT. The effective second‐order NLO coefficient of (R‐MBA)CuBr2 has been determined to be ≈24.7 pm V−1, which is two orders of magnitude higher than that of their CuII counterparts. This work shows the promising potential of CuI‐based chiral HOMHs for nonlinear photonic applications in wide wavelength regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral hybrid organic–inorganic metal halides (HOMHs) with intrinsic noncentrosymmetry have shown great promise for applications in second‐order nonlinear optics (NLO). However, established chiral HOMHs often suffer from their relatively small band gaps, which lead to negative impacts on transparent window and laser‐induced damage thresholds (LDT). Here, we have synthesized two chiral HOMHs based on CuI halides, namely (R‐/S‐MBA)CuBr2, which feature well‐balanced NLO performances with a highly efficient SHG response, outstanding optical transparency, and high LDT. The effective second‐order NLO coefficient of (R‐MBA)CuBr2 has been determined to be ≈24.7 pm V−1, which is two orders of magnitude higher than that of their CuII counterparts. This work shows the promising potential of CuI‐based chiral HOMHs for nonlinear photonic applications in wide wavelength regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The KNAT1 gene is a member of the Class I KNOX homeobox gene family and is thought to play an important role in meristem development and leaf morphogenesis. Recent studies have demonstrated that KNAT1/BP regulates the architecture of the inflorescence by affecting pedicle development in Arabidopsis thaliana. Herein, we report the characterization of an Arabidopsis T-DNA insertion mutant that shares considerable phenotypic similarity to the previously identified mutant brevipedicle ( bp). Molecular and genetic analyses showed that the mutant is allelic to bp and that the T-DNA is located within the first helix of the KNAT1 homeodomain (HD). Although the mutation causes a typical abnormality of short pedicles, propendent siliques, and semidwarfism, no obvious defects are observed in the vegetative stage. A study on cell morphology showed that asymmetrical division and inhibition of cell elongation contribute to the downward-pointing and shorter pedicle phenotype. Loss of KNAT/BP function results in the abnormal development of abscission zones. Microarray analysis of gene expression profiling suggests that KNAT1/BP may regulate abscission zone development through hormone signaling and hormone metabolism in Arabidopsis. (Managing editor: Ping He) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop diversity management is widely used to increase agricultural productivity and sustainability. Recent studies have demonstrated that maize root exudates can drive interspecific facilitation to enhance N2 fixation of bean in intercropping systems. However, the mechanisms of N2 fixation enhancement stimulated by root exudates in the intercropping systems remain unclear.Four experiments were designed to provide a progressively deeper understanding of how root exudates stimulate microbial‐mediated N2 fixation. First, the effects of faba bean/maize intercropping on yields and soil microbial communities were determined in a field experiment. Second, root‐derived interspecific facilitation was evaluated using a root partitioning approach. Third, the key microbial taxa in the faba bean rhizosphere were traced using 13C‐labelled maize root exudates. Fourth, the co‐driven mechanism of maize root exudates and micro‐organisms in the faba bean rhizosphere were explored.Faba bean/maize intercropping with maize residue return increased the yields of faba bean (26%), maize (27%) and broccoli (9.1%) compared to that under monocropping. Nodulin‐like 4 (NODL4), chalcone‐flavanone isomerase (CFI) and early nodulin‐like (ENODL2) gene expression in faba bean roots intercropped with maize increased by 1.5–2.3‐fold compared to that observed under monoculture. More than half of the N2 fixation of faba bean increase under intercropping was due to interactions with micro‐organisms. Nine key bacterial genera in the faba bean rhizosphere were identified by 13C‐DNA‐based stable isotope probing analysis. Among them Agromyces, Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Lysobacter and Paenibacillus directly fix N2, while Gemmatimonas, Heliobacillus, Natronocella and Sorangium increase the N2 fixation capacity of Azotobacter by providing additional carbon sources. These key bacteria triggered by maize root exudates played an important role in the rhizosphere facilitation of intercropping.Synthesis and applications. We demonstrated a novel root–root facilitation of N2 fixation and increased crop yields co‐driven by root exudates and rhizosphere bacteria under faba bean/maize intercropping, and nine key bacteria associated with this process were identified by 13C‐DNA‐based stable isotope probing. We recommend the adoption and optimization of intercropping systems with residue return to reduce the shortcomings of continuous cropping and to increase the sustainability of crop production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long‐term no‐tillage management and crop residue amendments to soil were identified as an effective measure to increase soil organic carbon (SOC). The SOC content, SOC stock (SOCs), soil carbon sequestration rate (CSR), and carbon pool management index (CPMI) were measured. A stable isotopic approach was used to evaluate the contributions of wheat and maize residues to SOC at a long‐term experimental site. We hypothesized that under no‐tillage conditions, straw retention quantity would affect soil carbon sequestration differently in surface and deep soil, and the contribution of C3 and C4 crops to soil carbon sequestration would be different. This study involved four maize straw returning treatments, which included no maize straw returning (NT‐0), 0.5 m (from the soil surface) maize straw returning (NT‐0.5), 1 m maize straw returning (NT‐1), and whole maize straw returning (NT‐W). The results showed that in the 0–20 cm soil layer, the SOC content, SOCs, CSR and CPMI of the NT‐W were highest after 14 years of no‐tillage management, and there were obvious differences among the four treatments. However, the SOC, SOCs, and CSR of the NT‐0.5 and NT‐W were the highest and lowest in 20–100 cm, respectively. The value of δ13C showed an obviously vertical variability that ranged from –22.01‰ (NT‐1) in the 0–20 cm layer to –18.27‰ (NT‐0.5) in the 60–80 cm layer, with enriched δ13C in the 60–80 cm (NT‐0.5 and NT‐1) and 80–100 cm (NT‐0 and NT‐W) layers. The contributions of the wheat and maize‐derived SOC of the NT‐0.5, NT‐1 and NT‐W increased by 11.4, 29.5 and 56.3% and by 10.7, 15.1 and 40.1%, relative to those in the NT‐0 treatment in the 0–20 cm soil layer, respectively. In conclusion, there was no apparent difference in total SOC sequestration between the NT‐0.5, NT‐1, and NT‐W treatments in the 0–100 cm soil layer. The contribution of wheat‐derived SOC was higher than that of maize‐derived SOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We described a combined periodontal-endodontic lesion, which was caused by a palatogingival groove and an additional root. An interdisciplinary approach involving endodontic therapy, mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) filling, root resection, guided tissue regeneration, and papillary reconstruction was used for the case. The tooth presents morphologically and functionally normal except tooth discoloration caused by MTA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) is a large angiosperm family that includes many medicinally important species. The ability to identify these species and their adulterants is important, yet difficult to do so because of their subtle fruit morphological differences and often lack of diagnostic features in preserved specimens. Moreover, dried roots are often the official medical organs, making visual identification to species almost impossible. DNA barcoding has been proposed as a powerful taxonomic tool for species identification. The Consortium for the Barcode of Life ( CBOL) Plant Working Group has recommended the combination of rbcL+ matK as the core plant barcode. Recently, the China Plant BOL Group proposed that the nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer ( ITS), as well as a subset of this marker ( ITS2), be incorporated alongside rbcL+matK into the core barcode for seed plants, particularly angiosperms. In this study, we assess the effectiveness of these four markers plus psbA-trnH as Apiaceae barcodes. A total of 6032 sequences representing 1957 species in 385 diverse genera were sampled, of which 211 sequences from 50 individuals (representing seven species) were newly obtained. Of these five markers, ITS and ITS2 showed superior results in intra- and interspecific divergence and DNA barcoding gap assessments. For the matched data set (173 samples representing 45 species in five genera), the ITS locus had the highest identification efficiency (73.3%), yet ITS2 also performed relatively well with 66.7% identification efficiency. The identification efficiency increased to 82.2% when using an ITS+ psbA-trnH marker combination ( ITS2+ psbA-trnH was 80%), which was significantly higher than that of rbcL+matK (40%). For the full sample data set (3052 ITS sequences, 3732 ITS2 sequences, 1011 psbA-trnH sequences, 567 matK sequences and 566 rbcL sequences), ITS, ITS2, psbA-trnH, matK and rbcL had 70.0%, 64.3%, 49.5%, 38.6% and 32.1% discrimination abilities, respectively. These results confirm that ITS or its subset ITS2 be incorporated into the core barcode for Apiaceae and that the combination of ITS/ ITS2+ psbA-trnH has much potential value as a powerful, standard DNA barcode for Apiaceae identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Events in utero appear to have a significant role in the development of cardiovascular dysfunction in adulthood. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of prenatal exposure to zymosan, a non-infectious and non-bacterial agent capable of inducing inflammation, on mean systolic arterial pressure (MSAP) in rat offspring at 6–66 weeks of age. 2. Pregnant rats were divided into three groups: (i) a control group, administered 0.5 mL, i.p., saline on gestation Days 8, 10 and 12; (ii) a zymosan-treated group, given 2.37 mg/kg, i.p., zymosan on gestation Days 8, 10 and 12; and (iii) a pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) + zymosan-treated group, which was given 100 mg/kg, i.p., PDTC 1 h before zymosan. At 6, 16, 26, 36, 56 and 66 weeks of age, MSAP was determined in rat offspring from all three groups. Serum levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α were determined in dams, as well as in offspring at 24 and 56 weeks of age. In addition, protein levels of nuclear factor (NF)-κB (p65) in the myocardium and kidney of offspring were determined at 24 weeks of age. 3. The results showed that MSAP and NF-κB (p65) levels in the myocardium and kidney of offspring from the zymosan-treated group were increased significantly compared with control. This increase was inhibited by concomitant treatment with PDTC. Serum TNF-α levels in dams exposed to zymosan and in their offspring at 56 weeks of age (but not at 24 weeks of age) were significantly increased compared with levels in the control group. Following lipopolysaccharide treatment (1 mg/kg, i.p.) of adult rat offspring at 24 weeks of age, there was a further increase in serum TNF-α levels in offspring in the zymosan-treated group compared with the other two groups. 4. The findings of the present study suggest that non-bacterial inflammation during gestation can lead to hypertension in offspring and that NF-κB signalling may play a critical role in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous neuroimaging research indicates that English verbs and nouns are represented in frontal and posterior brain regions, respectively. For Chinese monolinguals, however, nouns and verbs are found to be associated with a wide range of overlapping areas without significant differences in neural signatures. This different pattern of findings led us to ask the question of where nouns and verbs of two different languages are represented in various areas in the brain in Chinese–English bilinguals. In this study, we utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a lexical decision paradigm involving Chinese and English verbs and nouns to address this question. We found that while Chinese nouns and verbs involved activation of common brain areas, the processing of English verbs engaged many more regions than did the processing of English nouns. Specifically, compared to English nouns, English verb presentation was associated with stronger activation of the left putamen and cerebellum, which are responsible for motor function, suggesting the involvement of the motor system in the processing of English verbs. Our findings are consistent with the theory that neural circuits for linguistic dimensions are weighted and modulated by the characteristics of a language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For multi‐user MIMO downlink transmission, a block‐diagonal zero‐forcing (BD‐ZF) precoder is usually used to suppress multi‐user interference. In the case of a large number of transmitted antennas installed at the base station, there exists a larger nullspace than the precoder requires. An optimal BD‐ZF precoder is developed to maximise throughput using the determinant maximisation technique. It helps to gather all gain for the transmission of each user. Numerical results validate that the precoder obtains throughput improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]