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This work investigates the combustion velocity, thermophysical properties, and reaction activation energies of Al-Zr-C nanolayered composite microparticles undergoing gasless high-temperature propagation after preparation via additive manufacturing. High-speed videography and pyrometry of the reaction event were used to analyze two Al-Zr-C samples with varied stoichiometry. Combustion velocity of the Al-Zr-C composites was ~0.3–0.5 cm/s and varied inversely with the Al content in the system. The Al-Zr-C composites also exhibited auto-oscillations during the propagation event which were characterized to have temperature fluctuations of ~50–100 K with a periodicity of ~1 Hz. Temperature data collected via color ratio pyrometry was used to measure the thermal profile in-operando. Temperature maps were used to estimate the thermal diffusivity of the samples to be ~2 × 10−6 m2/s on the leading edge of the reaction front with a >30x increase in thermal diffusivity on the trailing edge. The activation energy for the Al-Zr-C composites was estimated to be ~30–35 kJ/mol under reacting conditions. This work ultimately demonstrates an accessible measurement methodology that could be used to estimate thermophysical changes in materials for generalized modeling purposes and confirms the functionality of the materials to create conductive pathways after reaction.

A high output power and high-efficiency ${L}$ -band inverted relativistic magnetron (IRM) driven by a virtual cathode (VC) is proposed. By switching the configuration of cathode and anode, a greater magnitude of current could be generated from an external annular emission surface. In order to excite the desired mode more efficiently and enhance the mode stability, the emitting region is divided into eight azimuthally periodic parts. The prolonged VC is formed in the interaction region by dc electric field directly. The particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation demonstrates that the proposed IRM could generate an output a TM01 mode with a microwave power of 1.97 GW for a diode voltage of 600 kV and a uniform guiding magnetic field of 0.18 T. Comparing with IRM with an emission surface inside the interaction region, the power conversion efficiency is improved from 18% to 86%.

An ${L}$ -band all cavity axial extraction (ACAE) relativistic magnetron (RM) with a split cathode is proposed. The proposed RM is driven by virtual cathode that formed by axial flow of electrons from two conical emitters at both sides of slow wave structure, which is different from other RM that powered by radial flow of electrons from a cathode inside the interaction region. This cathode structure is simple but practical to generate a squeeze state electron in an RM with almost all the output structure. To improve the output performance, the anode blocks are modified with additional sections at both ends. Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation results illustrate that when this tube is applied with a diode voltage of 600 kV, an average output microwave power of 1.6 GW can be obtained. Comparing with ACAE-RM using a conventional transparent cathode, the power conversion efficiency is improved from 47% to 67%.

As sessile organisms, plants are unable to move or escape from their neighboring competitors under high-density planting conditions. Instead, they have evolved the ability to sense changes in light quantity and quality (such as a reduction in photoactive radiation and drop in red/far-red light ratios) and evoke a suite of adaptative responses (such as stem elongation, reduced branching, hyponastic leaf orientation, early flowering and accelerated senescence) collectively termed shade avoidance syndrome (SAS). Over the past few decades, much progress has been made in identifying the various photoreceptor systems and light signaling components implicated in regulating SAS, and in elucidating the underlying molecular mechanisms, based on extensive molecular genetic studies with the model dicotyledonous plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Moreover, an emerging synthesis of the field is that light signaling integrates with the signaling pathways of various phytohormones to coordinately regulate different aspects of SAS. In this review, we present a brief summary of the various cross-talks between light and hormone signaling in regulating SAS. We also present a perspective of manipulating SAS to tailor crop architecture for breeding high-density tolerant crop cultivars.

An acylation of arenes with aldehydes through dual C-H activations at room temperature is reported. The acylation was initiated by phenanthraquinone-catalyzed hydrogen atom transfer from aldehyde under visible light irradiation. The aldehyde-derived acyl radical merged with palladium-catalyzed activation of arenes to afford the cross coupling products.

Elastic properties from seismic data are important to determine subsurface hydrocarbon presence and have become increasingly important for detailed reservoir characterization that aids to derisk specific hydrocarbon prospects. Traditional techniques to extract elastic properties from seismic data typically use linear inversion of imaged products (migrated angle stacks). In this research, we attempt to get closer to Tarantola's visionary goal for full-wavefield inversion (FWI) by directly obtaining 3D elastic properties from seismic shot-gather data with limited well information. First, we present a realistic 2D synthetic example to show the need for elastic physics in a strongly elastic medium. Then, a 3D field example from deepwater West Africa is used to validate our workflow, which can be practically used in today's computing architecture. To enable reservoir characterization, we produce elastic products in a cascaded manner and run 3D elastic FWI up to 50 Hz. We demonstrate that reliable and high-resolution P-wave velocity can be retrieved in a strongly elastic setting (i.e., with a class 2 or 2P amplitude variation with offset response) in addition to higher-quality estimation of P-impedance and VP/VS ratio. These parameters can be directly used in interpretation, lithology, and fluid prediction.

A compact relativistic magnetron (RM) system with diffraction output is proposed, whose novelty lies in the omnidirectional radiation through the slotted waveguide array antenna. In the array antenna, a periodically slotted ridged circular waveguide is employed to obtain omnidirectional radiation and decrease its radius. Meanwhile, the RF field is directly coupling and radiating without complex mode conversion. Moreover, the interaction resonant system applies a ten-cavity rising-sun slow-wave structure to optimize the dispersion characteristics of the operating mode. The particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate that the RM could achieve 70% device efficiency and gigawatt radiation with an operating voltage of 400 kV. Besides, the output RF field is omnidirectional radiating with a gain up to 12.77 dBi at the operating frequency of 1.32 GHz, which is likely to be used in the high-power microwave area defense.

What is essential to solving energy scarcity problems is that develop the high activity, durable and non-noble metal-based dual-functional electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) and oxygen evolution reactions (OER). In this work, a series of core-shell structure M@Fe–Cu-GR nanocubes (NCs) are prepared. In the prepared process, the bimetallic FeCu prussian blue analogues (PBA) is used as precursor, transition metals ions Co2+ and Ni2+ are introduced into the FeCu-PBA using the exchange of potassium ions with other metal ions, and then the FeCu-PBA are successfully loaded on the graphene oxide (GO) employed the attraction of opposite charges between polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDDA) and GO. Electrochemical tests show that the Tafel slope of Co–Ni@Fe–Cu–GR NCs for HER and OER are 60 and 82 mV dec−1, respectively, and Co–Ni@Fe–Cu–GR NCs shows excellent performance in long-term stability test.

The epidermal hair and stomata are two types of specialized structures on the surface of plant leaves. On mature maize leaves, stomatal complexes and three types of hairs are distributed in a stereotyped pattern on the adaxial epidermis. However, the spatiotemporal relationship between epidermal hair and stomata development and the regulatory mechanisms governing their formation in maize remain largely unknown. Here, we report that three homologous ZmSPL transcription factors, ZmSPL10, ZmSPL14 and ZmSPL26, act in concert to promote epidermal hair fate on maize leaf. Cytological analyses revealed that Zmspl10/14/26 triple mutants are completely glabrous, but possess ectopic stomatal files. Strikingly, the precursor cells for prickle and bicellular hairs are transdifferentiated into ectopic stomatal complexes in the Zmspl10/14/26 mutants. Molecular analyses demonstrated that ZmSPL10/14/26 bind directly to the promoter of a WUSCHEL-related homeobox gene, ZmWOX3A, and upregulate its expression in the hair precursor cells. Moreover, several auxin-related genes are downregulated in the Zmspl10/14/26 triple mutants. Our results suggest that ZmSPL10/14/26 play a key role in promoting epidermal hair fate on maize leaves, possibly through regulating ZmWOX3A and auxin-related gene expression, and that the fates of epidermal hairs and stomata are switchable.

The direct oxidation of styrene into high-value chemicals under mild reaction conditions remains a great challenge in both academia and industry. Herein, we report a successful electronic structure modulation of intrinsic NiO sheets via Mn-doping towards the oxidation of styrene. By doping NiO with only a small content of Mn (Mn/Ni atomic ratio of 0.030), a 75.0% yield of STO can be achieved under the optimized reaction conditions, which is 2.13 times higher than that of the pure NiO. In addition, the catalyst exhibits robust stability and good recycling performance. The performance enhancement originates from the synergistic effect regarding the abundant Ni(II) species, the rich oxygen vacancy sites and the large amount of surface redox centers. This work provides new findings of the elemental-doping-induced multifunctionality in designing powerful catalysts for the efficient and selective oxidation of styrene and beyond.

Summary Rice is a facultative short day (SD) plant. In addition to serving as a model plant for molecular genetic studies of monocots, rice is a staple crop for about half of the world’s population. Heading date is a critical agronomic trait, and many genes controlling heading date have been cloned over the last 2 decades. The mechanism of flowering in rice from recognition of day length by leaves to floral activation in the shoot apical meristem has been extensively studied. In this review, we summarise current progress on transcriptional and post‐transcriptional regulation of heading date in rice, with emphasis on post‐translational modifications of key regulators, including Heading date 1 (Hd1), Early heading date 1 (Ehd1), Grain number, plant height, and heading date7 (Ghd7). The contribution of heading date genes to heterosis and the expansion of rice cultivation areas from low‐latitude to high‐latitude regions are also discussed. To overcome the limitations of diverse genetic backgrounds used in heading date studies and to gain a clearer understanding of flowering in rice, we propose a systematic collection of genetic resources in a common genetic background. Strategies in breeding adapted cultivars by rational design are also discussed.

Heading date (or flowering time) is one of the most important agronomic traits in rice, influencing its regional adaptability and crop yield. Many major-effect genes for rice heading date have been identified, but in practice they are difficult to be used for rice molecular breeding because of their dramatic effects on heading date. Genes with minor effects on heading date, which are more desirable for fine-tuning flowering time without significant yield penalty, were seldom reported. In this study, we identified a new minor-effect heading date repressor, Delayed Heading Date 4 (DHD4). The dhd4 mutant shows a slightly earlier flowering phenotype without a notable yield penalty compared with wild-type plants under natural long-day conditions. DHD4 encodes a CONSTANS-like transcription factor localized in the nucleus. Molecular, biochemical, and genetic assays show that DHD4 can compete with 14-3-3 to interact with OsFD1, thus affecting the formation of the Hd3a-14-3-3-OsFD1 tri-protein FAC complex, resulting in reduced expression of OsMADS14 and OsMADS15, and ultimately delaying flowering. Taken together, these results shed new light on the regulation of flowering time in rice and provide a promising target for fine-tuning flowering time to improve the regional adaptability of rice.

The breakdown jitter characteristic of a self-triggered pre-ionization switch that works under pulses with the rising time of about one hundred nanoseconds was improved based on the probability distribution model of electron avalanche’s initiation. Contrary to what we might imagine, premature pre-ionization nearly brought about no improvement on the breakdown jitter characteristic. To reduce the switch jitter, analysis of the probability distribution model indicated that the generating rate of initial electrons should maintain a high value when the electric field in the gap was high enough to initiate an effective electron avalanche. Experimental results proved that adjusting the breakdown time of the trigger gap or letting the electrons in the arc channel of the trigger gap become a steady source of initial electrons could both reduce the breakdown time delay jitter to 1ns-2ns when the breakdown time was about 95% of the peak time, this means that high energy transfer efficiency and low jitter were realized simultaneously.

Biocidal nanothermite composites show great potential in combating biological warfare threats because of their high-energy-release rates and rapid biocidal agent release. Despite their high reactivity and combustion performance, these composites suffer from low-energy density because of the voids formed due to inefficient packing of fuel and oxidizer particles. In this study, we explore the potential of plasma-synthesized ultrafine Si nanoparticles (nSi, ∼5 nm) as an energetic filler fuel to increase the energy density of Al/Ca(IO3)2 energetic-biocidal composites by filling in the voids in the microstructure. Microscopic and elemental analyses show the partial filling of mesoparticle voids by nSi, resulting in an estimated energy density enhancement of ∼21%. In addition, constant-volume combustion cell results show that nSi addition leads to a ∼2-3-fold increase in reactivity and combustion performance, as compared to Al/Ca(IO3)2 mesoparticles. Oxidation timescale analyses suggest that nSi addition can promote initiation due to faster oxygen transport through the oxide shell of Si nanoparticles. At nSi loadings higher than ∼8%, however, slower burning characteristics of nSi and sintering effects lead to an overall degradation of combustion behavior of the composites.

Summary Thioredoxins (TRXs) occur in plant chloroplasts as complex disulphide oxidoreductases. Although many biological processes are regulated by thioredoxins, the regulatory mechanism of chloroplast TRXs are largely unknown.Here we report a rice white panicle2 mutant caused by a mutation in the thioredoxin z gene, an orthologue of AtTRX z in Arabidopsis. white panicle2 (wp2) seedlings exhibited a high‐temperature‐sensitive albinic phenotype.We found that plastid multiple organellar RNA editing factors (MORFs) were the regulatory targets of thioredoxin z. We showed that OsTRX z protein physically interacts with OsMORFs in a redox‐dependent manner and that the redox state of a conserved cysteine in the MORF box is essential for MORF–MORF interactions. wp2 and OsTRX z knockout lines show reduced editing efficiencies in many plastidial‐encoded genes especially under high‐temperature conditions. An Arabidopsis trx z mutant also exhibited significantly reduced chloroplast RNA editing.Our combined results suggest that thioredoxin z regulates chloroplast RNA editing in plants by controlling the redox state of MORFs.

Achieving satisfactory organic transformation reactions under mild conditions using high-performance catalysts that are composed of cost-effective and earth-abundant elements has always been an aspiration for scientists in the field of catalysis. In this work, CoMn2O4 microspheres with intriguing porous yolk-shell architecture have been constructed by a facile solvothermal reaction and post-calcination treatment, and were employed for the first time in the epoxidation reaction of styrene (SER). Among the series of CoMn2O4 catalysts, the one calcined at 600 °C (CMO-600) displays superior catalytic performance in the SER, achieving an excellent conversion of 97.7%, a prominent selectivity of 83.7% to SO and a good recycling performance. The remarkable SER performance of the CMO-600 benefits from the collaborative influences derived from the unique porous yolk-shell architecture and the synergy of the two metal centers regarding high surface Mn2+/ Mn3+ atomic ratio, abundant redox couples and rich oxygen vacancies. The reaction pathway analysis and the activation energy measurement were performed as well to unravel the inner relationship between the catalytic behavior and the catalyst properties. This study affords a fresh impetus to the developing of high-performance bimetallic oxides for oxidation reactions in organic catalysis.

Oxygenation of the early Cambrian ocean is commonly ascribed to high organic export to the sediment due to the rise of algae and filter-feeding animals, but direct evidence of elevated export fluxes has been lacking to date. Here, we report an integrated proxy dataset (U-Mo isotopes, Fe speciation, and major and trace elements) for lower Cambrian black shales at Yuanjia on the Yangtze Platform (South China). These shales are characterized by high iron speciation ratios and Mo and U enrichments, indicating persistently euxinic water conditions during their deposition, but a broad range of δ98Mo values (−0.10‰ to +1.94‰) implies strongly variable watermass sulfidity. High and variable nutrient element (Cu, Zn, Ni, Cd) enrichments at Yuanjia are consistent with elevated and variable organic productivity and export fluxes from the euphotic zone to the early Cambrian seafloor. The Yuanjia shales also exhibit super-heavy δ238U values (to +0.84‰) that cannot be explained by U reduction in sediment porewaters. We hypothesize that these values record a U reduction process within the water column, where U isotope fractionation can be much larger than in sediment porewaters. Such processes may have operated within a benthic organic flocculent layer at the sediment-water interface, a feature that is characteristic of high productivity systems with anoxic bottom waters. Furthermore, the coupling between δ238U, nutrient elements, and δ98Mo suggests that elevated productivity levels were driven likely by episodic upwelling in early Cambrian oceans, supplying abundant nutrients for productivity and influencing H2S concentrations in the water column. These observations, along with high organic carbon accumulation rates (5600 mg cm−2 kyr−1), are direct evidence of high organic export fluxes to the early Cambrian seafloor, thus providing key support for the hypothesis that enhanced organic export and burial triggered a major atmospheric-oceanic oxygenation event that stimulated the subsequent explosion of Cambrian life.

We propose a compact dual-frequency relativistic magnetron with TEM mode output. The resonant system consists of two axially separated beam–wave interaction regions for generating dual-frequency microwave. Under the same diode voltage and axial magnetic field, the RF field of the operating $\pi $ -mode can almost be simultaneously established. Furthermore, the diffraction output and the all cavity axial extraction are integrated to realize the TEM mode output. Particle-in-cell simulation shows that when the diode voltage is 400 kV, microwaves with output powers of 740 and 876 MW generate, with frequencies of 2.05 and 2.35 GHz, respectively. With an axial magnetic field of 0.44 T, the device efficiency of over 43% in the dual-frequency relativistic magnetron is achieved.

Hybridization of DNA probes immobilized on a solid support is a key process for DNA biosensors and microarrays. Although the surface environment is known to influence the kinetics of DNA hybridization, so far it has not been possible to quantitatively predict how hybridization kinetics is influenced by the complex interactions of the surface environment. Using spatial statistical analysis of probes and hybridized target molecules on a few electrochemical DNA (E-DNA) sensors, functioning through hybridization-induced conformational change of redox-tagged hairpin probes, we developed a phenomenological model that describes how the hybridization rates for single probe molecules are determined by the local environment. The predicted single-molecule rate constants, upon incorporation into numerical simulation, reproduced the overall kinetics of E-DNA sensor surfaces at different probe densities and different degrees of probe clustering. Our study showed that the nanoscale spatial organization is a major factor behind the counterintuitive trends in hybridization kinetics. It also highlights the importance of models that can account for heterogeneity in surface hybridization. The molecular level understanding of hybridization at surfaces and accurate prediction of hybridization kinetics may lead to new opportunities in development of more sensitive and reproducible DNA biosensors and microarrays.

The research on laser drilling of amorphous foils can promote the application of amorphous alloy in micro-machining. In this article, the effects of current, pulse width and defocusing amount on th...

Electrochemical water-splitting is widely regarded as one of the essential strategies to produce hydrogen energy, while Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) materials are used to prepare electrochemical catalysts because of its controllable morphology and low cost. Herein, a series of trimetallic porous Pt-inlaid Ni–Fe nanocubes (NCs) are developed with bifunctions of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In the process of prepare the electrochemical catalysts, Pt nanoparticles are uniformly embedded in the Fe–Ni PBA cube structure, and ascorbic acid is employed as a reducing agent to reduce Pt2+ to Pt nanoparticles. In this work, the cubic structure of Fe–Ni PBA is maintained and the noble metal Pt nanoparticles are embedded. Remarkably, the formation of PBA cubes, Pt inlay and reduction are completed in one step, and Pt nanoparticles are embedded by a simple method for the first time. By employing acid etching method, a porous structure is formed on the PBA cube, which increases the exposed area of the catalyst and provides more active sites for HER and OER. Due to the porous structure, highly electrochemical active surface area and the embedded of highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles, the porous 0.6 Ni–Fe–Pt nanocubes (NCs) exhibits excellently electrocatalytic performance and durable stability to HER and OER. In this work, for HER and OER, the Tafel slopes are 81 and 65 mV dec−1, the overpotential η at the current density of 10 mA cm−2 are 463 and 333 mV, and the onset potential are 0.444 and 1.548 V, respectively. And after a 12-h i-t test and 1000 cycles of cyclic voltammetry (CV), it maintained high stability and durability. This work opens up a new preparation method for noble metal embedded MOF materials and provided a new idea for the preparation of carbon nanocomposites based on MOF.

Manufacturing a flexible, light, large-area, and high-efficiency electromagnetic shielding materials in a straightforward and cost-effective manner presently remains a significant challenge. In this work, we propose a conductive network design and verify its electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) by simulation. Using the structure and parameters obtained by simulation, we prepare a flexible EMI shielding material using silver nanowires (AgNWs)/polyvinyl butyral (PVB) ethanol solution and textile substructure via a facile immersing method. In the frequency range of 5–18 GHz, the AgNWs/PVB textile with 1.4 mm thickness achieves an EMI SE of 59 dB, which exceeds the requirements for commercial applications. Due to the low density of 56 mg/cm3, specific shielding effectiveness (SSE) of this material reaches 1053 dB m3/g. It is found that the AgNWs/PVB textile is more resistant to washing with water and oxidation than AgNWs textile without a PVB protector. As a result, the conductivity of AgNWs/PVB textile exhibits no change after washing with water and varies slightly after being kept in hot air. We find that a signal monitor is unable to detect a signal emitted by a mobile phone from a jacket lined with AgNWs/PVB textile. AgNWs/PVB textile with these properties can be mass-produced as high-efficiency EMI shielding material for commercial applications.

The use of Al-based nano-energetic materials has been limited in part due to difficulties in fabrication of high-density composites. In this paper, free-standing energetic composites with loading of up to 90 wt% Al-CuO were fabricated by 3D printing. A polymer hybrid of 3 wt% hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), 3.5 wt% nitrocellulose (NC) and 3.5 wt% polystyrene (PS), enables fabrication of mechanically strong and highly reactive composites. The energy flux can be readily tuned through the combustion speed and flame temperature by changing equivalence ratio. The highest energy flux was found to occur under fuel rich conditions (equivalence ratio = 2.4) which also corresponds to the maximum combustion speed (25 cm/s) despite the fact that the flame temperatures was lower. The Young's modulus of free-standing burn sticks was found to be as high as ~1 GPa, which is comparable to pure polypropylene. PS polymer flakes created during the high shear direct write process is believed to be critical to the enhanced mechanical properties we observed. The burning behavior using other oxidizers corresponds closely with that observed with mixed powders but with the added strength offered in a printed structure. This study offers an attractive route for safe, reliable and scalable additive manufacturing of Al-based nano-energetic materials at high energy densities.

A compact and high-efficiency ${L}$ -band relativistic magnetron (RM) with all cavity axial extraction (ACAE) driven by a virtual cathode is proposed. Electron beam current produced by explosive emission cathode is controlled below space-charge-limited current to reduce electron energy dissipation before interaction region, and a low-energy state of electrons with the potential close to a physical cathode potential in an RM is formed by magnetic mirror and an external cathode. The particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation demonstrates that the proposed RM could output a pure TM01 mode at the frequency of 1.63 GHz with gigawatt radiation power, and power conversion efficiency is improved from 47% to 65% when it is compared with an ACAE-RM with the same anode structure using transparent cathode.

A double-sided polished photonic crystal fiber (DP-PCF) for surface plasmon resonance(SPR) sensing is designed and analyzed by using the finite element analysis software COMSOL 5.5. The suggested design shows strong sensitivity stability in the low refractive index (RI) region ( $1.33\sim 1.39$ ) and ultra-high sensitivity in the high RI region ( $1.39\sim 1.43$ ), respectively. The structural parameters of the proposed sensor are studied to analyze the stability and high sensitivity of the fiber sensor. The introduced DP-PCF sensor offers high sensitivity of 32,434 nm/RIU in the RI range of $1.39\sim 1.43$ due to its special double-sided polishing design.

The circadian clock provides a time-keeping mechanism that synchronizes various biological activities with the surrounding environment. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) CIRCADIAN CLOCK ASSOCIATED1 (CCA1), encoding a MYB-related transcription factor, is a key component of the core oscillator of the circadian clock, with peak expression in the morning. The molecular mechanisms regulating the light induction and rhythmic expression of CCA1 remain elusive. In this study, we show that two phytochrome signaling proteins, FAR-RED ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL3 (FHY3) and its paralog FAR-RED IMPAIRED RESPONSE1 (FAR1), are essential for the light-induced expression of CCA1 FHY3 and FAR1 directly bind to the CCA1 promoter and activate its expression, whereas PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR5 (PIF5) directly binds to its promoter and represses its expression. Furthermore, PIF5 and TIMING OF CAB EXPRESSION1 physically interact with FHY3 and FAR1 to repress their transcriptional activation activity on CCA1 expression. These findings demonstrate that the photosensory-signaling pathway integrates with circadian oscillators to orchestrate clock gene expression. This mechanism might form the molecular basis of the regulation of the clock system by light in response to daily changes in the light environment, thus increasing plant fitness.

Particulate matter (PM) pollution has become a serious problem worldwide and various kinds of nanofibrous filters aiming to solve the problem have been developed. It is urgent to remove PM from high-temperature pollution sources, such as industrial emissions, coal furnaces, and automobile exhaust gases. However, filtration at pollution sources remains challenging because most existing air filters are not resistant to high temperature. Herein, heat-resistant polyimide (PI) nanofibrous air filters are fabricated via a simple and scalable solution blow-spinning method. These air filters show excellent thermal stability at high temperature up to 420 °C. They exhibit a filtration efficiency as high as 99.73% at ambient temperature and over 97% at 300 °C. In addition, a field test shows that the filters remove > 97% of PM from the car exhaust fumes. Hence, the blow-spun PI nanofibrous membranes combined with the facile preparation strategy have great potential in high temperature air filtration fields and other similar applications such as water purification and protein separation.

The Mesoproterozoic Era (1.6–1.0 Ga), long regarded as an interval of sluggish biotic evolution and persistently low atmospheric-oceanic oxygen levels, has become the subject of recent controversy regarding putative large-scale oxygenation events. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive investigation of redox, productivity, seawater sulfate concentrations, and hydrographic conditions for the ∼1.4–1.32-Ga Xiamaling Formation in the shallow Hougou and mid-depth Huangtugui sections in the Yanshan Basin (North China). Integrated Fe-trace metal data suggest that bottom-water redox conditions mainly underwent a three-stage secular evolution: (1) suboxic (-oxic), (2) predominantly anoxic, and (3) oxic. Integrated productivity (TOC, P/Al, and Cu-Zn-Ni enrichment factors) and depositional system (major and trace elemental enrichment patterns) data suggest varying productivity levels during deposition of the Xiamaling Formation, with high productivity fueled mainly by intense open-marine upwelling. In combination with published data from the deep Xiahuayuan and Chicheng sections, a refined stratigraphic correlation framework was developed for the Xiamaling Formation based on the basinal upwelling event and existing lithostratigraphic framework. Within this new framework, sulfur concentration and pyrite δ34S (δ34Spy) data suggest a rise in marine sulfate concentrations at ∼1.36 Ga. Furthermore, strong spatiotemporal redox heterogeneity was observed within the ∼1.4–1.32-Ga Yanshan Basin, i.e., strong bottom-water anoxia (or euxinia) in deep sections and less anoxic (even oxic) conditions in shallow sections, although all sections experienced high productivity owing to oceanic upwelling. We propose a productivity-driven shelf oxygenation model to explain this spatiotemporal redox heterogeneity within the context of eustatic changes, an upwelling event, and the rise of oceanic sulfate concentrations at ∼1.36 Ga. In this model, from initially low atmospheric oxygen levels, increasing surface productivity in shelf areas due to elevated nutrient supplies from upwelling not only intensified bottom-water anoxia through organic matter export but also stimulated expansion of the ocean-surface oxic layer through photosynthetic O2 release, contributing to the development of contrasting bottom-water redox conditions between shallow and deep sections during the upwelling event identified in this study. Our model helps reconcile conflicting observations concerning Mesoproterozoic marine redox conditions, and provides new insights into putative Mesoproterozoic oceanic oxygenation events and their relationship to the evolution of early eukaryotes.

The trapped electron states on a pliable lattice have different localization and physical chemistry characteristics. Here, terahertz time-domain measurements suggest that the formation of vanadyl oxygen defect, in the presence of the surface potential traps and mobile charge carriers, leads to a transient charge distribution that forms terahertz radiating dipoles in V2O5. The emergence of radiating dipoles is evidenced by terahertz responses with a two-valley feature of the thermally reduced α-V2O5 (001) thin films in the temperature range of 300-700 K. The two photoconductance valleys on a several millielectron volts interval are related to two emergent split-off traps, which originate from the VO6 octahedra distortion upon the vanadyl oxygen desorption on the surface. The pliable surface lattices plays a decisive role. So long as the α-V2O5 (001) thin films are covered by a 30 nm-thick Al2O3 capping layer, the distinct two-valley feature disappears completely in the full temperature range. The terahertz radiating dipoles with a fine energy structure is potentially a new measure for charge dynamics on the α-V2O5 (001) surface.

Metallized energetic composite films incorporating high mass loadings of aluminum nanoparticle fuels and metal oxide oxidizers (thermite) within a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer matrix were constructed via repeatable direct write additive manufacturing (3-D Printing). High speed videography, Temperature-Jump/Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (T-Jump/TOFMS), and 2D spaciotemporal temperature mapping were used to analyze the role of composition and particle loading with respect to ignition behavior and combustion performance. This study reveals that, while the ignition temperatures of films are relatively unvaried in pressurized environments, ignition temperatures in vacuum are strongly dependent on the inclusion of thermite material and the specific type of thermite utilized. Increasing thermite mass loading results in a reduction in film flame speed and mechanical integrity but increases flame temperature. Coupled time of flight mass spectrometry reinforces and elaborates on previous findings regarding the Al/PVDF reaction mechanism as it pertains to the coupled behavior of incorporating increasing amounts of metal oxides. TOFMS highlights carbon dioxide generation from the metal oxide interaction with PVDF, leading to unintended stoichiometric considerations and distinct changes in steady burn behavior which contribute adverse factors towards flame propagation.

The high electrocatalytic performance plays a decisive role in the efficient electrochemical sensing of electrocatalysts. A spiral chiral carbon tube (HLCNT) loaded with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was prepared by electrochemical methods. Dopamine was first electropolymerized on the surface of the HLCNT, and then it acted as a localizer to uniformly load the AuNPs onto the surface of the HLCNT. The dopamine-localized gold nanoparticles @ left-handed spiral chiral carbon nanotubes (HLCNT-AuNPs-2) material combined the chiral structure of chiral carbon nanotubes and the high conductivity of AuNPs. The HLCNT-AuNPs-2 realized the qualitative and quantitative detection of tyrosine (Tyr) and tryptophan (Trp) isomers by their different oxidation potentials and current signals. Through quantitative detection, the analytical results showed that the detection limit of l-Trp was calculated to be 5.31 μM, and the detection limit of l-Tyr was 9.04 μM. More importantly, the material realized the real sample detection of amino acids, which is of great significance for the practical detection of amino acid isomers in medicine and biology.

High-pressure water jets under nozzle moving conditions are widely utilized for rock breakage in geotechnical engineering. The nozzle motion state significantly influences the jet flow field and flow characteristics, thus changing its rock-breaking performance. In this paper, a single-jet nozzle model with different traverse speeds was established to investigate the jet flow field features and deflection characteristics and analyze the effects of nozzle traverse speed and jet pressure through numerical simulations. The jet flow fields under nozzle fixed and moving conditions were compared in terms of the distributions of vorticity, velocity, pressure and turbulence kinetic energy, and deflection characterization. Jet flow patterns photographed by an ultra-high-speed camera indicated the deflection of the jet flow field under the nozzle moving condition. The simulation results show that the flow field structure of the moving jet contains the non-deflection zone and deflection zone. The jet time-averaged velocity and vorticity are distributed symmetrically in the non-deflection zone, which is similar to the flow patterns under the nozzle fixed condition. As the jet prolongs further, the vorticity value increases and the vorticity distribution is more concentrated and closer to the nozzle outlet in the moving direction owing to more intense turbulence, resulting in the non-self-similarity of jet velocity dimensionless distribution on cross-sections and jet flow deflection to the opposite direction. The faster the traverse speed and the lower the jet pressure, the greater the jet flow deflection degree. The jet centerline velocities decay exponentially with the standoff distance, and the attenuation degree increases as the traverse speed increases. As the standoff distance increases, the jet deflection distance increases in a quadratic parabola and the deflection angle and impact angle both increase linearly, and decrease exponentially with increasing jet pressure. There is a positive relationship between the jet deflection characterization and the traverse speed.

Inclusion of energetic and chemically active nanoparticles into liquid fuels and propellants is known to affect resultant combustion dynamics. Recently, the activity of such nanoparticle additives has been promoted using electrospray to preassemble said particles into nitrocellulose-bound mesoparticle (MP) clusters of either nanoaluminum (nAl) or oxygen-carrying nanoparticle primaries. In either case, stability in kerosene with TOPO surfactant and isolated droplet burning rates estimated in a free-droplet combustion experiment increase substantially with the MP additive architecture. Burning rates benefit from violent physical mixing of droplet systems which occurs when the carried nanoparticles are energetic and/or chemically active, causing gas generation, additive transport to the flame, energy or oxygen release, and further gas liberation accelerating the process. In this study, this same physical underlying mechanism is seen superimposed with the effects of another advantage of electrospray particle assembly: MP composition flexibility. By mixing nAl with oxide nanoparticles to form composite MPs, these novel additives for hydrocarbons are employed to modify kerosene and their effects are found to be dependent on the oxidizer chosen. Most notably, nAl/CuO MPs show evidence of interparticle thermite reaction in the droplet system yielding a cooperative benefit of the two constituents relative to either alone in MPs. Use of oxidizer co-additives and the MP architecture with nAl represents a flexible and promising method of overcoming low burning rates of hydrocarbons with high as-received nAl loadings and provides expansive means of tunability to tailor nanofuel properties.

Brown planthopper (BPH) is one of the most destructive insects affecting rice ( Oryza sativa L.) production. Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) is a key enzyme involved in plant defense against pathogens, but the role of PAL in insect resistance is still poorly understood. Here we show that expression of the majority of PALs in rice is significantly induced by BPH feeding. Knockdown of Os PALs significantly reduces BPH resistance, whereas overexpression of OsPAL8 in a susceptible rice cultivar significantly enhances its BPH resistance. We found that OsPALs mediate resistance to BPH by regulating the biosynthesis and accumulation of salicylic acid and lignin. Furthermore, we show that expression of OsPAL6 and OsPAL8 in response to BPH attack is directly up-regulated by OsMYB30, an R2R3 MYB transcription factor. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the phenylpropanoid pathway plays an important role in BPH resistance response, and provide valuable targets for genetic improvement of BPH resistance in rice.

A compact ${L}$ -band relativistic magnetron (RM) with the diffraction output (DO) of the TEM mode is proposed. In this DO configuration, a ridged circular waveguide is used to replace the cylindrical waveguide to decrease its radial dimension. The RF field of the operating $\pi $ -mode is extracted from every resonator cavity and guided to the ridged circular waveguide. Even at the operating frequency of 1.55 GHz, the ridged circular waveguide can reduce the cutoff radius of the RF wave to 73 mm. The output RF field is further effectively converted to the TEM mode by a compact mode converter. Moreover, in the resonant system, a 10-cavity rising-sun slow wave structure (SWS) is applied to lower the phase velocity of the operating spatial harmonic and enhance the mode separation between the operating mode and the adjacent mode. The particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations demonstrate that the practical RM could output a relatively pure TEM mode at the frequency of 1.55 GHz, and its total efficiency is up to 60% with gigawatt radiation power for a diode voltage of 400 kV.

Developing high-efficiency and low-cost catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and hydrogen generation from chemical hydrogen storage materials are both significant and critical for th...

Establishing non-precious metals with high efficiency for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysis are extremely essential for renewable energy technologies. Herein, we achieve the synthesis of metal-organic framework precursor of Cu[Fe(CN)6]·XH2O cube at room temperature, which further derived ferric oxide@cupric oxide alloy ball. On this foundation, we creatively synthesized ferric oxide@cupric oxide alloy ball on nitrogen-doped graphene (NG@Fe2O3/CuO alloy ball), where Fe2O3/CuO alloy ball is evenly anchored on nitrogen-doped graphene. It is worth noting that nitrogen doping, reduction of graphene oxide and conversion of Cu[Fe(CN)6]·XH2O cube precursor into Fe2O3/CuO alloy ball can be simultaneously realized by facile one-step calcination. Moreover, synergistic effect between the nitrogen-doped graphene and Fe2O3/CuO alloy ball can enhance the overall electrocatalytic performance of the catalyst by playing specific roles. The outstanding catalytic activity, long-term durability and stability make NG@Fe2O3/CuO alloy ball to become a promising non-precious electrocatalyst for electrochemical water oxidation.

Gut microbiota can affect multiple brain functions and cause behavioral alterations through the microbiota-gut-brain axis. In our previous study, we found that the absence of gut microbiota can influence the expression of microRNAs and mRNAs in the hippocampal region of the germ-free (GF) mice. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are increasingly being recognized as an important functional transcriptional regulator in the brain. In the present study, we aim to identify possible biological pathways and functional networks for lncRNA-associated transcript of the gut microbiota in relation to the brain function. The profiles of lncRNA and mRNA from specific pathogen-free (SPF), colonized GF (CGF), and GF mice were generated using the Agilent Mouse LncRNA Array v2.0. Differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs and mRNAs were identified, and lncRNA target genes were also predicted. Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) was performed to analyze related signaling pathways and biological functions associated with these dysregulated mRNAs and target genes. Validation with quantitative real-time PCR was performed on several key genes. Compared with SPF mice a total of 2230 DE lncRNAs were found in GF mice. Among these, 1355 were upregulated and 875 were downregulated. After comparing the target genes of DE lncRNAs with mRNA datasets, 669 overlapping genes were identified. IPA core analyses revealed that most of these genes were highly associated with cardiac hypertrophy, nuclear factors of activated T cells (NFAT) gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), calcium, and cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) signaling pathways. Additionally, mRNA expression levels of APP, CASP9, IGFBP2, PTGDS, and TGFBR2 genes that are involved in central nervous system functions were significantly changed in the GF mouse hippocampus. Through this study, for the first time, we describe the effect of gut microbiota on the hippocampal lncRNA regulation. This will help in enhancing the overall knowledge about microbiota-gut-brain axis.

As a common preventive maintenance technique for asphalt pavement, micro-surface (MS) has the advantages of waterproofing and crack sealing. However, issues such as the fact that the conventional MS generates large noise and the evaluation of the indexes of tire-road noise are relatively less studied. The traditional surface texture index cannot reveal the range and distribution of pavement surface texture, thus hindering research of low-noise MS. To study the mechanism of tire-road noise generated by MS, and propose the tire-road noise and surface texture indicators for MS. In this study, the mechanism of five low-noise MS was systematically analyzed and compared through surface texture and noise tests. Then, a three-dimensional digital texture model (3D-DTM) of MS surface texture was constructed using a series of digital image processing techniques, including grayscale identification, binary conversion, and noise reduction. The results show that optimizing the gradation, adding sound-absorbing materials, and improving the workability of construction can improve the noise reduction performance of MS, it is worth mentioning that the MS prepared with sound-absorbing materials and low-noise gradation has the greatest noise reduction effect, with a maximum reduction of 6.3 dB(A). In addition, it was also found that the 3D-DTM can well reflect the surface texture characteristics of MS. The probability of convex peak distribution (PCD) and the proportion of convex peak area (PCA) with peak heights greater than 0.25 mm (Kh ≥ 0.25), which are extracted from the 3D-DTM, can well reflect the surface texture, tire-road noise, respectively. The results show that the 3D-DTM is a promising tool to optimize the design of low-noise MS.

A major challenge in formulating and manufacturing energetic materials lies in the balance between total energy density, energy release rate, and mechanical integrity. In this work, carbon fibers are embedded into ∼90 wt % loading Al/CuO nanothermite sticks through a simple extrusion direct writing technique. With only ∼2.5 wt % carbon fiber addition, the burn rate and heat flux were promoted >2×. In situ microscopic observation of combustion shows that the carbon fiber intercept ejected hot agglomerates near the burning surface and enhanced heat feedback to the unreacted material. This study outlines how these approaches may enhance the propagation and reduce the two-phase flow losses.

Summary Kernel size and morphology are two important yield‐determining traits in maize, but their molecular and genetic mechanisms are poorly characterized. Here, we identified a major QTL,qKM4.08, which explains approximately 24.20% of the kernel morphology variance in a recombinant population derived from two elite maize inbred lines, Huangzaosi (HZS, round kernel) and LV28 (slender kernel). Positional cloning and transgenic analysis revealed that qKM4.08 encodes ZmVPS29, a retromer complex component. Compared with the ZmVPS29 HZS allele, the ZmVPS29 LV28 allele showed higher expression in developing kernels. Overexpression of ZmVPS29 conferred a slender kernel morphology and increased the yield per plant in different maize genetic backgrounds. Sequence analysis revealed that ZmVPS29 has been under purifying selection during maize domestication. Association analyses identified two significant kernel morphology‐associated polymorphic sites in the ZmVPS29 promoter region that were significantly enriched in modern maize breeding lines. Further study showed that ZmVPS29 increased auxin accumulation during early kernel development by enhancing auxin biosynthesis and transport and reducing auxin degradation and thereby improved kernel development. Our results suggest that ZmVPS29 regulates kernel morphology, most likely through an auxin‐dependent process(es).

The control of energy storage and release in micro energy devices is important and challengeable for utilization of energy. In this work, three kinds of micro energy storage devices were fabricated through in situ integrating different aluminum/molybdenum trioxide (Al/MoO3) nanolaminates on a semiconductor bridge. The morphology and composition characterizations confirm that Al layer and MoO3 layer closely contacted with different single thickness, endowing the Al/MoO3 nanolaminates with variable heat release from 466.3 J/g to 613.0 J/g. Meanwhile, these devices demonstrate controllable energy release ability showing the flame durations of 60–600 μs (discharged with 47 μF/50 V) by simply changing the Al and MoO3 accumulate structure in Al/MoO3 nanolaminates. Preliminary reaction mechanism obtained by probing the reaction in argon and vacuum atmosphere suggests that condensed state reaction process was confirmed in these nano multilayered films. This result may yield significant advantages in developing a tailored architecture for micro ignition applications.

In this work, we have developed a general, simple and template-free solvothermal strategy to prepare Yb3+ and Er3+ codoped Gd-based coordination polymer (GdCP) hollow spheres with glycylglycine as a ligand. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, infrared and thermogravimetric analysis were used to characterize the hollow spheres. The GdCP hollow spheres are with a size of about 200 nm and the thickness of the shell was about 30 nm. Upconversion emission with 832 nm being the strongest was realized in the hollow spheres when excited with 980 nm laser. Magnetic measurement reveals that the GdCP hollow sphere is paramagnetic. The relaxation information was measured and the product is subjected to T1 weighted imaging. These prepared GdCP hollow spheres may be applied to multimodal imaging.

TiO2/Au/CeO2 catalysts with different TiO2 contents were successfully synthesized through combining a dealloying Al-Ce-Ti-Au precursor alloy and calcining in O2. XRD, SEM, HRTEM, TEM-EDX mapping, N2 adsorption-desorption, H2-TPR, O2-TPD, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, and in situ DRIFTS were used to characterize the structural phases, microstructures, and physicochemical properties of the samples. The results revealed that the TiO2/Au/CeO2 catalysts prepared from Al89.7Ce9.5Ti0.5Au0.3 had a structure in which Au and TiO2 nanoparticles were loaded onto the surfaces of CeO2 nanorods in a porous framework, resulting in a large specific surface area and a small pore size. The results of an experimental test of the catalytic oxidation of CO indicated that the TiO2/Au/CeO2 catalysts prepared from Al89.7Ce9.5Ti0.5Au0.3 showed the highest activity for CO oxidation. The temperature required for 50% CO conversion was as low as 5 °C and 98% CO conversion was achieved at 40 °C. The catalysts were stable even after 100 h of catalytic oxidation. The introduction of a small amount of TiO2 into the Au/CeO2 is thought to have created an increased number of oxygen vacancies and an increased concentration of Auδ+ species. This leads to stronger interactions between the Au and CeO2 and more active oxygen species at the surface, which enhances the catalytic activity. The present work further develops catalytic materials with high performance and low cost.

A large portion of energy consumed in buildings via infrared (IR) radiation through windows, therefore, IR blocking protection or low-emission (Low-E) window is urgently required for more energy-saving buildings. While most Low-E glass require complex and high-cost vacuum sputtering coatings, IR blocking layer that can be directly coated with cost-effective and large-scale process is desired. Herein, we report facile and scalable processing of silver nanowires/polyvinyl butyral (AgNWs/PVB) coatings for high performance Low-E windows. The spay process can be applied to create reliable IR modulation layer directly onto normal glass, and have also been expanded to roll-to-roll coating on flexible plastics. The AgNWs/PVB coating showed high transmittance of visible light (∼83.0%), high reflectivity of mid-IR (∼69.8%), low emissivity, as well as reliable chemical and mechanical durability.

Burst passenger flow in the public transportation system is serious to public safety. Existing works mainly focused on prediction and monitoring of regular passenger flow, which are not suitable for burst passenger flow. In this article, we first formulate the problem as early warning of burst passenger flow. Next, we design a novel framework to solve this problem by our observation that a burst passenger in-flow usually comes after an abnormal passenger out-flow for a subway station, especially when there is a large-scale social crowd event. Our framework consists of two models: (1) Abnormal out-flow detection (AOFD) which detects abnormal out-flows and warns the city administration of the burst in-flow fairly ahead of time. (2) Burst in-flow peak estimation (BIFPE) which estimates burst in-flow peak time and volume. We evaluate our framework with real-world smartcard data of the largest city in China and use large-scale social crowd event data to further explain our model. The result shows that: (1) AOFD can detect abnormal out-flows that would later result in bursts in-flows with better performance and can send warning signal ahead of the time of burst passenger in-flow. (2) BIFPE can effectively estimate the peak time of burst in-flow and can reduce peak volume estimation error compared with the traditional passenger flow prediction models.

The characteristics of A6 relativistic magnetron with diffraction output (MDO) operating in the negative first harmonic of $2\pi $ /3-mode are studied in detail by theory analysis and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation. By comparison with the fundamental harmonic of $\pi $ -mode, it is found that the negative first harmonic of $2\pi $ /3-mode with lower phase velocity can be advantageous to improve the interaction efficiency, but its delay in the establishment is longer. Furthermore, the negative first harmonic of $2\pi $ /3-mode requires a larger axial magnetic field to satisfy the resonating condition under the same diode voltage. Therefore, the total power occupied by the MDO operating with the negative first harmonic of $2\pi $ /3-mode can be decreased in the same diode voltage condition. This can result in reduced RF power output. Employing a diode voltage of 400 kV in PIC simulation, the optimal magnetic field for the negative first harmonic of $2\pi $ /3-mode and the fundamental harmonic of $\pi $ -mode are 0.51 and 0.39 T, respectively. The conversion efficiency at the negative first harmonic of $2\pi $ /3-mode is improved by 16.2%, whereas the input dc power is decreased by 1.22 GW, and the output RF power decreases 0.23 GW. Meanwhile, the oscillation delays about 3–4 ns.

Spikelet is the primary reproductive structure and a critical determinant of grain yield in rice. The molecular mechanisms regulating rice spikelet development still remain largely unclear. Here, we report that mutations in OsPEX5, which encodes a peroxisomal targeting sequence 1 (PTS1) receptor protein, cause abnormal spikelet morphology. We show that OsPEX5 can physically interact with OsOPR7, an enzyme involved in jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis and is required for its import into peroxisome. Similar to Ospex5 mutant, the knockout mutant of OsOPR7 generated via CRISPR-Cas9 technology has reduced levels of endogenous JA and also displays an abnormal spikelet phenotype. Application of exogenous JA can partially rescue the abnormal spikelet phenotype of Ospex5 and Osopr7. Furthermore, we show that OsMYC2 directly binds to the promoters of OsMADS1, OsMADS7 and OsMADS14 to activate their expression, and subsequently regulate spikelet development. Our results suggest that OsPEX5 plays a critical role in regulating spikelet development through mediating peroxisomal import of OsOPR7, therefore providing new insights into regulation of JA biosynthesis in plants and expanding our understanding of the biological role of JA in regulating rice reproduction.

Increasing planting density has been an effective means of increasing maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) yield per unit of land area over the past few decades. However, high-density planting will cause a reduction in the ratio of red to far-red incident light, which could trigger the shade avoidance syndrome and reduce yield. The molecular mechanisms regulating the shade avoidance syndrome are well established in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) but poorly understood in maize. Here, we conducted an initial functional characterization of the maize Phytochrome-Interacting Factor (PIF) gene family in regulating light signaling and photomorphogenesis. The maize genome contains seven distinct PIF genes, which could be grouped into three subfamilies: ZmPIF3s, ZmPIF4s, and ZmPIF5s. Similar to the Arabidopsis PIFs, all ZmPIF proteins are exclusively localized to the nucleus and most of them can form nuclear bodies upon light irradiation. We show that all of the ZmPIF proteins could interact with ZmphyB. Heterologous expression of each ZmPIF member could partially or fully rescue the phenotype of the Arabidopsis pifq mutant, and some of these proteins conferred enhanced shade avoidance syndrome in Arabidopsis. Interestingly, all ZmPIF proteins expressed in Arabidopsis are much more stable than their Arabidopsis counterparts upon exposure to red light. Moreover, the Zmpif3, Zmpif4, and Zmpif5 knockout mutants generated via CRISPR/Cas9 technology all showed severely suppressed mesocotyl elongation in dark-grown seedlings and were less responsive to simulated shade treatment. Taken together, our results reveal both conserved and distinct molecular properties of ZmPIFs in regulating light signaling and photomorphogenesis in maize.

Based on the derived coupling coefficients of the circular waveguide and coaxial waveguide, a novel dual-band serpentine coaxial mode converter is proposed in this paper. This dual-band con...