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Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play essential roles in plant abiotic stress responses, but the response of lncRNA-mediated genetic networks to cadmium (Cd) treatment remain elusive in trees, the promising candidates for phytoremediation of Cd contamination. We identified 172 Cd-responsive lncRNAs and 295 differentially expressed target genes in the leaves of Cd-treated Populus tomentosa. Functional annotation revealed that these lncRNAs were involved in various processes, including photosynthesis, hormone regulation, and phenylalanine metabolism. Association studies identified 78 significant associations, representing 14 Cd-responsive lncRNAs and 28 target genes for photosynthetic and leaf physiological traits. Epistasis uncovered 83 pairwise interactions among these traits, revealing Cd-responsive lncRNA-mediated genetic networks for photosynthesis and leaf physiology in P. tomentosa. We focused on the roles of two Cd-responsive lncRNA–gene pairs, MSTRG.22608.1 – PtoMYB73 and MSTRG.5634.1 – PtoMYB27 , in Cd tolerance of Populus , and detected insertions/deletions within lncRNAs as polymorphisms driving target gene expression. Genotype analysis of lncRNAs and heterologous overexpression of PtoMYB73 and PtoMYB27 in Arabidopsis indicated their effects on enhancing Cd tolerance, photosynthetic rate, and leaf growth, and the potential interaction mechanisms of PtoMYB73 with abiotic stresses. Our study identifies the genetic basis for the response of Populus to Cd treatment, facilitating genetic improvement of Cd tolerance in trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An eleven iron-containing nanoscale inorganic polyanionic oxide cluster was reported as the first example for exceptional photocatalytic water oxidation. Under optimal conditions, a remarkable turn-over number (TON) of 1815 ± 50 and a turn-over frequency (TOFinitial) of 6.3 s−1 over 1 were achieved for water oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The ammoximation of different ketones and aldehydes to their corresponding oximes catalyzed by K6[PW9V3O40]·4H2O was carried out with hydrogen peroxide and ammonia in isopropanol at room temperature. High yields of oximes were obtained in this catalytic system. This catalytic system was proved to be heterogeneous by the ammoximation activity of removal of catalyst and the elemental analysis of the filtrate after reaction. A possible procedure for the ammoximation catalyzed by K6[PW9V3O40]·4H2O with H2O2 and NH3·H2O was proposed. The fresh and used catalysts were characterized by IR and 31P MAS NMR, which revealed the good stability of the catalyst. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The exploration of new rare-earth (RE)-based triangular-lattice materials plays a significant role in motivating the discovery of exotic magnetic states. Herein, we report a family of hexagonal perovskite compounds Ba 6 RE 2 Ti 4 O 17 (RE = Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy-Yb) with a space group of P 6 3 / mmc , where magnetic RE 3+ ions are distributed on the parallel triangular-lattice layers within the ab -plane and stacked in an 'AA'-type fashion along the c -axis. The low-temperature magnetic characterizations indicate that all synthesized Ba 6 RE 2 Ti 4 O 17 compounds exhibit dominant antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions and the absence of magnetic order down to 1.8 K. The isothermal magnetization and electron spin resonance results reveal the distinct magnetic anisotropy for the compounds with different RE ions. Moreover, the as-grown Ba 6 Nd 2 Ti 4 O 17 single crystals exhibit Ising-like magnetic anisotropy with a magnetic easy-axis perpendicular to the triangle-lattice plane and no long-range magnetic order down to 80 mK, as the quantum spin liquid candidate with dominant Ising-type interactions.

Graphene oxide (GO) is an ideal reinforcing material with super design capability, which can achieve the combination of strength and toughness. However, the actual effect of GO is far below the theoretical prediction. This is mainly due to the weak interface between the nanofiller and the matrix. In this paper, a controllable method for improving interlayer stress transfer of double-layer graphene oxide/C-S-H (D-GO-CSH)-layered nanostructures is proposed by using interlayer sp 3 bond and chirality. The results show that, compared with the control group, the normalized shear stress and normalized pull-out energy of the OH-sp3 model are increased by 44.93 and 49.25%, respectively, while those of the OO-sp3 model are increased by 32.26 and 31.03%, respectively. The interlayer sp 3 bonds lead to a great enhancement (more than 3 times) in normalized interlayer stress transfer of D-GO-CSH-layered nanostructures while exerting a little opposite effect (about 5%). The improvement effects induced by the interlayer sp 3 bonds are also strongly dependent on their distributions and the chirality of GO. According to the fracture mechanic theory and molecular dynamics results, the strain energy percentage difference (bond length and bond angle) of the zigzag-cen model is 34.8% lower than that of the control group model, which proves that the interlayer sp 3 bonds have a remarkably positive effect on the interlayer stress transfer of D-GO-CSH-layered nanostructures. This provides a new way to further improve the interlayer stress transfer, pull-out energy, and interlayer shear stress of D-GO-CSH-layered nanostructures., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Rare-earth (RE)-based honeycomb-lattice materials with strong spin-orbit coupled J eff = 1/2 moments have attracted great interest as a platform to realize the Kitaev quantum spin liquid (QSL) state. Herein, we report the discovery of a family of RE-based honeycomb-lattice magnets Ba 9 RE 2 (SiO 4 ) 6 (RE = Ho-Yb), which crystallize into the rhombohedral structure with the space group R 3̅. In these serial compounds, magnetic RE 3+ ions are arranged on a perfect honeycomb lattice within the ab -plane and stacked in the "ABCABC"-type fashion along the c -axis. All synthesized Ba 9 RE 2 (SiO 4 ) 6 (RE = Ho-Yb) polycrystals exhibit the dominant antiferromagnetic interaction and absence of magnetic order down to 2 K. In combination with the magnetization and electron spin resonance results, magnetic behaviors are discussed for the compounds with different RE ions. Moreover, the as-grown Ba 9 Yb 2 (SiO 4 ) 6 single crystals show large magnetic frustration with frustration index f = θ CW / T N > 8 and no long-range magnetic ordering down to 0.15 K, being a possible QSL candidate material. These series of compounds are attractive for exploring the exotic magnetic phases of Kitaev materials with 4f electrons.

The future of artificial photosynthesis depends on economic and robust water oxidation catalysts (WOCs). Cobalt-based WOCs are especially promising for knowledge transfer between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalyst design. We introduce the active and stable {Co II 4 O 4 } cubane [Co II 4 (dpy{OH}O) 4 (OAc) 2 (H 2 O) 2 ](ClO 4 ) 2 (Co 4 O 4 -dpk) as the first molecular WOC with the characteristic {H 2 O-Co 2 (OR) 2 -OH 2 } edge-site motif representing the sine qua non moiety of the most efficient heterogeneous Co-oxide WOCs. DFT-MD modelings as well as in situ EXAFS measurements indicate the stability of the cubane cage in solution. The stability of Co 4 O 4 -dpk under photocatalytic conditions ([Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ /S 2 O 8 2- ) was underscored with a wide range of further analytical methods and recycling tests. FT-IR monitoring and HR-ESI-MS spectra point to a stable coordination of the acetate ligands, and DFT-MD simulations along with 1 H/ 2 H exchange experiments highlight a favorable intramolecular base functionality of the dpy{OH}O ligands. All three ligand types enhance proton mobility at the edge site through a unique bioinspired environment with multiple hydrogen-bonding interactions. In situ XANES experiments under photocatalytic conditions show that the {Co II 4 O 4 } core undergoes oxidation to Co(III) or higher valent states, which recover rather slowly to Co(II). Complementary ex situ chemical oxidation experiments with [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 3+ furthermore indicate that the oxidation of all Co(II) centers of Co 4 O 4 -dpk to Co(III) is not a mandatory prerequisite for oxygen evolution. Moreover, we present the [Co II x Ni 4-x (dpy{OH}O) 4 (OAc) 2 (H 2 O) 2 ](ClO 4 ) 2 (Co x Ni 4-x O 4 -dpk) series as the first mixed Co/Ni-cubane WOCs. They newly bridge homogeneous and heterogeneous catalyst design through fine-tuned edge-site environments of the Co centers.