Same Locus for Non-shattering Seed Pod in Two Independently Domesticated Legumes, and .

Loss of pod shattering is one of the most important domestication-related traits in legume crops. The non-shattering phenotypes have been achieved either by disturbed formation of abscission layer between the valves, or by loss of helical tension in sclerenchyma of endocarp, that split open the pods to disperse the seeds. During domestication, azuki bean () and yard-long bean ( cv-gr.

Quasicrystalline phase-change memory.

Phase-change memory utilizing amorphous-to-crystalline phase-change processes for reset-to-set operation as a nonvolatile memory has been recently commercialized as a storage class memory. Unfortunately, designing new phase-change materials (PCMs) with low phase-change energy and sufficient thermal stability is difficult because phase-change energy and thermal stability decrease simultaneously as the amorphous phase destabilizes. This issue arising from the trade-off relationship between stability and energy consumption can be solved by reducing the entropic loss of phase-change energy as apparent in crystalline-to-crystalline phase-change process of a GeTe/SbTe superlattice structure.

Comparative genomics of muskmelon reveals a potential role for retrotransposons in the modification of gene expression.

Melon exhibits substantial natural variation especially in fruit ripening physiology, including both climacteric (ethylene-producing) and non-climacteric types. However, genomic mechanisms underlying such variation are not yet fully understood. Here, we report an Oxford Nanopore-based high-grade genome reference in the semi-climacteric cultivar Harukei-3 (378 Mb + 33,829 protein-coding genes), with an update of tissue-wide RNA-seq atlas in the Melonet-DB database.

Curved Structure of Si by Improving Etching Direction Controllability in Magnetically Guided Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching.

Metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) is widely used to fabricate micro-/nano-structured Si owing to its simplicity and cost-effectiveness. The technique of magnetically guided MACE, involving MACE with a tri-layer metal catalyst, was developed to improve etching speed as well as to adjust the etching direction using an external magnetic field. However, the controllability of the etching direction diminishes with an increase in the etching dimension, owing to the corrosion of Fe due to the etching solution; this impedes the wider application of this approach for the fabrication of complex micro Si structures.

Amino Acid Metabolites and Slow Weight Loss in the Early Postoperative Period after Sleeve Gastrectomy.

Background: Profiles of amino acid metabolites (AAMs) have been linked to obesity and energy homeostasis. We investigated whether baseline obesity-related AAMs were associated with weight status in the early postoperative period after sleeve gastrectomy.

Methods: In this prospective, single-arm, longitudinal study, 27 bariatric patients underwent sleeve gastrectomy.

MgO Thin Film Growth on Si(001) by Radio-Frequency Sputtering Method.

Herein, sputtering duration and annealing temperature effects on the structure and local electronic structure of MgO thin films were studied using synchrotron radiation based X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopic investigations. These films were grown at substrate temperature of 350 °C by varying sputtering duration from 25 min to 324 min in radio frequency (RF) sputtering method followed by post-deposition annealing at 400, 600 and 700 °C for 3 h. These films were amorphous upto certain sputtering durations, typically upto 144 min and attains crystallization thereafter.

Local Electronic Structure of Calcite Investigated Using X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy at Different Span of Time.

For the present work, calcite nanoparticles was synthesized from calcium nitrate by annealing precursor at 300, 400, 500 and 600°C. Ca -edge near edge X-ray absorption fine structure measurements revealed spectral features characteristics to the amorphous phase of calcium carbonate at 300 and 400°C. At 500 and 600°C, the spectra were analogues to the calcite phase of calcium carbonate.

Color modulation by selective excitation activated defects and complex cation distribution in ZnMgAlO nanocrystals.

Complex cation distribution in spinel solid solution, fosters defect generation and permutates the optical properties. To scrutinize the effect on structural properties, viz. the cation distribution and defect states upon substitution of Zn with Mg; and to tune the emission properties, Zn1-xMgxAl2O4 (0.

Morphology and Interconnected Microstructure-Driven High-Rate Capability of Li-Rich Layered Oxide Cathodes.

A Li-rich layered oxide (LLO) cathode with morphology-dependent electrochemical performance with the composition LiMnNiCoO in three different microstructural forms, namely, randomly shaped particles, platelets, and nanofibers, is synthesized through the solid-state reaction (SSR-LLO), hydrothermal method (HT-LLO), and electrospinning process (ES-LLO), respectively. Even though the cathodes possess different morphologies, structurally they are identical. The elemental dispersion studies using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping in scanning transmission electron microscopy show uniform distribution of elements.

Sn(salen)-derived SnS nanoparticles embedded in N-doped carbon for high performance lithium-ion battery anodes.

By simple pyrolysis of a tin salen complex [Sn(salen)] and sulfur powder at 700 °C, SnS nanoparticles with ∼20 nm thickness homogeneously embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon are prepared. When applied as lithium-ion battery anodes, the SnS/N-C nanocomposites exhibited long cycling stability and excellent rate capability.

Intrinsic disorder is essential for Cas9 inhibition of anti-CRISPR AcrIIA5.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins provide adaptive immunity to prokaryotes against invading phages and plasmids. As a countermeasure, phages have evolved anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins that neutralize the CRISPR immunity. AcrIIA5, isolated from a virulent phage of Streptococcus thermophilus, strongly inhibits diverse Cas9 homologs, but the molecular mechanism underlying the Cas9 inhibition remains unknown.

Phase Controlled Growth of CdAs Nanowires and Their Negative Photoconductivity.

The bottom-up synthesis process often allows the growth of metastable phase nanowires instead of the thermodynamically stable phase. Herein, we synthesized CdAs nanowires with a controlled three-dimensional Dirac semimetal phase using a chemical vapor transport method. Three different phases such as the body centered tetragonal (bct), and two metastable primitive tetragonal (4/ and 4/) phases were identified.

Mikan Genome Database (MiGD): integrated database of genome annotation, genomic diversity, and CAPS marker information for mandarin molecular breeding.

Citrus species are some of the most valuable and widely consumed fruits globally. The genome sequences of representative citrus (e.g.

Correlating the size and cation inversion factor in context of magnetic and optical behavior of CoFeO nanoparticles.

Herein, the size dependent behavior of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles was investigated using synchrotron radiation based techniques. Scanning electron micrographs revealed the enhancement of particle/crystallite size with increase of annealing temperature. Moreover, the shape of these particles also changed with increase of crystallite size.

ToF-SIMS and AFM Characterization of Brown Cosmetic Contact Lenses: From Structural Analysis to the Identification of Pigments.

Over the years, soft contact lenses for vision correction and cosmetic and therapeutic purposes have been greatly improved. For cosmetic contact lenses, the pigments need to be nontoxic, and the position of the pigment layer is particularly important because of the risks posed by pigment elution and the roughness of the lens surface. In this paper, we characterized the properties of brown cosmetic contact lenses made by three different manufacturers using surface analytical techniques.

Comparative Analysis of Root Transcriptome Reveals Candidate Genes and Expression Divergence of Homoeologous Genes in Response to Water Stress in Wheat.

Crop cultivars with larger root systems have an increased ability to absorb water and nutrients under conditions of water deficit. To unravel the molecular mechanism of water-stress tolerance in wheat, we performed RNA-seq analysis on the two genotypes, Colotana 296-52 (Colotana) and Tincurrin, contrasting the root growth under polyethylene-glycol-induced water-stress treatment. Out of a total of 35,047 differentially expressed genes, 3692 were specifically upregulated in drought-tolerant Colotana under water stress.

Se-Rich MoSe Nanosheets and Their Superior Electrocatalytic Performance for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

Two-dimensional MoSe has emerged as a promising electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), although its catalytic activity needs to be further improved. Herein, we report Se-rich MoSe nanosheets synthesized using a hydrothermal reaction, displaying much enhanced HER performance at the Se/Mo ratio of 2.3.

Soft X-ray Absorption Spectroscopic Investigation of Li(NiCoMn)O Cathode Materials.

Herein, we report the soft X-ray absorption spectroscopic investigation for Li(NiCoMn)O cathode material during charging and discharging. These measurements were carried out at the Mn -, Co -, and Ni -edges during various stages of charging and discharging. Both the Mn and Co -edge spectroscopic measurements reflect the invariance in the oxidation states of Mn and Co ions.

Heterologous expression of a cryptic gene cluster from Grimontia marina affords a novel tricyclic peptide grimoviridin.

Microviridins are a class of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) that have been isolated from a wide variety of cyanobacterial strains. There are similar gene clusters of RiPPs distributed in the genomes of bacteria belonging to the phyla Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. A cryptic gene cluster for the production of microviridin-type peptide was found in the genome of the marine γ-Proteobacterium Grimontia marina.

Combined QTL mapping and RNA-Seq profiling reveals candidate genes associated with cadmium tolerance in barley.

The high toxicity of cadmium (Cd) and its ready uptake by plants has become a major agricultural problem. To investigate the genetic architecture and genetic regulation of Cd tolerance in barley, we conducted quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis in the phenotypically polymorphic Oregon Wolfe Barley (OWB) mapping population, derived from a cross between Rec and Dom parental genotypes. Through evaluating the Cd tolerance of 87 available doubled haploid lines of the OWB mapping population at the seedling stage, one minor and one major QTL were detected on chromosomes 2H and 6H, respectively.

Identification of a cytochrome P450 hydroxylase, CYP81E22, as a causative gene for the high sensitivity of soybean to herbicide bentazon.

A frame shift invoked by a single-base deletion in the gene encoding a cytochrome P450 hydroxylase, CYP81E22, causes the loss of bentazon detoxification function in soybean. Bentazon is an effective herbicide in soybean cultivation applied at post-emergence stages for control of several broadleaf weeds. However, some soybean cultivars are highly sensitive to bentazon and are killed upon application.

Foreign DNA detection by high-throughput sequencing to regulate genome-edited agricultural products.

Although the advent of several new breeding techniques (NBTs) is revolutionizing agricultural production processes, technical information necessary for their regulation is yet to be provided. Here, we show that high-throughput DNA sequencing is effective for the detection of unintended remaining foreign DNA segments in genome-edited rice. A simple k-mer detection method is presented and validated through a series of computer simulations and real data analyses.

Maximizing Short Circuit Current Density and Open Circuit Voltage in Oxygen Vacancy-Controlled BiCaFeTiO Thin-Film Solar Cells.

Designing solid-state perovskite oxide solar cells with large short circuit current () and open circuit voltage () has been a challenging problem. Epitaxial BiFeO (BFO) films are known to exhibit large (>50 V). However, they exhibit low (≪μA/cm) under 1 Sun illumination.