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The lithium–sulfur (Li–S) battery is one of the most promising high-energy-density secondary battery systems. However, it suffers from issues arising from its extremely complicated "solid–liquid–solid" reaction routes. In recent years, enormous advances have been made in optimizing Li–S batteries via the rational design of compositions and architectures. Nevertheless, a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the practical reaction mechanisms of Li–S systems and their effect on the electrochemical performance is still lacking. Very recently, several important in situ optical spectroscopic techniques, including Raman, infrared and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopies, have been developed to monitor the real-time variations of the battery states, and a bridge linking the macroscopic electrochemical performance and microscopic architectures of the components has been set up, thus playing a critical role in scientifically guiding further optimal design of Li–S batteries. In this tutorial review, we provide a systematic summary of the state-of-the-art innovations in the characterization and optimal design of Li–S batteries with the aid of these in situ optical spectroscopic techniques, to guide a beginner to construct in situ optical spectroscopy electrochemical cells, and develop strategies for preventing long-chain polysulfide formation, dissolution and migration, thus alleviating the shuttle effect in Li–S batteries and improving the cell performances significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a one-pot in situ synthesis procedure to form nanocomposite of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets anchored with 1D δ-MnO 2 nanoscrolls for Li-ion batteries. The as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The electrochemical performance of the δ-MnO 2 nanoscrolls/RGO composite was measured by galvanostatic charge/discharge cycling and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results show that the δ-MnO 2 nanoscrolls/RGO composite displays superior Li-ion battery performance with large reversible capacity and high rate capability. The first discharge and charge capacities are 1520 and 810 mAh g −1 , respectively. After 50 cycles, the reversible discharge capacity is still maintained at 528 mAh g −1 at the current density of 100 mAh g −1 . The excellent electrochemical performance is attributed to the unique nanostructure of the δ-MnO 2 nanoscrolls/RGO composite, the high capacity of MnO 2 and superior electrical conductivity of RGO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 (LLZO) has cubic garnet type structure and is a promising solid electrolyte for next-generation Li-ion batteries. In this work, Al-doped LLZO was prepared via conventional solid-state reaction. The effects of sintering temperature and Al doping content on the structure and Li-ion conductivity of LLZO were investigated. The phase composition of the products was confirmed to be cubic LLZO via XRD. The morphology and chemical composition of calcined powders were investigated with SEM, EDS, and TEM. The Li-ion conductivity was measured by AC impedance. The results indicated the optimum sintering temperature range is 800–950 °C, the appropriate molar ratio of LiOH·H 2 O, La(OH) 3 , ZrO 2 and Al 2 O 3 is 7.7:3:2:(0.2–0.4), and the Li-ion conductivity of LLZO sintered at 900 °C with 0.3 mol of Al-doped was 2.11×10 −4 S cm −1 at 25 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of high capacity, superior rate capability and long lifespan anodes for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is an ongoing challenge for meeting the ever-increasing demand of high energy density and fast charging property. In this work, we report Co 3 O 4−x nanocrystals with abundant oxygen-vacancy and pores as the anode for LIBs. Taking profit of the introduced oxygen-vacancy, pores and nanostructure, the Co 3 O 4−x shows an increased electronic conductivity, shortened Li+ ions diffusion pathway, and enables ultrahigh pseudo-capacitive behavior, thereby providing a remarkable rate capability and an ultrahigh capacity beyond the redox chemistry. On the basis of this understanding, the Co 3 O 4−x anode delivers high capacity (1616 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C, 1 C = 1000 mA g−1), excellent cycling stability and can operate well at rates of 0.1–20 C (842 mAh g−1 at 20 C), which is significantly improved comparable to that of common Co 3 O 4. Furthermore, applications of ex-situ XRD, FTIR, Raman and XPS tests demonstrate the reversible Li+ ions storage mechanism in such well-designed Co 3 O 4−x. Our study highlights the great feasibility and validity of oxygen-vacancy and nanostructure for improving the Li+ ions storage performance. [Display omitted] • Nanostructured Co 3 O 4−x materials with abundant oxygen-vacancies and pores were prepared. • The nanocrystal and porous structure not only accelerate Li+ ions/electrons transport and buffer the volume change, but also help introduce the ultrahigh pseudocapacitive behavior of Co 3 O 4−x electrode. • The abundant oxygen-vacancies can enhance the electrical conductivity, thereby enabling the ultrafast charge storage. • Co 3 O 4−x electrode shows a high capacity of 1616 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C (1 C = 1000 mA g−1) and an outstanding rate capability (842 mAh g−1 at 20 C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Six MnSOD genes were isolated from five Miscanthus species. MgMnSOD1 functions in mitochondria and MgMnSOD1 seems to be the main MnSOD gene involved in stress response of M. × giganteus. Abstract: Miscanthus × giganteus is a promising biomass energy crop with advantages of vigorous growth, high yield, low fertilizer and pesticide inputs. However, poor overwinter ability limits its widespread cultivation. Moreover, narrow genetic base may increase the risk of susceptibility to diseases and pests. Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), an important antioxidant enzyme involved in stress tolerance is able to protect plant cells from accumulated reactive oxygen species by converting superoxide to peroxide and oxygen. In many plants, overexpression of MnSOD has shown the ability to enhance the resistance to various stresses. This article describes the studies performed in an attempt to elucidate the molecular and enzymatic properties of MnSODs in M. × giganteus. MnSOD genes from M. × giganteus ( MgMnSOD1, MgMnSOD2), M. lutarioriparia ( MlMnSOD), M. sacchariflora ( MsaMnSOD), M. sinensis ( MsiMnSOD), and M. floridulus ( MfMnSOD) were cloned and sequenced. The sequence analysis and expression patterns of MgMnSOD1 and MgMnSOD2 suggest that they were orthologous genes which were inherited from the two parents, M. sacchariflora and M. sinensis, respectively. In addition, MgMnSOD1 is predicted to be the main MnSOD gene involved in stress response of M. × giganteus. The activity of purified recombinant MgMnSOD1 was 1854.79 ± 39.98 U mg (mean ± SD). Further enzymatic assays revealed that the protein exhibited an outstanding thermal stability. MgMnSOD1 is predicted to be targeted to mitochondria and involved in removing the superoxide radical generated by respiration. The presence and sequences of other SOD isozymes transcripts were also investigated in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid amplification cDNA end (RACE) assay was established to achieve the complete cDNA sequence of a catalase gene ( NnCAT) from Nelumbo nucifera. The obtained full-length cDNA was 1666 bp in size and contained a 1476-bp open reading frame. The 3D structural model of NnCAT was constructed by homology modeling. The putative NnCAT possessed all the main characteristic amino acid residues and motifs of catalase (CAT) protein family, and the phylogenetic analysis revealed that NnCAT grouped together with high plants. Moreover, recombinant NnCAT showed the CAT activity (758 U/mg) at room temperature, holding high activity during temperature range of 20-50 °C, then the optimal pH of recombinant protein was assessed from pH 4 to pH 11. Additionally, real-time PCR assay demonstrated that NnCAT mRNA was expressed in various tissues of N. nucifera, with the highest expression in young leaf and lowest level in the root, and mRNA level of NnCAT was significantly augmented in response to short-time mechanical wounding. Different expression pattern of NnCAT gene suggested that NnCAT probably played a defensive role in the initial stages of oxidative stress, regulating the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by extracellular stimuli such as short-time mechanical wounding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North Carolina design III (NCIII) is one of the most powerful and widely used mating designs for understanding the genetic basis of heterosis. However, the quantitative trait mapping (QTL) conducted in previous studies with this design was mainly based on analysis of variance (ANOVA), composite interval or multiple interval mapping methods. These methodologies could not investigate all kinds of genetic effects, especially epistatic effects, simultaneously on the whole genome. In this study, with a statistical method for mapping epistatic QTL associated with heterosis using the recombinant inbred line (RIL)-based NCIII design, we conducted QTL mapping for nine agronomic traits of two elite hybrids to characterize the mode of gene action contributing to heterosis on a whole genomewide scale. In total, 23 main-effect QTL (M-QTL) and 23 digenic interactions in IJ ( indica × japonica) hybrids, 11 M-QTL and 82 digenic interactions in II ( indica × indica) hybrid QTLs were identified in the present study. The variation explained by individual M-QTL or interactions ranged from 2.3 to 11.0%. The number of digenic interactions and the total variation explained by interactions of each trait were larger than those of M-QTL. The augmented genetic effect ratio of most M-QTL and digenic interactions in (L -L ) data of two backcross populations (L and L ) showed complete dominance or overdominance, and in (L + L) data showed an additive effect. Our results indicated that the dominance, overdominance and epistatic effect were important in conditioning the genetic basis of heterosis of the two elite hybrids. The relative contributions of the genetic components varied with traits and the genetic basis of the two hybrids was different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eight-Electron Redox Cyclohexanehexone Anode for High-Rate High-Capacity Lithium Storage (Adv. Keywords: eight-electron-redox; cyclohexanehexone anodes; high-rate; pseudocapacitance; ultra-high capacity EN eight-electron-redox cyclohexanehexone anodes high-rate pseudocapacitance ultra-high capacity 1 1 1 08/16/22 20220811 NES 220811 B Lithium-Ion Batteries b In article number 2201347, De-Yin Wu, Li Zhang and co-workers show that cyclohexanehexone (C SB 6 sb O SB 6 sb ) is an ultra-high capacity and high-rate anode material for lithium-ion batteries. Eight-electron-redox, cyclohexanehexone anodes, high-rate, pseudocapacitance, ultra-high capacity. [Extracted from the article]

Konjac is one of the most important glucomannan crops worldwide. The breeding and genomic researches are largely limited by the genetic basis of Amorphophallus. In this study, the transcriptomes of A. konjac and A. bulbifer were constructed using a high-throughput Illumina sequencing platform. All 108,651 unigenes with average lengths of 430 nt in A. konjac and 119,678 unigenes with average lengths of 439 nt were generated from 54,986,020 reads and 52,334,098 reads after filtering and assembly, respectively. A total of 54,453 transcripts in A. konjac and 55,525 in A. bulbifier were annotated by comparison with Nr, Swiss-Prot, KEGG, and COG databases after removing exogenous contaminated sequences. A total of 80,332 transcripts differentially expressed between A. konjac and A. bulbifer. The majority of the genes that are associated with konjac glucomannan biosynthetic pathway were identified. Besides, the small RNAs in A. konjac leaves were also obtained by deep sequencing technology. All of 5,499,903 sequences of small RNAs were obtained with the length range between 18 and 30 nt. The potential targets for the miRNAs were also predicted according to the konjac transcripts. Our study provides a systematic overview of the konjac glucomannan biosynthesis genes that are involved in konjac leaves and should facilitate further understanding of the crucial roles of carbohydrate synthesis and other important metabolism pathways in Amorphophallus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing shortage of oil, coal, and other traditional fossil fuels, scientists in various fields have been looking for new fuel sources to solve the energy crisis. The genus Miscanthus is an ideal biofuel crop due to its rapid vegetative growth and its potential for high biomass yields. Plant regeneration through somatic embryogenesis is a viable method to achieve large-scale production of plant biomass. Callus induction from immature inflorescences of five Miscanthus species was performed on two different media, and the relative rates of callus proliferation were calculated. The highest multiplication coefficient, 3.92, was obtained with M. sacchariflorus ssp . lutarioriparius when the concentration of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) in the medium was 4.0 mg/L, and this species also performed the best at the induction phase. The proliferation coefficient for M. floridulus increased to 3.19 when the concentration of 2,4-D was decreased from 4.0 to 2.0 mg/L. When the concentration of 2,4-D was 2.0 mg/L, the proliferation coefficient for M. sinensis was 2.47. In M. sacchariflorus, the proliferation coefficients were 2.89 and 2.49 for the lower and higher concentrations of 2,4-D, respectively. The multiplication coefficient of M. x giganteus was 2.60 on medium containing 4.0 mg/L 2,4-D. Three different regeneration media were tested to induce shoots in vitro. M. floridulus and M. sacchariflorus regenerated shoots at 100% frequency in three different regeneration media. The regeneration rate for M. sacchariflorus ssp . lutarioriparius reached 99.0% on medium containing 4.0 mg/L N-Benzylaminopurine (6-BA) and 0.1 mg/L α-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). The best regeneration rate of M. sinensis was 35.2% using 2.0 mg/L 6-BA and 0.3 mg/L NAA, whereas the regeneration rate of M. x giganteus was 57.4% on medium supplemented with 3.0 mg/L 6-BA and 0.2 mg/L NAA. The in vitro-derived plantlets of all five species had 100% rooting rates on basal MS medium without supplementation. The survival rates of plantlets were above 90% for each species when subsequently grown outdoors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small molecule organic materials are widely used as anode materials for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high reversible capacity, designable structure, and environmental friendliness. However, they suffer from poor intrinsic electronic conductivity, severe dissolution, and low initial coulombic efficiency. Recently, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have demonstrated in metal‐ion batteries, outperforming some small molecule organic materials in terms of both cycling stability and rate capability. Herein, the first rational design and synthesis of a new cobalt‐based MOF (CoBPDCA), are reported employing cobalt(II) nitrate as the metal source and small organic molecules (2,2‐bipyridyl‐4,4‐dicarboxylic acid, BPDCA) as the ligands, which shows exceptional chemical stability and impressive electron conductivity. Most importantly, CoBPDCA electrodes deliver a high reversible capacity of 1112.9 mAh g−1 at 0.05 C (1 C = 1000 mA g−1) and outstanding high‐rate durability (166.3 mAh g−1 after 2500 cycles at 10 C). Employing a series of spectroscopic and morphological characterizations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, it is revealed that these impressively electrochemical performances are contributed to the dual active redox centers of Co cations and BPDCA ligands (CN and CO groups), and the superb electron conductivity. This work might provide a new strategy and a deeper understanding of the other MOFs' development for LIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic conjugated carboxylic acids are promising anodes for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) owing to their high specific capacity, design flexibility, and environmental friendliness. Unfortunately, similar to polysulfides, organic conjugated carboxylic acid materials and their redox intermediates suffer from poor intrinsic electronic conductivity, severe dissolution issues, and the resulting shuttle effect, thereby giving rise to rapid capacity decay and poor cycling stability. Herein, a SiO2 template‐assisted pyrolysis strategy is developed to prepare nitrogen‐doped hollow porous carbon bowls (N‐HPCB) as highly efficient hosts for organic conjugated carboxylic acids (maleic acid, MA). Benefiting from the large specific surface area, rational pore structure, and numerous nitrogen defect sites, N‐HPCB can remarkably suppress the dissolution of MA and its redox intermediates (LixMA) through both physical confinement and chemical bonding and facilitate the LixMA conversion. With these merits, the MA@HPCB electrodes deliver a high reversible specific capacity of 1134.9 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, exceptional long‐term cyclability (retaining 328.8 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1 after 985 cycles), and outstanding rate capability (189.1 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1). Thus, the work provides a new approach to achieving a high‐rate and highly stable organic conjugated carboxylic acid materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent decades, the frequency of flooding is increasing with the change of global climate. Flooding has become one of the major abiotic stresses that seriously affect growth and development of plants. Triarrhena sacchariflora Nakai has been considered a promising energy crop for utilization in ethanol production. Flooding stress is among the most severe abiotic stressors in the production of Nakai. However, the physiological and molecular biological mechanisms of Nakai response to flooding is still unclear. In the present study, in order to understand the molecular mechanisms of Nakai in response to flooding stress, the transcriptome, physiological and biochemical were investigated. Results: The results demonstrated that significant physiological changes were observed in photosynthetic system, antioxidative enzyme activity, chlorophyll, carotenoid, proline, lipid peroxidation and soluble sugar content under normal and flooding treatments. Such as, the chlorophyll, carotenoid contents and photosynthetic system were significantly decreased. Whereas, the antioxidative enzyme activity, proline, lipid peroxidation and soluble sugar has increased first and then decreased under treatments compared with the normal plants. Additionally, a total of 8832, 6608 and 3649 unigenes were validated to be differentially expressed under different treatments, respectively. Besides, gene ontology enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis of the different expression levels of genes also presented processes, which involved in photosynthesis, sucrose catabolism, glycolysis, stress response and defense, phytohormone biosynthesis and signal transduction. Conclusions: The results provide a comprehensive view of the complex molecular events involved in the response to flooding stress of Nakai leaves, which also will promote the research in the development of flood-resistant crops and provide new tools for Nakai breeders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty-two sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), 46 taros (Colocasia esculenta) and 10 arrowheads (Sagittaria trifolia) were used as materials and combined with EST-SSR (expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeats) primers developed by our laboratory. Core primers were screened from a large number of primers that were able to distinguish all materials with a high frequency of polymorphisms. Six pairs, twenty pairs and three pairs of core primers were screened from sacred lotus, taro, and arrowhead, respectively. The SSR fingerprints of these three important aquatic vegetables, producing 17-, 87- and 14-bit binary molecular identity cards, respectively, were separately determined by using the core primers. Since there were few core primers of sacred lotus and arrowhead, 3 and 9 primer pairs with higher polymorphic information content (PIC), respectively, were selected as candidate primers. These core and candidate primers were used to identify the purities of No.36 space lotus, Shandong 8502 taro and Wuhan arrowhead, which were 93.3% (84/90), 98.9% (89/90) and 100.0% (90/90), respectively. The fingerprints, displayed as binary molecular identification cards of three important aquatic vegetables, were obtained, and their purity was successfully determined with EST-SSR labeling technology. Phylogenetic trees were also constructed to analyze the genetic diversity of 22 sacred lotus, 46 taros and 10 arrowheads. This study classifies and identifies germplasm resources and is an important reference to test the authenticity and variety purity of other aquatic vegetables in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selection index (SI) theory has been applied to predict the net genetic merit, select parents for the next cycle, and maximize the selection response in plant breeding. However, up to now, SI has not been applied to predict unobserved hybrid performance. In hybrid breeding, it is impossible to test every cross, and accurate prediction can help breeders greatly reduce the experimental cost. Traditional genomic selection (GS) targets single-trait prediction, and useful information about other related traits is ignored. With the data set of 575 rice hybrids subjected to the North Carolina mating design II, this information was utilized to develop a linear SI-based GS method to predict rice hybrid for a more accurate and comprehensive selection. Cross-validation results showed that genetic information of a low-heritability target trait such as grain yield could be greatly aggregated from auxiliary traits using SI. When SI was used for directly predicting the target trait, the SI-direct prediction underperformed the traditional genomic prediction in most cases. However, when the SI-direct prediction was combined with the traditional genomic prediction using a suitable weight ω inferred from the training data set, significantly higher accuracy could be obtained. This method was called as SI-assisted prediction. It provided a promising prediction means for breeding application, which used the phenotypes of auxiliary traits only in the training data set. Additionally, it was found that SI-assisted accuracy increased as the genetic correlation between auxiliary traits and the target trait increased, and high heritability of auxiliary traits could also improve the prediction performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amorphophallus (Araceae) contains more than 170 species that are mainly distributed in Asia and Africa. Because the bulbs of Amorphophallus are rich in glucomannan, they have been widely used in food, medicine, the chemical industry and so on. To better understand the evolutionary relationships and mutation patterns in the chloroplast genome of Amorphophallus, the complete chloroplast genomes of four species were sequenced. The chloroplast genome sequences of A. albus, A. bulbifer, A. konjac and A. muelleri ranged from 162,853 bp to 167,424 bp. The A. albus chloroplast (cp) genome contains 113 genes, including 79 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes and 4 rRNA genes. The A. bulbifer cp genome contains 111 genes, including 78 protein-coding genes, 29 tRNA genes and 4 rRNA genes. A. muelleri contains 111 and 113 genes, comprising 78 and 80 protein-coding genes, respectively, 29 tRNA genes and 4 rRNA genes. The IR (inverted repeat) region/LSC (long single copy) region and IR/SSC (short single copy) region borders of the four Amorphophallus cp genomes were compared. In addition to some genes being deleted, variations in the copy numbers and intron numbers existed in some genes in the four cp genomes. One hundred thirty-four to 164 SSRs (simple sequence repeats) were detected in the four cp genomes. In addition, the highest mononucleotide SSRs were composed of A and T repeat units, and the majority of dinucleotides were composed of AT and TA. SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) and indels (insertion-deletions) were calculated from coding genes and noncoding genes, respectively. These divergences comprising SSRs, SNPs and indel markers will be useful in testing the maternal inheritance of the chloroplast genome, identifying species differentiation and even in breeding programs. Furthermore, the regression of ndhK was detected from four Amorphophallus cp genomes in our study. Complete cp genome sequences of four Amorphophallus species and other plants were used to perform phylogenetic analyses. The results showed that Amorphophallus was clustered in Araceae, and Amorphophallus was divided into two clades; A. albus and A. konjac were clustered in one clade, and A. bulbifer and A. muelleri were clustered in another clade. Phylogenetic analysis among the Amorphophallus genus was conducted based on matK and rbcL. The phylogenetic trees showed that the relationships among the Amorphophallus species were consistent with their geographical locations. The complete chloroplast genome sequence information for the four Amorphophallus species will be helpful for elucidating Amorphophallus phylogenetic relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The qRT-PCR technique has been regarded as an important tool for assessing gene expression diversity. Selection of appropriate reference genes is essential for validating deviation and obtaining reliable and accurate results. Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn) is a common aquatic plant with important aesthetic, commercial, and cultural values. Twelve candidate genes, which are typically used as reference genes for qRT-PCR in other plants, were selected for this study. These candidate reference genes were cloned with, specific primers designed based on published sequences. In particular, the expression level of each gene was examined in different tissues and growth stages of Lotus. Notably, the expression stability of these candidate genes was assessed using the software programs geNorm and NormFinder. As a result, the most efficient reference genes for rootstock expansion were TBP and UBQ. In addition, TBP and EF-1α were the most efficient reference genes in various floral tissues, while ACT and GAPDH were the most stable genes at all developmental stages of the seed. CYP and GAPDH were the best reference genes at different stages of leaf development, but TUA was the least stable. Meanwhile, the gene expression profile of NnEXPA was analyzed to confirm the validity of the findings. It was concluded that, TBP and GAPDH were identified as the best reference genes. The results of this study may help researchers to select appropriate reference genes and thus obtain credible results for further quantitative RT-qPCR gene expression analyses in Lotus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]