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Silicon (Si) enhances plant tolerance to various biotic and abiotic stressors such as salinity, drought, and heat. In addition, Si can be biomineralized within plants to form organic carbon-containing phytoliths that can have ecosystem-level consequences by contributing to long-term carbon sequestration. Si is taken up and transported in plants via different transporter proteins such as influx transporters (e.g., Lsi1, Lsi6) and efflux transporters (e.g., Lsi2). Additionally, the imported Si can be deposited in plant leaves via silicification process using the Siliplant 1 (e.g., Slp1) protein. Functional homologs of these proteins have been reported in different food crops. Here, we performed a genome-wide analysis to identify different Si transporters and Slp1 homologs in the bioenergy crop poplar (Populus trichocarpa Torr. and A. Gray ex W. Hook). We identified one channel-type Si influx transporter (PtLsi1; Potri.017G083300), one Si efflux transporter (PtLsi2; Potri.012G144000) and two proteins like Slp1 (PtSlp1a; Potri.004G168600 and PtSlp1b; Potri.009G129900) in the P. trichocarpa genome. We found a unique sequence (KPKPPVFKPPPVPI) in PtSlp1a which is repeated six times. Repeated presence of this sequence in PtSlp1a indicates that this protein might be important for silicification processes in P. trichocarpa. The mutation profiles of different Si transporters in a P. trichocarpa genome-wide association study population identified significant and impactful mutations in Potri.004G168600 and Potri.009G129900. Using a publically accessible database (http://bar.utoronto.ca/eplant_poplar/), digital expression analysis of the putative Si transporters in P. trichocarpa found low to moderate expression in the anticipated tissues, such as roots and leaves. Subcellular localization analysis found that PtLsi1/PtLsi2 are localized in the plasma membrane, whereas PtSlp1a/PtSlp1b are found in the extracellular spaces. Protein–Protein interaction analysis of PtLsi1/PtLsi2 identified Delta-1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthase (P5CS) as one of the main interacting partners of PtLsi2, which plays a key role in proline biosynthesis. Proline is a well-known participant in biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in plants. These findings will reinforce future efforts to modify Si accumulation for enhancing plant stress tolerance and carbon sequestration in poplar.

To observe the characteristics of highly myopic macular holes (HMMHs) with macular retinoschisis (MRS) by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and explore the possible relationship between HMMHs and different types of MRS.We consecutively reviewed the clinical data and OCT images of the patients with HMMHs from June 2015 to February 2021. Then we picked eyes with MRS from these HMMHs for analysis. The minimum linear diameter (MLD), basal diameter (BD), and height (H) of HMMHs were measured. HMMHs were grouped according to the extent or layer involvement of the concomitant MRS and the characteristics were compared among groups. The impact of MRS on the MLD of macular hole was analyzed with multivariable linear regression.We included 127 patients with MRS from 168 HMMHs (75.5%) for analysis. According to the different classification systems, the most frequent type of MRS in HMMHs was S3 (foveal but not entire macular area MRS) (62.2%) and both inner- and outer- (I/O-MRS) involved types. In our study, HMMHs with more extensive MRS had larger MLD, larger BD, larger H, and poorer best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Meanwhile, HMMHs with outer layer-involved MRS (outer MRS and I/O-MRS) had larger BD than HMMH with only inner layer-involved MRS. (All P 0.05) Multivariable linear regression further illustrated only the extent of MRS was significantly associated with the MLD of HMMH, while there was no significant correlation between the involved retinal layers and the MLD of HMMH.HMMH with MRS presented as a predominant type in HMMHs. The MRS was always with a relatively large extent and involved both inner and outer layers. MLD of HMMH was mainly affected by the extent of MRS.

The genus Populus has long been used for environmental, agroforestry and industrial applications worldwide. Today Populus is also recognized as a desirable crop for biofuel production and a model tree for physiological and ecological research. As such, various modern biotechnologies, including CRISPR/Cas9-based techniques, have been actively applied to Populus for genetic and genomic improvements for traits such as increased growth rate and tailored lignin composition. However, CRISPR/Cas9 has been primarily used as the active Cas9 form to create knockouts in the hybrid poplar clone ‘717-1B4’ (Populus tremula x P. alba clone INRA 717-1B4). Alternative CRISPR/Cas9-based technologies, e.g., those involving modified Cas9 for gene activation and base editing, have not been evaluated in most Populus species for their efficacy. Here we employed a deactivated Cas9 (dCas9)-based CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) technique to fine-tune the expression of two target genes, TPX2 and LecRLK-G which play important roles in plant growth and defense response, in hybrid poplar clone ‘717-1B4’ and poplar clone ‘WV94’ (P. deltoides ‘WV94’), respectively. We observed that CRISPRa resulted in 1.2-fold to 7.0-fold increase in target gene expression through transient expression in protoplasts and Agrobacterium-mediated stable transformation, demonstrating the effectiveness of dCas9-based CRISPRa system in Populus. In addition, we applied Cas9 nickase (nCas9)-based cytosine base editor (CBE) to precisely introduce premature stop codons via C-to-T conversion, with an efficiency of 13%-14%, in the target gene PLATZ which encodes a transcription factor involved in plant fungal pathogen response in poplar clone ‘717-1B4’. Overall, we showcase the successful application of CRISPR/Cas-based technologies in gene expression regulation and precise gene engineering in two Populus species, facilitating the adoption of emerging genome editing tools in woody species.

The Salicaceae family is of growing interest in the study of dioecy in plants because the sex determination region (SDR) has been shown to be highly dynamic, with differing locations and heterogametic systems between species. Without the ability to transform and regenerateSalixin tissue culture, previous studies investigating the mechanisms regulating sex in the genusSalixhave been limited to genome resequencing and differential gene expression, which are mostly descriptive in nature, and functional validation of candidate sex determination genes has not yet been conducted. Here we used Arabidopsis to functionally characterize a suite of previously identified candidate genes involved in sex determination and sex dimorphism in the bioenergy shrub willowSalix purpurea. Six candidate master regulator genes for sex determination were heterologously expressed in Arabidopsis, followed by floral proteome analysis. In addition, 11 transcription factors with predicted roles in mediating sex dimorphism downstream of the SDR were tested using DAP-Seq in both male and femaleS. purpureaDNA. The results of this study provide further evidence to support models for the roles ofARR17andGATA15as master regulator genes of sex determination inS. purpurea, contributing to a regulatory system that is notably different from that of its sister genusPopulus. Evidence was also obtained for the roles of two transcription factors, anAP2/ERFfamily gene and a homeodomain-like transcription factor, in downstream regulation of sex dimorphism.

Virus-assisted delivery of the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) system represents a promising approach for editing plant genomes. Among the CRISPR/Cas systems, CRISPR/Cas9 is most widely used; however, to pack the relatively large size of the CRISPR/Cas9 system into viral vectors with confined packaging capacity is challenging. To address this technical challenge, we developed a strategy based on split inteins that splits the required CRISPR/Cas9 components across a dual-vector system. The CRISPR/Cas reassembles into an active form following co-infection to achieve targeted genome editing in plant cells. An intein-mediated split system was adapted and optimized in plant cells by a successful demonstration of split-eYGFPuv expression. Using a plant-based biosensor, we demonstrated for the first time that the split-nCas9 can induce efficient base editing in plant cells. We identified several split sites for future biodesign strategies. Overall, this strategy provides new opportunities to bridge different CRISPR/Cas9 tools including base editor, prime editor, and CRISPR activation with virus-mediated gene editing.

This study aimed to evaluate fixation stability and position changes after epiretinal membrane (ERM) surgery.This is a retrospective study that included 60 consecutive eyes with idiopathic ERM. All patients received comprehensive ophthalmic examinations preoperatively and 1, 4, and 10 months postoperatively. Main outcome measures included fixation stability and position, bivariate contour ellipse area, and preferred retinal locus.The number of patients with stable fixation and predominantly central fixation was increased significantly after ERM surgery (61.7 vs. 73.3%, P = 0.001; 41.7 vs. 71.7%, P = 0.037). The correlation analysis showed that the preoperative factors associated with improved postoperative fixation stability were a larger bivariate contour ellipse area value (P0.001), poorer visual acuity (P = 0.002), advanced stage (P = 0.002), thicker central fovea thickness (P = 0.015), and a longer preferred retinal locus-fovea distance (P = 0.025). As for the improved fixation location, the associated preoperative factors were age (P = 0.003), central fovea thickness (P = 0.044), and preferred retinal locus-fovea distance (P0.001).Our observations point to the changes of fixation parameters in patients after ERM surgery. We found that patients with preoperative unstable, eccentric fixation and poor BCVA can significantly benefit from the surgery. This result indicates that even in patients with severe macular damage, the ERM surgery still has great benefits in recovering visual function.

As mining progresses into deep ore deposits in Australia, geo-hazards such as coal burst and outbursts are becoming a major concern for mine workers. The occurrence of geo-hazards involved the ejection of coal lumps and sometimes large volumes of hazardous gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. Whilst it is extremely important to de-stress and de-gas the seam and adjacent strata before roadway development and install competent support systems such as steel mesh and bolt, the last line of protection will be the installation of a protective canopy on the Continuous Miner (CM), which is typically used for roadway developments, to shield mine workers from these deadly dynamic impacts of coal and rock resulting from a burst or outburst. This paper aims to introduce the design, manufacture and testing of an innovative modular protective structure on the CM in underground coal mines. The developed protective system can be easily assembled in the underground mining environment and provide a high level of protection against flying debris hazards in the event of a coal burst. The extensive experimental program and numerical simulations have confirmed the high performance of the protective system against high-speed impact loading by single and multiple coal rocks and projectiles.

Three complexes [Fe2(L)2Cl4] (1), [Co2(L)2Cl4] (2) and [Ni(L)2Cl2]·CH2Cl2 (3) were synthesized and characterized. Complex 1 exhibits a slow magnetic relaxation behaviour. Complexes 1–3 are catalytically active toward the OER.

In this paper, the heating system of the airport energy station is taken as the research object. Aiming at the existing scheduling strategy of multi-heat-source heating system is difficult to achieve the optimal system working condition on the premise of meeting the needs of users. An intelligent scheduling strategy based on an improved FWA is studied. Firstly, the multi-heat-source heating system is analyzed, and the energy consumption model of operating equipment is established. According to the actual situation of the equipment, the multi-objective scheduling model is established. Then, the improved multi-objective fireworks algorithm is studied, including the initialization definition method of fireworks operator, the calculation method of fitness, mutation operator, the calculation method of explosion spark radius, and the concept of Pareto solution set in genetic algorithm with elite strategy is introduced. Finally, a multi-objective optimization function is established to minimize the equipment operation cost and heat source cost, and the multi-objective optimization problem is solved. Compared with the existing airport energy station dispatching scheme, the total operation cost of the optimized system is saved about 28.44%, and the energy waste is reduced based on the excellent operation of the heating system, achieved the optimal working condition

CRISPR construct design is a key step in the practice of genome editing, which includes identification of appropriate Cas proteins, design and selection of guide RNAs (gRNAs), and selection of regulatory elements to express gRNAs and Cas proteins. Here, we review the choices of CRISPR-based genome editors suited for different needs in plant genome editing applications. We consider the technical aspects of gRNA design and the associated computational tools. We also discuss strategies for the design of multiplex CRISPR constructs for high-throughput manipulation of complex biological processes or polygenic traits. We provide recommendations for different elements of CRISPR constructs and discuss the remaining challenges of CRISPR construct optimization in plant genome editing.

Objectives The present study aimed to investigate the distribution of lymphocyte subsets and cytokines expression in the peripheral blood of bitumen fumes-exposed workers. Methods In this study, 129 workers from molding and roasting workshops were recruited as the exposed group and 99 office and quality inspection staff were chosen as the control. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) levels of bitumen fumes in individual and fixed-point air samples and the urinary levels of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OH-P), 1-hydroxynaphthols (1-OH-N) and 2-hydroxynaphthols (2-OH-N) in workers were measured using High Performance Liquid Chromatography. The lymphocyte subsets and serum cytokines concentrations were analyzed by flow cytometry and cytometric bead array, respectively. Results The median values of PAHs were 0.08 mg/m3 for permissible concentration-time weighted average and 0.12 mg/m3 for permissible concentration-short term exposure (PC-STEL) in molding and roasting workshops, which were higher than that in the control area (< 0.01 mg/m3). Multivariate linear regression models were used to adjust for influential covariates, including age, gender, work age, smoking status, and alcohol consumptions. After adjusting for these covariates, we compared levels of urinary PAHs metabolites, the percentages of lymphocyte subsets, and serum cytokines concentrations between the two groups. The 1-OH-P, 1-OH-N, and 2-OH-N levels in the urine of bitumen fumes exposed workers were significantly higher than that in the controls (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the percentage of the natural killer (NK) cell (CD56+ cell) was significantly increased in the exposed group (P < 0.001). There was a significant decrease in the percentages of CD3+ T cell, CD4+ T cell, and CD8+ T cell in the exposed group compared to the control (P < 0.001). The serum levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-6 in bitumen fumes exposed workers were significantly higher than that of the controls (P < 0.05). Moreover, positive correlations were observed between the serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and urinary 1-OH-P levels in bitumen fumes-exposed workers, respectively (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the serum levels of IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), macrophage inflammatory protein-1β (MIP-1β) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) between the exposed group and the control group (P > 0.05). Conclusion Our study suggested that low dose of bitumen fumes exposure could decrease the percentage of T cell, increase the percentage of NK cell and stimulate the release of serum IL-1β and IL-6 in the peripheral blood of exposed workers. The serum levels of IL-1β and IL-6 were positive correlated with the urinary 1-OH-P levels in bitumen fumes exposed workers. These results may inform the search for potential effective biomarkers and provide evidences for early health monitoring in workers occupationally exposed to bitumen fumes.

Plant synthetic biology and genetic engineering depend on the controlled expression of transgenes of interest, which relies heavily on the use ofAgrobacterium-mediated transformation. Here we establish a novel split selectable marker system using protein splicing elements called “inteins” forAgrobacterium-mediated co-transformation in plants. This method enables robust co-transformation inArabidopsisand poplar, providing a novel strategy for the simultaneous insertion of multiple genes into both herbaceous and woody plants.

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Gene functional descriptions, which are typically derived from sequence similarity to experimentally validated genes in a handful of model species, offer a crucial line of evidence when searching for candidate genes that underlie trait variation. Plant responses to environmental cues, including gene expression regulatory variation, represent important resources for understanding gene function and crucial targets for plant improvement through gene editing and other biotechnologies. However, even after years of effort and numerous large-scale functional characterization studies, biological roles of large proportions of protein coding genes across the plant phylogeny are poorly annotated. Here we describe the Joint Genome Institute (JGI) Plant Gene Atlas, a public and updateable data resource consisting of transcript abundance assays from 2,090 samples derived from 604 tissues or conditions across 18 diverse species. We integrated across these diverse conditions and genotypes by analyzing expression profiles, building gene clusters that exhibited tissue/condition specific expression, and testing for transcriptional modulation in response to environmental queues. For example, we discovered extensive phylogenetically constrained and condition-specific expression profiles across many gene families and genes without any functional annotation. Such conserved expression patterns and other tightly co-expressed gene clusters let us assign expression derived functional descriptions to 64,620 genes with otherwise unknown functions. The ever-expanding Gene Atlas resource is available at JGI Plant Gene Atlas (https://plantgeneatlas.jgi.doe.gov) and Phytozome (https://phytozome-next.jgi.doe.gov), providing bulk access to data and user-specified queries of gene sets. Combined, these web interfaces let users access differentially expressed genes, track orthologs across the Gene Atlas plants, graphically represent co-expressed genes, and visualize gene ontology and pathway enrichments.

Summary Recent advances in plant genomics are scaling up gene expression profiling from the individual level to the population level, making transcriptomics a more powerful tool while deciphering the genome function. This study developed an efficient 3′RNA‐seq method, Simplified Poly(A) Anchored Sequencing (SiPAS), to perform large‐scale experiments of gene expression quantification. Aside from being cost‐effective, by conducting a comprehensive performance assessment of SiPAS in hexaploid wheat, we demonstrated that SiPAS is highly sensitive, accurate, and reproducible while quantifying gene expression. Our method is anticipated to boost studies of population transcriptomics in plants and improve our understanding of genome biology.

The stability of underground rock engineering is strongly affected by cavities. To analyse the dynamic response and fracture evolution of rock mass containing cavities, intact specimens and those containing a single rectangular cavity or two rectangular cavities with different layouts were tested by using split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) test system under three levels of nitrogen gas actuating pressures (0.35 MPa, 0.40 MPa and 0.45 MPa). During tests, failure process was recorded by a high-speed camera. Then, digital image correlation (DIC) techniques combined with displacement trend line method was employed to investigate the crack evolution and failure modes. Moreover, absorbed energy per unit volume was calculated to evaluate specimen fragmentation. Test results reveal that under a given impact pressure, the dynamic loading capacity is apparently higher for intact specimens than for those containing cavities. Although the incident energy has varying influence on the fragmentation of specimens in different cases, the crack evolution and failure modes seem to be independent on incident energy but mainly associated with cavity number and layout. The existence of cavities contributes to the degradation of dynamic loading capacity and absorbed energy. For specimens containing two cavities, the twin-cavity system with the connecting angle of 45° exhibits the maximum weakening effect on the mechanical parameters. In comparison, when the connecting angle is 90°, the specimens containing two cavities hold the maximum average dynamic loading capacity, which approximates that of the specimens containing a single cavity.

Tumor microenvironment (TME) affects the progression of rectal cancer (RC), and the clinical relevance of its immune elements was widely reported. Here we aim to delineate the complete TME landscape, including non-immune features, to improve our understanding of RC heterogeneity and provide a better strategy for precision medicine.Single-cell analysis of GSE161277 using Seurat and Cellcall was performed to identify cell-cell interactions. The ssGSEA was employed to quantify the TME elements in TCGA patients, which were further clustered into subtypes by hclust. WGCNA and LASSO were combined to construct a degenerated signature for prognosis, and its performance was validated in two GEO datasets.We proposed a subtyping strategy based on the abundance of both immune and non-immune components, which divided all RC patients into 4 subtypes (Immune-, Canonical-, Dormant- and Stem-like). Different subtypes exhibited distinct mutation landscapes, biological features, immune characteristics, immunotherapy responses and prognoses. Next, WGCNA and LASSO regression were combined to construct a 10-gene signature based on differentially expressed genes among different subtypes. Subgroups divided by this signature also exhibited different clinical parameters and responses to immune checkpoint blockades. Diverse machine learning algorithms were applied to achieve higher accuracy for survival prediction and a nomogram was further established in combination with M stage and age to provide an accurate and visual prediction of prognosis.We identified four TME-based RC subtypes with distinct biological and clinical features. Based on those subtypes, we also proposed a degenerated 10-gene signature to predict the prognosis and immunotherapy response.

To observe the characteristics and prognosis of different types of intraretinal cystoid spaces in idiopathic epiretinal membranes (iERMs).Two hundred and seven consecutive patients with symptomatic iERM who underwent vitrectomy between September 2016 and December 2019 were included. According to spectral-domain optical coherence tomography images, intraretinal cystoid spaces were classified into cystoid macular edema (CME) and microcystic macular edema (MME). Other optical coherence tomography characteristics, including ectopic inner foveal layers, central foveal thickness, and interdigitation zone integrity, were also evaluated.Intraretinal cystoid spaces were presented in 30.1% of the iERMs, 21.5% were CME-type, 66.2% were MME-type, and 12.3% were combined-type. Compared with CME, eyes with MME-type and combined-type showed a significantly lower best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) preoperatively and postoperatively. Cystoid macular edema is always presented in earlier stages (92.9%) and has no significant effects on BCVA (PStage I = 0.927, PStage II = 0.985). Conversely, MME is the primary type in advanced stages associated with a longer duration of symptoms (P = 0.037) and lower preoperative BCVA (P = 0.008). After surgery, cystoid spaces were newly occurred in 33 eyes (21.6%), with no effects on BCVA (P = 0.668). In the multiple regression analysis, the presence of MME was a risk factor for preoperative BCVA (P = 0.001). However, it is not an independent predictor for the postoperative VA.Our research further proved that MME is an adverse factor for preoperative and postoperative VA in iERMs. Moreover, we underlined the importance of distinguishing between CME and MME, which may affect prognosis differently.

Norovirus, the leading cause of non-bacterial acute gastroenteritis (AGE) worldwide, is constantly mutating. Continuous monitoring of the evolution of epidemic genotypes and emergence of novel genotypes is, therefore, necessary. This study determined the prevalence and clinical characteristics of norovirus strains in AGE in Guangzhou, China in 2019/2020 season. This study included children aged 2–60 months diagnosed with AGE in Guangzhou Women and Children Hospital, from August 2019 to January 2020. Norovirus was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction and clinical data were obtained. Genotyping and phylogenetic analyses were performed with partial gene sequence fragments located within the open reading frames 1 and 2. During the study period, 168 children (61.3% males) were confirmed as norovirus infectious AGE. The main symptoms were diarrhoea and vomiting and 38 patients (22.6%) had seizures. Norovirus was mainly prevalent in October and November, and GII.4 Sydney[P31] was the major genotype circulating in Guangzhou. The phylogenetic tree showed that the Guangzhou strains had high homology with the strains circulating in 2017–2019 worldwide. GII.4 Sydney was the main prevalent norovirus genotype in Guangzhou from August 2019 to January 2020, which had more severe diarrhoea than those of other genotypes. These findings provide a valuable reference for the prevention, control, and treatment of norovirus in the future.

Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) is a significant deadly infectious disease in the shrimp farming industry, causing serious economic losses globally every year. Because of the rapid progress speed, lack of effective treatment and high mortality rate of AHPND, monitoring with frequent diagnostic tests is vital for a successful prevention. The conventional histopathological diagnosis fell far short of the requirement for efficient monitoring, and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based molecular diagnostic methods that rely on sophisticated thermocycler and trained personnel are hardly applicable in the field. Combining the recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) and the lateral flow strips (LFSs), a diagnostic method suitable for on-site everyday monitoring of AHPND has been established in this study. This RPA-LFS method targeted the binary toxic photorhabdus insect-related genes PirA and PirB on a virulence plasmid of the AHPND-causative Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains. The diagnostic test was completed within 30 min at 37°C and showed good specificity and good sensitivity of 20 fg DNA of the AHPND shrimp or one colony-forming unit of the causative bacterium per reaction, which was better than the administration-approved standard AP4 assay. Crude templates from sample boiling could be directly used. Tests of clinical samples showed 100% consistency of this method with the standard AP4 assay. This RPA-LFS method can be a good choice for on-site diagnosis of AHPND with quick response time, easy procedure and low demand for resources, and should have significant value for the control of spreading of this dangerous disease in farmed shrimp.

To investigate the effects of ectopic inner foveal layers (EIFLs) on foveal configuration recovery and visual acuity after idiopathic epiretinal membrane removal and analyze the relationship of foveal configuration recovery between 1-month and long-term postoperatively.This retrospective study included 216 consecutive eyes with idiopathic epiretinal membrane that underwent vitrectomy surgery. A comprehensive ophthalmic examination was performed for all patients before and 1, 4, 10, and 24 months after surgery. We observed the postoperative anatomical and functional recovery of eyes with and without EIFLs and analyzed the association between short-term and long-term anatomical recovery.The presence of EIFL was associated with severe preoperative visual damage ( P0.001) and was considered as a negative factor for postoperative foveal depression recovery ( P0.001). No significant difference was found in postoperative best-corrected visual acuity between the eyes with and without EIFLs ( P = 0.442). For eyes with Stage II epiretinal membranes, 17.6% developed EIFLs postoperatively, which did not affect the final best-corrected visual acuity. Overall, 24.5% of epiretinal membranes restored the foveal configurations at 1 month postoperatively, and 14.7% continued recovering during the follow-up. Foveal structure recovery in eyes with EIFLs was associated with earlier stage, fewer microcystic macular edema, complete interdigitation zone layer, and a thinner central foveal thickness (all P0.05) at 1 month postoperatively.The EIFL is associated with severe preoperative visual damage and is a negative factor for postoperative anatomical recovery, but it is a minor factor for postoperative visual acuity. We also found an association of foveal configuration recovery between 1 month and long-term after surgery.

Since nearly half of the world's population lives near the coast, coastal areas have become hotspots for microplastic (MP) pollution due to human activity. The ubiquity of natural colloids in coastal waters plays a critical role in the potential fate of, and risks posed by, MPs. Nevertheless, far less has been known regarding the aggregation of MPs with inorganic natural clay colloids, especially in the complicated nearshore environment. In this study, the aggregation behavior of MPs as well as the interaction between MPs and clay particles were investigated under different nearshore environmental conditions (MP-to-clay ratio, salinity gradient, humic acid concentration, and wave energy). The aggregation behavior was subjected by the repulsive energy barrier between particles and external energy transferred to the system. The low energy associated with mild wave conditions was favorable for the occurrence of aggregation, whereas sustained high energy under intense wave conditions was found to be detrimental to the aggregation behavior, and the aggregates were prone to fragmentation even if particles coalesced into large clusters. The analysis for the environmental fate of MPs demonstrated that the shoreline was likely to be the sink for most MPs ultimately.

Deep knowledge of crop biodiversity is essential to improve global food security. Despite bread wheat serving as a keystone crop worldwide, the population history of bread wheat and its wild relatives (a.k.a. wheats) remains elusive. By analyzing whole-genome sequences of 795 wheats, we found that bread wheat originated southwest of the Caspian Sea ∼11,700 years ago and underwent a slow speciation process, lasting ∼3,300 years due to persistent gene flow from wild relatives. Soon after, bread wheat spread across Eurasia and reached Europe, South Asia, and East Asia ∼7,000 to ∼5,000 years ago, shaping a diversified but occasionally convergent adaptive landscape of bread wheat in novel environments. Opposite to cultivated wheat, wild wheat populations have declined by ∼82% in the past ∼2,000 years due to the food choice shift of humans, and likely continue to drop because of the changing climate. These findings will guide future efforts in protecting and utilizing wheat biodiversity to improve global food security.

The Circum-Bohai-Sea Region is an important economic zone of China. The sea ice, which occurs at each winter, is the major marine hazard of the Bohai Sea. As a result, it is very important to evaluate the damage effects quantitatively in this region, which is seldom studied and analyzed systematically using long-time-series data. In this paper, the sea-ice disaster in the Bohai Sea is evaluated quantitatively based on the Sentinel-1 and GOCI. For different hazard-bearing bodies of the marine transportation and the offshore constructions, different sea-ice-hazard indexes are defined, which can be applied to analyze the sea-ice disaster quantitatively in the Bohai Sea, including the annual and inter-annual variations in the period from 2011 to 2017. The analysis results can provide the reference of the sea-ice monitoring in the Bohai Sea.

In the present work, an amphiphilic and magnetically recyclable graphene oxide (MR-GO) demulsifier was devised and synthesized by graft of magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4@SiO2-APTES) and ethylenediamine on the GO surface. The wettability and surface charges of MR-GO under various pH conditions can be regulated via adjusting the contents and species of surface functional groups (such as amino, carboxyl, and hydroxyl). In the demulsificaition test, MR-GO displayed favorable demulsification performance for crude oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion under pH of 2.0-10.0, thusly greatly improving the application scope of common demulsifier. The optimal dosage of MR-GO was 200 mg/L and the demulsification efficiency attained a maximum value of 99.7% for crude O/W emulsion with pH of 6.0. What's more, owing to its magnetic response performance, the MR-GO can be reused and the demulsification efficiency remained above 91.0% after six cycles. Based on the strong interfacial activity, MR-GO can arrive to the crude oil-water interface. With the synergy effects of interfacial adsorption (π-π/n-π) interactions and electrostatic attraction of demulsifier and interfacial films, and the aid of external mechanical forces, the interfacial films stabilized the emulsion were disrupted. Therefore, the oil droplets coated on the water droplets were gathered rapidly to form oily flocs and then migrated to the water surface to accomplish the demulsification of crude O/W emulsion.