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Brassica rapa, a major oilseed crop in high-altitude areas, is well known for its indeterminate inflorescences. However, this experiment revealed an intriguing anomaly within the plot: a variant displaying a determinate growth habit (520). Determinate inflorescences have been recognized for their role in the genetic enhancement of crops. In this study, a genetic analysis in a determinate genotype (520) and an indeterminate genotype (515) revealed that two independently inherited recessive genes (Brdt1 and Brdt2) are responsible for the determinate trait. BSA-seq and SSR markers were employed to successfully locate the Brdt1 gene, which is localized within an approximate region 72.7 kb between 15,712.9 kb and 15,785.6 kb on A10. A BLAST analysis of these candidate intervals revealed that Bra009508 (BraA10.TFL1) shares homology with the A. thaliana TFL1 gene. Then, BraA10.TFL1 (gene from the indeterminate phenotype) and BraA10.tfl1 (gene from the determinate phenotype) were cloned and sequenced, and the results indicated that the open reading frame of the alleles comprises 537 bp. Using qRT-PCR, it was determined that BraA10.TFL1 expression levels in shoot apexes were significantly higher in NIL-520 compared to 520. To verify the function of BraA10.TFL1, the gene was introduced into the determinate A. thaliana tfl1 mutant, resulting in the restoration of indeterminate traits. These findings demonstrate that BraA10.tfl1 is a gene that controls the determinate inflorescence trait. Overall, the results of this study provide a theoretical foundation for the further investigation of determinate inflorescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction rate bottleneck during interconversion between insulating S8 (S) and Li2S fundamentally leads to incomplete conversion and restricted lifespan of Li−S battery, especially under high S loading and lean electrolyte conditions. Herein, we demonstrate a new catalytic chemistry: soluble semiquinone, 2‐tertbutyl‐semianthraquinone lithium (Li+TBAQ⋅−), as both e‐/Li+ donor and acceptor for simultaneous S reduction and Li2S oxidation. The efficient activation of S and Li2S by Li+TBAQ⋅− in the initial discharging/charging state maximizes the amount of soluble lithium polysulfide, thereby substantially improve the rate of solid–liquid‐solid reaction by promoting long‐range electron transfer. With in situ Raman spectra and theoretical calculations, we reveal that the activation of S/Li2S is the rate‐limiting step for effective S utilization under high S loading and low E/S ratio. Beyond that, the S activation ratio is firstly proposed as an accurate indicator to quantitatively evaluate the reaction rate. As a result, the Li−S batteries with Li+TBAQ⋅− deliver superior cycling performance and over 5 times higher S utilization ratio at high S loading of 7.0 mg cm−2 and a current rate of 1 C compared to those without Li+TBAQ⋅−. We hope this study contributes to the fundamental understanding of S redox chemical and inspires the design of efficient catalysis for advanced Li−S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction rate bottleneck during interconversion between insulating S8 (S) and Li2S fundamentally leads to incomplete conversion and restricted lifespan of Li−S battery, especially under high S loading and lean electrolyte conditions. Herein, we demonstrate a new catalytic chemistry: soluble semiquinone, 2‐tertbutyl‐semianthraquinone lithium (Li+TBAQ⋅−), as both e‐/Li+ donor and acceptor for simultaneous S reduction and Li2S oxidation. The efficient activation of S and Li2S by Li+TBAQ⋅− in the initial discharging/charging state maximizes the amount of soluble lithium polysulfide, thereby substantially improve the rate of solid–liquid‐solid reaction by promoting long‐range electron transfer. With in situ Raman spectra and theoretical calculations, we reveal that the activation of S/Li2S is the rate‐limiting step for effective S utilization under high S loading and low E/S ratio. Beyond that, the S activation ratio is firstly proposed as an accurate indicator to quantitatively evaluate the reaction rate. As a result, the Li−S batteries with Li+TBAQ⋅− deliver superior cycling performance and over 5 times higher S utilization ratio at high S loading of 7.0 mg cm−2 and a current rate of 1 C compared to those without Li+TBAQ⋅−. We hope this study contributes to the fundamental understanding of S redox chemical and inspires the design of efficient catalysis for advanced Li−S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A general strategy of "self-assembly induced metal ionic-polymer as precursor" is proposed to prepare Fe-N x /C materials with nanowire structure, which show the efficient electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction activity in both acidic and alkaline media. • A general strategy of "self-assembly induced metal ionic-polymer as precursor" for preparing M-N x /C catalyst. • The self-assembly strategy can induce the formation of metal ionic-polymer with the nanowire and nanoparticle nanostructures. • The metal ionic-polymer can effectively inhibit the migration and agglomeration of metal atoms in the pyrolysis process. • Fe-N x /C materials with nanowire structure show the high electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction activity. Metal/nitrogen co-doped carbon (M-N x /C) materials have shown their good catalytic activity for electrochemical/chemical reactions in energy conversion devices and organics synthesis. However, the preparation of M-N x /C materials usually involves a high-temperature pyrolysis step, it generates not only active M-N x sites but also inactive metal-based aggregates that restrict their activity. How to prepare the M-N x /C materials with high density of M-N x sites and specific nanostructure remains a challenge. Herein, we report a general method of "self-assembly induced metal ionic polymer" for preparing M-N x /C precursors, which can not only preferentially generate M-N x sites by inhibiting metal aggregation during pyrolysis, but also produce advanced nanostructure for catalysis. Taking the preparation of Fe-N x /C as an example, the self-assembled nanosheets of [Fe(CN) 6 4−⋅{[C 6 H 4 -(NH 3) 2 2 }4+ compounds are used as prefabricated materials, which effectively induce the formation of metal ionic-polymer nanowires and nanoparticles. They are applied to synthesize the Fe-N x /C nanowires and nanoparticles with single metal atoms, respectively. The Fe-N x /C nanowires exhibit the excellent oxygen reduction reaction activity with the half-wave potentials of 0.82 and 0.92 V under acidic and alkaline conditions, respectively. The proposed strategy can be a general method to prepare the M-N x /C catalyst precursors with the special morphology and high thermal stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A central issue in spoken word production concerns how activation is transmitted from semantic to phonological levels. Recent evidence from studies of speakers of Western languages supports a cascaded view, according to which under certain circumstances, lexical candidates other than the target can activate their corresponding phonological properties. In the current study, we investigated possible differences between English and Mandarin speakers concerning the degree of cascadedness in the production system, based on the broader recent claim that properties of word form encoding might differ according to languages. With English speakers (Experiment 1), we found that when activation of targets and semantic competitors was boosted via a manipulation of semantic context, then concurrently presented "mediated" distractor words (which were phonologically related to a semantic competitor) generated interference. However, no such mediated priming was found in a parallel experiment with Chinese materials and Mandarin speakers (Experiment 2). These results suggest potential fundamental differences across the target languages in how activation is transmitted during lexical access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of previous studies using picture–word interference (PWI) tasks conducted with speakers of Western languages have demonstrated non-additive effects of semantic and form overlap between pictures and words, which may indicate underlying non-discrete processing stages in lexical retrieval. The present study used Mandarin speakers and presented Chinese characters as distractors. In two experiments, we crossed semantic relatedness with “pure” phonological (i.e., orthographically unrelated) relatedness and found statistically additive effects. In a third experiment, semantic relatedness was crossed with orthographic overlap (phonological overlap was avoided), and once again we found an additive pattern. The results are discussed with regard to possible cross-linguistic differences between Western and non-Western languages in terms of phonological encoding, as well as concerning the locus of relatedness effects in PWI tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

How is information transmitted across semantic and phonological levels in spoken word production? Recent evidence from speakers of Western languages such as English and Dutch suggests non-discrete transmission, but it is not clear whether this view can be generalized to other languages such as Mandarin, given potential differences in phonological encoding across languages. The present study used Mandarin speakers and combined a behavioral picture–word interference task with event-related potentials. The design factorially crossed semantic and phonological relatedness. Results showed semantic and phonological effects both in behavioral and electrophysiological measurements, with statistical additivity in latencies, and discrete time signatures (250–450 ms and 450–600 ms after picture onset for the semantic and phonological condition, respectively). Overall, results suggest that in Mandarin spoken production, information is transmitted from semantic to phonological levels in a sequential fashion. Hence, temporal signatures associated with spoken word production might differ depending on target language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study investigated the temporal and spatial features of segmental and suprasegmental encoding within a syllable in Chinese speech production using an internal monitoring task. Native Chinese speakers viewed a series of pictures and made go/nogo decisions along dimensions of initial consonant, central vowel, or tone information of picture names. Behavioral data and the N200 indicated that initial consonant information is available about 20–80ms earlier than central vowel or tone information, whereas vowel and tone occur concurrently within a syllable during implicit picture naming. Moreover, source analyses (using sLORETA) indicated that initial consonant, tone and vowel encoding all resulted in predominantly left hemispheric but relatively dissociative neural brain activation. These findings indicated that segmental (consonants and vowels) and suprasegmental (tones) encoding proceeds in an incremental manner, and both run in parallel and independently in speech production in agreement with WEAVER++. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Lycium ruthenicum Murray is an important economic plant in China and contains higher levels of anthocyanins in its fruits than other Lyciums. However, the genetic mechanism of anthocyanin production in this plant is unknown. Results: Based on previous transcriptome analysis, LrAN2 and LbAN2, encoding MYB transcription factors, were isolated from L. ruthenicum and L. barbarum, respectively. Both genes contained two introns, encoded 257 amino acids with two-Aa difference, and carried the unabridged HTH-MYB, MYB-like DNA-binding, and SANT domains. In the phylogenetic trees, LrAN2 and LbAN2 were found to be closely related to NtAN2, which regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis in tobacco. Overexpression of LrAN2 and LbAN2 induced anthocyanin biosynthesis in all tissues of tobacco. The anthocyanin content in the leaves of transgenic lines with LbAN2 was lower than LrAN2. It indicated that the function of LbAN2 was weaker than LrAN2. The AN2 transcript could be detected only in the fruits of L. ruthenicum and increased during fruit development, accompanied by anthocyanin accumulation. In natural population, the alleles LrAN2 and LrAN2 were associated strictly with L. ruthenicum and L. barbarum, respectively. Moreover, an AN2 genetic diversity study suggested that Lyciums with yellow, white, purple, and jujube red fruits were derived from L. ruthenicum. Conclusions: Two AN2 alleles, from L. ruthenicum and L. barbarum, were functional MYB transcriptor regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis. The functional diversity and high expression level of LrAN2 could be the reason for high anthocyanin content in the fruit of L. ruthenicum. Lyciums with yellow, white, purple, and jujube red fruits were derived from L. ruthenicum based on AN2 sequence diversity. The results may be advantageous in identifying new varieties and breeding new cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of studies that observed semantic facilitation in a picture–word interference task questioned the hypothesis that lexical selection during speech production is a competitive process. Semantic facilitation effects are typically observed when context words and target names do not belong to the same semantic category level. In the experiments reported in this article, we used a picture–word interference task with basic-level context words and basic-level naming (i.e., the context word is dog, and the target name is cat) to investigate semantic context effects. We observed a reversal of semantic context effect: context words that induce semantic interference when stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) are –100 and 0 ms and induce semantic facilitation at large negative SOA values (from –1000 to –400 ms, in steps of 200 ms). At the empirical level, our data suggest that manipulating SOA can reverse the polarity of the semantic context effect. Our analysis demonstrates that the conceptual selection model provides the most straightforward way to account for the reported polarity shift and the different SOA ranges covered by the semantic interference effect and the semantic facilitation effect. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Chemical industrial processes are always accompanied by multiple operating conditions, which brings great challenges for multivariate statistical process monitoring methods to extract general characteristics from multimode data, especially for time-varying characteristics in transitions between two modes. In this work, a novel statistical process monitoring method based on the dissimilarity of process variable correlation (DISS-PVC) is proposed. The proposed method aims to monitor multiple stable modes and between-mode transitions simultaneously with no prior knowledge of the number of operating modes. Unlike traditional methods oriented to monitoring process variables, the proposed method is applied to monitor the correlation of process variables based on the idea that variable correlation should always conform to a certain process internal mechanism, no matter in which stable or transition mode. Mutual information is first employed to quantitate variable correlation with a moving-window approach. Cosine similarity between eigenvalues of mutual information matrices is selected as a dissimilarity index to evaluate the difference in variable correlation between two data sets and perform fault detection. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified on the benchmark Tennessee Eastman (TE) process and an industrial continuous catalytic reforming heat exchange unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium–sulfur (Li‐S) batteries have potential in high energy density battery systems. However, intermediates of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) can easily shuttle to the Li anode and react with Li metal to deplete the active materials and cause rapid failure of the battery. A facile solution pretreatment method for Li anodes involving a solution of metal fluorides/dimethylsulfoxide was developed to construct robust biphasic surface layers (BSLs) in situ. The BSLs consist of lithiophilic alloy (LixM) and LiF phases on Li metal, which inhibit the shuttle effect and increase the cycle life of Li‐S batteries. The BSLs allow Li+ transport and they inhibit dendrite growth and shield the Li anodes from corrosive reaction with LiPSs. Li‐S batteries containing BSLs‐Li anodes demonstrate excellent cycling over 1000 cycles at 1 C and simultaneously maintain a high coulombic efficiency of 98.2 %. Based on our experimental and theoretical results, we propose a strategy for inhibition of the shuttle effect that produces high stability Li‐S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium–sulfur (Li‐S) batteries have potential in high energy density battery systems. However, intermediates of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) can easily shuttle to the Li anode and react with Li metal to deplete the active materials and cause rapid failure of the battery. A facile solution pretreatment method for Li anodes involving a solution of metal fluorides/dimethylsulfoxide was developed to construct robust biphasic surface layers (BSLs) in situ. The BSLs consist of lithiophilic alloy (LixM) and LiF phases on Li metal, which inhibit the shuttle effect and increase the cycle life of Li‐S batteries. The BSLs allow Li+ transport and they inhibit dendrite growth and shield the Li anodes from corrosive reaction with LiPSs. Li‐S batteries containing BSLs‐Li anodes demonstrate excellent cycling over 1000 cycles at 1 C and simultaneously maintain a high coulombic efficiency of 98.2 %. Based on our experimental and theoretical results, we propose a strategy for inhibition of the shuttle effect that produces high stability Li‐S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Realizing the dynamic optimization and stability of the electronic structure of the active center in the reaction process by controlling the directional migration of Ni elements, which is based on the reasonable design of core–shell structure with concentration gradient and the miniscule oxygen intermediates shuttled in the bulk phase to strengthen the driving force. [Display omitted] • Directional migration metal elements construct the dynamic active site evolution. • The directional migration of Ni element is driven by oxygen intermediates. • The species of migratory elements are controlled by concentration gradients. • The oxidation state of active sites is dynamic regulated in OER process. • The resulting electrode shows the excellent CV property and high stability. In robust oxygen evolution reaction (OER), the irregular transition metal atom migration at the catalyst-electrolyte interface disrupts the durability of the surface electronic structure. Herein, we induce the orderly migration of metal elements from core to the surface of NiCo 2 O 4 @FeO x model electrode to overcome the instable element balance between metal dissolution and deposition. In OER working potential, the driving force of concentration gradient on Ni element migration can be strengthen by the shuttle of miniscule oxygen intermediates in the bulk phase, which promotes the changes of metal species (Ni or Co) and migration direction, further optimizing the surface oxide state. Consequently, the resulting electrode would stabl react over 50,000 CV cycles as well as continued test for 300 h at current density of 100 mA cm−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]