Small RNA zippers lock miRNA molecules and block miRNA function in mammalian cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) loss-of-function phenotypes are mainly induced by chemically modified antisense oligonucleotides. Here we develop an alternative inhibitor for miRNAs, termed \u27small RNA zipper\u27. It is designed to connect miRNA molecules end to end, forming a DNA-RNA duplex through a complementary interaction with high affinity, high specificity and high stability. Two miRNAs, miR-221 and miR-17, are tested in human breast cancer cell lines, demonstrating the 70∼90% knockdown of miRNA levels by 30-50 nM small RNA zippers. The miR-221 zipper shows capability in rescuing the expression of target genes of miR-221 and reversing the oncogenic function of miR-221 in breast cancer cells. In addition, we demonstrate that the miR-221 zipper attenuates doxorubicin resistance with higher efficiency than anti-miR-221 in human breast cancer cells. Taken together, small RNA zippers are a miRNA inhibitor, which can be used to induce miRNA loss-of-function phenotypes and validate miRNA target genes

Rice yield penalty and quality deterioration is associated with failure of nitrogen uptake from regreening to panicle initiation stage under salinity

In recent years, the development and utilization of saline land for rice cultivation have effectively expanded grain productivity. Rice is a salt-sensitive crop, and the increasing salinity problem threatens rice yield and quality. Therefore, we conducted open field experiments to study the effect of salinity on different growth stages of rice. Irrigating saline treatment was conducted at three different growth stages: irrigating saline from the regreening stage to the panicle initiation stage (S1), irrigating saline from the panicle initiation stage to the flowering stage (S2), and irrigating saline from the flowering stage to the maturity stage (S3). Each treatment period lasted for about 30 days. At the same time, irrigating saline water from the regreening stage to the maturity stage (S4) treatment was added in 2022 to explore the performance of salt stress during the whole growth period of rice. Based on the treatment of these different saline irrigation growth periods, three saline concentrations were incorporated, including salinity 0‰ (T1), 3‰ (T2), and 6‰ (T3) concentrations. No irrigating saline during the whole growth period was also used as a control (CK). The results indicated that rice grain yield and quality were most sensitive to saline treatment during S1 among the three stress periods. At the S1 stage, salinity mainly reduced the nitrogen uptake, resulting in stunted plant growth, reducing tillering, yield, and yield components, and deteriorating the rice quality. Compared to the control, IEN (grain yield over the total amount of N uptake in plants at maturity) was more sensitive at the S1 stage than S2 and S3 stages under salinity. Furthermore, the findings of our study suggest that under salinity, rice growth is not only directly affected by the higher sodium (Na+) content in plants, but the higher concentration of Na+ reduced the ability of plants to uptake nitrogen. Thus, more attention should be paid to the field management of the S1 stage, the most sensitive stage during rice cultivation in salinized areas. It is necessary to avoid salt damage to rice during this period and ensure irrigation with precious freshwater resources

Development and characterization of silica tube-coated separator for lithium ion batteries

通讯作者地址: Zhao, JBIn an endeavor to improve the thermal stability of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), a new kind of ceramic coated separator has been developed based on introducing one-dimensional silica tubes (ST) to one side of a commercial polyethylene (PE) porous separator. The ST interpenetrating network diminishes the thermal-induced dimensional change of the commercial separator without compromising the cell performance. In particular, compared to spherical silica particle (SP) coated separator, the ST coated separator exhibits significantly enhanced thermal stability at elevated temperature. Furthermore the ST coated separator shows better mechanical performance as well as the improved electrolyte absorption and retention behavior, which provides a promising solution to replace conventional polymer separator for high-performance LIBs.National High-Technology & Development Program of China 2012AA110404 Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities 2072014051

Clarifying confusions over carbon conclusions: antecedent soil carbon drives gains realised following intervention

Carbon removals associated with incremental gains in soil organic carbon (SOC) at scale have enormous potential to mitigate global warming, yet confusion over contexts that elicit SOC accrual abound. Here, we examine how bespoke interventions (through irrigation, fertiliser, crop type and rotations), antecedent SOC levels and soil type impact on long-term SOC accrual and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Using a whole farm systems modelling approach informed using participatory research, we discovered an inverse relationship between antecedent SOC stocks and SOC gains realised following intervention, with greater initial SOC levels resulting in lower ex poste change in SOC. We found that SOC accrual was greatest for clays and least for sands, although changes in SOC in sandy loam soils were also low. Diversified whole farm adaptations – implemented through inclusion of grain legumes within wheat/canola crop rotations – were more conducive to improvement in SOC stocks, followed by Intensified systems (implemented through greater rates of irrigation, farm areas under irrigation, nitrogen fertiliser and inclusion of rice and maize in crop rotations). Adaptations that Simplified farm systems by reducing irrigation and fertiliser use resulted in the lowest SOC accrual. In most cases, long-term SOC stocks fell when SOC at the outset was greater than 4–5%, regardless of intervention made, soil or crop type, crop rotation, production system or climate. We contend that (1) management interventions primarily impacted SOC in the soil surface (0–30 cm) and had de minimus impact on deep SOC stocks (30–100 cm), (2) crop rotations including wheat, canola and faba beans were more conducive to improvement in SOC stocks, (3) scenarios with high status quo SOC had little impact on crop productivity, and not necessarily the lowest GHG emissions intensity, (4) productivity and GHG emissions intensity were largely a function of the quantum of nitrogenous fertiliser added, rather than SOC stocks, and (5) aspirations for improving SOC are likely to be futile if antecedent SOC stocks are already high (4–5 %). We conclude that potential for improving SOC stocks exists in contexts where antecedent stocks are low (<1%), which may include regions with land degradation, chronic erosion and/ or other constraints to vegetative ground cover that could be sustainably and consistently alleviated

Sustainable intensification with irrigation raises farm profit despite climate emergency

Societal Impact Statement Despite comprising a small proportion of global agricultural land use, irrigated agriculture is enormously important to the global agricultural economy. Burgeoning food demand driven by population growth—together with reduced food supply caused by the climate crisis—is polarising the existing tension between water used for agricultural production versus that required for environmental conservation. We show that sustainable intensification via more diverse crop rotations, more efficient water application infrastructure and greater farm area under irrigation is conducive to greater farm business profitability under future climates. Summary &bull; Research aimed at improving crop productivity often does not account for the complexity of real farms underpinned by land-use changes in space and time. &bull; Here, we demonstrate how a new framework—WaterCan Profit—can be used to elicit such complexity using an irrigated case study farm with four whole-farm adaptation scenarios (Baseline, Diversified, Intensified and Simplified) with four types of irrigated infrastructure (Gravity, Pipe & Riser, Pivot and Drip). &bull; Without adaptation, the climate crisis detrimentally impacted on farm profitability due to the combination of increased evaporative demand and increased drought frequency. Whole-farm intensification—via greater irrigated land use, incorporation of rice, cotton and maize and increased nitrogen fertiliser application—was the only adaptation capable of raising farm productivity under future climates. Diversification through incorporation of grain legumes into crop rotations significantly improved profitability under historical climates; however, profitability of this adaptation declined under future climates. Simplified systems reduced economic risk but also had lower long-term economic returns. &bull; We conclude with four key insights: (1) When assessing whole-farm profit, metrics matter: Diversified systems generally had higher profitability than Intensified systems per unit water, but not per unit land area; (2) gravity-based irrigation infrastructure required the most water, followed by sprinkler systems, whereas Drip irrigation used the least water; (3) whole-farm agronomic adaptation through management and crop genotype had greater impact on productivity compared with changes in irrigation infrastructure; and (4) only whole-farm intensification was able to raise profitability under future climates

Evaluation of nitrogen balance in a direct-seeded-rice field experiment using Hydrus-1D

Nitrogen (N) pollution is a global environmental problem that has greatly increased the risks of both the eutrophication of surface waters and contamination of ground waters. The majority of N pollution mainly comes from agricultural fields, in particular during rice growing seasons. In recent years, a gradual shift from the transplanting rice cultivation method to the direct seeding method has occurred, which results in different water and N losses from paddy fields and leads to distinct impacts on water environments. The N transport and transformations in an experimental direct-seeded-rice (DSR) field in the Taihu Lake Basin of east China were observed during two consecutive seasons, and simulated using Hydrus-1D model. The observed crop N uptake, ammonia volatilization (AV), N concentrations in soil, and N leaching were used to calibrate and validate the model parameters. The two most important inputs of N, i.e., fertilization and mineralization, were considered in the simulations with 220 and 145.5kgha-1 in 2008 and 220 and 147.8kgha-1 in 2009, respectively. Ammonia volatilization and nitrate denitrification were the two dominant pathways of N loss, accounting for about 16.0% and 38.8% of the total N input (TNI), respectively. Both nitrification and denitrification processes mainly occurred in the root zone. N leaching at 60 and 120cm depths accounted for about 6.8% and 2.7% of TNI, respectively. The crop N uptake was 32.1% and 30.8% of TNI during the 2008 and 2009 seasons, respectively, and ammonium was the predominant form (74% of the total N uptake on average). Simulated N concentrations and fluxes in soil matched well with the corresponding observed data. Hydrus-1D could simulate the N transport and transformations in the DSR field, and could thus be a good tool for designing optimal fertilizer management practices in the future

Influence of the relative molecular mass of viscosity enhancers on chloride diffusion in mortars: a preliminary study

Chloride diffusion in concrete is one of the key parameters of durability design for structure. Existing methods of reducing the chloride diffusion such as decreasing water-cement ratio and adding mineral admixtures often lead to increase the risk of concrete cracking. In this study, we focused on mitigating the permeation of chloride ions in concrete by adding viscosity enhancers to improve the viscosity of concrete pore solution, without densifying the pore structure of concrete. A comparative study was conducted among the conductivity of KCl solutions with the addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG) with 11 different relative molecular masses. The results show that the chloride diffusion can be most effectively reduced when the relative molecular mass remains in the range of 400-1500

Effect of Ag Doping on Photobleaching in Ge28Sb12Se60 Chalcogenide Films

Chalcogenide glass is an optical material with excellent mid-infrared and far-infrared penetration properties. The silver-doped Ge28Sb12Se60 (GSS) chalcogenide films in this paper were deposited on a glass substrate by the co-evaporation technique. A continuous laser with different power outputs was then used to scan the glass material at a constant speed, and the photobleaching (PB) effects were observed using optical microscopy. The results show that silver doping can speed up the PB of GSS film only under high-power laser irradiation. While silver doping helps to speed up the PB effect, it also increases the risk of film damage. This study is beneficial in the development of embedded optical waveguide structures

Optimization of Water and Energy Spatial Patterns in the Cascade Pump Station Irrigation District

Cascade pump station irrigation districts (CPSIDs) consume large quantities of water and energy. Water- and energy-saving results and income increases are guaranteed under the sustainable development of the CPSID. The CPSID is divided into several sub-districts based on the elevation difference of topography and pump station distributions. The spatial patterns of crops and irrigation technologies can be changed by adjusting crop planting structures and developing drip irrigation in each sub-district. Its optimization will change the spatial patterns of irrigation water and energy consumption to achieve water- and energy-saving results, increase income, and provide an ecological advantage. To obtain the optimal spatial patterns of water and energy in the CPSID, a multi-objective linear programming model of minimum irrigation water consumption, minimum energy consumption, and highest crop output value was established. This model was applied to the Jingdian Phase I Irrigation District in northwest China, and an optimal scheme of water and energy spatial patterns was obtained. Compared with the present situation, the optimal scheme could save water by 26.18%, save energy by 29.38%, and increase income by 29.55%. The increased investment in the drip irrigation project would lead to reduced irrigation water and energy consumption and increased crop output value. The research results provide a scientific basis for the sustainable development of agriculture and ecological environment protection in the CPSID