Genome and pan-genome assembly of asparagus bean (Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedialis) reveal the genetic basis of cold adaptation

Asparagus bean (Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedialis) is an important cowpea subspecies. We assembled the genomes of Ningjiang 3 (NJ, 550.31 Mb) and Dubai bean (DB, 564.12 Mb) for comparative genomics analysis. The whole-genome duplication events of DB and NJ occurred at 64.55 and 64.81 Mya, respectively, while the divergence between soybean and Vigna occurred in the Paleogene period. NJ genes underwent positive selection and amplification in response to temperature and abiotic stress. In species-specific gene families, NJ is mainly enriched in response to abiotic stress, while DB is primarily enriched in respiration and photosynthesis. We established the pan-genomes of four accessions (NJ, DB, IT97K-499-35 and Xiabao II) and identified 20,336 (70.5%) core genes present in all the accessions, 6,507 (55.56%) variable genes in two individuals, and 2,004 (6.95%) unique genes. The final pan genome is 616.35 Mb, and the core genome is 399.78 Mb. The variable genes are manifested mainly in stress response functions, ABC transporters, seed storage, and dormancy control. In the pan-genome sequence variation analysis, genes affected by presence/absence variants were enriched in biological processes associated with defense responses, immune system processes, signal transduction, and agronomic traits. The results of the present study provide genetic data that could facilitate efficient asparagus bean genetic improvement, especially in producing cold-adapted asparagus bean

Boosting Solar Steam Generation by Using AIE Photothermal Molecule-Doped 3D Nanofibrous Aerogel with Self-Pumping Water Function

Utilizing solar energy to generate clean water by interface solar steam generation is considered to be a promising strategy to address the challenge of water shortage globally. However, high evaporation rate and long-term sustainability have rarely been achieved simultaneously, due to salt accumulation, discontinuous water supply and insufficient photothermal conversion. Herein, we demonstrate that a three-dimensional nanofibrous aerogel (3D NA) with Janus layers enables floating on the surface water by hydrophobic layer and continues pumping water by hydrophilic layer and interconnected porous structure. More notably, an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) photothermal molecule is doped into nanofibers for the first time, which was endowed with superior capacity of transferring solar energy into heat. Combining these unique benefits, the presented 3D NA exhibits extremely high evaporation rate (1.99 kg m-2 h-1) and solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency (89%) under irradiation of 1 sun. Besides, there is no significant change in evaporation performance after 21 cycles in the case of seawater treatment, suggesting that the designed 3D NA possess sustainable stability and self-cleaning function to restrain salt deposition. With highly efficient evaporation rate and long-term sustainable solar steam generation, such 3D NA can offer new strategy for desalination and sewage treatment. </p

Tunable superconductivity of epitaxial TiN films through oxygen doping

Titanium nitride (TiN) film is a remarkable material for a variety of applications ranging from superhard coating to superconducting quantum devices, which can be easily oxidized when it works in the atmosphere. However, the study of its oxidation effect on the crystal and electronic structures of epitaxial TiN films is rare as yet. Here, we coherently synthesize TiN epitaxial films on MgO single crystal substrates via reactive magnetron sputtering and, then, dope oxygen into these films via a controllable oxidation process. The crystal and electronic structures are characterized by high-resolution x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectra, and Raman spectra. It is revealed that the crystal structure remains to be of the rocksalt type in these films even with heavy oxygen doping. The data of temperature-dependent electrical transport measurements indicate that the superconducting critical temperature (kinetic inductance) decreases (increases) from 4.6 K (0.672 pH/square) in the pristine TiN film to 3.4 K (1.13 pH/square) in the film with a maximum oxygen doping level. Our work provides a controllable way to tune the superconductivity of TiN films, which enables the flexibility to engineer the resultant performance of TiN-based superconducting quantum devices. (C) 2020 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

An Energy-Based Method for Lifetime Assessment on High-Strength-Steel Welded Joints under Different Pre-Strain Levels

Pre-loading on engineering materials or structures may produce pre-strain, especially plastic strain, which would change the fatigue failure mechanism during their service time. In this paper, an energy-based method for fatigue life prediction on high-strength-steel welded joints under different pre-strain levels was presented. Tensile pre-strain at three pre-strain levels of 0.2%, 0.35% and 0.5% was performed on the specimens of the material Q345, and the cyclic stress and strain responses with pre-loading were compared with those without pre-loading at the same strain level. The experimental work showed that the plastic strain energy density of pre-strained welded joints was enlarged, while the elastic strain energy density of pre-strained welded joints was reduced. Then, based on the strain energy density method, a fatigue life estimation model of the high-strength-steel welded joints in consideration of pre-straining was proposed. The predicted results agreed well with the test data. Finally, the validity of the developed model was verified by the experimental data from TWIP steel Fe-18 Mn and complex-phase steel CP800

Microwave ablation versus transcatheter arterial embolization for large hepatic hemangiomas: clinical outcomes

Purpose To evaluate the safety and effect of microwave ablation (MWA) compared with transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) for the treatment of large hepatic hemangiomas. Materials and methods A total of 135 patients with symptomatic or/and enlarging hepatic hemangiomas (5–10 cm) from two centers underwent either MWA (n = 82) or TAE (n = 53) as first-line treatment. We compared the two groups in terms of radiologic response, clinical response, operative time, postoperative analgesic requirements, hospital stay and complications. Results MWA had a significantly higher rate of complete radiologic response (89.0% vs. 37.7%, p<.001) and complete clinical response (88.6% vs. 69.2%, p=.046), fewer minor complications (43.9% vs. 66.0%, p=.019), shorter time of using analgesics (p<.001) and shorter hospital stays (p=.003) than did TAE. The operative time and major complications were comparable between the two groups. Conclusion Both MWA and TAE are safe and effective in treating patients with large hepatic hemangiomas. MWA had a higher rate of complete response than did TAE, and it was associated with fewer minor complications, faster recovery and shorter hospital stay

Hypoxia-activated Probe for NIR Fluorescence and Photoacoustic Dual-mode Tumor Imaging

We rationally designed and synthesized a hypoxia-responsive probe TBTO featuring four diethylamino N-oxide groups that could undergo bioreduction in a hypoxic microenvironment, producing TBT with a typical D-A-D structure. It was demonstrated that TBT possesses NIR fluorescence emission and PA signal generation, benefiting from its both AIE property and a strong TICT effect. In vitro and in vivo assessments revealed the responsiveness of TBTO in a reductive environment and its NIR fluorescence and PA dual-mode imaging ability