a-scanning-electron-microscopy-compatible-optical-imaging-method-for

A Scanning Electron Microscopy-Compatible Optical Imaging Method for Mesoscopic All-Cell Brain Mapping

Understanding the structural and functional relationships within complex neural networks in the brain requires the construction of brain atlases that ...

University of Science and Technology of China

Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center

City University of Hong Kong

Lower-grade glioma (LGG) is a type of central nervous system tumor that includes WHO grade II and grade III gliomas. Despite developments in medical science and technology and the availability of several treatment options, the management of LGG warrants further research. Surgical treatment for LGG treatment poses a challenge owing to its often inaccessible locations in the brain. Although radiation therapy (RT) is the most important approach in this condition and offers more advantages compared to surgery and chemotherapy, it is associated with certain limitations. Responses can vary from individual to individual based on genetic differences. The relationship between non-coding RNA and the response to radiation therapy, especially at the molecular level, is still undefined.

Developing a lncRNA Signature to Predict the Radiotherapy Response of Lower-Grade Gliomas Using Co-expression and ceRNA Network Analysis.

 Liberibacter asiaticus (Las) is the causative agent of Huanglongbing (HLB), which has caused great economic losses to the citrus industry. The molecular mechanism of the host response to Las in wild citrus germplasm has been reported less. Eighteen weeks after inoculation  grafting, all the Las-inoculated Chongyi wild mandarin () were positive and showed severe anatomical aberrations, suggesting its susceptibility to HLB. Transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses of leaves, barks, and roots from mock-inoculated (control) and Las-inoculated seedlings were performed. Comparative transcriptomics identified 3,628, 3,770, and 1,716 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between Las-infected and healthy tissues in the leaves, barks, and roots, respectively. The Las-infected tissues had higher transcripts per kilobase per million values and more genes that reached their maximal expression, suggesting that HLB might cause an overall increase in transcript accumulation. However, HLB-triggered transcriptional alteration showed tissue specificity. In the Las-infected leaves, many DEGs encoding immune receptors were downregulated. In the Las-infected barks, nearly all the DEGs involved in signaling and plant-pathogen interaction were upregulated. In the Las-infected roots, DEGs encoding enzymes or transporters involved in carotenoid biosynthesis and nitrogen metabolism were downregulated. Metabolomics identified 71, 62, and 50 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) in the Las-infected leaves, barks and roots, respectively. By associating DEGs with DAMs, nitrogen metabolism was the only pathway shared by the three infected tissues and was depressed in the Las-infected roots. In addition, 26 genes were determined as putative markers of Las infection, and a hypothesized model for the HLB susceptibility mechanism in Chongyi was proposed. Our study may shed light on investigating the molecular mechanism of the host response to Las infection in wild citrus germplasm.

Integrated Transcriptomics and Metabolomics Analyses Provide Insights Into the Response of Chongyi Wild Mandarin to  Liberibacter Asiaticus Infection.

Heading toward next-generation intelligent display, dynamic control capability for meta-devices is critical for real world applications. Beyond the conventional electrical/optical/mechanical/thermal tuning methods, liquid immersion recently has emerged as a facile tuning mechanism which is easily accessible (especially water) and practically implementable for large tuning area. However, due to the longstanding and critical drawback of lacking independent-encoding capability, the state-of-art immersion approach remains incapable of pixel-level programmable switching. Here a water-immersion tuning scheme with pixel-scale programmability for dynamic meta-displays is proposed. Tunable meta-pixels can be engineered to construct spectral selective patterns at prior-/post- immersion states, such that a metasurface enables pixel-level transforming animations for dynamic multifield meta-displays, including near-field dual-nanoprints and far-field dual-holographic displays. The proposed water-immersion programmable approach for meta-display, benefitting from its large tuning area, facile operation and strong repeatability, may find a revolutionary path toward next-generation intelligent display with practical applications in dynamic display/encryption, information anticounterfeit/storage, and optical sensors.

Toward Water-Immersion Programmable Meta-Display.

The distal adding-on phenomenon has attracted extensive discussion in the field of spine surgery due to the continual occurrence after scoliosis correction. Previous work has mainly focused on adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), and a relatively high number of theories for the mechanism of the distal adding-on phenomenon has been proposed for these kinds of patients. Severe and rigid scoliosis, as a special disease form, has a unique etiology, clinical manifestations and internal mechanisms distinct from those of AIS. Given the uniqueness of this disease, the mechanism and causes of the distal adding-on phenomenon have been infrequently studied in depth.

Nomogram for predicting the distal adding-on phenomenon in severe and rigid scoliosis.

Water deficit is a major problem affecting crop production worldwide. The use of treated wastewater in irrigation systems improves soil health and enhances crop growth and productivity. However, it has been characterized as a source of heavy metals. The unknown is how heavy metals' movements would be impacted under an intercropping system when irrigated with treated wastewater. Understanding the dynamic of heavy metals in soil-plant systems is essential for environmental risk assessment and sustainable agriculture. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to explore the effects of treated wastewater irrigation on plant growth, soil chemical properties, and the movements of Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd from soil to plants in monoculture and intercropping systems. Maize and soybean were selected as the test crops and groundwater and treated livestock wastewater as the water sources. This study found that treated wastewater irrigation and intercropping systems synergically increased the soil nutrient content and crop growth. The concentrations of Zn, Pb, and Cd were significantly higher in leaves compared to other plant parts contrastingly to Cu, which was higher in roots. In addition, treated wastewater irrigation increased grain nutrient content in mono- and intercropping systems while the concentration of heavy metals was in the acceptable range for human consumption. The enrichment degree of Cu and Pb due to treated livestock wastewater irrigation relative to groundwater irrigation was higher in uncultivated soil compared with cultivated soil. This study showed that the intercropping system facilitated heavy metals' transfer from soil to plant except for Cd. These findings provide guidelines for a safe utilization of treated wastewater in agricultural systems and to reduce freshwater use pressure.

Treated Livestock Wastewater Irrigation Is Safe for Maize () and Soybean () Intercropping System Considering Heavy Metals Migration in Soil-Plant System.

The adsorption behaviors and transfer pathways of antibiotics in plant-soil system are greatly influenced by the electrochemical properties of both soil particles and plant roots. However, the effects of roots electrochemical properties on antibiotic adsorption are largely unknown. Here, the fresh soybean, maize, and wheat roots with different electrochemical properties were obtained from hydroponic cultivation, and the adsorption processes and mechanisms of doxycycline, tetracycline, sulfadiazine, and norfloxacin on roots under various environmental conditions were investigated. Results showed that the adsorption amount of antibiotics on roots increased with the initial concentration of antibiotics. The coexisting low-molecular weight organic acids and anions inhibited the antibiotic adsorption on roots. The soybean roots performed strong adsorption ability compared with the maize and wheat roots driven by the variations in root electrochemical properties. This study demonstrates the significance of electrochemical interactions between antibiotics and roots in plant-soil system and can contribute to the more accurate risk assessment and effective pollution control of antibiotics.

Electrochemical properties of roots determine antibiotic adsorption on roots.

Elaeocarpaceae is a vital family in tropical and subtropical forests. Compared with the important position of Elaeocarpaceae species in forest ecosystem and the concern of medicinal value, the most research on Elaeocarpaceae are classification and taxonomy. Molecular systematics has corrected the morphological misjudgment, and it belongs to Oxalidales. Phylogenetic and divergence time estimates of Elaeocarpaceae is mostly constructed by using chloroplast gene fragments. At present, although there are reports on the chloroplast structure of Elaeocarpaceae, a comprehensive analysis of the chloroplast structure of Elaeocarpaceae is lacking.

Comparison of the chloroplast genomes and phylogenomic analysis of Elaeocarpaceae.

Soil contamination by Cd has drawn global attention, while how irrigation waters modulate Cd sorption and mobility in soil remains obscure. We address this by investigating how cropped sandy soil irrigated with different waters altered Cd sorption and mobility using a rhizobox experiment followed by a batch experiment. Maize were planted in the rhizoboxes and irrigated by reclaimed water (RW), livestock wastewater (LW) and deionized water (CK), respectively. The bulk soil sampled from each treatment after 60 days of growth was employed to measure the Cd sorption and mobility using the isothermal adsorption and desorption experiments. The results showed that, in a small rhizobox experiment, the adsorption rate of Cd by the bulk soil in the adsorption phase was much faster than the desorption rate in desorption phase. Irrigation with RW and LW both reduced the Cd adsorption capacity of soil, and the reducing degree brought by LW was more obvious. Cd desorption rate was very low but keep increasing in the desorption stage, and pre-RW irrigation had the potential to increase Cd desorption from soil. Although the results were obtained based on the bulk soil sampled from a rhizobox experiment, our study strongly suggests that the altered Cd adsorption and desorption behavior in the soil caused by the RW and LW irrigation may risk the farmland ecosystem and deserve more concern.

Sorption and mobility of cadmium in soil impacted by irrigation waters.

The scarcity of freshwater resources has increased the use of nonconventional water resources such as brackish water, reclaimed water, etc., especially in water-scarce areas. Whether an irrigation cycle using reclaimed water and brackish water (RBCI) poses a risk of secondary soil salinization to crop yields needs to be studied. Aiming to find an appropriate use for different nonconventional water resources, pot experiments were conducted to study the effects of RBCI on soil microenvironments, growth, physiological characteristics and antioxidation properties of crops. The results showed the following: (1) compared to FBCI, the soil moisture content was slightly higher, without a significant difference, while the soil EC, sodium and chloride ions contents increased significantly under the RBCI treatment. With an increase in the reclaimed water irrigation frequency (Tri), the contents of EC, Na and Cl in the soil decreased gradually, and the difference was significant; the soil moisture content also decreased gradually. (2) There were different effects of the RBCI regime on the soil's enzyme activities. With an increase in the Tri, the soil urease activity indicated a significant upward trend as a whole. (3) RBCI can alleviate the risk of soil salinization to some extent. The soil pH values were all below 8.5, and were without a risk of secondary soil alkalization. The ESP did not exceed 15 percent, and there was no possible risk of soil alkalization except that the ESP in soil irrigated by brackish water irrigation went beyond the limit of 15 percent. (4) Compared with FBCI, no obvious changes appeared to the aboveground and underground biomasses under the RBCI treatment. The RBCI treatment was conducive to increasing the aboveground biomass compared with pure brackish water irrigation. Therefore, short-term RBCI helps to reduce the risk of soil salinization without significantly affecting crop yield, and the irrigation cycle using reclaimed-reclaimed-brackish water at 3 g·L was recommended, according to the experimental results.

Response of Soil Microenvironment and Crop Growth to Cyclic Irrigation Using Reclaimed Water and Brackish Water.

The utilization of high-efficiency adsorption materials to reduce cadmium pollution in aquatic environments is the focus of current environmental remediation research. Straw waste and sludge, which are available in huge amounts, can be best utilized in the preparation of environmental remediation materials. In this study, six types of biochar (SBC, CBC, DBC, SDBC, SDBC, and SDBC) were prepared from straw and sludge by co-pyrolysis, and their cadmium adsorption mechanisms were explored. Cd(II) adsorption isotherms and kinetics on the biochar were determined and fitted to different models. Kinetic modeling was used to characterize the Cd(II) adsorption of biochar, and findings revealed the process of sorption followed pseudo-second-order kinetics ( > 0.96). The Langmuir model accurately represented the isotherms of adsorption, indicating that the process was monolayer and controlled by chemical adsorption. SDBC had the highest capacity for Cd(II) adsorption (72.2 mg g), 1.5 times greater than that of sludge biochar, and 3 times greater than that of corn straw biochar. As the pH level rose within the range of pH 5.0 to 7.0 and the ionic strength decreased, the adsorption capacity experienced an increase. SDBC contained CaCO mineral crystals before Cd(II) adsorption, and CdCO was found in SDBC after adsorbing Cd(II) via X-ray diffraction analysis; the peak of Cd could be observed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy after the adsorption of Cd(II). The possible adsorption of Cd(II) by SDBC occurred primarily via surface complexation with active sorption sites, precipitation with inorganic anions, and coordination with π electrons. Collectively, the study suggested that the six types of biochar, particularly SDBC, could be used as highly efficient adsorbents for Cd(II) removal from aquatic environments.

Characteristics of a Novel Decomposed Corn Straw-Sludge Biochar and Its Mechanism of Removing Cadmium from Water.

High pressure can create extreme conditions that enable the formation of novel materials and the discovery of new phenomena. However, the ability to preserve the desirable characteristics of materials obtained under high pressure has remained an elusive challenge, as the pressure-induced changes are typically reversible, except for the pressure-induced chemical reactions such as polymerization of hydrocarbons. Here, we propose the concept of "pressure aging" (PA) that enables the permanent locking-in of high-pressure structures and their associated enhanced properties in functional materials. Specifically, through the application of PA at 3.3 GPa for 24 h, the two-dimensional ferroelectric CuInPS exhibits a permanent change in Cu configuration after the pressure is fully released. This leads to a 2.5-fold enhancement in remanent polarization and an increase in  from 317 K to 583 K. In contrast, the samples underwent a compression-decompression cycle but without PA showed only reversible changes in their characteristics. We elucidate the relaxation dynamics during PA using the Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts function, providing valuable insights into the temporal evolution of both structural and property changes. Furthermore, the broad applicability of PA strategy has been validated across different materials, underscoring its versatility. Notably, the pressures involved are industrially attainable, and the sample sizes are scalable. Consequently, the implementation of this impactful PA approach introduces a groundbreaking unique dimension to high-pressure research, with significant potential across various scientific domains.

Pressure aging: An effective process to liberate the power of high-pressure materials research.

Materials science exploits only properties that are available at ambience. Therefore, although high-pressure changes the physical state of all condensed matter, most of the extraordinary properties discovered vanish after decompression and cannot be utilized. Here, we demonstrate sublattice decoupling in a mixed-anion chalcohalide RbReSI upon compression, in which the [RbI] framework is soft and plastic, while the [ReSI] clusters are hard and elastic. This discrepancy in the rigidity allows the applied pressure to selectively amorphize the framework while maintaining the ordered state in the cluster, leading to intriguing photocurrent generation and enhancement upon compression. These high-pressure properties are retained at ambience, permitting scalable synthesis of the decompressed samples using a large-volume press, followed by further fabrication into self-powered broadband photodetectors with a response time of ~ 10 μs and a specific detectivity of ~ 10 Jones. This study subverts the stereotype that pressure engineering is hardly to be employed for device applications.

Article	Year
Developing a lncRNA Signature to Predict the Radiotherapy Response of Lower-Grade Gliomas Using Co-expression and ceRNA Network Analysis. Frontiers in oncology\| PubMed ID: 33767991	2021
Integrated Transcriptomics and Metabolomics Analyses Provide Insights Into the Response of Chongyi Wild Mandarin to Liberibacter Asiaticus Infection. Frontiers in plant science\| PubMed ID: 34721476	2021
Toward Water-Immersion Programmable Meta-Display. Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)\| PubMed ID: 36529952	2023
Nomogram for predicting the distal adding-on phenomenon in severe and rigid scoliosis. Frontiers in surgery\| PubMed ID: 36684319	2022
Treated Livestock Wastewater Irrigation Is Safe for Maize () and Soybean () Intercropping System Considering Heavy Metals Migration in Soil-Plant System. International journal of environmental research and public health\| PubMed ID: 36834038	2023
Electrochemical properties of roots determine antibiotic adsorption on roots. Frontiers in plant science\| PubMed ID: 37152177	2023
Comparison of the chloroplast genomes and phylogenomic analysis of Elaeocarpaceae. PeerJ\| PubMed ID: 37187516	2023
Sorption and mobility of cadmium in soil impacted by irrigation waters. Heliyon\| PubMed ID: 37251851	2023
Response of Soil Microenvironment and Crop Growth to Cyclic Irrigation Using Reclaimed Water and Brackish Water. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)\| PubMed ID: 37375911	2023
Characteristics of a Novel Decomposed Corn Straw-Sludge Biochar and Its Mechanism of Removing Cadmium from Water. ACS omega\| PubMed ID: 37483186	2023
Pressure aging: An effective process to liberate the power of high-pressure materials research. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America\| PubMed ID: 39665755	2024
Retention of high-pressure solution-processable metastable phase to ambience via differential sublattice rigidity for broadband photodetectors. Nature communications\| PubMed ID: 40050274	2025

Zhongyang Li

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