Molecular gradients shape synaptic specificity of a visuomotor transformation.

How does the brain convert visual input into specific motor actions? In Drosophila, visual projection neurons (VPNs) perform this visuomotor transformation by converting retinal positional information into synapse number in the brain. The molecular basis of this phenomenon remains unknown. We addressed this issue in LPLC2 (ref.

Gradients of Cell Recognition Molecules Wire Visuomotor Transformation.

Converting sensory information into motor commands is fundamental to most of our actions . In , visuomotor transformations are mediated by Visual Projection Neurons (VPNs) . These neurons encode object location and motion to drive directional behaviors through a synaptic gradient mechanism .

Spatial profiling of the interplay between cell type- and vision-dependent transcriptomic programs in the visual cortex.

How early sensory experience during "critical periods" of postnatal life affects the organization of the mammalian neocortex at the resolution of neuronal cell types is poorly understood. We previously reported that the functional and molecular profiles of layer 2/3 (L2/3) cell types in the primary visual cortex (V1) are vision-dependent [S. Cheng , , 311-327.

Spatial Single-Cell Mapping of Transcriptional Differences Across Genetic Backgrounds in Mouse Brains.

Genetic variation can alter brain structure and, consequently, function. Comparative statistical analysis of mouse brains across genetic backgrounds requires spatial, single-cell, atlas-scale data, in replicates-a challenge for current technologies. We introduce tlas-scale ranscriptome ocalization using ggregate ignatures (ATLAS), a scalable tissue mapping method.

Spatial profiling of the interplay between cell type- and vision-dependent transcriptomic programs in the visual cortex.

Unlabelled: How early sensory experience during "critical periods" of postnatal life affects the organization of the mammalian neocortex at the resolution of neuronal cell types is poorly understood. We previously reported that the functional and molecular profiles of layer 2/3 (L2/3) cell types in the primary visual cortex (V1) are vision-dependent (Tan et al., (4), 2020; Cheng et al.

Robust enhancer-gene regulation identified by single-cell transcriptomes and epigenomes.

Single-cell sequencing could help to solve the fundamental challenge of linking millions of cell-type-specific enhancers with their target genes. However, this task is confounded by patterns of gene co-expression in much the same way that genetic correlation due to linkage disequilibrium confounds fine-mapping in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We developed a non-parametric permutation-based procedure to establish stringent statistical criteria to control the risk of false-positive associations in enhancer-gene association studies (EGAS).

A guide to the BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network data ecosystem.

Characterizing cellular diversity at different levels of biological organization and across data modalities is a prerequisite to understanding the function of cell types in the brain. Classification of neurons is also essential to manipulate cell types in controlled ways and to understand their variation and vulnerability in brain disorders. The BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN) is an integrated network of data-generating centers, data archives, and data standards developers, with the goal of systematic multimodal brain cell type profiling and characterization.

Synthesis of Well-Ordered Mesoporous Aluminosilicates with High Aluminum Contents: The Challenge and the Promise.

SBA-15 has recently emerged as a potential material for the catalytic conversion of large molecules. Usually, SBA-15 has a low content of aluminum due to the conventional acidic synthesis medium. Although a few approaches have been adopted to prepare Al-SBA-15 with a high alumina content, it is still challenging to prepare well-ordered Al-SBA-15 with a high alumina content.

Threshold effect of industrial agglomeration on carbon productivity in China's Yangtze River economic belt: a perspective of technical resourcing.

The Yangtze River Economic Belt's industrial layout is characterized by industrial agglomeration. However, industrial agglomeration, while promoting economic development, has an uncertain impact on the ecological environment. This research studies the threshold impacts of pollution-intensive industrial agglomeration and green-based industrial agglomeration on the carbon productivity of the Yangtze River Economic Belt through the panel threshold regression models to find the "optimal industrial agglomeration scale.

Single nucleus multi-omics identifies human cortical cell regulatory genome diversity.

Single-cell technologies measure unique cellular signatures but are typically limited to a single modality. Computational approaches allow the fusion of diverse single-cell data types, but their efficacy is difficult to validate in the absence of authentic multi-omic measurements. To comprehensively assess the molecular phenotypes of single cells, we devised single-nucleus methylcytosine, chromatin accessibility, and transcriptome sequencing (snmCAT-seq) and applied it to postmortem human frontal cortex tissue.

A transcriptomic and epigenomic cell atlas of the mouse primary motor cortex.

Single-cell transcriptomics can provide quantitative molecular signatures for large, unbiased samples of the diverse cell types in the brain. With the proliferation of multi-omics datasets, a major challenge is to validate and integrate results into a biological understanding of cell-type organization. Here we generated transcriptomes and epigenomes from more than 500,000 individual cells in the mouse primary motor cortex, a structure that has an evolutionarily conserved role in locomotion.

Comparative cellular analysis of motor cortex in human, marmoset and mouse.

The primary motor cortex (M1) is essential for voluntary fine-motor control and is functionally conserved across mammals. Here, using high-throughput transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling of more than 450,000 single nuclei in humans, marmoset monkeys and mice, we demonstrate a broadly conserved cellular makeup of this region, with similarities that mirror evolutionary distance and are consistent between the transcriptome and epigenome. The core conserved molecular identities of neuronal and non-neuronal cell types allow us to generate a cross-species consensus classification of cell types, and to infer conserved properties of cell types across species.

Single-Cell Sequencing of Brain Cell Transcriptomes and Epigenomes.

Single-cell sequencing technologies, including transcriptomic and epigenomic assays, are transforming our understanding of the cellular building blocks of neural circuits. By directly measuring multiple molecular signatures in thousands to millions of individual cells, single-cell sequencing methods can comprehensively characterize the diversity of brain cell types. These measurements uncover gene regulatory mechanisms that shape cellular identity and provide insight into developmental and evolutionary relationships between brain cell populations.

Impact of China's outward foreign direct investment on green total factor productivity in "Belt and Road" participating countries: a perspective of institutional distance.

The "Belt and Road" must be built not only as a road to prosperity but also as a green road. However, as China's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) in "Belt and Road" participating countries has continued to increase, "China's pollution transfer" has also been wildly rendered. This article uses data from 21 European countries participating in the "Belt and Road" Initiative from 2009 to 2018.

Shanyou 63: an elite mega rice hybrid in China.

Hybrid rice has been successfully used for commercial rice production for 40 years in China. Shanyou 63, a mega rice hybrid, derived from the parents Zhenshan 97A and Minghui 63, was a milestone for China's hybrid rice development and production because of its high yield and wide adaptability. It was planted in 16 provinces of the country on 17% of the national hybrid rice area annually during the 29 years from 1984 to 2012.

Genome-wide association study of outcrossing in cytoplasmic male sterile lines of rice.

Stigma exsertion and panicle enclosure of male sterile lines are two key determinants of outcrossing in hybrid rice seed production. Based on 43,394 single nucleotide polymorphism markers, 217 cytoplasmic male sterile lines were assigned into two subpopulations and a mixed-group where the linkage disequilibrium decay distances varied from 975 to 2,690 kb. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed for stigma exsertion rate (SE), panicle enclosure rate (PE) and seed-setting rate (SSR).

Growth of metal-semiconductor core-multishell nanorods with optimized field confinement and nonlinear enhancement.

This paper describes a facile method for the synthesis of Au/AuAg/Ag2S/PbS core-multishell nanorods with double trapping layers. The synthesis, in sequence, involved deposition of Ag shells onto the surfaces of Au nanorod seeds, formation of AuAg shells by a galvanic replacement reaction, and overgrowth of the Ag2S shells and PbS shells. The resulting core-multishell nanorod possesses an air gap between the Au core and the AuAg shell.

Identification of stable QTLs causing chalk in rice grains in nine environments.

A novel QTL cluster for chalkiness on Chr04 was identified using single environment analysis and joint mapping across 9 environments in Asia and South American. QTL NILs showed that each had a significant effect on chalk. Chalk in rice grains leads to a significant loss in the proportion of marketable grains in a harvested crop, leading to a significant financial loss to rice farmers and traders.

Heterotic groups of tropical indica rice germplasm.

Four heterotic groups were identified for tropical indica rice germplasm to develop hybrid rice in the tropics based on two studies. Heterotic groups are of fundamental importance in hybrid crop breeding. This study investigated hybrid yield, yield heterosis and combining ability within and among groups based on genetic distance derived from single-nucleotide polymorphism markers.