QTL-seq identifies NAL1 and OsOFP19 as additive regulators of tiller number in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Background: Tiller number is a critical component of rice yield, as it directly influences overall productivity. While upland rice varieties are well adapted to lowland environments and prove resilient to fluctuating water availability, their typically low tillering capacity limits their performance in lowland ecosystems where conditions are more conducive to achieving higher yields.

Results: To facilitate the marker-assisted selection (MAS) breeding of upland rice cultivars suitable for lowland conditions, we performed QTL-seq analysis using populations derived from a cross between a high-tillering lowland indica parent (PTT1) and a low-tillering upland tropical japonica line (NDCMP49).

Intensive care unit outcomes and prognostic factors of esophageal cancer: A cross-sectional study in Chinese cancer-specialized hospitals.

Background: Esophageal cancer patients had the highest intensive care unit (ICU) admitted rate in cancer patients. But their prognosis and evaluation methods were rarely studied.

Aim: To depict the short-term mortality outcome and identify the potential prognostic factors of esophageal cancer patients admitted into ICU.

A Theoretical Study on Tailoring the Nitrile Substitution Strategy in Carbonates for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Improving the operating voltage is an effective strategy for enhancing the energy density of lithium-ion batteries. However, this approach raises critical challenges, including oxidative decomposition of the electrolyte and degradation of electrode materials, which urgently require solutions. In this context, nitrile compounds, characterized by their strong electron-withdrawing effect, high dielectric constant, and excellent oxidation stability, have emerged as ideal materials for optimizing high-voltage electrolytes.

DC Reactive-Sputtered NiO Hole Transport Layers with Tailored Nickel Vacancies for Perovskite Single-Junction and Textured Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Solar Cells.

Sputtered nickel oxide (NiO) is a promising material for hole transport layers (HTLs) in industrializing perovskite solar cells (PSCs) due to its scalable and conformal growth. However, its low conductivity and interfacial instability limit device performance. Herein, high-quality undoped NiO (DC-N) HTLs are developed fabricated via direct current (DC) reactive sputtering (Ni target) coupled with low-temperature (≤ 200 °C) air annealing.

Effects of Er: YAG laser and acid etching on bond strength of clear aligner attachments to fluorotic enamel.

Background: There is a lack of research on the bonding ability of attachments to fluorosis enamel. This study evaluates Er: YAG laser-assisted acid etching as a potential optimization protocol.

Methods: Twenty healthy teeth and ninety fluorotic teeth (Thylstrup-Fejerskov Index = 4) were divided into a control group (healthy enamel + acid etching) and a fluorotic group (acid etching 30/60/90 seconds vs.

Influence of pH and electric field on HgCl adsorption in clay-water systems and its environmental implications.

Mercury and its compounds, particularly mercury chloride (HgCl), are highly toxic and persistent environmental pollutants. Understanding the adsorption behavior of HgCl in clay-water systems is essential for developing effective mercury remediation strategies. This study investigates the effects of pH and background cations on the adsorption kinetics, adsorption energy, and dipole moment of HgCl in montmorillonite clay systems.

HiMT: An integrative toolkit for assembling organelle genomes using HiFi reads.

Chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes, which coexist with the nuclear genome, are extensively used in gene function studies, evolutionary analyses, and targeted breeding. However, assembling these organelle genomes remains challenging due to frequent recombination events and abundant repetitive sequences. Although some assembly tools are available, many are difficult to install or require extensive parameter tuning and computational resources.

Comprehensive genomic and phenotypic analyses reveal the genetic basis of fruit quality in litchi.

Background: Litchi, an economically important fruit crop in Southeast Asia, is renowned for its distinctive flavor and nutrient value, but its genetic diversity and genetic basis underlying fruit quality regulation remain largely unexplored.

Results: We re-sequence 276 litchi accessions collected globally and identify 54 million high-quality biallelic SNPs. We then analyze the population structure and reveal four main subgroups within the population.

Polygenic prediction of body mass index and obesity through the life course and across ancestries.

Polygenic scores (PGSs) for body mass index (BMI) may guide early prevention and targeted treatment of obesity. Using genetic data from up to 5.1 million people (4.

Association Between Preoperative Cognitive Performance and Postoperative Delirium in Older Patients: Results From a Multicenter, Prospective Cohort Study, and a Mendelian Randomization Study.

This study evaluated the association between preoperative cognitive performance and postoperative delirium (POD) using a multicenter prospective cohort, and explored potential causality using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. We analyzed data from 2257 patients aged ≥ 75 years undergoing elective noncardiac and noncranial surgeries across 16 Chinese medical centers. Preoperative cognitive assessment using Mini-Cog revealed 28.

Bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis reveals the causal effects of nutrients on arthropathies.

Arthropathy was related to macronutrients in an increasing number of studies nowadays. However, the causal effect of macronutrients and micronutrients on them remains unknown. The macronutrient and micronutrient summary statistics from the greatest genome-wide meta-analysis produced by the DietGen and other cohorts and genome-wide association studies statistics of arthropathy from FinnGen were used in this two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization investigation.

First-principles calculations of the photocatalytic performance of ZnO-MX (M = Mo, W; X = S, Se) heterojunctions.

In this work, we systematically investigate the stability, electronic structure, optical properties, and photocatalytic performance of four ZnO-MX (M = Mo, W; X = S, Se) heterojunctions. The results indicate that all four heterojunctions exhibit excellent structural stability. In each system, an internal electric field is formed from the ZnO layer to the MX layer, facilitating the effective transfer of electrons.

Association of relative fat mass with female infertility: a cross-sectional study based on NHANES 2017-2020.

Relative Fat Mass (RFM) is an emerging body fat measurement index that more accurately reflects the distribution of visceral fat. This study aimed to investigate the association between RFM and female infertility. We utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning from 2017 to 2020, enrolling 1487 female participants aged 20-44.

[Water Quality Evolution in the Guishui River Section of Guanting Reservoir in Recent Years].

Based on manual and automatic monitoring data of water quality at the Gujiaying section of the upstream of Guanting Reservoir （Guishui River section） from 2017 to 2023， this study comprehensive applied the Mann Kendall statistical test， STL trend decomposition， grey prediction model， and emission inventory statistics and other analysis methods， combined with literature research， and systematically revealed the water quality evolutions， influencing factors， and the impact of epidemic control and rainstorm events on water quality in the upper reaches of Guanting Reservoir. The results showed that： ① The period from 2017 to 2023 was the best time for the upstream inflow water quality of Guanting Reservoir in 50 years. Since Guanting Reservoir was restored as a backup water source in 2007， the inflow water quality was significantly improved， rising from Class Ⅳ to Class Ⅲ， reaching Class II in some months.

Diagnostic value of ultrasonography for post-liver transplant hepatic vein complications.

Liver transplantation (LT) is the most effective treatment for patients with end-stage liver disease, and maintaining vascular patency of the transplanted liver is one of the crucial prerequisites for surgical success. Despite hepatic vein complications following LT occurring at a relatively low frequency, ranging between 2% to 11%, delayed diagnosis and treatment may lead to graft dysfunction and even patient mortality. Clinical manifestations of hepatic vein complications are often subtle and nonspecific, posing challenges for early diagnosis.

Molecular Passivation of Cu via Spontaneous Aryl Diazonium Grafting.

Copper is among the most-used metals in our daily life and in industry, but its thermal and electronic conductivities may be affected by the corrosion occurring in practical use. Molecular passivation represents a promising method to enhance the corrosion resistance of copper, but so far, it remains challenging to passivate the surface of copper with a robust nanolayer of small molecules. Here, we apply aryl diazonium grafting as a facile and efficient method to enhance the chemical resistance of copper materials of different sizes and shapes under mild conditions.

Integrating landsat NDVI data with climate and anthropogenic factors reveals drivers of vegetation dynamics in the semi-arid Basin of Western China.

In remote sensing research, vegetation dynamics are often used as indicators of ecosystem conditions, especially in semi-arid areas. The Wei River Basin (WRB) is a semi-arid region in western China prone to climate change and sensitive to the environment. Driven by climate change and human activities, particularly the recent reforestation projects, the environment and landscape of this region have undergone significant changes.

Strain-specific effects of fish originated Bacillus velezensis on growth, gut health, and disease resistance of zebrafish.

The function and safety of probiotics are specific at the strain level. Accurate identification and evaluation of probiotics is very important for the development of the industry. In this work, five strains of Bacillus velezensis isolated from large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) were classified into two genotypes by random amplification polymorphic DNA (RAPD) strain typing.

Correlation Between Fat Attenuation Index and Plaque Parameters in Coronary CT Angiography: An Observational Study in Stable Coronary Artery Disease.

BackgroundThe purpose of this prospective observational study was to predict plaque vulnerability, stenosis, and hemodynamic problems based on coronary CT angiography (CCTA) using the Fat Attenuation Index (FAI) as a marker.MethodsPatients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) who underwent CCTA between January 2021 and January 2023 were included in this study. Data on basic patient information, plaque parameters, and Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) were collected and analyzed.

Longitudinal associations of epigenetic aging with cognitive aging in Hispanic/Latino adults from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos.

Due to the paucity of longitudinal DNA methylation data (DNAm), especially among Hispanic/Latino adults, the association between changes in epigenetic clocks over time and cognitive aging phenotypes has not been investigated. This longitudinal study included 2671 Hispanic/Latino adults (57 years; 66% women) with blood DNAm data and neurocognitive function assessed at two visits approximately 7 years apart. We evaluated the associations of 5 epigenetic clocks and their between-visit change with multiple measures of cognitive aging that included a global cognitive function score at each visit, between-visit change in global cognitive function score, MCI diagnosis, and presence of significant cognitive decline at visit 2 (V2).

Stretchable composites with high oxide loading.

Oxide/elastomer composites combine the functional attributes of metal oxides with the mechanical deformability of elastomers, but face the challenge of balancing oxide loading and stretchability as ceramic fillers decrease the entropic elasticity of polymer networks. Here, we report an interfacial composite design that enables high oxide fraction and large stretchability by minimizing the contact area yet maximizing the binding strength between the oxide and elastomer. The elongation at break for an interfacial composite with 80 vol% of oxides reaches 500%, whereas that of a regular bulk composite with the same oxide fraction is 20%.

A large-scale genome-wide study of gene-sleep duration interactions for blood pressure in 811,405 individuals from diverse populations.

Although both short and long sleep duration are associated with elevated hypertension risk, our understanding of their interplay with biological pathways governing blood pressure remains limited. To address this, we carried out genome-wide cross-population gene-by-short-sleep and long-sleep duration interaction analyses for three blood pressure traits (systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure) in 811,405 individuals from diverse population groups. We discovered 22 novel gene-sleep duration interaction loci for blood pressure, mapped to 23 genes.

Methylome-wide association analyses of lipids and modifying effects of behavioral factors in diverse race and ethnicity participants.

Circulating lipid concentrations are clinically associated with cardiometabolic diseases. The phenotypic variance explained by identified genetic variants remains limited, highlighting the importance of searching for additional factors beyond genetic sequence variants. DNA methylation has been linked to lipid concentrations in previous studies, although most of the studies harbored moderate sample sizes and exhibited underrepresentation of non-European ancestry populations.

Chromatic symphony of fleshy fruits: functions, biosynthesis and metabolic engineering of bioactive compounds.

Fleshy fruits are popular among consumers due to their significant nutritional value, which includes essential bioactive compounds such as pigments, vitamins, and minerals. Notably, plant-derived pigments are generally considered safe and reliable, helping to protect humans against various inflammatory diseases. Although the phytochemical diversity and their biological activities have been extensively reviewed and summarized, the status of bioactive nutrients in fleshy fruits, particularly with a focusing on different colors, has received less attention.