Feasibility and safety of dual-console telesurgery with the KangDuo Surgical Robot-1500 System using fifth-generation and wired networks: an animal experiment and sea-spanning clinical study.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of dual-console telesurgery with the new KangDuo system in an animal experiment and clinical study. METHODS: Six canine models were performed radical prostatectomy with dual-console KanDuo surgical robot-1500 (KD-SR-1500-RARP). The perioperative outcomes, physical and mental workload of the surgeon were collected. Physical workload was evaluated with surface electromyography. Mental workload was evaluated with NASA-TLX. After conducting animal experiments to verify safety of dual-console KD-SR-1500-RARP, we conducted the clinical trial using 5G and wired networks. RESULTS: In the animal experiment, all surgeries were performed successfully. The operative time was 80.2±32.1 min. The docking time was 2.4±0.5 min. The console time was 49.7±25.3 min. There were no perioperative complications or equipment related adverse events. All dogs can micturate after catheter removal at one week postoperatively. The mental workload was at a low level (a scale ranging from 0 to 60), which scored 15.7±6.9. Among the eight recorded muscles, the fatigue degree of the right radial flexor and left biceps was the highest two (iEMG, resection, 299.8±344 uV, 109.9±16.9 uV; suture, 849.4±1252.5 uV, 423.1±621.3 uV, respectively). In the clinical study, the console time was 136 min. The mean latency time was ≤200 ms. The data pocket loss was <1%. The operation was successfully completed without malfunctions occurring throughout the entire process. CONCLUSIONS: Dual-console telesurgery with the KD-SR-1500 system was shown to be feasible and safe in radical prostatectomy using 5G and wired networks.

DNA-Mediated Peptide Assembly into Protein Mimics.

The design of new protein structures is challenging due to their vast sequence space and the complexity of protein folding. Here, we report a new modular DNA-templated strategy to construct protein mimics. We achieve the spatial control of multiple peptide units by conjugation with DNA and hybridization to a branched DNA trimer template followed by covalent stapling of the preorganized peptides into a single unit. A library of protein mimics with different lengths, sequences, and heptad registers has been efficiently constructed. DNA-templated protein mimics show an α-helix or coiled-coil motif formation even when they are constructed from weakly interacting peptide units. Their attached DNA handles can be used to exert dynamic control over the protein mimics' secondary and tertiary structures. This modular strategy will facilitate the development of DNA-encoded protein libraries for the rapid discovery of new therapeutics, enzymes, and antibody mimics.

Outcomes of retrograde ureteroscopy in Chinese infants and toddlers under 3 years old with ureteric stones from a single center.

INTRODUCTION: Pediatric urolithiasis is a less common disease with a steadily increasing incidence of 10.6 % per year. The comprehensive management of pediatric urolithiasis is more challenging than in adults, and published studies of endourological treatment in children have small sample sizes and older mean ages, which may not be representative of the overall pediatric population, especially in infants and toddlers. This study aimed to report results of retrograde ureteroscopy for treating pediatric ureteral stones in infants and toddlers (<3 years) from a single center in China. METHODS: Demographic and surgical data of infants and toddlers with ureteral stones who underwent retrograde URS were retrospectively analyzed from January 2015 to September 2022. RESULTS: The mean age of 100 infants (73 boys and 27 girls) was 19.6 ± 7.6 months and stone burden was 0.27 (0.11-0.52) cm³. 111 procedures were performed for all children due to 11 patients with bilateral ureteric stones were simultaneously treated. Among them, 70.3 % were semi-rigid URS, 12.6 % were Micro-URS and 17.1 % were flexible URS. SFR was up to 96 %, the median operation time and hospitalization days were 35.0 (25.0-50.0) minutes and 6.0 (5.0-6.0) days, respectively. 15 (15.0 %) infants had postoperative fever (Grade I), and complications above grade I were not observed. DISCUSSIONS: This research reported the largest sample size of infant and toddler ureteric stones (under 3 years old) and shared optimal management strategies for these special populations. Compared to other related studies, we had a higher SFR due to diverse management strategies and reasonable application of pre-operative ureteric stents. The most important potential reason why our complication rate was relatively higher might be the younger population under 3 years old. In additionally, the reason of long hospitalization was maybe some patients underwent staged surgeries during one hospitalization. Those results indicated the robust effectiveness of URS for infants. This study has limitations, including its retrospective single-center design, absence of long-term follow-up data, and potential variability in surgical outcomes due to differences in surgeons' experience. CONCLUSIONS: The experience of endourologic procedures for 100 infant and toddler patients with ureteric stones from a Chinese single center was reported. And URS showed its effectiveness and safety for those special populations based on its high SFR and low complication rate.

Galacto-Oligosaccharides Alleviate LPS-Induced Immune Imbalance in Small Intestine through Regulating Gut Microbe Composition and Bile Acid Pool.

Recent evidence suggests that the protective effect of gut microbiota on intestinal inflammation can be achieved through a microbe-bile acids (BAs) mechanism. Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are a kind of prebiotic that alter gut microbiota composition. To verify whether GOS has a protective effect on intestinal inflammation through a microbe-BAs mechanism, this research was performed in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) porcine model with the presence or absence of GOS. GOS prevented LPS-induced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, the decrease of bacterial bile salt hydrolase-containing bacteria abundance, and the decrease of chendoxycholic acid (CDCA) level in piglets. Additionally, CDCA decreased LPS-induced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, induced the expression of the takeda G-protein receptor 5 (TGR5), and its downstream cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) production in lamina propria-derived CD11b+ cells. The cAMP inhibitor eliminated the protective effect of CDCA on lamina propria-derived CD11b+ cells. These results suggested that GOS reduced the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inhibited NF-κB activation via microbe-BA-dependent TGR5-cAMP signaling in LPS-challenged piglets.

Trap-Assisted Auger-Meitner Recombination from First Principles.

Trap-assisted nonradiative recombination is known to limit the efficiency of optoelectronic devices, but the conventional multiphonon emission (MPE) process fails to explain the observed loss in wide-band-gap materials. Here, we highlight the role of trap-assisted Auger-Meitner (TAAM) recombination and present a first-principles methodology to determine TAAM rates due to defects or impurities in semiconductors or insulators. We assess the impact on efficiency of light emitters in a recombination cycle that may include both TAAM and carrier capture via MPE. We apply the formalism to the technologically relevant case study of a calcium impurity in InGaN, where a Shockley-Read-Hall recombination cycle involving MPE alone cannot explain the experimentally observed nonradiative loss. We find that, for band gaps larger than 2.5 eV, the inclusion of TAAM results in recombination rates that are orders of magnitude larger than recombination rates based on MPE alone, demonstrating that TAAM can be a dominant nonradiative process in wide-band-gap materials. Our computational formalism is general and can be applied to the calculation of TAAM rates in any semiconducting or insulating material.

Prediction of heavy metals adsorption by hydrochars and identification of critical factors using machine learning algorithms.

Hydrochar has become a popular product for immobilizing heavy metals in water bodies. However, the relationships between the preparation conditions, hydrochar properties, adsorption conditions, heavy metal types, and the maximum adsorption capacity (Qm) of hydrochar are not adequately explored. Four artificial intelligence models were used in this study to predict the Qm of hydrochar and identify the key influencing factors. The gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) showed excellent predictive capability for this study (R2 = 0.93, RMSE = 25.65). Hydrochar properties (37%) controlled heavy metal adsorption. Meanwhile, the optimal hydrochar properties were revealed, including the C, H, N, and O contents of 57.28-78.31%, 3.56-5.61%, 2.01-6.42%, and 20.78-25.37%. Higher hydrothermal temperatures (>220 °C) and longer hydrothermal time (>10 h) lead to the optimal type and density of surface functional groups for heavy metal adsorption, which increased the Qm values. This study has great potential for instructing industrial applications of hydrochar in treating heavy metal pollution.

Machine learning: An effective technical method for future use in assessing the effectiveness of phosphorus-dissolving microbial agroremediation.

The issue of agricultural pollution has become one of the most important environmental concerns worldwide because of its relevance to human survival and health. Microbial remediation is an effective method for treating heavy metal pollution in agriculture, but the evaluation of its effectiveness has been a difficult issue. Machine learning (ML), a widely used data processing technique, can improve the accuracy of assessments and predictions by analyzing and processing large amounts of data. In microbial remediation, ML can help identify the types of microbes, mechanisms of action and adapted environments, predict the effectiveness of microbial remediation and potential problems, and assess the ecological benefits and crop growth after remediation. In addition, ML can help optimize monitoring programs, improve the accuracy and effectiveness of heavy metal pollution monitoring, and provide a scientific basis for the development of treatment measures. Therefore, ML has important application prospects in assessing the effectiveness of microbial remediation of heavy metal pollution in agriculture and is expected to be an effective pollution management technology.

Alteration of pro-carcinogenic gut microbiota is associated with clear cell renal cell carcinoma tumorigenesis.

Objective: Increasing evidence suggests that gut microbiota is involved in the occurrence and progression of urinary system diseases such as clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). However, the mechanism of how alteration of gut metagenome promotes ccRCC remains unclear. Here we aim to elucidate the association of specific gut bacteria and their metabolites with ccRCC. Methods: In a pilot case-control study among 30 ccRCC patients (RCC group) and 30 healthy controls (Control group), 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing were analyzed from fecal samples collected prior to surgery or hospitalization. Alpha diversity and beta diversity analysis of the gut microbiota were performed, and differential taxa were identified by multivariate statistics. Meanwhile, serum metabolism was measured by UHPLC-MS, and differential genes were identified based on the TCGA database. Results: Alpha diversity found there were no significant microbial diversity differences of gut microbiota between the RCC group and the Control group. However, beta diversity analysis showed that the overall structures of the two groups were significantly separated (p = 0.008). Random Forests revealed the relative abundances of 20 species differed significantly between the RCC group and the Control group, among which nine species were enriched in the RCC group such as Desulfovibrionaceae, and 11 species were less abundant such as four kinds of Lactobacillus. Concomitantly, serum level of taurine, which was considered to be consumed by Desulfovibrionaceae and released by Lactobacillus, has decreased in the RCC group. In addition, macrophage-related genes such as Gabbr1 was upregulated in ccRCC patients. Conclusion: Reduction of protective bacteria, proliferation of sulfide-degrading bacteria Desulfovibrionaceae, reduction of taurine, and enrichment of macrophage related genes might be the risk predictors of ccRCC.

Epitranscriptomic profiling of m6A RNA methylation in renal epithelial tubular cells stimulated with calcium oxalate crystals through microarray analysis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of m6A RNA methylation to CaOX-induced renal tubular injury. Microarray analysis was performed to detect the difference in mRNA expression and m6A methylation between the injurious groups and controls. We established injurious renal tubular epithelial cell model induced by calcium oxalate crystals (CaOX), and we validated that CaOX could increase the overall m6A methylation levels. By microarray analysis, we identified 5967 differentially expressed mRNAs (2444 were up-regulated and 3523 were down-regulated in the injurious groups) and 6853 differentially methylated mRNAs (4055 were in hypermethylation and 3688 were in hypomethylation in the injurious groups). Four clusters (hyper-up, hyper-down, hypo-up and hypo-down) were further identified via conjoint analysis. Functional analysis revealed that m6A methylation played a crucial role in the development of CaOX through participating multiple processes covering inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, crystal-cell adhesion. We delineated the first transcriptome-wide m6A landscape of injurious renal tubular cells in high-CaOX environment. We identified a series of mRNAs of renal tubular epithelial cells with differential expression and m6A methylation between the CaOX-treated groups and controls.

Engineered Cleistogamy in Camelina sativa for bioconfinement.

Camelina sativa is a self-pollinating and facultative outcrossing oilseed crop. Genetic engineering has been used to improve camelina yield potential for altered fatty acid composition, modified protein profiles, improved seed and oil yield, and enhanced drought resistance. The deployment of transgenic camelina in the field posits high risks related to the introgression of transgenes into non-transgenic camelina and wild relatives. Thus, effective bioconfinement strategies need to be developed to prevent pollen-mediated gene flow (PMGF) from transgenic camelina. In the present study, we overexpressed the cleistogamy (i.e. floral petal non-openness)-inducing PpJAZ1 gene from peach in transgenic camelina. Transgenic camelina overexpressing PpJAZ1 showed three levels of cleistogamy, affected pollen germination rates after anthesis but not during anthesis, and caused a minor silicle abortion only on the main branches. We also conducted field trials to examine the effects of the overexpressed PpJAZ1 on PMGF in the field, and found that the overexpressed PpJAZ1 dramatically inhibited PMGF from transgenic camelina to non-transgenic camelina under the field conditions. Thus, the engineered cleistogamy using the overexpressed PpJAZ1 is a highly effective bioconfinement strategy to limit PMGF from transgenic camelina, and could be used for bioconfinement in other dicot species.

Synthesis of the Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-2α (HIF-2α) Inhibitor, 3-[(1S,2S,3R)-2,3-Difluoro-1-hydroxy-7-methylsulfonylindan-4-yl]oxy-5-fluorobenzonitrile (PT2977, Belzutifan); Efficient Replication of Established Approaches.

A concise linear synthesis of hypoxia inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α) inhibitor, belzutifan was achieved by reproducing key components of previous synthetic approaches to this molecule as described in several publications and patents. Belzutifan is an orally bioavailable small-molecule (HIF-2α) inhibitor for the treatment of von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease-associated renal cell carcinoma (RCC) that received FDA approval in 2021. Herein, we report a 13-step synthesis of PT2977 that proceeded in good overall yield with high diastereoselectivity. Separation of diastereomeric mixtures at two different stages of the synthesis proved advantageous in ease of separation. The X-ray structure of belzutifan was determined.

Establishment of a novel prognostic prediction model through bioinformatics analysis for prostate cancer based on ferroptosis-related genes and its application in immune cell infiltration.

Background: Ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) play vital roles in survival and prognosis of prostate cancer (PCa) patients. We establish a ferroptosis-related prediction model through bioinformatics analysis for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), so as to evaluate the clinical survival status through the characteristics of immune cell infiltration (ICI), which could provide information for treatment monitoring. Methods: At first, 268 FRGs were obtained from previous studies. Differentially expressed FRGs were identified based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and FRG enrichment analysis was performed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). We then performed univariate, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and multivariate Cox regression analyses to establish OS- and DFS-related prognostic prediction models. The association of the model and clinicopathological features was further analyzed. Subsequently, unique genomic signatures of immune cell subsets were obtained through the KEGG database. Based on specific genes associated with ferroptosis and their association with ICI, immune infiltration was assessed in patients in different risk groups. Results: We constructed an OS- and an DFS-prognostic model through bioinformatics analysis. The predicted values of OS and DFS-related models were higher in T3-4 than in T1-2 (P=0.0057, P<0.001), and the predicted value of the DFS model in N0 stage was higher than that in N1 stage (P=0.0136). Results of Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) on the basis of the KEGG dataset showed p53 signaling being the most enriched signal in the high-risk group, while endocytosis was the most enriched signal in the low-risk group. M2 macrophages (P=0.007) and neutrophils (P=0.024) were enriched in the high-risk group, and CD4-activated memory T cells were significantly accumulated in the low-risk group (P=0.017). Conclusions: The OS- and DFS-related model based on FRGs and ICI create new insights into the disease state assessment of PCa patients., which may aid in the development of individualized and precise treatment in the future.

Highly conserved shifts in ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) activity drive mitochondrial remodeling during quiescence.

Defects in cellular proteostasis and mitochondrial function drive many aspects of infertility, cancer, and other age-related diseases. All of these conditions rely on quiescent cells, such as oocytes and adult stem cells, that reduce their activity and remain dormant as part of their roles in tissue homeostasis, reproduction, and even cancer recurrence. Using a multi-organism approach, we show that dynamic shifts in the ubiquitin proteasome system drive mitochondrial remodeling during cellular quiescence. In contrast to the commonly held view that the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is primarily regulated by substrate ubiquitination, we find that increasing proteasome number and their recruitment to mitochondria support mitochondrial respiratory quiescence (MRQ). GSK3 triggers proteasome recruitment to the mitochondria by phosphorylating outer membrane proteins, such as VDAC, and suppressing mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation. This work defines a process that couples dynamic regulation of UPS activity to coordinated shifts in mitochondrial metabolism in fungi, Drosophila, and mammals during quiescence.

Learning Curves of Flexible Ureteroscopy (275 Cases) and Prone Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (73 Cases) in Pediatric Stones: Data from 348 Children.

Objectives: To evaluate learning curves in pediatric flexible ureteroscopy (FURS) and pediatric prone percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) by a single surgeon with experience in adult endourologic procedures. Materials and Methods: Children who were found to have nephrolithiasis and treated with PCNL or FURS from June 2014 to April 2019 were analyzed. Patient demographics, stone characteristics, stone-free rate (SFR), and complication rate (CR) were reported. Learning curves were generated to estimate the effect of a surgeon's experience on outcomes. Results: Seventy-three children underwent PCNL on 86 sides in 77 operations and 275 children underwent FURS on 320 sides in 288 operations. The SFRs were 88.1% (282/320) for FURS procedures and 89.5% (77/86) for PCNL procedures. CRs were 19.8% (57/288) and 35.1% (27/77), respectively. Learning curves showed that the SFRs of the two procedures increased with the accumulation of cases. There was an apparent improvement of SFR for PCNL procedures after ∼60 surgeries. A favorable SFR of FURS could be achieved at the start of learning. No apparently decreased CRs were observed for either PCNL or FURS. Conclusions: Both PCNL and FURS could achieve satisfactory SFRs and accepted CRs in pediatric stones. Increased surgical experience was associated with improved SFRs of both PCNL and FURS procedures, and the surgeon's experience of adult FURS translating to that of pediatric FURS was better than adult PCNL translating to pediatric PCNL. A surgeon needs ∼60 cases of PCNL to achieve competence. For FURS, a favorable SFR could be achieved at the start of learning.

External validation of efficacy and reliability of different retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) scoring systems for pediatric nephrolithiasis.

INTRODUCTION: Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery (RIRS) is one of minimally invasive procedures for pediatric upper urinary stones. However, a RIRS predictive system for children to evaluate postoperative stone free rate (SFR) is still unavailable. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to validate the efficacy and reliability of different RIRS scoring systems for children. STUDY DESIGN: We collected clinical data of 137 pediatric patients treated with RIRS in our center between 2014 and 2021. All the predictors were acquired by preoperative non-contrast CT or CT urography. Receiver Operative Curve (ROC) and Area Under Curve (AUC) were showed to compare the predictive power of different models. RESULTS: A total of 162 RIRS procedures were performed for these 137 pediatric patients. Median surgical duration, irrigation volume and hospitalization were 30 (20, 40) min, 500 (300, 1000) ml and 6 (4, 7) days, respectively. Overall SFR and complication rate was 79.6% (129/162) and 29.2% (40/137), respectively. Significant difference was detected between non-stone free group and stone free group in terms of stone complexity (p < 0.001), cumulative stone sizes [2.3 (2.0, 3.5) cm vs. 1.5 (1.0, 2.0) cm, p < 0.001], RUS groups (p < 0.001), S-ReSC groups (p < 0.001) and RIRS nomogram score [10 (8, 12) vs. 23 (18, 25), p < 0.001]. Among them, RIRS nomogram presented with the maximum AUC values in comparison with the other two systems (RUS: 0.944 vs. 0.874, p = 0.001; S-ReSC: 0.944 vs. 0.808, p < 0.001). DISCUSSION: We reported the largest sample size of pediatric patients treated with RIRS in our center. Similar with previous studies, RIRS is an efficacious and safe option for pediatric patients. RIRS nomogram showed the best predictive outcome due to the inclusion of multiple parameters, but an innovative predictive system based on pediatric clinical data is warranted in the future. CONCLUSION: Among the three scoring systems, RIRS nomogram showed the most optimal predictive power of postoperative SFR for pediatric patients.

Symptomatic recurrence rate of upper urinary tract calculi in children after endourological procedures.

INTRODUCTION: The recurrence rate of paediatric urolithiasis was less reported, especially in Asians. Our aim was to verify the symptomatic recurrence rate of Chinese paediatric urolithiasis and to determine the predictive factors for stone recurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of children who presented with first upper urinary tract calculi from June 2014 to September 2019. For the follow-up, we generated Kaplan-Meier plots with time to stone recurrence and Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were applied. The recurrence was defined as a new symptomatic stone on ultrasound and/or computerized tomography. RESULTS: A total of 230 children with a median age of 5 yr (IQR 4-8) were included. Calcium oxalate was found in 72% of stones, and calcium apatite was found in 32% of stones. After a median follow-up of 39.5 months, 34 (14.8%) children had stone recurrence. Median time to stone recurrence was 31 months. Among them, 31 (91.2%) required surgical intervention. Older children (P < 0.01), higher BMI (HBM) (P < 0.01) and higher stone burden (P < 0.01) were shown to be associated with stone recurrence in the univariate analysis. The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that children with stone burden > 2 cm3 had a higher risk of recurrence (HR 4.84, 95%CI 2.28-10.3). Children with HBM had an increased recurrence rate compared to normal BMI children (HR 2.99, 95%CI 1.36-6.56). CONCLUSIONS: The symptomatic recurrence rate of paediatric urolithiasis in Chinese is not as high as that reported in Caucasians. HBM and higher stone burden are associated with higher recurrence rates.

Reproducibility of identical solid phantoms.

SIGNIFICANCE: Tissue-like solid phantoms with identical optical properties, known within tolerant uncertainty, are of crucial importance in diffuse optics for instrumentation assessment, interlaboratory comparison studies, industrial standards, and multicentric clinical trials. AIM: The reproducibility in fabrication of homogeneous solid phantoms is focused based on spectra measurements by instrument comparisons grounded on the time-resolved diffuse optics. APPROACH: Epoxy-resin and silicone phantoms are considered as matrices and both employ three different instruments for time-resolved diffuse spectroscopy within the spectral range of 540 to 1100 nm. In particular, we fabricated two batches of five phantoms each in epoxy resin and silicone. Then, we evaluated the intra- and interbatch variability with respect to the instrument precision, by considering the coefficient of variation (CV) of absorption and reduced scattering coefficients. RESULTS: We observed a similar precision for the three instruments, within 2% for repeated measurements on the same phantom. For epoxy-resin phantoms, the intra- and the interbatch variability reached the instrument precision limit, demonstrating a very good phantom reproducibility. For the silicone phantoms, we observed larger values for intra- and interbatch variability. In particular, at worst, for reduced scattering coefficient interbatch CV was about 5%. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that the fabrication of solid phantoms, especially considering epoxy-resin matrix, is highly reproducible, even if they come from different batch fabrications and are measured using different instruments.

Identification of Novel Genomic Regions for Bacterial Leaf Pustule (BLP) Resistance in Soybean (Glycine max L.) via Integrating Linkage Mapping and Association Analysis.

Bacterial leaf pustule (BLP), caused by Xanthornonas axonopodis pv. glycines (Xag), is a worldwide disease of soybean, particularly in warm and humid regions. To date, little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms of BLP resistance. The only single recessive resistance gene rxp has not been functionally identified yet, even though the genotypes carrying the gene have been widely used for BLP resistance breeding. Using a linkage mapping in a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population against the Xag strain Chinese C5, we identified that quantitative trait locus (QTL) qrxp-17-2 accounted for 74.33% of the total phenotypic variations. We also identified two minor QTLs, qrxp-05-1 and qrxp-17-1, that accounted for 7.26% and 22.26% of the total phenotypic variations, respectively, for the first time. Using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 476 cultivars of a soybean breeding germplasm population, we identified a total of 38 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) on chromosomes (Chr) 5, 7, 8, 9,15, 17, 19, and 20 under artificial infection with C5, and 34 QTNs on Chr 4, 5, 6, 9, 13, 16, 17, 18, and 20 under natural morbidity condition. Taken together, three QTLs and 11 stable QTNs were detected in both linkage mapping and GWAS analysis, and located in three genomic regions with the major genomic region containing qrxp_17_2. Real-time RT-PCR analysis of the relative expression levels of five potential candidate genes in the resistant soybean cultivar W82 following Xag treatment showed that of Glyma.17G086300, which is located in qrxp-17-2, significantly increased in W82 at 24 and 72 h post-inoculation (hpi) when compared to that in the susceptible cultivar Jack. These results indicate that Glyma.17G086300 is a potential candidate gene for rxp and the QTLs and QTNs identified in this study will be useful for marker development for the breeding of Xag-resistant soybean cultivars.

Spin splitting of dopant edge state in magnetic zigzag graphene nanoribbons.

Spin-ordered electronic states in hydrogen-terminated zigzag nanographene give rise to magnetic quantum phenomena1,2 that have sparked renewed interest in carbon-based spintronics3,4. Zigzag graphene nanoribbons (ZGNRs)-quasi one-dimensional semiconducting strips of graphene bounded by parallel zigzag edges-host intrinsic electronic edge states that are ferromagnetically ordered along the edges of the ribbon and antiferromagnetically coupled across its width1,2,5. Despite recent advances in the bottom-up synthesis of GNRs featuring symmetry protected topological phases6-8 and even metallic zero mode bands9, the unique magnetic edge structure of ZGNRs has long been obscured from direct observation by a strong hybridization of the zigzag edge states with the surface states of the underlying support10-15. Here, we present a general technique to thermodynamically stabilize and electronically decouple the highly reactive spin-polarized edge states by introducing a superlattice of substitutional N-atom dopants along the edges of a ZGNR. First-principles GW calculations and scanning tunnelling spectroscopy reveal a giant spin splitting of low-lying nitrogen lone-pair flat bands by an exchange field (~850 tesla) induced by the ferromagnetically ordered edge states of ZGNRs. Our findings directly corroborate the nature of the predicted emergent magnetic order in ZGNRs and provide a robust platform for their exploration and functional integration into nanoscale sensing and logic devices15-21.

Topological Phases in Graphene Nanoribbons Tuned by Electric Fields.

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) possess distinct symmetry-protected topological phases. We show, through first-principles calculations, that by applying an experimentally accessible transverse electric field, certain boron and nitrogen periodically codoped GNRs have tunable topological phases. The tunability arises from a field-induced band inversion due to an opposite response of the conduction- and valence-band states to the electric field. With a spatially varying applied field, segments of GNRs of distinct topological phases are created, resulting in a field-programmable array of topological junction states, each may be occupied with charge or spin. Our findings not only show that electric field may be used as an easy tuning knob for topological phases in quasi-one-dimensional systems, but also provide new design principles for future GNR-based quantum electronic devices through their topological characters.