It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Monday, August 10, 2026
First papers of Journal of Energy Infrastructure are now online!
The first papers of Journal of Energy Infrastructure are now online! This open access journal advances energy infrastructure research by publishing cutting-edge studies on energy infrastructure such as design innovation, intelligent construction, structural safety and resilience, smart operation and maintenance, and low-carbon transformation. JEI spans a broad spectrum of energy systems—including wind energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, ocean energy, hydropower, thermal power, nuclear power, power grids, and energy storage—supporting the transformation of energy infrastructure toward a safer, more resilient, sustainable, and intelligent future. It focuses on, but is not limited to, the following research areas: Design and Optimisation of Infrastructure for Multi-Type Energy Systems, AI-Driven Energy Infrastructure, Environmental Engineering and Construction Technology, Lifecycle Performance of Energy Infrastructure, Disaster Resilience and Multi-Hazard Engineering, Durability and Sustainability, Advanced Materials and Structural Innovation.
The publisher KeAi was established by Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media Ltd to unfold quality research globally. In 2013, our focus shifted to open access publishing. We now proudly publish more than 200 world-class, open access, English language journals, spanning all scientific disciplines. Many of these are titles we publish in partnership with prestigious societies and academic institutions, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).
China Agricultural University researchers reveal how sugar transporters govern pollen wall formation and male fertility in maize
Researchers identified two anther-specific hexose transporters, ZmSWEET6a and ZmSWEET6b, which synergistically regulate sugar homeostasis, primexine assembly, and redox balance during maize pollen development. The simultaneous loss of both transporters results in complete male sterility.
Maize (Zea mays L.) is the primary grain crop in China with the largest planting area and highest total yield. It also serves as a model crop for the utilization of heterosis. Hybrid seed production is a core component in ensuring stable and high yields of maize, and the use of male-sterile lines has significantly improved breeding efficiency.
The pollen wall is a critical structure that protects pollen from environmental stresses, and its formation begins with a polysaccharide-rich primexine layer deposited on the surface of microspores. Proper pollen wall development is essential for male fertility in maize. In recent years, a large number of male-sterility genes have been successfully cloned in maize; however, the roles of sugar-related genes in male gametophyte development remain relatively underexplored. In particular, the molecular mechanisms by which sugar metabolism genes regulate pollen wall formation remain poorly understood.
To address this knowledge gap, a research team led by Professors Weiwei Jin and Wei Huang from China Agricultural University, in collaboration with Tianjin Agricultural University and the University of São Paulo in Brazil, elucidated how two anther-specific plasma membrane hexose transporters, ZmSWEET6a and ZmSWEET6b, coordinately regulate pollen wall development and cellular homeostasis. The study has been published online in The Crop Journal.
“We found that ZmSWEET6a/6b begin to play critical roles at early stages of microspore development, particularly during their peak expression window at stages S5–S6, when they supply essential polysaccharide precursors for primexine synthesis,” says Huang. “In addition to mediating transmembrane sugar transport, ZmSWEET6a/6b also maintain sugar–redox homeostasis in the anther, preventing premature ROS burst and ectopic initiation of PCD.”
How, then, do these sugar transporters simultaneously influence both pathways? Through cytological observations and multi-omics analyses, the research team constructed a coordinated regulatory model linking sugar transport, ROS signaling, and pollen wall development. Specifically, loss of ZmSWEET6a/6b function disrupts sugar homeostasis, triggering two cascading consequences: on one hand, pectin and xylan fail to deposit properly, leading to the collapse of primexine scaffold assembly; on the other hand, ROS burst occurs prematurely as early as stage S6 (whereas significant accumulation in the wild type occurs at stage S10), initiating ectopic and premature PCD across all four anther wall layers and ultimately resulting in complete male sterility.
“Deciphering the spatiotemporal coupling of carbohydrate metabolism and reproductive development is of great importance,” says Jin. “We hope this study offers new perspectives on the integration of metabolic and developmental pathways during plant reproduction.”
In summary, this study redefines ZmSWEET6a and ZmSWEET6b as central coordinators of anther development, revealing the dual role of sugar transporters in reproductive development—as suppliers of structural materials for pollen wall assembly and as guardians of anther redox balance. “These findings not only deepen our understanding of how carbohydrate allocation regulates reproductive success in plants but also provide valuable genetic resources for the development of novel male-sterile lines in hybrid crop breeding,” says Jin.
The publisher KeAi was established by Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media Ltd to unfold quality research globally. In 2013, our focus shifted to open access publishing. We now proudly publish more than 200 world-class, open access, English language journals, spanning all scientific disciplines. Many of these are titles we publish in partnership with prestigious societies and academic institutions, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).
The Green Revolution of the 20th century transformed global wheat production, largely through the introduction of semi-dwarfing genes that reduced plant height, minimized lodging risk, and allowed for more nitrogen fertilizer use. Yet modern breeding remains heavily dependent on a limited set of these genes, some of which carry trade-offs in early seedling vigour, grain filling, and nitrogen-use efficiency.
Now, international research teams led by China Agricultural University and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences have identified and cloned a new semi-dwarfing gene, Sdd1 (semi-dwarf and dense-spike 1), that modulates plant height and spike architecture through a distinct hormonal balancing mechanism—offering breeders a fresh genetic resource to fine-tune wheat architecture.
The work builds on the team’s 2023 Nature report (Song et al., 2023, Nature. 617:118-124), which described a naturally occurring r-e-z large fragment deletion haploblock that promotes compact, semi-dwarf growth by rebalancing brassinosteroid and gibberellin signalling. In the new study, the researchers set out to find additional dwarfing genes operating independently of the r-e-z deletion background. Their search led them to AS34, a somatic mutant derived from the wheat line Lankao 906 (LK906, also known as Yumai 66), which harbors the r-e-z deletion haploblock.
In field trials, AS34 plants were just 45 cm tall on average—a notable 41.6% reduction compared with the 77 cm height of the wild-type LK906. In particular, the mutant’s spike length reduced by 44.0%, while spikelet density surged by 60.3%. Microscopic analysis revealed that stem cells in AS34 were shorter and broader than those in LK906, pointing to reduced longitudinal cell elongation as the cellular basis for the dwarf phenotype.
Genetic dissection placed the semi-dwarf and dense-spike traits under the control of a single major locus on chromosome 3B. Through fine-mapping with a segregating population, whole-genome resequencing, and newly developed molecular markers, the team pinpointed Sdd1 to a 5.7-Mb interval and identified TraesCS3B02G260400, encoding a small protein with function yet to be characterized, as the prime candidate gene. Independent mutant lines carrying distinct lesions in this gene—in the Jing 411 genetic background—all showed alterations in plant height and spike development, providing strong genetic confirmation of Sdd1’s regulatory role.
Hormone response assays added another layer of insight. Unlike LK906, AS34 showed enhanced sensitivity to gibberellin and auxin. This pattern suggests that Sdd1 does not act through a single hormone pathway but rather orchestrates cross-talk among multiple growth-regulating signals—a feature that may help decouple height reduction from negative side effects.
“Our earlier work demonstrated that the r-e-z fragment deletion improves plant architecture, increases grain weight, and boosts yield, mainly through the modulation of brassinosteroid and gibberellin,” says corresponding author of the study, Professor Jie Liu from China Agricultural University. “By identifying and cloning Sdd1—which remains fully functional in the r-e-z-deleted background—we’ve expanded the molecular framework for understanding how dwarfing genes wire into wheat developmental networks.”
Liu further elaborates on the distinct mechanism uncovered in this study, “What excites us is that, while the r-e-z deletion primarily influences brassinosteroid and gibberellin pathways, Sdd1 integrates multiple hormone signals in a more complex manner.”
The researchers further observed that AS34 mutants show dramatically reduced sensitivity to brassinosteroid but enhanced responses to both gibberellin and auxin. “This distinctive hormonal signature suggests Sdd1 occupies a unique node in the plant’s growth regulatory network,” adds Liu.
This feature may be particularly valuable for wheat breeding because it could help break the negative correlations that often accompany height reduction, such as reduced grain filling or compromised seedling vigor, usually caused by the largely blocked gibberellin signaling transduction.
“One of the most important aspects of this discovery is that Sdd1 remains fully functional in the r-e-z-deleted background,” emphasizes Liu. “This means we’ve identified a gene that can additively or synergistically interact with existing dwarfing resources.”
For breeders, this opens up new possibilities for stacking beneficial alleles to achieve optimal plant architecture without the trade-offs that have constrained the use of our current dwarfing gene toolbox.
Looking ahead, Liu outlines the next steps for the research, “We are only at the beginning of understanding its full potential. The protein encoded by TraesCS3B02G260400 is small and its molecular function remains to be characterized. We are now focusing on deciphering its mechanistic details—how it perceives or transmits hormonal signals, and what downstream target components it regulates.”
“Cloning Sdd1 is just the first step. Considerable work lies ahead to decipher its molecular function and clarify how it regulates growth and development,” adds Professor Xingguo Ye from the Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, who co-led the research. “We are now focused on evaluating its practical breeding potential across different genetic backgrounds and environments to determine how broadly useful this gene might be for wheat improvement worldwide.”
The study also benefited from conceptual guidance and manuscript preparation input from Professors Qixin Sun and Zhongfu Ni from China Agricultural University. “With Sdd1 now in hand, breeders have a promising new entry point for designing wheat varieties that strike an optimal balance between height reduction, spike compactness, and overall productivity—without the constraints of the current dwarfing-gene toolbox,” says Ni.
The publisher KeAi was established by Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media Ltd to unfold quality research globally. In 2013, our focus shifted to open access publishing. We now proudly publish more than 200 world-class, open access, English language journals, spanning all scientific disciplines. Many of these are titles we publish in partnership with prestigious societies and academic institutions, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).
For the first time, a research team led by Professor Dr Bart Thomma has succeeded in gaining insights into the genetic basis of “defoliation” caused by the pathogenic fungus Verticillium dahliae. A key protein they have identified is responsible for the aggressive nature of the fungus / Publication in Nature Communications
An international research team led by the plant scientist Professor Dr Bart Thomma from the Institute of Plant Sciences at the University of Cologne, the MiBiNet Collaborative Research Centre and the CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence for Plant Sciences has identified in the pathogenic fungus Verticillium dahliae the region of the genome responsible for the production of a specific protein that the pathogen secretes during the infection process. This protein causes leaf loss in host plants and determines the virulence of the pathogen. The research findings were published in the journal Nature Communications under the title “A structurally unique effector shared between vascular wilt fungi drives cotton and olive defoliation”.
The most virulent strains of Verticillium dahliae, a pathogenic fungus known in agriculture to be the cause of wilt diseases, result in complete leaf loss (defoliation), particularly in cotton and olive trees. This leads to the death of the affected plants and, consequently, to significant crop losses. Until now, the genetic mechanisms by which Verticillium dahliae causes this leaf loss were unknown.
“The gene for the protein that causes leaf loss was discovered on a so-called ‘Starship’. These are huge mobile genetic elements that can be transferred between different species of fungus and carry genes, including the gene responsible for leaf loss,” explains Professor Bart Thomma. “Genetic analyses have detected remnants of a putative ‘Starship’ carrying the leaf-drop gene in several other fungi that cause wilt diseases.”
Understanding the genetic mechanisms by which Verticillium dahliae causes such an aggressive disease can contribute to the development of novel methods for controlling plant diseases – through improved, specific detection of the most aggressive isolated strains, but also through the breeding or genetic modification of resistant olive and cotton plants.
A pioneering study led by Aberystwyth University is set to investigate how everyday interactions between people and dogs in rural Wales could be helping a harmful tapeworm spread between species.
Despite decades of public health campaigns, the parasite responsible for hydatid disease remains endemic in mid-Wales. The region is recognised as a hotspot for the disease, which poses risks to livestock welfare, farm productivity, and human health.
Dogs are the final host for the Echinococcus granulosus parasite, while sheep typically serve as intermediate hosts in the UK. The parasite’s life cycle is sustained when sheep ingest eggs from dog faeces, developing cysts in their organs. Dogs then become re-infected by scavenging or being fed infected sheep offal, perpetuating the cycle.
Humans can also become accidental hosts - the infection is very difficult to treat and can potentially lead to serious health complications or death. This makes the presence of the parasite in dogs a public health concern.
The study will involve fieldwork across mid-Wales to examine how human-dog interactions in agricultural communities influence the transmission of hydatid disease across species.
Researcher Keira Washtell, from the Department of Life Sciences at Aberystwyth University, said:
“This research goes beyond disease surveillance - it’s about understanding how people live with and care for dogs, and how those relationships intersect with environmental and public health risks.
“By investigating canine movement and lifestyle and community perceptions, we aim to identify practical, locally informed strategies to reduce zoonotic transmission.”
Researchers will use GPS collars to track the movements of free roaming farm dogs and analyse faecal samples from farmland to investigate their diets.
The project team will work closely with farmers, vets, public health experts, and dog owner groups, to gather insights into why previous public health messaging about hydatid disease may not have succeeded.
Dr Gwenllian Rees from the School of Veterinary Sciences at Aberystwyth University, added:
“Hydatid disease, though relatively rare in the UK today, has historical significance in mid-Wales and there is evidence that the disease is increasing once more which is a real concern in areas where livestock farming and close contact with working dogs are part of daily life.
“This project’s transdisciplinary approach - bringing together geography, parasitology, epidemiology and behavioural science - will help us better understand and address the root causes of disease transmission.”
By examining the interplay between human behaviour and environmental factors, the research team hopes to inform more effective disease control strategies and public health interventions, ultimately supporting efforts to eradicate the parasite.
Dr Andrew Nelson, a senior epidemiologist at Public Health Wales is part of the project. He said:
“Hydatid disease, which can cause cysts in the liver or lungs, remains a significant public health concern. Symptoms can take years to develop meaning you cannot fully understand the risks to the public by studying human cases. This multidisciplinary research will help bridge this gap by elucidating the drivers of human infection in the very communities in Wales that are most at risk of hydatid disease.”
The research is part of OneZoo, a UK-wide doctoral training programme funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which brings together researchers from Aberystwyth University, Cardiff University, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Queen’s University Belfast to tackle the growing threat of zoonotic diseases.
Subject of Research
Animals
Weather prediction hits a 129-day ceiling
Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Prediction is the goal and test of all science, one might argue. Meteorologists have been curious about the inherent limits of weather forecasting ever since the dawn of numerical weather prediction in the late 1950s. Now, a new study published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences offers a bold answer: even under perfect conditions, there is a fundamental limit—and it is about 129 days.
Previous attempts to determine this predictability limit have largely focused on analyzing how tiny errors in today's forecasts grow over time. But as lead author Dr. Wei Zhang, a climate scientist at the University of Miami and the NOAA Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS), points out, that approach has fundamental blind spots.
"How could we say we can accomplish something like make skillful very long-range forecasts without actually being able to demonstrate it?" Dr. Zhang asks. "Unfortunately, there is no observational, theoretical, or modeling experience as to how errors smaller than in today's forecasts may behave," Without that knowledge, it is hardly surprising that no solid answers have emerged—until now.
The research team, including co-author Dr. Zoltan Toth (recently retired from NOAA), decided to ask whether there might be a dramatically different perspective on this perennial question. "Our question was whether there is a dramatically different, new perspective to approach the perennial questions of predictability," Toth recalls.
First, they refined the key question with unprecedented precision: Assuming ideal conditions where we exactly know the initial state of the atmosphere, the governing dynamics, and all future macro-scale boundary conditions—what, if any, would be the ultimate limit of weather prediction?
In their search, instead of focusing on prediction errors, they went back to basics—the energetics of the atmosphere. They reasoned that if the initial state were exactly known, that knowledge would be preserved by the exactly known dynamics of the atmosphere, yielding perfect forecasts of the true state forever. The one exception, however, is the quantum-scale uncertainty injected into the atmosphere in terms of the phase of photons in the incessant incoming solar radiation, which they assumed to be unknown.
From there, the story unfolded with ease. Looking at the atmospheric energy cycle, solar radiation ultimately fuels all motions, sooner or later reaching every molecule. The team figured that by the time solar energy reaches all parts of the atmosphere, the uncertainty associated with the unknown phase of the incoming photons must have erased all memory of the initial state—which would otherwise have been preserved forever. In other words, beyond a certain time—which they call the "energy turnover point" —prediction becomes impossible.
Considering the atmosphere's total energy, the incoming flux of solar radiation, and their observational uncertainties, the authors established 129 ± 7 days as the likely limit of internal (as opposed to externally modulated) predictability of the weather. Forecast skill today is limited to about 14 days, which leaves a great deal of room for improvement.
Interestingly, the extra time of predictability beyond today's 14-day limit is divided roughly equally between what one might call a genuine extension of skill and a similarly long period of marginal skill added at the end of a forecast. In other words, under ideal conditions, the skill of a 5-day forecast today could theoretically be extended all the way to about 62 days. The remaining period would offer only low-confidence guidance.
Dr. Zhang and his colleagues are now working on other, independent estimates to confirm these results. If validated, the finding not only sets a theoretical ceiling but also gives forecasters a tangible target for how far the science of weather prediction might reasonably advance in the future.
