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1. Resolving the contrasting leaf hydraulic adaptation of C₃ and C₄ grasses

   https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.20341  

   Baird, Alec S; Taylor, Samuel H; Pasquet‐Kok, Jessica; Vuong, Christine; Zhang, Yu; Watcharamongkol, Teera; Cochard, Hervé; Scoffoni, Christine; Edwards, Erika J; Osborne, Colin P; et al (March 2025, New Phytologist)

   Summary Grasses are exceptionally productive, yet their hydraulic adaptation is paradoxical. Among C₃grasses, a high photosynthetic rate (A_area) may depend on higher vein density (D_v) and hydraulic conductance (K_leaf). However, the higherD_vof C₄grasses suggests a hydraulic surplus, given their reduced need for highK_leafresulting from lower stomatal conductance (g_s).Combining hydraulic and photosynthetic physiological data for diverse common garden C₃and C₄species with data for 332 species from the published literature, and mechanistic modeling, we validated a framework for linkages of photosynthesis with hydraulic transport, anatomy, and adaptation to aridity.C₃and C₄grasses had similarK_leafin our common garden, but C₄grasses had higherK_leafthan C₃species in our meta‐analysis. Variation inK_leafdepended on outside‐xylem pathways. C₄grasses have highK_leaf : g_s, which modeling shows is essential to achieve their photosynthetic advantage.Across C₃grasses, higherA_areawas associated with higherK_leaf, and adaptation to aridity, whereas for C₄species, adaptation to aridity was associated with higherK_leaf : g_s. These associations are consistent with adaptation for stress avoidance.Hydraulic traits are a critical element of evolutionary and ecological success in C₃and C₄grasses and are crucial avenues for crop design and ecological forecasting. 

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2. Cardiac MR Fingerprinting at 0.55T Using a Deep Image Prior for Joint T₁ , T₂ , and M₀ Mapping

   https://doi.org/10.1002/jmri.70239  

   Liu, Zhongnan; Liu, Zexuan; Rashid, Imran; Galizia, Mauricio Stanzione; Scoma, Christopher; Truesdell, William; Agarwal, Prachi; Seiberlich, Nicole; Shen, Liyue; Hamilton, Jesse (January 2026, Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

   ABSTRACT Background0.55T systems offer unique advantages and may support expanded access to cardiac MRI. PurposeTo assess the feasibility of 0.55T cardiac MR Fingerprinting (MRF), leveraging a deep image prior reconstruction to mitigate noise. Study TypePhantom and prospective in vivo assessment. PopulationISMRM/NIST MRI system phantom and 18 healthy subjects (11 female; ages 28 ± 8 years). Field Strength and SequencesMRF, modified Look‐Locker inversion recovery (MOLLI), and T₂‐prepared balanced steady state free precession (T₂‐bSSFP) at 0.55T. AssessmentMRF T₁and T₂maps were reconstructed using (1) a low‐rank technique with sparse and locally low‐rank regularization (SLLR‐MRF) and (2) a deep image prior (DIP‐MRF). Accuracy and precision of MRF and conventional sequences were evaluated in a phantom. In vivo performance of MRF was evaluated in the 18 healthy subjects, with 7 subjects also undergoing conventional mapping. Myocardial T₁and T₂values were compared among methods and image quality scored by three readers (2, 3, and 4 years of experience) on a 5‐point scale. Statistical TestsLinear regression, Bland–Altman, intraclass correlation coefficient, and one‐way ANOVA withp < 0.05 considered significant. ResultsMean measurements in the left ventricular septum were 671 ± 31 ms (MOLLI), 761 ± 147 ms (SLLR‐MRF), and 686 ± 39 ms (DIP‐MRF) for T₁, and 63.5 ± 5.7 ms (T₂‐bSSFP), 47.5 ± 12.7 ms (SLLR‐MRF), and 45.2 ± 4.5 ms (DIP‐MRF) for T₂. Compared to conventional mapping, DIP‐MRF exhibited significantly lower T₂but no differences in T₁(p > 0.99). Standard deviations within the myocardium were significantly lower with DIP‐MRF compared to SLLR‐MRF (39 vs. 147 ms for T₁and 4.5 vs. 12.7 ms for T₂). Overall image quality ratings were significantly lower for SLLR‐MRF (T₁: 2.3, T₂: 2.9), which were significantly lower compared to conventional mapping methods (T₁: 3.4, T₂: 3.9), and DIP‐MRF (T₁: 3.8, T₂: 4.1) received higher scores. Data ConclusionThis study demonstrated the feasibility of cardiac MRF on a commercial 0.55T system, enabled by a deep image prior reconstruction for denoising. Evidence Level2. Stage of Technical Efficacy1. 

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3. Environmental factors have a greater influence on photosynthetic capacity in C₄ plants than biochemical subtypes or growth forms

   https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70525  

   Fan, Yuzhen; Noble, Daniel_W A; Medlyn, Belinda E; Monson, Russell K; Sage, Rowan F; Smith, Nicholas G; Ainsworth, Elizabeth A; Busch, Florian A; Danila, Florence R; Ermakova, Maria; et al (November 2025, New Phytologist)

   Our understanding of how photosynthetic capacity varies among C₄species and across growth and measurement conditions remains limited.We collated 1696 CO₂response curves of net CO₂assimilation rate (A/C_icurves) from C₄species grown and measured at various environmental conditions and used these data to estimate the apparent maximum carboxylation activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (V_pmaxA) and CO₂‐saturated net photosynthetic rate (A_max), two key parameters describing photosynthetic capacity. We examined howV_pmaxAandA_maxvary with species‐specific traits, growth and measurement conditions.We found little systematic variation ofV_pmaxAandA_maxacross the classical C₄biochemical subtypes or growth forms, but showed that growth temperature and measurement conditions are major factors determining C₄photosynthetic capacity. We found no evidence that common C₄model species (e.g. maize, sorghum andSetaria viridis) differ in photosynthetic capacity from other C₄species when grown in controlled environments. However, C₄model species showed up to twice the photosynthetic capacity of other C₄species when grown in the field.Our multivariate model accounts for 47–51% of the variation reported inV_pmaxAandA_max, and we argue that environmental conditions have a greater influence on C₄photosynthetic capacity than biochemical subtypes or growth forms. 

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4. Denture base poly(methyl methacrylate) reinforced with SrTiO₃ / Y₂O₃ : Structural, morphological and mechanical analysis

   https://doi.org/10.1002/pc.29523  

   Elhmali, Houda Taher; Radojevic, Vesna; Stajcic, Aleksandar; Petrovic, Milos; Stojanovic, Dusica B; Vlahovic, Branislav; Stajcic, Ivana (January 2025, Polymer Composites)

   Abstract This study presented the use of SrTiO₃/Y₂O₃nanoparticles for the reinforcement of dental poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) to enhance its mechanical properties important for everyday use of denture base materials. The average crystallite size of prepared nanoparticles was 19.9 nm. The influence of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt% SrTiO₃/Y₂O₃loading on absorbed impact energy, microhardness and tensile properties was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy of the composite fracture surface revealed multiple toughening mechanisms, with agglomerates directly included in the crack pinning, indicating improvement in mechanical performance. Dynamic mechanical analysis proved that agglomerates improved the elastic behavior of PMMA and confirmed the absence of a residual monomer. After the incorporation of SrTiO₃/Y₂O₃, the mechanical properties of composites showed a high increase compared to neat PMMA. The optimal concentration of nanoparticles was 1 wt%, for which the microhardness, modulus of elasticity, and absorbed impact energy were higher by 218.4%, 65.8% and 135.6%, respectively. With such a high increase, this research showed that SrTiO₃/Y₂O₃represents an efficient filler which use does not have to be limited to dental materials. HighlightsSrTiO₃/Y₂O₃hybrid nanoparticles were prepared.PMMA‐SrTiO₃/Y₂O₃composite showed increase in impact resistance up to 135.4%.Elastic behavior of PMMA was improved.With 1 wt% of SrTiO₃/Y₂O₃, microhardness increased by 218.4%. 

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5. Vacuolar Phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate controls fusion through binding Vam7, and membrane microdomain assembly

   https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.08.01.668199  

   Zhang, Chi; Calderin, Jorge D; Topiwalla, Aliasgar; Shah, Ved; Karat, Jahnavi M; Knapp, Charlie T; Ahmed, Razeen; Grudzien, Daniel; Williamson, Elizabeth; Fratti, Rutilio A (August 2025, bioRxiv)

   Abstract Membrane trafficking is regulated by phosphoinositides (PI) and their modification. The endolysosomal pathway is controlled by PI3P, PI(4,5)P₂and PI(3,5)P₂, whereas a role for PI(3,4,5)P₃is less clear. We report that yeast vacuoles produce PI(3,4,5)P₃through Vps34 activity. In vitro assays showed that dioctanoyl (C8) PI(3,4,5)P₃or the PI(3,4,5)P₃-binding domain Grp1-PH blocked fusion. Furthermore, modifying endogenous PI(3,4,5)P₃with the phosphatase PTEN abolished fusion. Fluorescence microscopy showed that PI(3,4,5)P₃was present at the plasma membrane and the vertex microdomains of vacuoles. PI(3,4,5)P₃staining was blocked by PTEN, C8-PI(3,4,5)P₃, the Vps34 inhibitor SAR405 and aVPS34temperature sensitive mutation. Importantly, blocking or eliminating PI(3,4,5)P₃prevented the vertex enrichment of Ypt7 and the HOPS subunit Vps33. Finally, we show that the SNARE Vam7 binds PI(3,4,5)P₃and that both Grp1-PH and PTEN displaced it from membranes to block trans-SNARE pairing. Our results demonstrate that vacuolar PI(3,4,5)P₃coordinates vertex assembly and SNARE function. 

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