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  1. Abstract

    Diode effects are of great interest for both fundamental physics and modern technologies. Electrical diode effects (nonreciprocal transport) have been observed in Weyl systems. Optical diode effects arising from the Weyl fermions have been theoretically considered but not probed experimentally. Here, we report the observation of a nonlinear optical diode effect (NODE) in the magnetic Weyl semimetal CeAlSi, where the magnetization introduces a pronounced directionality in the nonlinear optical second-harmonic generation (SHG). We demonstrate a six-fold change of the measured SHG intensity between opposite propagation directions over a bandwidth exceeding 250 meV. Supported by density-functional theory, we establish the linearly dispersive bands emerging from Weyl nodes as the origin of this broadband effect. We further demonstrate current-induced magnetization switching and thus electrical control of the NODE. Our results advance ongoing research to identify novel nonlinear optical/transport phenomena in magnetic topological materials and further opens new pathways for the unidirectional manipulation of light.

     
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available December 1, 2025
  2. Abstract

    Leaves of the carnivorous sundew plants (Droseraspp.) secrete mucilage that hosts microorganisms, but whether this microbiota contributes to prey digestion is unclear. We identified the acidophilic fungusAcrodontium crateriformeas the dominant species in the mucilage microbial communities, thriving in multiple sundew species across the global range. The fungus grows and sporulates on sundew glands as its preferred acidic environment, and its presence in traps increased the prey digestion process.A. crateriformehas a reduced genome similar to other symbiotic fungi. DuringA. crateriformeDrosera spatulatacoexistence and digestion of prey insects, transcriptomes revealed significant gene co-option in both partners. Holobiont expression patterns during prey digestion further revealed synergistic effects in several gene families including fungal aspartic and sedolisin peptidases, facilitating prey digestion in leaves, as well as nutrient assimilation and jasmonate signalling pathway expression. This study establishes that botanical carnivory is defined by adaptations involving microbial partners and interspecies interactions.

     
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available October 1, 2025
  3. This work elucidates a route to mesoporous magnetic materials with co-continuous morphologies from block copolymer self-assembly. The co-continuous structure impacts the magnetic behavior compared to non-structured chemically-identical materials.

     
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available March 20, 2025
  4. Free, publicly-accessible full text available September 1, 2025
  5. SUMMARY

    Cell differentiation and morphogenesis are crucial for the establishment of diverse cell types and organs in multicellular organisms. Trichome cells offer an excellent paradigm for dissecting the regulatory mechanisms of plant cell differentiation and morphogenesis due to their unique growth characteristics. Here, we report the isolation of an Arabidopsis mutant,aberrantlybranchedtrichome 3–1(abt3‐1), with a reduced trichome branching phenotype. Positional cloning and molecular complementation experiments confirmed thatabt3‐1is a new mutant allele ofAuxin resistant 1(AXR1), which encodes the N‐terminal half of ubiquitin‐activating enzyme E1 and functions in auxin signaling pathway. Meanwhile, we found that transgenic plants expressing constitutively active version ofROP2(CA‐ROP2) caused a reduction of trichome branches, resembling that ofabt3‐1. ROP2 is a member of Rho GTPase of plants (ROP) family, serving as versatile signaling switches involved in a range of cellular and developmental processes. Our genetic and biochemical analyses showedAXR1genetically interacted withROP2and mediated ROP2 protein stability. The loss ofAXR1aggravated the trichome defects ofCA‐ROP2and induced the accumulation of steady‐state ROP2. Consistently, elevatedAXR1expression levels suppressedROP2expression and partially rescued trichome branching defects inCA‐ROP2plants. Together, our results presented a new mutant allele ofAXR1, uncovered the effects ofAXR1andROP2during trichome development, and revealed a pathway ofROP2‐mediated regulation of plant cell morphogenesis in Arabidopsis.

     
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  6. Abstract

    The Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA2 (TTG2) gene encodes a WRKY transcription factor that regulates a range of development events like trichome, seed coat, and atrichoblast formation. Loss-of-function of TTG2 was previously shown to reduce or eliminate trichome specification and branching. Here, we report the identification of an allele of TTG2, ttg2-6. In contrast to the ttg2 mutants described before, ttg2-6 displayed unique trichome phenotypes. Some ttg2-6 mutant trichomes were hyper-branched, whereas others were hypo-branched, distorted, or clustered. Further, we found that in addition to specifically activating R3 MYB transcription factor TRIPTYCHON (TRY) to modulate trichome specification, TTG2 also integrated cytoskeletal signaling to regulate trichome morphogenesis. The ttg2-6 trichomes displayed aberrant cortical microtubules (cMTs) and actin filaments (F-actin) configurations. Moreover, genetic and biochemical analyses showed that TTG2 could directly bind to the promoter and regulate the expression of BRICK1 (BRK1), which encodes a subunit of the actin nucleation promoting complex suppressor of cyclic AMP repressor (SCAR)/Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein family verprolin homologous protein (WAVE). Collectively, taking advantage of ttg2-6, we uncovered a function for TTG2 in facilitating cMTs and F-actin cytoskeleton-dependent trichome development, providing insight into cellular signaling events downstream of the core transcriptional regulation during trichome development in Arabidopsis.

     
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  7. Quantum geometry in condensed-matter physics has two components: the real part quantum metric and the imaginary part Berry curvature. Whereas the effects of Berry curvature have been observed through phenomena such as the quantum Hall effect in two-dimensional electron gases and the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in ferromagnets, the quantum metric has rarely been explored. Here, we report a nonlinear Hall effect induced by the quantum metric dipole by interfacing even-layered MnBi2Te4with black phosphorus. The quantum metric nonlinear Hall effect switches direction upon reversing the antiferromagnetic (AFM) spins and exhibits distinct scaling that is independent of the scattering time. Our results open the door to discovering quantum metric responses predicted theoretically and pave the way for applications that bridge nonlinear electronics with AFM spintronics.

     
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