Stabilizing high-voltage LCO cycling is a hot topic in both academic and industrial research. [3,4] However, the exact mechanism that caused the quick fading of high-voltage LCO has not yet reached consensus. [5,6] The band energy diagram in Figure S1 in the Supporting Information shows that cycling LCO to high voltage must entail a hybrid O anion (O 2− →O α− , α < 2) and Co cation-redox (HACR). [7,8] It is tempting to "exploit" HACR in LCO for much higher capacity, e.g., if LCO is charged to above 4.6 V, more than 220 mAh g −1 can be obtained; however, because of the reduced ionic radius and electrostatic force, the oxidized O α− would become much mobile [9] and more likely to escape from the particle, resulting in oxygen loss (OL). Continuous OL can be a killer problem to high-voltage cycling. [10] First, OL causes irreversible phase transformations (CoO 2 →Co 3 O 4) [11] (Figure S2, Supporting As the pioneer cathode for rechargeable Li-ion battery, [1] LiCoO 2 (LCO) is still dominating today's battery markets in consumer electronic devices, due to its high volumetric energy density and stable cycling. However, as LCO is only cycled within 4.35 V and 165 mAh g −1 at the present to meet the industrial-level cycling life, [2] there is still a large space to increase its utilizable capacity by charging LCO to higher voltages before it reaches

Summary• Sequencing of the Populus trichocarpa genome creates an opportunity to describe the transcriptome of a woody perennial species and establish an atlas of gene expression. A comparison with the transcriptomes of other species can also define genes that are conserved or diverging in plant species.• Here, the transcriptome in vegetative organs of the P. trichocarpa reference genotype Nisqually-1 was characterized. A comparison with Arabidopsis thaliana orthologs was used to distinguish gene functional categories that may be evolving differently in a woody perennial and an annual herbaceous species.• A core set of genes expressed in common among vegetative organs was detected, as well as organ-specific genes. Statistical tests identified chromatin domains, where adjacent genes were expressed more frequently than expected by chance. Extensive divergence was detected in the expression patterns of A. thaliana and P. trichocarpa orthologs, but transcription of a small number of genes appeared to have remained conserved in the two species.• Despite separation of lineages for over 100 million yr, these results suggest that selection has limited transcriptional divergence of genes associated with some essential functions in A. thaliana and P. trichocarpa. However, extensive remodeling of transcriptional networks indicates that expression regulation may be a key determinant of plant diversity.

Understanding how an organism develops into a fully functioning adult from a mass of undifferentiated cells may reveal different strategies that allow the organism to survive under limiting conditions. Here, we review an analytical model for characterizing quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that underlie variation in growth trajectories and developmental timing. This model, called functional mapping, incorporates fundamental principles behind biological processes or networks that are bridged with mathematical functions into a statistical mapping framework. Functional mapping estimates parameters that determine the shape and function of a particular biological process, thus providing a flexible platform to test biologically meaningful hypotheses regarding the complex relationships between gene action and development.