Drought has been one of the most important limiting factors for crop production, which deleteriously affects food security worldwide. The main objective of the present study was to quantitatively ...assess the effect of drought on the agronomic traits (e.g., plant height, biomass, yield, and yield components) of rice and wheat in combination with several moderators (e.g., drought stress intensity, rooting environment, and growth stage) using a meta-analysis study. The database was created from 55 published studies on rice and 60 published studies on wheat. The results demonstrated that drought decreased the agronomic traits differently between rice and wheat among varying growth stages. Wheat and rice yields decreased by 27.5% and 25.4%, respectively. Wheat grown in pots showed greater decreases in agronomic traits than those grown in the field. Rice showed opposite growing patterns when compared to wheat in rooting environments. The effect of drought on rice increased with plant growth and drought had larger detrimental influences during the reproductive phase (e.g., blooming stage, filling stage, and maturity). However, an exception was found in wheat, which had similar decreased performance during the complete growth cycle. Based on these results, future droughts could produce lower yields of rice and wheat when compared to the current drought.
Nanosized semiconductors are widely utilized as solar energy based photocatalyst. However, the deficiencies such as poor adsorption toward contaminants and recyclability issues, rapid recombination ...of photo-introduced radicals, and deactivation by scavengers are still be the obstacle. To addressing those obstacles, zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), photosensitive ZnO, and paramagnetic Fe
3
O
4
were anchored on conductive graphene oxide (GO) to prepare a nanocomposite photocatalyst ZnO/Fe
3
O
4
-GO/ZIF. The photocatalyst showed good robustness to scavengers of hydroxyl radicals (OH
•
), superoxide radicals (O
2
•−
), and hole (h
+
) with hydrophobic ZIF-8 modified surface. Finally, four pharmaceuticals (sulfamethazine, metronidazole, norfloxacin, and 4-acetaminophen) were degraded rapidly under simulated solar irradiation for 1 h, and the photocatalyst could be recycled at least ten times without obvious deactivation. The final results show that combination of semiconductor, graphene oxide and ZIF-8 is a good idea for construction of efficient photocatalyst. It offers new views in interface modification of nanomaterials, photocatalysis, and adsorption.
Load bearing/energy storage integrated devices (LEIDs) allow using structural parts to store energy, and thus become a promising solution to boost the overall energy density of mobile energy storage ...systems, such as electric cars and drones. Herein, with a new high-strength solid electrolyte, we prepare a practical high-performance load-bearing/energy storage integrated electrochemical capacitors with excellent mechanical strength (flexural modulus: 18.1 GPa, flexural strength: 160.0 MPa) and high energy storage ability (specific capacitance: 32.4 mF cm
, energy density: 0.13 Wh m
, maximum power density: 1.3 W m
). We design and compare two basic types of multilayered structures for LEID, which significantly enhance the practical bearing ability and working flexibility of the device. Besides, we also demonstrate the excellent processability of the LEID, by forming them into curved shapes, and secondarily machining and assembling them into complex structures without affecting their energy storage ability.
Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are key regulators of cell cycle progression in malignant tumor cells and play an important role through complex molecular interactions. Dysregulation of CDK dependent ...pathways is often found in non-small cell lung cancer, which indicates its vulnerability and can be used in clinical benefit. CDK4/6 inhibitors can prevent tumor cells from entering the G approved 1 and S phases, which have been studied in a series of explorations and brought great clinical effect to patients and encouragement to both physicians and researchers, thereby showing potential as a new therapeutic agent. A series of preclinical and clinical studies have been carried out on CDK4/6 inhibitors in NSCLC, and have been achieved some results, which may become a new potential treatment in the future. This review focuses on the research progress on CDK4/6 inhibitors in NSCLC, particularly the mechanisms of action, drugs, clinical research progress, and future application.
3D printing of liquid metal remains a big challenge due to its low viscosity and large surface tension. In this study, we use Carbopol hydrogel and liquid gallium-indium alloy to prepare a liquid ...metal high internal phase emulsion gel ink, which can be used for direct-ink-writing 3D printing. The high volume fraction (up to 82.5%) of the liquid metal dispersed phase gives the ink excellent elastic properties, while the Carbopol hydrogel, as the continuous phase, provides lubrication for the liquid metal droplets, ensuring smooth flow of the ink during shear extrusion. These enable high-resolution and shape-stable 3D printing of three-dimensional structures. Moreover, the liquid metal droplets exhibit an electrocapillary phenomenon in the Carbopol hydrogel, which allows for demulsification by an electric field and enables electrical connectivity between droplets. We have also achieved the printing of ink on flexible, non-planar structures, and demonstrated the potential for alternating printing with various materials.3D printing of liquid metal is important for the integrated design and manufacturing of flexible electronic devices. Here, Lin et al. demonstrate a liquid metal high internal phase emulsion gel used directly for direct-ink-writing 3D printing and activate the ink conductivity by electrocapillarity method.
Global change significantly influences plant leaf gas exchange, which affects the carbon-water cycle of terrestrial ecosystems. However, the magnitudes of the effects of multiple global change ...factors on leaf gas exchanges are currently lacking. Therefore, a global meta-analysis of 337 published articles was conducted to determine the effects of elevated CO
2
(
e
CO
2
), elevated O
3
(
e
O
3
), elevated temperature (
e
T), and drought on plant leaf gas exchanges. The results indicated that (1) the overall responses of photosynthesis rate (
P
n
) and instantaneous water use efficiency (
WUE
i
) to
e
CO
2
increased by 28.6% and 58.6%. But transpiration rate (
T
r
) and stomatal conductance (
g
s
) responded negatively to
e
CO
2
(− 17.5% and − 17.2%, respectively). Furthermore, all
P
n
,
g
s
, and
WUE
i
responded negatively to
e
O
3
(− 32.7%, − 24.6%, and − 27.1%),
e
T (− 23.2%, − 10.8%, and − 28.9%), and drought (− 53.6%, − 59.3%, and − 4.6%, respectively), regardless of functional groups and various complex experimental conditions. (2) Elevated CO
2
increased
WUE
i
combined with
e
O
3
,
e
T, and drought (26.6%, 36.0%, and 58.6%, respectively, for
e
CO
2
+
e
O
3
,
e
CO
2
+
e
T, and
e
CO
2
+ drought) and mitigated their negative impacts on
P
n
to some extent. (3) Plant form and foliage type play an important role in the responses of leaf gas exchanges. Trees responded mostly to
e
CO
2
, but responded least to
e
T in
P
n
,
T
r
,
g
s
, and
WUE
i
compared with shrubs and herbs. Evergreen broad-leaved species were more responsive to
e
CO
2
and drought. (4) The stress level of each factor can also significantly influence the responses of leaf gas exchanges to environment change. Hopefully, the quantitative results are helpful for the further assessments of the terrestrial carbon-water cycle.
Quantifying the stomatal responses of plants to global change factors is crucial for modeling terrestrial carbon and water cycles. Here we synthesize worldwide experimental data to show that stomatal ...conductance (g
) decreases with elevated carbon dioxide (CO
), warming, decreased precipitation, and tropospheric ozone pollution, but increases with increased precipitation and nitrogen (N) deposition. These responses vary with treatment magnitude, plant attributes (ambient g
, vegetation biomes, and plant functional types), and climate. All two-factor combinations (except warming + N deposition) significantly reduce g
, and their individual effects are commonly additive but tend to be antagonistic as the effect sizes increased. We further show that rising CO
and warming would dominate the future change of plant g
across biomes. The results of our meta-analysis provide a foundation for understanding and predicting plant g
across biomes and guiding manipulative experiment designs in a real world where global change factors do not occur in isolation.
Utilizing synergetic effect of different ingredients is an important strategy to design new multi-functional composites. In this work, high-strength graphene oxide and conductive polyaniline were ...selected to dope into divinylbenzene to fabricate a new type carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminates, where a cooperative improvement of through-thickness electrical conductivity and interlaminar shear strength was observed. With addition of 15wt% of PANI-GO at the optimized weight ratio of 60:1 in the CF/DVB-PANI-GO, 150% enhancement of the electrical conductivity compared to the CF/DVB-PANI, and 76% enhancement of the ILSS compared to the CF/DVB-GO were realized. Our laminates reach 66% in ILSS of that for the conventional CFRP made of epoxy, but the former features about 103 times higher AC conductivity. The mechanism for such a synergic enhancement for both electrical and mechanical performance was investigated by rheology measurement and scanning electron microscopy, where uniform 3-D network formed by PANI/GO has been clearly observed.
Yield calculation is an important link in modern precision agriculture that is an effective means to improve breeding efficiency and to adjust planting and marketing plans. With the continuous ...progress of artificial intelligence and sensing technology, yield-calculation schemes based on image-processing technology have many advantages such as high accuracy, low cost, and non-destructive calculation, and they have been favored by a large number of researchers. This article reviews the research progress of crop-yield calculation based on remote sensing images and visible light images, describes the technical characteristics and applicable objects of different schemes, and focuses on detailed explanations of data acquisition, independent variable screening, algorithm selection, and optimization. Common issues are also discussed and summarized. Finally, solutions are proposed for the main problems that have arisen so far, and future research directions are predicted, with the aim of achieving more progress and wider popularization of yield-calculation solutions based on image technology.
Abstract
Radiation-induced heart damage is a serious side effect caused by radiotherapy, especially during the treatment of cancer near the chest. Trimetazidine is effective at reducing inflammation ...in the heart, but how it affects radiation-induced cardiac fibrosis (RICF) is unknown. To investigate the potential effect and molecular mechanism, we designed this project with a C57BL6 male mouse model supposing trimetazidine could inhibit RICF in mice. During the experiment, mice were randomly divided into six groups including a control group (Con), radiation-damaged model group (Mod) and four experimental groups receiving low-dose (10 mg/kg/day) or high-dose (20 mg/kg/day) trimetazidine before or after radiation treatment. Apart from the control group, all mice chests were exposed to 6 MV X-rays at a single dose of 20 Gy to induce RICF, and tissue analysis was done at 8 weeks after irradiation. Fibroblast or interstitial tissues and cardiac fibrosis-like characteristics were determined using haematoxylin and eosin and Masson staining, which can be used to assess myocardial fibrosis. Immunohistochemical analysis and RT-PCR were used to determine gene expression and study the molecular mechanism. As a result, this study suggests that trimetazidine inhibits RICF by reducing gene expression related to myocyte apoptosis and fibrosis formation, i.e. connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, smad2 and smad3. In conclusion, by regulating the CTGF/TGF-β1/Smad pathway, trimetazidine could be a prospective drug for clinical treatment of RICF.
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