High‐water‐content hydrogels that are both mechanically robust and conductive could have wide applications in fields ranging from bioengineering and electronic devices to medicine; however, creating ...such materials has proven to be extremely challenging. This study presents a scalable methodology to prepare superelastic, cellular‐structured nanofibrous hydrogels (NFHs) by combining alginate and flexible SiO2 nanofibers. This approach causes naturally abundant and sustainable alginate to assemble into 3D elastic bulk NFHs with tunable water content and desirable shapes on a large scale. The resultant NFHs exhibit the integrated properties of ultrahigh water content (99.8 wt%), complete recovery from 80% strain, zero Poisson's ratio, shape‐memory behavior, injectability, and elastic‐responsive conductivity, which can detect dynamic pressure in a wide range (>50 Pa) with robust sensitivity (0.24 kPa−1) and durability (100 cycles). The fabrication of such fascinating materials may provide new insights into the design and development of multifunctional hydrogels for various applications.
High‐water‐content and superelastic nanofibrous hydrogels with an ordered cellular structure are prepared by combining sustainable alginate with electrospun nanofibers. The hydrogel exhibits integrated properties of zero Poisson's ratio, shape‐memory behavior, injectability, and elastic‐responsive conductivity, which can detect dynamic pressure in a wide range (>50 Pa) with robust sensitivity (0.24 kPa−1) and high durability.
Summary
Many Actinidia cultivars are characterized by anthocyanin accumulation, specifically in the inner pericarp, but the underlying regulatory mechanism remains elusive. Here we report two ...interacting transcription factors, AcMYB123 and AcbHLH42, that regulate tissue‐specific anthocyanin biosynthesis in the inner pericarp of Actinidia chinensis cv. Hongyang. Through transcriptome profiling analysis we identified five MYB and three bHLH transcription factors that were upregulated in the inner pericarp. We show that the combinatorial action of two of them, AcMYB123 and AcbHLH42, is required for activating promoters of AcANS and AcF3GT1 that encode the dedicated enzymes for anthocyanin biosynthesis. The presence of anthocyanin in the inner pericarp appears to be tightly associated with elevated expression of AcMYB123 and AcbHLH42. RNA interference repression of AcMYB123, AcbHLH42, AcF3GT1 and AcANS in ‘Hongyang’ fruits resulted in significantly reduced anthocyanin biosynthesis. Using both transient assays in Nicotiana tabacum leaves or Actinidia arguta fruits and stable transformation in Arabidopsis, we demonstrate that co‐expression of AcMYB123 and AcbHLH42 is a prerequisite for anthocyanin production by activating transcription of AcF3GT1 and AcANS or the homologous genes. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that AcMYB123 or AcbHLH42 are closely related to TT2 or TT8, respectively, which determines proanthocyanidin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis, and to anthocyanin regulators in monocots rather than regulators in dicots. All these experimental results suggest that AcMYB123 and AcbHLH42 are the components involved in spatiotemporal regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis specifically in the inner pericarp of kiwifruit.
Significance Statement
AcMYB123 and AcbHLH42 are the components involved in spatiotemporal regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis specifically in the inner pericarp of kiwifruit.
Waterproof and breathable membranes (WBMs) have drawn broad attention due to their widespread applications in various scientific and industry fields. However, creating WBMs with ...environment-friendliness and high performance is still a critical and challenging task. Herein, an environmentally friendly fluorine-free WBM with high performance was prepared through electrospinning and one-step dip-coating technology. The fluorine-free waterborne hydroxyl acrylic resin (HAR) emulsion containing long hydrocarbon chains endowed the electrospun polyacrylonitrile/blocked isocyanate prepolymer (PAN/BIP) fibrous membranes with superior hydrophobicity; meanwhile, crosslinking agent BIP ensured strong chemical binding between hydrocarbon segments and fiber substrate. The as-prepared PAN/BIP@HAR fibrous membranes achieve ideal properties with waterproofness of 112.5 kPa and moisture permeability of 12.7 kg m–2 d–1, which are comparable to the existing high-performance fluorinated WBMs. Besides, the PAN/BIP@HAR membranes also display impressive tensile strength and durability. Significantly, the proposed technology was also applicable to other hydrophilic fiber substrates, such as cellulose acetate and polyamide 6. The successful synthesis of environmentally friendly, durably waterproof, and highly breathable PAN/BIP@HAR membranes not only opens a new avenue to materials design, but also provides promising candidates with tremendous potential in various areas.
Based on the model selection of distribution line poles and towers, this paper presents the application scheme of high strength concrete poles in distribution lines. At the same time, it studies the ...reuse of dismantled old concrete poles and puts forward a graded utilization programme. Research achievements can guide the model selection and reuse of distribution line poles so as to help power grid enterprise to improve their quality and enhance their efficiency.
Abstract
The development of synthetic two-dimensional crystalline polymers (2DCPs), such as 2D covalent-organic polymers and 2D metal-organic polymers, is receiving increasing attention due to their ...intriguing chemistry and unique properties, as well as potential role in wide ranging applications, such as electronics, sensing, catalysis, separation, and energy storage and conversion. Complementary to the top-down exfoliation towards the preparation of 2DCPs, bottom-up interface-assisted synthesis is advantageous in the 2D dynamic arrangement of the molecules or precursors, offering the chance to generate ultra-thin structures with large lateral sizes. This article provides guidelines on the preparation of free-standing, single-layer, or multi-layer 2DCPs via liquid-interface-assisted synthesis, mainly involving polymerization at the air–water and liquid–liquid interfaces, as well as the Langmuir-Blodgett method. Insight into the advantages and challenges of synthesis strategies and chemistry methodologies are provided for the future development of interfacial synthesis of 2DCPs with diverse structural and functional control.
CC chemokine receptors are responsible for regulating the tumor microenvironment (TME) and participating in carcinogenesis and tumor advancement. However, no functional study has investigated CC ...chemokine receptors in gastric cancer (GC) prognosis, risk, immunotherapy, or other treatments.
We conducted a bioinformatics analysis on GC data using online databases, including the Human Protein Atlas (HPA), Kaplan-Meier (KM) plotter, GeneMANIA, MethSurv, the University of ALabama at Birmingham CANcer (UALCAN) Data Analysis Portal, Gene Set Cancer Analysis (GSCA), cBioportal, and Tumor IMmune Estimation Resource (TIMER).
We noted that CC chemokine receptor expression correlated with survival in GC. CC chemokine receptor expression was also strongly linked to different tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Additionally, CC chemokine receptors were found to be broadly drug-resistant in GC.
Our study identifed CC chemokine receptor expression helped in predicting the prognosis of patients diagnosed with GC. The expression level of the CC chemokine receptors was also positively related to multiple tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). These findings provide evidence to monitor patients with GC using CC chemokine receptors, which can be used as an effective biomarker for predicting the disease prognosis and be regarded as a therapeutic target for modulating the tumor immune microenvironment.
To investigate the application of iron tailings in cement-based materials as fine aggregate and mineral admixture, six iron tailings sands were selected from different places of origin, and the ...methods of acid and alkali activation were adopted to increase the activity of tailings powder. The strength of mortar was evaluated and the composition and microstructure were analyzed to explore the mechanism. The experimental results show that iron tailings sands had little adverse effect on the mortar strength, and there was a maximum increase of 13.2% in 28-day compressive strength compared with that of river sand mortar. The hardness values of all the iron tailings sand and the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) around them were higher than that of natural river sand, but their Ca/Si ratios in the ITZ was lower, indicating a chemical reaction occurred between the iron tailings and cement paste. Generally, the iron tailings sand with higher SiO
2
content and finer particles tend to have higher activity. In addition, the pozzolanic activity of iron tailings powder could be greatly promoted by chemical activation, especially by acid activation. The activity index of cement mortar with unactivated iron tailings powder was only 63% at 28 days, whereas that of acid-activated and compound-activated samples reached up to 93%, and the heights of the maximum heat flow peak of these samples were even higher than that of the control sample without iron tailings powder, and the time to reach the peak was in some advance, moreover their impedance parameters were close to the control sample.
Plants utilize energy from sunlight to perform photosynthesis in chloroplast, an organelle that could be damaged by solar UV radiation. The ultraviolet-B (UV-B) photoreceptor UVR8 is required for ...UV-B perception and signal transduction. However, little is known about how UVR8 influence chloroplast development under UV-B radiation. Here, we characterized tomato UVR8 gene (SlUVR8) and our results indicated that SlUVR8 facilitate plant acclimation to UV-B stress by orchestrating expression of the UVB-responsive genes (HY5 and CHS) and accumulating UV-absorptive compounds. In addition, we also discovered that SlUVR8 promotes fruit chloroplast development through enhancing accumulation of transcription factor GOLDEN2-LIKE2 (SlGLK2) which determines chloroplast and chlorophyll levels. Furthermore, UV-B radiation could increase expression of SlGLK2 and its target genes in fruits and leaves. SlUVR8 is required for UVB-induced SlGLK2 expression. Together, our work not only identified the conserved functions of SlUVR8 gene in response to UV-B stress, but also uncovered a novel role that SlUVR8 could boost chloroplast development by accumulating SlGLK2 proteins.
Frequent extreme heat events are the serious threat to rice production, but the historical trend of heat stress associated with phenology shift and its impact on rice yield over a long period are ...poorly known. Based on the analysis of observed climate and phenology data from 228 stations in South China during 1981-2010, the spatio-temporal variation of post-heading heat stress was investigated among two single-season rice sub-regions in the northern Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River (S-NMLYtz) and Southwest Plateau (S-SWP), and two double-season early rice sub-regions in the southern Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River (DE-SMLYtz) and Southern China (DE-SC). Post-heading heat stress was more severe in DE-SMLYtz, west S-NMLYtz and east S-SWP than elsewhere, because of rice exposure to the hot season during post-heading stage. The spatial variation of post-heading heat stress was greater in single-season rice region than in double-season early rice region due to the greater spatial variation of heading and maturity dates. Post-heading heat stress increased from 1981 to 2010 in most areas, with significant increases in the east of double-season early rice region and west S-SWP. Phenology shift during 1981-2010 mitigated the increasing trends of heat stress in most areas, but not in west S-SWP. Post-heading heat stress played a dominated role in the reduction of rice yield in South China. Grain yield was more sensitive to post-heading heat stress in double-season early rice region than that in single-season rice region. Rice yield decreased by 1.5%, 6.2%, 9.7% and 4.6% in S-NMLYtz, S-SWP, DE-SMLYtz and DE-SC, respectively, because of post-heading heat stress during 1981-2010, although there were some uncertainties. Given the current level and potential increase of post-heading heat stress in South China, the specific adaptation or mitigation strategies are necessary for different sub-regions to stabilize rice production under heat stress.
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