Summary
Cell type‐specific gene expression is critical for the specialized functions within multicellular organisms. In Arabidopsis, SWEET11 and SWEET12 sugar transporters are specifically expressed ...in phloem parenchyma (PP) cells and are responsible for sucrose efflux from the PP, the first step of a two‐step apoplasmic phloem‐loading strategy that initiates the long‐distance transport of sugar from leaves to nonphotosynthetic sink tissues. However, we know nothing about what determines the PP cell‐specific expression of these SWEETs.
Sequence deletions, histochemical β‐glucuronidase (GUS) analysis, cross‐sectioning, live‐cell imaging, and evolutionary analysis were used to elucidate domains responsible for PP specificity, while a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) sensor‐based transport assay was used to determine whether substrate specificity coevolved with PP specificity.
We identified two domains in the Arabidopsis SWEET11 coding sequence that, along with its promoter (including 5′ UTR), regulate PP‐specific expression at the post‐transcriptional level, probably involving RNA‐binding proteins. This mechanism is conserved among vascular plants but independent of transport substrate specificity.
We conclude that two evolutionarily duplicated coding sequence domains are essential and individually sufficient for PP‐specific expression of SWEET11. We also provide a crucial experimental tool to study PP physiology and development.
The dynamic responses of sandwich panels with homogeneous and stepwise graded aluminium foam cores subjected to impact loadings were investigated via experimentation and finite element simulation in ...this paper. The low-velocity impact tests were conducted using a drop-weight impact facility at four different velocities, the results of which were compared in terms of force-displacement response, energy absorption and damage status. It was found that the density gradient of graded foam cores had a marked influence on the deformation and failure behaviour of front facesheets. Moreover, different facesheet materials were experimented with a homogeneous foam core, and the results showed that the impact response of a sandwich panel was dominated by its front facesheet. The front facesheets having same materials deformed and failed in the same manner irrespective of the back facesheet materials. The results of finite element analysis indicated that the critical impact energy required to cause failure to the front facesheet increased with the density of first core layer. Besides, the impact performance of sandwich panels could be improved efficiently by increasing the front-to-back thickness ratio while the total thickness of both facesheets remained the same.
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•The density gradient of graded foam cores markedly influenced the deformation and failure behaviour of front facesheet.•The critical impact energy required to cause failure to the front facesheet increased with the density of first core layer.•The perforation resistance of entire sandwich panels was affected slightly by the core density gradient.•The impact performance of sandwich panels was improved by increasing the thickness ratio of front to back facesheet.
There are no global screening recommendations for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Endoscopic screening has been investigated in areas of high incidence in China since the 1970s. This study ...aimed to evaluate whether an endoscopic screening and intervention program could reduce mortality caused by ESCC.
Residents age 40 to 69 years were recruited from communities with high rates of ESCC. Fourteen villages were selected as the intervention communities. Ten villages not geographically adjacent to intervention villages were selected for comparison. Participants in the intervention group were screened once by endoscopy with Lugol's iodine staining, and those with dysplasia or occult cancer were treated. All intervention participants and a sample consisting of one tenth of the control group completed questionnaires. We compared cumulative ESCC incidence and mortality between the two groups.
Three thousand three hundred nineteen volunteers (48.62%) from an eligible population of 6,827 were screened in the intervention group. Seven hundred ninety-seven volunteers from an eligible population of 6,200 in the control group were interviewed. Six hundred fifty-two incident and 542 fatal ESCCs were identified during the 10-year follow-up. A reduction in cumulative mortality in the intervention group versus the control group was apparent (3.35% v 5.05%, respectively; P < .001). Furthermore, the intervention group had a significantly lower cumulative incidence of ESCC versus the control group (4.17% v 5.92%, respectively; P < .001).
We showed that endoscopic screening and intervention significantly reduced mortality caused by esophageal cancer. Detection and treatment of preneoplastic lesions also led to a reduction in the incidence of this highly fatal cancer.
Increasing grain yields is a major focus of crop breeders around the world. Here we report that overexpression of the rice microRNA (miRNA) OsmiR397, which is naturally highly expressed in young ...panicles and grains, enlarges grain size and promotes panicle branching, leading to an increase in overall grain yield of up to 25% in a field trial. To our knowledge, no previous report has shown a positive regulatory role of miRNA in the control of plant seed size and grain yield. We determined that OsmiR397 increases grain yield by downregulating its target, OsLAC, whose product is a laccase-like protein that we found to be involved in the sensitivity of plants to brassinosteroids. As miR397 is highly conserved across different species, our results suggest that manipulating miR397 may be useful for increasing grain yield not only in rice but also in other cereal crops.
Single‐wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), especially in the form of large‐area and high‐quality thin films, are a promising material for use in flexible and transparent electronics. Here, a continuous ...synthesis, deposition, and transfer technique is reported for the fabrication of meter‐scale SWCNT thin films, which have an excellent optoelectrical performance including a low sheet resistance of 65 Ω/◽ with a transmittance of 90% at a wavelength of 550 nm. Using these SWCNT thin films, high‐performance all‐CNT thin‐film transistors and integrated circuits are demonstrated, including 101‐stage ring oscillators. The results pave the way for the future development of large‐scale, flexible, and transparent electronics based on CNT thin films.
Meter‐scale single‐wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) thin films with an excellent optoelectrical performance and uniformity are produced by a continuous growth, deposition, and transfer technique. Using these SWCNT thin films, highly flexible and transparent all‐CNT TFTs and ICs including 101‐stage ring oscillators are constructed and show excellent performance.
Abstract
Aqueous zinc metal batteries are a viable candidate for cost-effective energy storage. However, the cycle life of the cell is adversely affected by the morphological evolution of the metal ...electrode surface upon prolonged cycling. Here, we investigate different electrochemical protocols to favour the formation of stable zinc metal electrode surface morphologies. By coupling electrochemical and optical microscopy measurements, we demonstrate that an initial zinc deposition on the metal electrode allows homogeneous stripping and plating processes during prolonged cycling in symmetric Zn||Zn cell. Interestingly, when an initially plated zinc metal electrode is tested in combination with a manganese dioxide-based positive electrode and a two molar zinc sulfate aqueous electrolyte solution in coin cell configuration, a specific discharge capacity of about 90 mAh g
−1
can be delivered after 2000 cycles at around 5.6 mA cm
−2
and 25 °C.
Targeted inhibition of inflammatory response can reduce diabetic cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injure. Pyroptosis is characterized by caspase-1 dependence and the release of a large number of ...pro-inflammatory factors. LncRNA-Fendrr is associated with a variety of diseases, but Fendrr has not been studied in diabetic cerebral I/R. NLR-family CARD-containing protein 4 (NLRC4) regulate the pyroptosis of microglia cells. This study was designed to investigate whether Fendrr is involved in the effects of diabetic cerebral I/R injury.
The diabetic brain I/R model in mice was constructed. Mouse microglia cell line BV-2 cells were exposed to high glucose followed by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). Fendrr and some pyroptosis-associated proteins were detected by qRT-PCR, western blot or ELISA. HE staining was used to detect pathological changes. Microglia pyroptosis was detected by TUNEL staining. RNA pull-down and RNA Immunoprecipitation were used to detect binding of Fendrr to HERC2 (E3 ubiquitin ligase), and CO-IP detected binding of HERC2 to NLRC4. The ubiquitination of NLRC4 was detected by ubiquitination experiments.
Fendrr was significantly increased in the diabetic cerebral I/R model, and NLRC4 inflammatory complex and pyroptosis mediated inflammatory factors were increased. NLRC4 and inflammatory cytokines associated with pyroptosis were decreased in the high glucose-treated hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced microglia after Fendrr knockdown. Fendrr bound to HERC2 protein, and HERC2 bound to NLRC4. Meanwhile, Fendrr could inhibit the ubiquitination of NLRC4, HERC2 promoted the ubiquitination of NLRC4 protein. Moreover, the effect of Fendrr overexpression in the diabetic cerebral I/R model of microglia can be reversed by HERC2 overexpression.
Fendrr can protect against the ubiquitination and degradation of NLRC4 protein through E3 ubiquitin ligase HERC2, thereby accelerating the pyroptosis of microglia.
A rainfall-induced landslide case history in Hong Kong, i.e., the Fei Tsui Road landslide on 13 August 1995, is simulated in this study using a two-phase material point method (MPM). With the aid of ...hydro-mechanically coupled two-phase MPM, the entire process of the landslide case history is simulated, starting from rainfall infiltration, to advancement of wetting front, evolution of pore water pressure spatial distribution, triggering of multiple failure events, and post-failure large deformation of soils. The simulated results agree well with the field observation during the incident in 1995. Two separate failure events (i.e., one major failure occurred about 20 min after a minor failure) observed during the landslide are properly simulated by the two-phase MPM. The simulation also shows an accumulation of perched water that is consistent with a water table of less than 4 m observed during the incident. In addition, new insights into the failure mechanism are obtained from the simulation. The major failure event observed during the landslide is found to contain two different failure modes, one shallow failure and one deep failure. In the previous study, a weak layer of kaolinite-rich altered tuff was believed as a principal reason for the unusually large volume of sliding soil mass. However, the MPM parametric study in the manuscript shows that the weak layer only has a minor effect on the incident.
The geometric transformation of a descending plate, such as from steep to flat subduction in response to a change from normal to overthickened oceanic crust during subduction, is a common and ...important geological process at modern or fossil convergent margins. However, the links between this process and the metamorphic evolution of the exhumation of oceanic (ultra)high‐pressure eclogites are poorly understood. Here we report detailed petrological, mineralogical, phase equilibria, and secondary ion mass spectrometry zircon and rutile U‐Pb age data for the Dong Co eclogites at the western segment of the Bangong‐Nujiang suture zone, central Tibet. Our data reveal that the Dong Co eclogites experienced peak eclogite‐facies metamorphism (T = 610–630°C, P = 2.4–2.6 GPa) and underwent multiple stages of retrograde metamorphism. P‐T pseudosections and compositional isopleths of garnet define a complex clockwise P‐T‐t path (including two stages of decompression‐dominated P‐T path and one of isobaric heating), suggesting varying exhumation velocities. Combining previous studies with our new results, we suggest that the transformation from rapid to slow exhumation is dominated by the transition from steep to flat subduction. The flat‐slab segment, caused by subduction of buoyant oceanic plateau, led to an extremely slow exhumation and a strong overprinting of HP granulite facies at a depth of ~50 km at ~177 Ma. The slab rollback that followed in response to a substantial density increase of the eclogitized oceanic plateau resulted in another rapid exhumation process at ~168 Ma and triggered the formation of abundant near‐simultaneous or later magmatic rocks.
Key Points
HP‐UHP eclogites from western segment of the Bangong‐Nujiang suture zone, central Tibet
Multistage retrograde metamorphism, phase equilibria, and SIMS zircon and rutile U‐Pb ages
Granulite facies overprinting during the exhumation of eclogites linked to flat‐slab subduction
The separation of benzene and cyclohexane is one of the most challenging tasks in the petrochemical field. However, conventional separation methods suffer from cumbersome operation, huge energy ...expenditure, or use of entrainers. Herein, we develop an environmentally friendly and energy saving adsorptive separation strategy using nonporous adaptive crystals of a hybrid3arene (1). Adaptive 1 crystals separate benzene from an equimolar benzene/cyclohexane mixture with a purity of 97.5%. The selectivity comes from the stability and variability of the new crystal structure upon capture of the preferred guest, benzene. Moreover, reversible transformations between the nonporous guest-free structure and the guest-containing structure make 1 highly recyclable.
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