Tissue engineering is an important field of regenerative medicine, which combines scaffolds and cell transplantation to develop substitute tissues and/or promote tissue regeneration. Hydrogels, a ...three-dimensional network with high water content and biocompatibility, have been widely used as scaffolds to mimic the structure and properties of tissues. However, the low mechanical strength and limited functions of traditional hydrogels greatly limited their applications in tissue engineering. Recently, nanocomposite hydrogels, with its advantages of high mechanical property and some unique properties (such as electrical conductivity, antibacterial, antioxidation, magnetic responsiveness), have emerged as the most versatile and innovative technology, which provides a new opportunity as a unique tool for fabricating hydrogels with excellent properties. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in fabricating nanocomposite hydrogels and their applications in tissue engineering. In addition, the future and prospects of nanocomposite hydrogels for tissue engineering are also discussed.
Ternary organic solar cells are promising candidates for bulk heterojunction solar cells; however, improving the power conversion efficiency (PCE) is quite challenging because the ternary system is ...complicated on phase separation behavior. In this study, a ternary organic solar cell (OSC) with two donors, including one polymer (PTB7-Th), one small molecule (p-DTS(FBTTH2)2), and one acceptor (PC71BM), is fabricated. We propose the two donors in the ternary blend forms an alloy. A notable averaged PCE of 10.5% for ternary OSC is obtained due to the improvement of the fill factor (FF) and the short-circuit current density (J sc), and the open-circuit voltage (V oc) does not pin to the smaller V oc of the corresponding binary blends. A highly ordered face-on orientation of polymer molecules is obtained due to the formation of an alloy structure, which facilitates the enhancement of charge separation and transport and the reduction of charge recombination. This work indicates that a high crystallinity and the face-on orientation of polymers could be obtained by forming alloy with two miscible donors, thus paving a way to largely enhance the PCE of OSCs by using the ternary blend strategy.
Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is catalyzed by a family of enzymes known as PARPs. We describe a method to characterize the human aspartic acid- and glutamic acid-ADP-ribosylated proteome. We identified ...1,048 ADP-ribosylation sites on 340 proteins involved in a wide array of nuclear functions; among these were many previously unknown PARP downstream targets whose ADP-ribosylation was sensitive to PARP inhibitor treatment. We also confirmed that iniparib had a negligible effect on PARP activity in intact cells.
Fine count two‐ply yarn supercapacitors are constructed from carbon nanotube yarns and polyaniline nanowires. The thread‐like supercapacitor possess excellent electrochemical capacity and are very ...strong and flexible. When being woven or knitted into wearable electronic devices, alone or in combination with conventional textile yarns, the two‐ply yarn supercapacitors can be flexed and stretched repeatedly without significant loss of capacitance.
•The chronological history of plant growth sub-model of DNDC has been reviewed.•Food, oil and sugar crops are the primary crop types which DNDC-based studies are focused.•DNDC can suit for local ...field crops with minor model parameters’ modification.•DNDC offers users considerable flexibility to address the model deficiencies in application.•DNDC is being continuously improved and worthy to apply for various crops in the future.
Plant growth plays an important role in regulating soil C and N as well as water regimes and can therefore influence soil biochemical or geochemical processes. A sub-model was built in DNDC (DeNitrification-DeComposition) to simulate crop growth; since its development, it has often been modified and adapted to suit specific purposes, crops and circumstances. Here, we review the chronological history of various versions of the DNDC plant growth sub-models and present the results of a literature search regarding the application of the DNDC model to various crops in agriculture. We found that food, oil and sugar crops were the primary research focus and accounted for 67.5%, 12.5% and 6.3% of all DNDC crop-based studies, respectively. We also summarize the research achievements published in recent years, and conclude that the DNDC plant growth sub-model could be successfully used to assist in predicting trace gas emissions and soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics after modifying some of the parameters obtained from relevant literature to suit local cultivars. The objective of this study is to provide DNDC users with an understanding of the model mechanisms related to field and horticultural crops, with suggestions for modelling different crops and outlining further model applications and modifications.
Different scales of chirality endow a material with many excellent properties and potential applications. In this review, using π‐conjugated molecules as functional building blocks, recent progress ...on supramolecular helices inspired by biological helicity is summarized. First, induced chirality on conjugated polymers and small molecules is introduced. Molecular chirality can be amplified to nanostructures, superstructures, and even macroscopic structures by a self‐assembly process. Then, the principles for tuning the helicity of supramolecular chirality, as well as formation of helical heterojunctions, are summarized. Finally, the potential applications of chiral structures in chiral sensing and organic electronic devices are critically reviewed. Due to recent progress in chiral structures, an interdisciplinary area called “chiral electronics” is expected to gain wide popularity in the near future.
Conjugated molecules can be induced into a predominately single‐handed conformation by chiral dopants. The chiral molecules are then self‐assembled into helical nanostructures, superstructures, and even macroscopic structures. In this review paper, the principles that guide the formation, adjustment, and hierarchy of supramolecular helicity are critically reviewed. The potential application of chiral structures and areas for further investigation are also highlighted.
Solution-processable small molecules for organic solar cells have attracted intense attention for their advantages of definite molecular structures compared with their polymer counterparts. However, ...the device efficiencies based on small molecules are still lower than those of polymers, especially for inverted devices, the highest efficiency of which is <9%. Here we report three novel solution-processable small molecules, which contain π-bridges with gradient-decreased electron density and end acceptors substituted with various fluorine atoms (0F, 1F and 2F, respectively). Fluorination leads to an optimal active layer morphology, including an enhanced domain purity, the formation of hierarchical domain size and a directional vertical phase gradation. The optimal morphology balances charge separation and transfer, and facilitates charge collection. As a consequence, fluorinated molecules exhibit excellent inverted device performance, and an average power conversion efficiency of 11.08% is achieved for a two-fluorine atom substituted molecule.
•A novel Nb2CTx/PANI-based NH3 sensor directly driven by a facile TENG is proposed.•The Nb2CTx/PANI-2 sensor exhibits a superior sensitivity (2.87 % ppm−1) toward a wide sensing range of 1–100 ppm ...NH3.•High RH influence on sensing response of the Nb2CTx/PANI-2 sensor is 8.94 times lower than that of PANI one.
As a new member of the MXene family, two dimensional (2D) niobium carbide MXene (Nb2CTx) holds a promising potential in gas detection due to the abundant surface terminated groups and large specific surface area. In this work, a selective NH3 sensor based on polyaniline (PANI) nanofibers-supported Nb2CTx nanosheets (Nb2CTx/PANI) directly driven by a facile triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is proposed to provide a possible method for enhancing the NH3-sensing response. In addition, the gas sensing properties have been optimized by regulating different spray volumes of Nb2CTx nanosheets. Test results demonstrate that the NH3-sensing response and the response speed of the Nb2CTx/PANI-2 sensor have been evidently improved, indicating a good linear response toward a wide sensing range of 1–100 ppm NH3 at room temperature (∼25℃) under 87.1 % relative humidity (RH). Moreover, the influence of high humidity on gas sensing response of the Nb2CTx/PANI-2 sensor has been efficiently reduced due to the occupied active sites for water adsorption caused by intermolecular hydrogen bonds between PANI and Nb2CTx. Finally, mechanism of the enhanced gas sensing properties has been further investigated, which should be mainly attributed to the gas sensing improvement effect of p-n junction. This work is expected to offer a useful reference for the development of high-performance Nb2CTx/polymer-based gas sensors.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory arthropathy associated with articular damage and attendant comorbidities. Even although RA treatment has advanced remarkably over the ...last decade, a significant proportion of patients still do not achieve sustained remission. The cause of RA is not yet known despite the many potential mechanisms proposed. It has been confirmed that RA is associated with dysregulated immune system and persistent inflammation. Therefore, management of inflammation is always the target of therapy. Sinomenine (SIN) is the prescription drug approved by the Chinese government for RA treatment. A previous study found that SIN was a robust anti-inflammation drug. In this study, we screened the different secretory cytokines using inflammation antibody arrays and qRT-PCR in both LPS-induced and SIN-treated RAW264.7 cells followed by evaluation of the ability of SIN to modulate cytokine secretion in a cell model, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model, and RA patients. Several clinical indexes affecting the 28-joint disease activity score (DAS28) were determined before and after SIN treatment. Clinical indexes, inflammatory cytokine secretion, and DAS28 were compared among RA patients treated with either SIN or methotrexate (MTX). To explore the mechanism of SIN anti-inflammatory function, RA-associated monocyte/macrophage subsets were determined using flow cytometry in CIA mouse model and RA patients, both treated with SIN. The results demonstrated that SIN regulated IL-6, GM-CSF, IL-12 p40, IL-1α, TNF-α, IL-1β, KC (CXCL1), Eotaxin-2, IL-10, M-CSF, RANTES, and MCP-1 secretion
and
and reduced RA activity and DAS28 in a clinical setting. Furthermore, SIN attenuated CD11b
F4/80
CD64
resident macrophages in the synovial tissue, CD11b
Ly6C
CD43
macrophages in the spleen and draining lymph nodes of CIA mice. The percentage of CD14
CD16
peripheral blood mononuclear cells was reduced by SIN in RA patients. These data indicated that SIN regulates the secretion of multiple inflammatory cytokines and monocyte/macrophage subsets, thereby suppressing RA progression. Therefore, along with MTX, SIN could be an alternative cost-effective anti-inflammatory agent for treating RA.
•· The production areas of crops under RCPs slightly shift northward in future China.•· The crop yield changes under RCPs remain stable or increase in future China.•· This is caused by the combined ...effect of changed climatic variables on crop yields.•· The crop yield changes are mainly driven by temperature and CO2 factors.
Maize, rice, and wheat are the major staple food crops in China and are crucial components of national food security and economic development. The cultivation and production of these crops are expected to be affected by climate change and elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, and have drawn considerable public attention. The objective of this experiment was to understand the impact of future climate change (including increased temperature and changed precipitation patterns) and elevated CO2 concentration on variations of crop yields in their suitable planting areas. We conducted a spatial grid-based analysis of maize, rice, and wheat yields using projections of future climate generated by a multi-model ensemble of global climate models for three representative concentration pathway scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5) in suitable planting areas in China for the 2030s (2021–2040) and the 2050s (2041–2060). Suitable areas for the planting of maize, rice, and wheat under the high-emission scenarios migrated slightly northward over time. Yield of all three crops would be expected to remain stable or to slightly increase across China in the future. A possible reason for this result may be because the positive effects of increased precipitation and CO2 offset the negative effect of increased temperature on crop yields, resulting in a much more appropriate growth environment and increased biomass accumulation and crop yield. In addition, this study also indicated that changes in crop yields were mainly driven by temperature and CO2 factors. The potential effects of climate change and elevated CO2 concentration on migration of planting areas and yield fluctuations for crops should be given greater attention in the future.
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