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•The novel Co3O4/Bi2MoO6 p-n heterostructure photocatalyst was prepared via an in-situ calcination process.•87.68% of NFA can be removed within 30 min using 5 wt% Co3O4/Bi2MoO6/PMS ...system.•The synergistic effect of p-n heterojunction, visible light and PMS activation were achieved.•The formation of p-n heterojunction structures was further confirmed via DFT calculation.
Photocatalytic technology assisted via peroxymonosulfate (PMS) has good potential in water treatment. In the study, the Co3O4/Bi2MoO6 p-n heterostructure photocatalyst was prepared via an in-situ calcination process and was applied to activate PMS for degrading norfloxacin (NFA) under visible light irradiation. The obtained 5 wt% Co3O4/Bi2MoO6/PMS can effectively remove 87.68% of NFA within 30 min under visible light irradiation. The excellent degradation performance of Co3O4/Bi2MoO6/PMS system can be attributed to the synergistic effect between p-n heterojunction and PMS activation. The conduction band and valence band deviation between Co3O4 and Bi2MoO6 were calculated according to XPS techniques, and the results of anion interference experiments and circulation experiments revealed that the Co3O4/Bi2MoO6/PMS system has good stability. Besides, the possible degradation pathways of NFA were proposed and DFT calculations were performed to further confirm the internal structure between Co3O4 and Bi2MoO6. This work provides a new idea and a new catalyst for the degradation of organic pollution in water.
Cotton stalk bark fiber (CSBF) was extracted at high temperature and under high pressure, under the condition of the alkali content of 11 wt%. Experimental results proved that the extraction yield of ...CSBF was 27.3 wt%, and the residual alkali concentration was 2.1 wt%. Then five kinds of modifiers including methyl methacrylate (MMA), MMA plus initiator, epoxy propane, copper ethanolamine, and silane coupling agent were chosen to modify the surface of CSBF. It was found by measuring water retention value (WRV) that these five kinds of modifiers were all effective and the silane coupling agent was best modifier among all. The optimal modifying conditions of silane coupling agent were obtained: modifier concentration was 5%, the mixing temperature was 20°C, the mixing time was 1 h, and vacuum drying time was 1 h. Under the optimal condition, the WRV of the modified CSBF was 89%. It is expected that these modified CSBF may be a filler with strengthening effect in wood plastic composites (WPC) fields.
Prostate cancer is one of the most frequent malignancies affecting men. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer. LncRNA LOXL1-AS1 participates in the ...pathogenesis of the exfoliation syndrome. However, the role of LOXL1-AS1 in cancer remains largely unknown. Here, we found that LOXL1-AS1 down-regulation inhibited prostate cancer cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. RNA sequencing analysis revealed that it regulates the expression of cell cycle-related genes. LOXL1-AS1 is predominantly distributed in the cytoplasm, where it interacts with miR-541-3p. In addition, miR-541-3p targets the cell cycle regulator CCND1 in prostate cancer cells. LOXL1-AS1 down-regulation inhibits the expression of CCND1 and cell cycle progression, whereas these effects are abolished upon miR-541-3p suppression. In summary, our study revealed that LOXL1-AS1 regulates prostate cancer cell proliferation and cell cycle progression through miR-541-3p and CCND1. Modulation of their levels may be used to treat prostate cancer.
•LOXL1-AS1 regulates proliferation and cell cycle in prostate cancer cells.•miR-541-3p regulates CCND1 expression in prostate cancer cells.•LOXL1-AS1 sponges and regulates the expression of miR-541-3p.•LOXL1-AS1 regulates proliferation and cell cycle through miR-541-3p and CCND1.
Smart electromagnetic interference shielding materials with multi-responsive actuation capability are greatly required for next-generation electronics. Here, a flexible, multi-responsive and ...electrically conductive graphene oxide (GO)/MXene Janus film is fabricated by a scalable sequential vacuum filtration technique. The hydrophilic feature of both GO and MXene enable the formation of Janus-structured films with strong obscure interfaces, achieving multiple stimuli responses (humidity, light, and electricity) and high electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performances. The film actuator can be largely bent from −270° to 460° within a wide relative humidity range and exhibits sensitive and fast actuation responses to near-infrared light and electricity. Additionally, the Janus film can also act as the smart switch and soft walking robot. Furthermore, the presence of the highly conductive MXene layer provides the film with attractive EMI shielding effectiveness of 40 dB at a small thickness of 1.5 μm. As a proof-of-concept, a smart EMI shielding curtain and a stimuli-responsive EMI shielding system are assembled using the Janus film. The smart EMI shielding film could effectively tune signal transmission by stimuli to meet specific shielding needs in intelligent electronics and devices.
A multi-responsive, conductive and flexible GO/MXene Janus film with excellent electromagnetic interference shielding is fabricated. The smart GO/MXene film shows bidirectional actuation capability, fast actuation speed (113° s−1), and superb electromagnetic interference shielding performance, demonstrating its potential applications as a smart stimuli-responsive EMI shielding material in smart electronics and devices. Display omitted
•Flexible, multi-responsive and conductive GO/MXene Janus film is fabricated.•Multiple stimuli responses (humidity, light, and electricity) are achieved.•The smart switch and soft walking robot are designed based on GO/MXene Janus film.•Smart Janus film exhibits superb EMI shielding performance (40 dB with 3 μm).•The signal transmission is effectively tuned in a smart EMI shielding system.
Sex determination systems in plants can involve either female or male heterogamety (ZW or XY, respectively). Here we used Illumina short reads, Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) long reads and Hi‐C ...reads to assemble the first chromosome‐scale genome of a female willow tree (Salix dunnii), and to predict genes using transcriptome sequences and available databases. The final genome sequence of 328 Mb in total was assembled in 29 scaffolds, and includes 31,501 predicted genes. Analyses of short‐read sequence data that included female and male plants suggested a male heterogametic sex‐determining factor on chromosome 7, implying that, unlike the female heterogamety of most species in the genus Salix, male heterogamety evolved in the subgenus Salix. The S. dunnii sex‐linked region occupies about 3.21 Mb of chromosome 7 in females (representing its position in the X chromosome), probably within a pericentromeric region. Our data suggest that this region is enriched for transposable element insertions, and about one‐third of its 124 protein‐coding genes were gained via duplications from other genome regions. We detect purifying selection on the genes that were ancestrally present in the region, though some have been lost. Transcriptome data from female and male individuals show more male‐ than female‐biased genes in catkin and leaf tissues, and indicate enrichment for male‐biased genes in the pseudo‐autosomal regions. Our study provides valuable genomic resources for further studies of sex‐determining regions in the family Salicaceae, and sex chromosome evolution.
This communication presents a terahertz (THz) wideband transmitarray antenna with wide-angle beam steering for intersatellite communications. A new design method is developed for beam ...steering/multibeam transmitarrays based on feed displacement. The phase compensations on the transmitarray aperture are theoretically analyzed for two steered symmetrical beams from two conjugate foci in an arbitrary azimuthal plane. Then, the focus for a boresight beam is investigated to minimize the corresponding phase errors. A circular feed track is produced with the three foci, enabling wide-angle and low-scanning-loss beam steering by changing the focal point. A unit cell model based on the Huygens metasurface is designed with only one substrate layer, capable of continuously tuning the phase in a 360° range with low transmission losses. The THz transmitarray prototype is engineered with the developed beam-steering method and unit cells. The prototype is experimentally verified with a wideband stable beam-steering performance from 180 to 220 GHz in a wide angular range of ±48°. The measured minimal scanning loss is only 1.4 dB. The measured 3-dB gain bandwidth of the boresight beam is 19.1%.
Practical application of versatile nanomaterials to food engineering is desirable. In this study, highly encapsulated curcumin‐loaded shellac (Cur@Lac) nanoparticles are efficiently prepared via a ...rotating packed bed (RPB). In this modified co‐precipitation process, the morphology of Cur@Lac nanoparticles is systematically investigated under experimental parameters involving the high‐gravity level, the volume of antisolvent and the concentration of shellac. By virtue of the highly structured polymeric ester matrices of shellac and adequate supersaturation brought from RPB on a microscale, the obtained Cur@Lac nanoparticles with uniform size exhibit high encapsulation efficiency of over 96%. After 2 months of storage at room temperature, the aqueous Cur@Lac nanodispersions exhibit long‐term stability with no agglomeration or sedimentation, and the final retention rate of curcumin was over 85%. Colored drinks of fruit syrup (pH = 4.0), fruit soda (pH = 6.0), and soda water (pH = 8.3) are prepared by using the Cur@Lac as the colorant, which possessed orange‐yellow color. The nanocomposites of alkali‐sensitive indicators based on cellulose paper and gelatin film demonstrated in the work show promising application value for sensing of alkaline solution and gas of perishable food.
Curcumin‐loaded shellac nanoparticles are successfully prepared by modified co‐precipitation method in a rotating packed bed. As the amphipathic matrix, biopolymer (shellac) encapsulates a sensitive multifunctional material (curcumin) with high encapsulation efficiency and stability. The composite nanoparticles can be used as natural colorants dispersed in daily drinks and applied for sensing of alkaline solution and gas of perishable food.
In this letter, a compact dual-band bandpass filter (BPF) based on the transversal signal interaction concepts is presented. The center frequencies of dual-band BPF are centered at 3.8 and 4.8 GHz ...with 3-dB fraction bandwidths of 11.3% and 10.7%, respectively. Transversal filtering structure is introduced in the proposed dual-band BPF, which provides two signal propagation paths from input to output. Thus, a dozen of transmission zeros are yielded to obtain wide stopband suppression ranging from 5.2 to 16 GHz. To validate the design scheme, a dual-band BPF with high selectivity, compact size, independently controllable bandwidth, and wide stopband suppression is fabricated and measured.
Cardiomyocyte apoptosis correlates with the pathogenesis of heart disease. Long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) emerges as a class of noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression and participate in various ...cellular processes. However, the role of lncRNAs in cardiomyocyte apoptosis remains to be elucidated. In our study, we found that lncRNA FTX is significantly down-regulated upon ischemia/reperfusion injury and hydrogen peroxide treatment. Enhanced expression of FTX inhibits cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide. miR-29b-1-5p was found to interact with FTX and regulate the expression of Bcl2l2. Inhibition of miR-29b-1-5p attenuated cardiomyocyte apoptosis upon hydrogen peroxide treatment. We then found that FTX functions as endogenous sponge for miR-29b-1-5p and regulates the activity of miR-29b-1-5p. The results demonstrate that FTX regulates cardiomyocyte apoptosis through modulating the expression of Bcl2l2 which is mediated by miR-29b-1-5p. Our findings reveal a novel regulatory model which is composed of FTX, miR-29b-1-5p and Bcl2l2. Manipulating of their levels may become a new approach to tackling cardiomyocyte apoptosis related heart diseases.
•LncRNA FTX inhibits apoptosis in cardiomyocytes.•miR-29b-1-5p regulates apoptosis by targeting Bcl2l2 in cardiomyocytes.•FTX sponges and regulates the activity of miR-29b-1-5p.•FTX regulates apoptosis by targeting miR-29b-1-5p and Bcl2l2.
Self‐assembled protein nanoparticles have attracted much attention in biomedicine because of their biocompatibility and biodegradability. Protein nanoparticles have become widely utilized as ...diagnostic or therapeutic agents for various cancers. However, there are no reports that protein nanoparticles can specifically target mitochondria. This targeting is desirable, since mitochondria are critical in the development of cancer cells. In this study, the discovery of a novel self‐assembled metal protein nanoparticle, designated GST‐MT‐3, is reported, which targets the mitochondria of cancer cells within 30 min in vitro and rapidly accumulates in tumors within 1 h in vivo. The nanoparticles chelate cobalt ions GST‐MT‐3(Co2+), which induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and reduces the mitochondrial membrane potential. These effects lead to antitumor activity in vivo. GST‐MT‐3(Co2+) with covalently conjugated paclitaxel synergistically suppress tumors and prolong survival. Importantly, the effective dosage of paclitaxel is 50‐fold lower than that utilized in standard chemotherapy (0.2 vs 10 mg kg−1). To the best of the authors' knowledge, GST‐MT‐3 is the first reported protein nanoparticle that targets mitochondria. It has the potential to be an excellent platform for combination therapies.
GST‐MT‐3(Co2+) protein nanoparticles can accumulate in tumors within 1 h in vivo and target the mitochondria. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is induced via the release of cobalt ions. The mitochondrial membrane potential is reduced, resulting in cytotoxicity due to apoptosis of the cancer cells. GST‐MT‐3(Co2+) protein nanoparticles in combination with paclitaxel act synergistically and enhance survival of mice.
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