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•CuS/KTN composite was prepared via a two-step hydrothermal method.•Vibration and solar energy were harvested to piezo-/photocatalytic N2 fixation.•CuS/KTN presented much better ...performance in photo-/piezocatalytic N2 fixation than KTN.•The high performance was mainly ascribed to the improved charge separation.
This work synthesized a novel CuS/KTa0.75Nb0.25O3 (KTN) heterojunction composite and firstly applied it in photocatalytic and piezocatalytic reduction of N2 to NH3. XRD, Raman, XPS, SEM, and TEM analyses indicate that CuS nanoparticles closely adhered to the surface of KTN nanorods, which facilitates the migration of electrons between the two semiconductors. Mott-Schottky and valence band XPS analysis shows that KNbO3 shows a higher conduction band than CuS, indicating that CuS mainly acts as electron trappers to capture the photogenerated electrons from KTN. Because of the great enhanced spatial separation of photogenerated charge carriers, the CuS/KTN presents much higher performance than pure KNT, which is further confirmed by 1H NMR analysis of the reaction solution. An interesting finding is that synthesized CuS/KTN not only performs well under light irradiation but also can work in an ultrasonic bath, indicating its great potential in photo/piezocatalytic conversion of N2 to NH3. The optimal 10 %CuS/KTN shows an NH3 production rate of 36.2 μmol L−1 g−1 h−1 under ultrasonic vibration, which reaches 7.4 times that of KTN. The electrons generated by KTN through the piezoelectric effect can be captured by CuS, which endows the electrons a longer life to participate in the reaction, thereby improving the catalytic reaction performance.
Information coding, recording, encryption, and decryption are of great importance in the field of anti‐counterfeiting, especially in the current AI information era. Herein, a paper‐like hydrogel ...composed of solely H‐bonded poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly(n‐vinylcaprolactam) (PNVCL), namely VAPN, is developed for multiple ways of encryption and decryption based on chemical‐induced phase separation. It not only exhibits excellent ability of ink absorption and retention by the noncovalent H‐bonds and n−π* interactions and good mechanical strength but also maintains a negligible volume change during the phase separation that is crucial for the information fidelity. Given that the noncovalent interactions are the driving force to trigger the phase separation in the hydrogel, available chemical inks are numerous ranging from small molecules to polymers. Furthermore, together with thermally induced phase separation, the different dynamic processes of the association and dissociation between ink molecules and the hydrogel endow the latter with reversible information recording and self‐erasing, temporary or permanent, and customized encryption and decryption.
The phase separation in a hydrogel comprising two polymers is induced by H‐bonding and n−π* interactions between one component and the ink molecules bearing carboxylic acid groups, resulting in optical transmittance change. The large variety of available or easily accessible chemical inks endow the hydrogel with the capacities of multimodal, stable, or dynamic information recording, encryption, and decryption.
•The seismic responses of long-span and asymmetrical suspension bridges subjected to near-fault ground motions are investigated systematically and comparatively.•The influence of velocity pulse ...effect, site effect, and structure-soil interaction on the seismic responses of interests in the suspension bridge seismic analysis is considered and analyzed.•Recommendations for the seismic design of long-span and asymmetrical suspension bridges subjected to near-fault ground motions.
The objective of this paper is to investigate the seismic responses of long-span and asymmetrical suspension bridges subjected to four intensity level (Small, moderate, huge, and super earthquakes) of near-fault ground motions. A typical suspension bridge located in Yunnan province of China is selected herein to study the dynamic response of long-span and asymmetrical suspension bridges. And the corresponding finite element model based on the platform of OpenSEES is established to consider the influence of velocity pulse effect, site effect, and structure-soil interaction on the seismic responses of interests e.g., tower, girder, and pile, etc., in the suspension bridge seismic analysis. Besides the near-field and far-field ground motion records are employed from the data base in Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center of the United States for comparison analysis. Finally numerical analysis results have suggested that the influence of near-fault effect on the response of long-span and asymmetrical suspension bridges and the different dissipation capacity of nonlinear viscous damper in various intensity levels should be paid more attention to in the seismic design of this type bridges.
Thousands of genes have been well demonstrated to play important roles in cancer progression. As genes do not function in isolation, they can be grouped into "networks" based on their interactions. ...In this study, we discover a network regulating Claudin-4 in gastric cancer. We observe that Claudin-4 is up-regulated in gastric cancer and is associated with poor prognosis. Claudin-4 reinforce proliferation, invasion, and EMT in AGS, HGC-27, and SGC-7901 cells, which could be reversed by miR-596 and miR-3620-3p. In addition, lncRNA-KRTAP5-AS1 and lncRNA-TUBB2A could act as competing endogenous RNAs to affect the function of Claudin-4. Our results suggest that non-coding RNAs play important roles in the regulatory network of Claudin-4. As such, non-coding RNAs should be considered as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets against gastric cancer.Non-coding RNAs can modify the expression of proteins in cancer networks. Here the authors reveal a regulatory network in gastric cancer whereby claudin-4 expression is reduced by specific miRNAs, which are in turn bound by specific lncRNAs acting as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs), resulting in increased claudin-4 expression.
The tight binding enabled by tailor‐made macrocycles can be manipulated for tuning the catalysis process. In parallel to well‐developed crown ether‐based cation‐binding catalysis, a ...macrocycle‐enabled counteranion trapping strategy is presented for boosting highly efficient and enantioselective catalysis. A set of bis‐diarylthiourea macrocycles containing two BINOL moieties were designed and synthesized. They possess a well‐confined chiral cavity and strong binding affinities towards disulfonate anions. Caused by the tight binding, just 1 mol % macrocycle in combination with 1 mol % ethanedisulfonic acid can promote excellent conversion and up to 99 % ee in the Friedel–Crafts reaction of indoles with imines. The acid or the macrocycle alone do not afford any reactivity. The high catalytic efficiency and excellent stereocontrol was ascribed to large, complexation‐induced acidity enhancement and tight ion‐pairing facilitated by cave‐like macrocyclic cavity.
Macrocycles in action: A chiral macrocycle‐enabled counteranion trapping strategy was demonstrated for boosting highly efficient and selective catalysis. Just 1 mol % of the designer macrocycle can promote excellent conversion and up to 99 % ee in combination with 1 mol % achiral acid, which is inactive alone.
Recently, the studies on the antiviral activities of marine natural products, especially marine polysaccharides, are attracting more and more attention all over the world. Marine-derived ...polysaccharides and their lower molecular weight oligosaccharide derivatives have been shown to possess a variety of antiviral activities. This paper will review the recent progress in research on the antiviral activities and the mechanisms of these polysaccharides obtained from marine organisms. In particular, it will provide an update on the antiviral actions of the sulfated polysaccharides derived from marine algae including carrageenans, alginates, and fucans, relating to their structure features and the structure-activity relationships. In addition, the recent findings on the different mechanisms of antiviral actions of marine polysaccharides and their potential for therapeutic application will also be summarized in detail.
•MeJA enhances volatiles production and flavonoids content in postharvest fruits.•MeJA delays senescence and chilling injury symptoms.•MeJA induces fruit innate resistance against the infection of ...pathogenic fungi.•It is unclear how MeJA affects ripening, defense signaling and growth hormones.
Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) is a volatile hormone involved in a number of plant processes, acting as a signal in response to external stresses and modulating the biosynthesis of other phytohormones. Here, we are reviewing for the first time all reports related to the effects of exogenous MeJA on postharvest fruits. Application of MeJA during preharvest and postharvest stages has been demonstrated to enhance fruit antioxidant capacity and phenolics content, which in turn extended fruit shelf-life, enhanced fruit quality and reduced chilling injury. The postharvest application of MeJA has been reported to alter volatiles pattern and to enhance the innate disease resistance of postharvest fruits against pathogenic fungi. The results obtained using different treatment conditions, such as temperature, storage time and concentration, have been highlighted and compared along the manuscript in order to provide new insights on the applicability of MeJA for enhancing postharvest fruit quality and preservation.
SUMMARY
Many rice microRNAs have been identified as fine‐tuning factors in the regulation of agronomic traits and immunity. Among them, Osa‐miR535 targets SQUAMOSA promoter binding protein‐like 14 ...(OsSPL14) to positively regulate tillers but negatively regulate yield and immunity. Here, we uncovered that Osa‐miR535 targets another SPL gene, OsSPL4, to suppress rice immunity against Magnaporthe oryzae. Overexpression of Osa‐miR535 significantly decreased the accumulation of the fusion protein SPL4TBS‐YFP that contains the target site of Osa‐miR535 in OsSPL4. Consistently, Osa‐miR535 mediated the cleavage of OsSPL4 mRNA between the 10th and 11th base pair of the predicted binding site at the 3′ untranslated region. Transgenic rice lines overexpressing OsSPL4 (OXSPL4) displayed enhanced blast disease resistance accompanied by enhanced immune responses, including increased expression of defense‐relative genes and up‐accumulated H2O2. By contrast, the knockout mutant osspl4 exhibited susceptibility. Moreover, OsSPL4 binds to the promoter of GH3.2, an indole‐3‐acetic acid‐amido synthetase, and promotes its expression. Together, these data indicate that Os‐miR535 targets OsSPL4 and OsSPL4‐GH3.2, which may parallel the OsSPL14‐WRKY45 module in rice blast disease resistance.
Significance Statement
Previously, Osa‐miR535 was identified to target SPL14 to regulate rice immunity. Here, we identified that Osa‐miR535 targets another SPL family gene, OsSPL4. OsSPL4 binds the promoter of GH3.2 to positively regulate rice immunity, which functionally parallels with OsSPL14‐WRKY45 module downstream of Osa‐miR535.
Carbendazim (CBZ), which is a fungicide widely used for the management of plant diseases, has been detected in a number of food products. The negative effects of CBZ to human health have stimulated ...the reduction of the maximum residue limits (MRLs), and subsequently the development of reliable and sensitive detection methods. Here, we are reviewing for the first time all reported chromatographic methods for the detection and quantification of CBZ in food. Several techniques, including liquid chromatography (LC), thin layer chromatography (TLC), micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), were used for the separation and detection of CBZ, showing diverse characteristics and sensitivity. Some methods allowed the specific determination of CBZ, whereas other methods were successfully applied for the simultaneous quantification of a huge number of pesticides. Most reported methods showed limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) lower than the MRLs. Relevant efforts in the field have been directed toward the simplification and optimization of the extraction steps prior to the chromatographic separation to increase the recovery and reduce the matrix effects. In this Review, the matrices, extraction procedures, and separation and detection parameters are detailed and compared in order to provide new insights on the development of new reliable methods for the detection of CBZ in food.
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