The development of artificial intelligence (AI)-based technologies in medicine is advancing rapidly, but real-world clinical implementation has not yet become a reality. Here we review some of the ...key practical issues surrounding the implementation of AI into existing clinical workflows, including data sharing and privacy, transparency of algorithms, data standardization, and interoperability across multiple platforms, and concern for patient safety. We summarize the current regulatory environment in the United States and highlight comparisons with other regions in the world, notably Europe and China.
Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and development. To adapt to low inorganic-phosphate (Pi) environments, plants have evolved complex mechanisms and pathways that regulate ...the acquisition and remobilization of Pi and maintain P homeostasis. These mechanisms are regulated by complex gene regulatory networks through the functions of Pi transporters (PTs) and Pi starvation-induced (PSI) genes. This review summarizes recent progress in determining the molecular regulatory mechanisms of phosphate transporters and the Pi signaling network in the dicot Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and the monocot rice (Oryza sativa L.). Recent advances in this field provide a reference for understanding plant Pi signaling and specific mechanisms that mediate plant adaptation to environments with limited Pi availability. We propose potential biotechnological applications of known genes to develop plant cultivars with improved Pi uptake and use efficiency.
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•The degradation efficiency of TC over the 0.3-p-Ag2S/n-BiVO4 can be achieved 90.2%.•Ten intermediate products for TC degradation were verified by the GC-MS.•The enhancing ...photocatalysis mechanism was attributed to the facilitated charge transfer.
Three-dimensional microsphere p-Ag2S/n-BiVO4 p-n heterojunction photocatalyst was successfully fabricated via depositing p-type Ag2S on n-type BiVO4, which showed excellent photocatalytic performance, compared with BiVO4 and Ag2S, for the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline under visible light irradiation. The enhancing photocatalytic performance can be attributed to the facilitated charge transfer, and the increased lifetime of the charge carriers confirmed by the results of time-resolved fluorescence spectra and photoelectrochemical measures. Moreover, 10 photocatalytic degradation intermediates and products were also identified by the gas chromatography-mass spectrometer. Finally, the photocatalytic enhancement mechanism over p-Ag2S/n-BiVO4 was discussed. The strategy to form three-dimensional microspheres p-n heterojunction photocatalyst may open a new opportunity to design highly efficient photocatalyst for environmental treatment to control pollution.
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•Lifetime of the charge carriers was obtained by time-resolved fluorescence spectra.•Ag/p-Ag2O/n-BiVO4 plasmonic photocatalyst exhibits excellent photocatalytic activity.•The band ...structure was revealed via the valence band XPS and CASTEP code.•The enhancing photocatalysis mechanism was discussed.
Herein, we demonstrate the successful construction of a novel flowerlike Ag/p-Ag2O/n-BiVO4 plasmonic photocatalyst for the photocatalytic oxidation of BPA and reduction of chromium(VI) simultaneously under visible light irradiation. Among these samples, 2mM-Ag/p-Ag2O/n-BiVO4 exhibits the highest photocatalytic performances. The photocatalytic reduction and oxidation efficiency can achieve 69.8 and 91.9%, respectively, after 100 min visible-light irradiation. The enhancement mechanism for the plasmonic photocatalyst is explored, which can be attributed to the enhanced absorbance in the visible light region, and the facilitated charge transfer and the suppressed recombination of electron-hole pairs in the Ag/p-Ag2O/n-BiVO4. The results of the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, the fluorescence emission spectra and the time-resolved fluorescence emission decay spectra indicate the enhanced charge separation in the Ag/p-Ag2O/n-BiVO4 plasmonic photocatalyst. In addition, the free radical scavenging test shows that h+ and OH radicals play crucial roles in the photocatalytic oxidation reaction. The photogenerated electrons in the photocatalytic reduction process, are confirmed by the DMPO spin-trapping technology. Moreover, the band structures of various photocatalysts are revealed via the valence band XPS spectra and the Fermi level obtained by CASTEP code.
Soil contamination with arsenic (As) can cause phytotoxicity and elevated As accumulation in rice grain. Here, we used a forward genetics approach to investigate the mechanism of arsenate (As(V)) ...tolerance and accumulation in rice.
A rice mutant hypersensitive to As(V), but not to As(III), was isolated. Genomic resequencing and complementation tests were used to identify the causal gene. The function of the gene, its expression pattern and subcellular localization were characterized.
OsHAC4 is the causal gene for the As(V)-hypersensitive phenotype. The gene encodes a rhodanase-like protein that shows As(V) reductase activity when expressed in Escherichia coli. OsHAC4 was highly expressed in roots and was induced by As(V). In OsHAC4pro-GUS transgenic plants, the gene was expressed exclusively in the root epidermis and exodermis. OsHAC4-eGFP was localized in the cytoplasm and the nucleus. Mutation in OsHAC4 resulted in decreased As(V) reduction in roots, decreased As(III) efflux to the external medium and markedly increased As accumulation in rice shoots. Overexpression of OsHAC4 increased As (V) tolerance and decreased As accumulation in rice plants.
OsHAC4 is an As(V) reductase that is critical for As(V) detoxification and for the control of As accumulation in rice. As(V) reduction, followed by As(III) efflux, is an important mechanism of As(V) detoxification.
Anaerobic digestion using lignocellulosic material as the substrate is a cost-effective strategy for biomethane production, which provides great potential to convert biomass into renewable energy. ...However, the recalcitrance of native lignocellulosic biomass makes it resistant to microbial hydrolysis, which reduces the bioconversion efficiency of organic matter into biogas. Therefore, it is necessary to critically investigate the correlation between lignocellulose characteristics and bioconversion efficiency. Accordingly, this review comprehensively summarizes the anaerobic digestion process and rate-limiting step, structural and compositional properties of lignocellulosic biomass, recalcitrance and inhibitors of lignocellulose and their major effects on anaerobic digestion for biomethane production. Moreover, various type of pretreatment strategies applied to lignocellulosic biomass was discussed in detail, which would contribution to cell wall degradation and improvement of biomethane yields. In the view of current knowledge, high energy input and cost requirements are the main limitations of these pretreatment methods. In addition to optimization of fermentation process, further studies should focus much more on key structural influence factors of biomass recalcitrance and anaerobic digestion efficiency, which will contribute to improvement of biomethane production from lignocellulose.
Phosphate (Pi) uptake in plants depends on plasma membrane (PM)-localized phosphate transporters (PTs). OsCK2 phosphorylates PTs and inhibits their trafficking from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to ...the PM in rice (
), but how PTs are dephosphorylated is unknown. We demonstrate that the protein phosphatase type 2C (PP2C) protein phosphatase OsPP95 interacts with OsPT2 and OsPT8 and dephosphorylates OsPT8 at Ser-517. Rice plants overexpressing
reduced OsPT8 phosphorylation and promoted OsPT2 and OsPT8 trafficking from the ER to the PM, resulting in Pi accumulation. Under Pi-sufficient conditions, Pi levels were lower in young leaves and higher in old leaves in
mutants than in those of the wild type, even though the overall shoot Pi levels were the same in the mutant and the wild type. In the wild type, OsPP95 accumulated under Pi starvation but was rapidly degraded under Pi-sufficient conditions. We show that OsPHO2 interacts with and induces the degradation of OsPP95. We conclude that OsPP95, a protein phosphatase negatively regulated by OsPHO2, positively regulates Pi homeostasis and remobilization by dephosphorylating PTs and affecting their trafficking to the PM, a reversible process required for adaptation to variable Pi conditions.
•Low-cost and operable two-stage SSF for enhancing erythritol production was proposed.•Buckwheat husk was used for the first time as the inert support in solid medium.•Up to 143.3 mg/gds of ...erythritol was obtained from okara-BH substrates via SSF.•The undesired mannitol and citric acid were obviously inhibited in the optimized SSF.
An economical model of two-stage solid state fermentation (SSF) (prefermentation stage with Mucor flavus and in situ erythritol fermentation stage with Yarrowia lipolytica) for enhancing erythritol production was investigated. Buckwheat husk (BH) was utilized as inert support for the first time and okara as the substrate. Morphological properties suggested yeast cells were exposed in adequate oxygen leading to high erythritol yield, and enzyme activities analysis indicated M. flavus and Y. lipolytica grew and cooperated well during the two ferment stages. Maximum erythritol production (143.3 mg/gds) was obtained from okara–BH mixture (5:2, w/w) supplemented with 0.01 g/gds NaCl, with an initial moisture content of 60% and pH of 4.0 for 192 h, while undesired mannitol and citric acid were suppressed. Compared with submerged fermentation, two-stage SSF was short period, energy conserving and operable for erythritol production from insoluble wastes, and this is the first report on erythritol production via SSF.
Herein, a comprehensive review on different MOFs for heterogeneous photoelectrocatalysis is carried out and, in particular, the application of this technique to CO2 conversion and water splitting is ...discussed. The challenges and development prospects of MOFs in photoelectrocatalysis are also presented.
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Semiconductor-based photoelectrocatalytic processes have attracted considerable research interest for solar energy collection and storage. Photoelectrocatalysis is a heterogeneous photocatalytic process in which a bias potential is applied to a photoelectrode, and thus the photoelectrocatalytic performance is closely related to the photoelectrode prepared by semiconductors. Among various semiconductors, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted more and more attention because of their unique properties such as optical properties and adjustable structure. Herein, a comprehensive review on different MOFs (Ti-based, Zn-based, Co-based, Fe-based, Cu-based, and mixed metal-based MOFs) for heterogeneous photoelectrocatalysis is carried out and, in particular, the application of this technique for CO2 conversion and water splitting is discussed. In addition, the challenges and development prospects of MOFs in photoelectrocatalysis are also presented.
Although targeted therapy and immunotherapy are now shining in the treatment of some cancers, chemotherapy is still the cornerstone of drug treatment for many cancer patients. The emergence of ...chemotherapy prodrugs can improve the drug activity and reduce the side effects of chemotherapy. When used, the tumor microenvironment has characteristics different from normal tissues, and the existence of the microenvironment provided a more convenient way to design responsive nanodrugs. Herein, we designed a glutathione (GSH)-responsive prodrug nanogels for enhancing tumor chemotherapy. In the nanogels of HHNP, 10-hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) played an essential role in killing cancer cells. HCPT was jointed with a cross-linker agent with disulfide bond and was further coated with polyethylene glycol, which not only prolonged the half-life of the drug, but also made HCPT accurate transport to the tumor fractions and achieved precise and controllable release. The proposal of HHNP effectively retained the biological activity of the drug, and introduced functions such as targeting, selective release and biodegradation, which greatly improved the medical efficiency of the drug and effectively reduced the toxic and side effects. This chemotherapeutic prodrug nanogel offers a new window for constructing efficient drug delivery platform.
In this work, we reported a microenvironment-responsive chemotherapeutic nanogels of 10-hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) by a covalent crosslinking strategy for boosting the therapeutic treatment of cancer therapy. Display omitted
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