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Sulfur polymers, prepared by inverse vulcanization using elemental sulfur and vinylic monomers, are emerging functional materials of current research interest; however, sulfur polymers suffer from limited water solubility due to the hydrophobic nature of conventional comonomers and sulfur. Herein, the preparation of ionic liquid (IL)‐containing sulfur polymers are reported using the hydrophilic ionic liquid, 1‐allyl‐3‐vinylimidazolium chloride (AVImCl) as a comonomer. The introduction of IL significantly enhances the hydrophilicity of sulfur polymers, enabling them to dissolve in water. Benefiting from the thorough contact with aqueous mercury ions, the resultant sulfur polymer possesses high uptake capacity (436 mg g−1). After binding mercury, a coordination complex is formed and precipitated. The charged sulfur polymers gain a new application in demulsification. The polymer quickly breaks oil‐in‐water (O/W) emulsions through anion exchange between Cl− of the polymer and dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBS−) of the surfactant. In addition, the polymer has a growth inhibitory effect against Staphylococcus aureus. The integration of IL and elemental sulfur provides a novel approach to modifying the wettability of sulfur polymers. Also, this novel water‐soluble IL‐containing sulfur polymer, with mercury capture, demulsification, and antibacterial activity, can be considered as a multifunctional material in practical water purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of malignant solid tumors with dense extracellular matrix (ECM) and immunosuppressive microenvironment (IME) seriously restrict the high efficacy and precise treatment of tumors, leading to increased susceptibility to malignant recurrence and metastasis. Herein, an ultrasound‐mediated hydrogel delivery platform HA‐F127@Ti‐MOF‐Au/PEG‐TK‐DOX/PFD (abbr. HFTiDP) based on a "sonogenetic‐like technology" is developed, which encapsulates sonosensitizer (Ti‐MOF‐Au), chemotherapeutic prodrug (PEG‐TK‐DOX), and ECM‐solubilizing drug pirfenidone (PFD), to achieve high tissue penetration and endogenous intracellular regulation of IME. More importantly, exogenous ultrasound stimulation combined with a hydrogel delivery platform can affect drug resistance‐related gene/protein expressions and influence signal transduction pathways in the immune microenvironment, leading to promoting TAAs release to activate immunity, achieving high efficacy in either pancreatic or triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC), and remarkably inhibiting lung metastasis and splenomegaly. Overall, this work provides a novel strategy for an ultrasound‐mediated niche‐like delivery platform that offers high efficacy and biosafety in localized cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Gas embolism is a common complication of hysteroscopic surgery that causes serious concern among gynecologists and anesthesiologists due to the potential risk to patients. The factors influencing gas embolism in hysteroscopic surgery have been extensively studied. However, the effect of the oxygen concentration inhaled by patients on gas embolism during hysteroscopic surgery remains elusive. Therefore, we designed a double‐blind, randomized, controlled trial to determine whether different inhaled oxygen concentrations influence the occurrence of gas embolism during hysteroscopic surgery. Methods: This trial enrolled 162 adult patients undergoing elective hysteroscopic surgery who were randomly divided into three groups with inspired oxygen fractions of 30%, 50%, and 100%. Transthoracic echocardiography (four‐chamber view) was used to evaluate whether gas embolism occurred. Before the start of surgery, the four‐chamber view was continuously monitored. Results: The number of gas embolisms in the 30%, 50%, and 100% groups was 36 (69.2%), 30 (55.6%), and 24 (44.4%), respectively. The incidence of gas embolism gradually decreased with increasing inhaled oxygen concentration (P = 0.031). Conclusion: In hysteroscopic surgery, a higher oxygen concentration inhaled by patients may reduce the incidence of gas embolism, indicating that a higher inhaled oxygen concentration, especially 100%, could be recommended for patients during hysteroscopic surgery. Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=53779, Registration number: ChiCTR2000033202). Synopsis: In hysteroscopic surgery, a higher oxygen concentration inhaled by patients may reduce the incidence of gas embolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Weeds grow aggressively in agricultural fields, leading to reduced crop yields and an inability to meet the growing demand for food. Herbicides are currently the most effective method for weed control. However, the overuse of herbicides has resulted in the evolution of resistance mutants and has caused environmental pollution. Therefore, new technologies are urgently required to address this global challenge. RESULTS: We report a copper‐benzene‐1,4‐dicarboxylate metal organic framework (Cu‐BDC MOF)‐functionalized carboxyl hollow mesoporous silica (HMS‐COOH) delivery system for the pH‐controlled release of the acetyl‐CoA carboxylase (ACCase)‐inhibiting herbicide quizalofop‐p‐ethyl (QE). The delivery system (QE@HMS@Cu‐BDC) enabled the efficient control of barnyard grasses that are susceptible and resistant to ACCase‐inhibiting herbicides, which showed 93.33% and 88.33% FW control efficacy at 67.5 g ha−1, respectively. With the lowest pH value (3), QE and copper ion were released slowly to total 70.30% and 78.55% levels (respectively) from QE@HMS@Cu‐BDC after 89 h. QE@HMS@Cu‐BDC showed better absorption, conduction, transportation and ACCase activity inhibition performance than that of QE emulsifiable concentrate (EC) in both susceptible and ACCase‐herbicide resistant barnyard grasses. In addition, with the safener effect of carrier HMS@Cu‐BDC and the aid of the safener fenchlorazole‐ethyl (FE), the application of QE@HMS@Cu‐BDC was shown to mitigate the damage caused by QE to rice plants. CONCLUSION: This work found that the new material HMS‐COOH@Cu‐BDC can be used to mitigate herbicide‐induced oxidative stress and improve rice plant safety. Futhermore, the QE@HMS‐COOH@Cu‐BDC constructed in this research might be used as an efficient nanopesticide formulation for weed controls in paddy rice fields. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of III–V compound semiconductor materials and organic semiconductor materials to construct hybrid solar cells is a potential pathway to resolve the problems of conventional doped p–n junction solar cells, such as complexities in fabrication process and high costs. This review presents the recent progress of organic–inorganic hybrid solar cells based on polymers and III–V semiconductors, from materials to devices. The available growth process for planar/nanostructured III–V semiconductor materials, along with patterning and etching processes for nanostructured materials, are reviewed. As an emphasis of this review, advanced device structure designs are reviewed for facilitation of carrier collection and high efficiency, at planar structure level and nanowire structure level, respectively. Optimization pathways for efficiency enhancement are discussed with respect to polymer layers and surface/interface passivation, respectively. Finally, perspectives on the future development of such hybrid cells are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole genome sequencing for generating SNP data is increasingly used in population genetic studies. However, obtaining genomes for massive numbers of samples is still not within the budgets of many researchers. It is thus imperative to select an appropriate reference genome and sequencing depth to ensure the accuracy of the results for a specific research question, while balancing cost and feasibility. To evaluate the effect of the choice of the reference genome and sequencing depth on downstream analyses, we used five confamilial reference genomes of variable relatedness and three levels of sequencing depth (3.5×, 7.5× and 12×) in a population genomic study on two caddisfly species: Himalopsyche digitata and H. tibetana. Using these 30 datasets (five reference genomes × three depths × two target species), we estimated population genetic indices (inbreeding coefficient, nucleotide diversity, pairwise FST, and genome‐wide distribution of FST) based on variants and population structure (PCA and admixture) based on genotype likelihood estimates. The results showed that both distantly related reference genomes and lower sequencing depth lead to degradation of resolution. In addition, choosing a more closely related reference genome may significantly remedy the defects caused by low depth. Therefore, we conclude that population genetic studies would benefit from closely related reference genomes, especially as the costs of obtaining a high‐quality reference genome continue to decrease. However, to determine a cost‐efficient strategy for a specific population genomic study, a trade‐off between reference genome relatedness and sequencing depth can be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) with swelling ability were prepared via the free radical copolymerization of N‐vinyl imidazolium ionic liquids and divinylbenzene. Nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier‐transform infrared analyses confirmed the successful synthesis of PILs. The PILs were evaluated as demulsifiers for a model oil‐in‐water emulsion, where sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was used as a surfactant. The demulsification efficiencies of PILs increased from 18%, 34%, 92% to 99% with the alkyl chain of three‐substituents on imidazolium varied from n‐octyl, n‐hex1yl, n‐butyl to n‐ethyl, which positively related with the swelling ratios of PILs in the emulsion. The amounts of dodecyl sulfate and Br− in the aqueous phase after demulsification were analyzed by high‐pressure liquid chromatography and ion chromatography, respectively. The decreased amount of dodecyl sulfate coincided with the increased amount of Br−, indicating that the anion exchange between surfactant SDS and PILs was occurred. The PILs could be recycled by ion exchange with NaBr solution and the demulsification efficiencies did not show significant decline during five times of recycling. Meanwhile, P[VEIm]Br@4 Å zeolite prepared by loading poly(1‐vinyl‐3‐ethylimidazolium bromide) on 4 Å zeolite was used for continuous demulsification in the T type device. The T type device had stable fluxes (1083 L ·m−2 h−1) for various oil‐in‐water emulsions with excellent demulsification efficiencies (above 99%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Art painting is a very important major in China's education system. Under the background of the new era, the country vigorously promotes the modernization of education and the development of intelligence. Many subjects of teaching have been more mature and carried out intelligent teaching based on virtual reality technology. But throughout the art painting profession, the research on this aspect is almost blank. The main reason is that there are deep academic barriers between art painting and computer science. Therefore, this paper puts forward the application research of multi‐source information art painting fusion interactive 3D dynamic scene virtual reality technology. This paper deeply analyzes the needs of art painting and its teaching reform and believes that the existing virtual reality technology cannot adapt to the teaching environment of art painting. In view of the possible inaccurate calculation and other problems, this paper puts forward the optimization scheme. The core of the scheme is to use the information integration advantages of multi‐source information fusion to provide more comprehensive and complete object information for 3D modeling of virtual reality technology, so as to improve the imaging quality of virtual reality technology. In order to meet the requirement of high precision, the calculation method is optimized, the calculation steps are simplified, and the sensor selection is optimized again. This paper introduces the design principle and operation steps of the optimization method in detail. In order to further verify the actual effect of this method, comparative analysis method is used to test the comprehensive performance. In order to ensure the test quality, the median filtering algorithm and fuzzy algorithm are compared. Through the analysis and comparison of the data, the optimization method in this paper greatly improves the accuracy of calculation and the comprehensive performance is improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ni‐catalyzed decarbonylative borylation of (hetero)aryl carboxylic acids with B2cat2 has been achieved without recourse to any additives. This Ni‐catalyzed method exhibits a broad substrate scope covering poorly reactive non‐ortho‐substituted (hetero)aryl carboxylic acids, and tolerates diverse functional groups including some of the groups active to Ni0 catalysts. The key to achieve this decarbonylative borylation reaction is the choice of B2cat2 as a coupling partner that not only acts as a borylating reagent, but also chemoselectively activates aryl carboxylic acids towards oxidative addition of their C(acyl)−O bond to Ni0 catalyst via the formation of acyloxyboron compounds. A combination of experimental and computational studies reveals a detailed plausible mechanism for this reaction system, which involves a hitherto unknown concerted decarbonylation and reductive elimination step that generates the aryl boronic ester product. This mode of boron‐promoted carboxylic acid activation is also applicable to other types of reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) is one of the most destructive lepidopteran pests on cruciferous vegetables. However, resistance has emerged to current chemical and biological insecticides used for P. xylostella control, indicating the necessity of screening new targets on P. xylostella, and finding new insecticides against P. xylostella. In particular, octopamine receptors are representative G protein‐coupled receptors found only in invertebrates and are potential targets for identifying novel insecticides. RESULTS: A β‐adrenergic‐like octopamine receptor gene (PxOA2B1) was cloned, and its pharmacological characteristics in P. xylostella were studied. The results demonstrated that octopamine could activate the PxOA2B1 receptor, with a half‐maximal effective concentration (EC50) of 49.5 nm. Amitraz, an insecticide and acaricide, and its metabolite (N‐2,4‐dimethylphenyl‐N′‐methylformamidine; DPMF) were also found to act as PxOAB1R agonists. We synthesized phenyl imidazolidin‐2‐one derivatives 3a–h using DPMF as the lead compound, and compounds 3a–h showed similar antagonist activities as phentolamine, mianserin and chlorpromazine. In particular, 3d, with an EC50 of 25.2 nm, showed very similar antagonist activity to mianserin. CONCLUSION: This research found that PxOAB1R might be a potential target for P. xylostella control. Phenyl imidazolidin‐2‐ones could be novel potential antagonists targeted at octopamine receptors and would be useful tools for the design and development of novel insecticides. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Uncultivable microbial communities provide enormous reservoirs of enzymes, but their experimental identification by functional metagenomics is challenging, mainly due to the difficulty of screening enormous metagenomic libraries. Here, we propose a reliable and convenient ultrahigh‐throughput screening platform based on flow cytometric droplet sorting (FCDS). The FCDS platform employs water‐in‐oil‐in‐water double emulsion droplets serving as single‐cell enzymatic micro‐reactors and a commercially available flow cytometer, and it can efficiently isolate novel biocatalysts from metagenomic libraries by processing single cells as many as 108 per day. We demonstrated the power of this platform by screening a metagenomic library constructed from domestic running water samples. The FCDS assay screened 30 million micro‐reactors in only 1 h, yielding a collection of esterase genes. Among these positive hits, Est WY was identified as a novel esterase with high catalytic efficiency and distinct evolutionary origin from other lipolytic enzymes. Our study manifests that the FCDS platform is a robust tool for functional metagenomics, with the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of exploring novel enzymes from nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposed a new type of diffuser which can not only accelerate the wind approaching the turbine before wind velocity reaches the rated velocity, but also reduces the wind drag on the diffuser when wind velocity is overrated one. A passive adaptive flexible flange constructed of two flexible cantilevered plates is developed for the diffuser. The flow distribution around the diffuser equipped with a flexible flange, as well as the wind drag on the diffuser, varies with the deformation of the flexible flange under the wind drag. Wind tunnel experiments and numerical analysis are conducted to study the flow distribution around the diffuser and the corresponding wind drag on it at different wind velocities. Experimental results reveal that the drag reduction rate of the diffuser with the passive adaptive flexible flange is 17.9% at the velocity of 20 m/s. Numerical results overall match well with the experimental measurement, such as velocity and pressure distributions, although the simulated values are slightly lower than the experimental ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The purpose of this work is to build a general framework to reconstruct the underlying fields within a finite volume (FV) scheme solving a hyperbolic system of PDEs (Partial Differential Equations). In an FV context, the data are piecewise constants per computational cell and the physical fields are reconstructed taking into account neighbor cell values. These reconstructions are further used to evaluate the physical states usually used to feed a Riemann solver which computes the associated numerical fluxes. The physical field reconstructions must obey some properties linked to the system of PDEs such as the positivity, but also some numerically based ones, like an essentially nonoscillatory behavior. Moreover, the reconstructions should be highly accurate for smooth flows and robust/stable for discontinuous solutions. To ensure a solution property preserving reconstruction, we introduce a methodology to blend high‐/low‐order polynomials and hyperbolic tangent reconstructions. A boundary variation diminishing algorithm is employed to select the best reconstruction in each cell. An a posteriori MOOD detection procedure is employed to ensure the positivity by recomputing the rare problematic cells using a robust first‐order FV scheme. We illustrate the performance of the proposed scheme via the numerical simulations for some benchmark tests which involve vacuum or near vacuum states, strong discontinuities, and also smooth flows. The proposed scheme maintains high accuracy on smooth profile, preserves the positivity and can eliminate the oscillations in the vicinity of discontinuities while maintaining sharper discontinuity with superior solution quality compared to classical highly accurate FV schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: A two‐dimensional (2D) heterogeneous coupling nanoparticle composed of graphene oxide and zirconium phosphonate (GO‐ZrP) was synthesized layer by layer in a self‐assembly manner. A rigid layer of zirconium phosphonate can inhibit the curling of graphene oxide and then improve its dispersion. The GO‐ZrP was then applied to phenolic resin–based friction materials by blending and hot pressing to improve their friction properties. The results show that the phenolic resin–based friction materials modified by GO‐ZrP possess excellent tribological, mechanical, and thermal properties. Also, the specific wear rate of the material decreased nearly fivefold with the optimal loading, while the friction coefficient was basically stable. Synergistic effects between GO and ZrP nanosheets provide good prospects for the application of 2D nanofillers in friction materials. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46543. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The incorporation of β-carotene, one of the most common pigments or bioactives, into food formulations has attracted increasing interest from the food industry, due to its good nutrition and potential health effects. However, it is poorly soluble and unstable in water, which greatly limits its applications in foods. This work presented an effective approach to improve the water dispersibility, stability and even bioaccessibility of β-carotene, using soy protein isolate ( SPI) to perform as effective nanocarriers for this molecule. RESULTS The complexation with SPI remarkably improved the water dispersibility and stability against heating and freeze-drying of β-carotene. However, the encapsulation efficiency and stability of β-carotene in the nanocomplexes with SPI were closely dependent on the applied β-carotene-to-protein ratio, at which the complexation occurred. The best improvement of stability was observed at appropriate β-carotene-to-protein ratios, e.g. 10-20 g kg−1. The complexation with β-carotene mainly occurred on the surface of SPI nanoparticles, through hydrophobic interactions. The complexation resulted in inter-particle aggregation, in a concentration-dependent manner. Almost all of the β-carotene molecules in the nanocomplexes could be progressively released into the aqueous phase. CONCLUSION SPI exhibits a good potential to perform as a nanocarrier for enhanced water dispersibility, stability and bioaccessibility of β-carotene. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The midgut is an important site for both nutrient absorption and ionic regulation in lepidopteran larvae, major pests in agriculture. The larval lepidopteran midgut has become a potent insecticide target over the past few decades. Recent studies have shown that an insect neuropeptide, Manduca sexta allatotropin (Manse- AT), exhibits inhibition of active ion transport ( AIT) across the larval midgut epithelium. The full characteristic of the AIT inhibition capacity of Manse- AT is essential to assay. In this study, AIT inhibition across the M. sexta midgut by Manse- AT and its analogues in a range of concentrations was assayed. The structure-activity relationship of Manse- AT was also studied by truncated and alanine-replacement strategies. RESULTS Our results identified three residues, Thr4, Arg6 and Phe8, as the most important components for activity on the midgut. Replacement of Glu1, Met2 and Met3 reduced the potency of the analogues. The conservative substitution of Gly7 with alanine had little effect on the potency of the analogues. We demonstrated for the first time that Manse- AT (10-13) behaves as a potent antagonist in vitro on active ion transport across the epithelium of the posterior midgut in M. sexta. CONCLUSION Structure-activity studies of Manse- AT are useful in developing lead compounds for the design and testing of synthetic antagonists, ultimately to develop potent and specific pest control strategies. Manse- AT (10-13) has been discovered as the first Manse- AT antagonist, with a significant effect and a short sequence compared with other insect neuropeptides. It may be a new potential pest control agent in the future. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT An important aspect in development of multi-scale reinforced composites is their mass production which can be easily realized. In this article, the sepiolites (Si12O30Mg8(OH)4(OH2)4·8H2O) are directly deposited onto the surface of JH-T800 carbon fibers for the first time with no need for removal of the commercial sizing agent. The sepiolites adhering to the carbon fibers are uniformly distributed with random orientation, and participated in the formation of high modulus intermediate layer encompassing the carbon fiber. After the deposition of sepiolites, the interfacial shear strengths (IFSS) of the carbon fiber/epoxy composites are significantly improved as shown in single-fiber composite fragmentation tests. Compared to the commercial carbon fiber composites, the sepiolite-deposited fiber composites also exhibit obvious improvement in the interlaminar shear strength and flexural strength. As a new kind of multi-scale reinforcement with industrial application value, the sepiolite-deposited carbon fibers can further raise the level of mechanical properties of the existing carbon fiber reinforced composites. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43955. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the leading causative pathogen of gastroenteritis often related to contaminated seafood. Photodynamic inactivation has been recently proposed as a strategy for killing cells and viruses. The objective of this study was to verify the bactericidal effects caused by photodynamic inactivation using methylene blue ( MB) over V. parahaemolyticus via flow cytometry, agarose gel electrophoresis and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Vibrio parahaemolyticus counts were determined using the most probable number method. A scanning electron microscope and a transmission electron microscope were employed to intuitively analyze internal and external cell structure. RESULTS Combination of MB and laser treatment significantly inhibited the growth of V. parahaemolyticus. The inactivation rate of V. parahaemolyticus was >99.99% and its counts were reduced by 5 log10 in the presence of 0.05 mg mL−1 MB when illuminated with visible light (power density 200 mW cm−2) for 25 min. All inactivated cells showed morphological changes, leakage of cytoplasm and degradation of protein and DNA. CONCLUSION Results from this study indicated that photodynamic technology using MB produced significant inactivation of V. parahaemolyticus mainly brought about by the degradation of protein and DNA. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Microencapsulation is an effective strategy to improve the storage stability of β -carotene. This article investigated the potential and effectiveness of soy protein isolate (SPI) and octenylsuccinic anhydride-modified starch (MS), alone or in combination (1:1, w/w), to encapsulate β -carotene by spray drying. The results indicated that the microcapsule with MS exhibited much lower encapsulation efficiency (NE) and poorer dissolution behavior, but much better redispersion behavior, than that with SPI or its blends with MS. The NE was basically unaffected by total solid content (TC) or core/wall ratio; increasing the TC impaired the dissolution and/or redispersion behavior. The dispersion behavior was closely associated with the morphology of the microcapsules. The encapsulated β -carotene suffered a progressive loss upon storage under high humid or temperature environment, but it exhibited extraordinary stability at low temperatures (e.g., 4°C). The β -carotene degradation was independent of sunlight. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40399. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: borylation; carboxylic acid activation; decarbonylative cross-coupling; DFT studies; nickel catalysis EN borylation carboxylic acid activation decarbonylative cross-coupling DFT studies nickel catalysis 1 1 1 11/02/21 20211108 NES 211108 B Borylation b The activation of aryl carboxylic acids by diboron reagents towards nickel-catalyzed direct decarbonylative borylation is reported by Xiaotai Wang, Weiping Su et al. in their Research Article on page 24510. Borylation, carboxylic acid activation, decarbonylative cross-coupling, DFT studies, nickel catalysis Frontispiece: Activation of Aryl Carboxylic Acids by Diboron Reagents towards Nickel-Catalyzed Direct Decarbonylative Borylation. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection in tumor cells is generally restricted to the latent forms of viral infection. Switching the latent form of viral infection into the lytic form may induce tumor cell death. An important nuclear factor, nuclear factor (NF)-κB, is thought to play an essential role in EBV lytic infection; high levels of NF-κB can inhibit EBV lytic replication. In this study, we tested the effect of inducing EBV lytic replication using two NF-κB inhibitors: Bay11-7082 and Z-LLF-CHO, to reveal the possibility of targeting EBV-positive cancer therapy with these two NF-κB inhibitors. Our results showed that Bay11-7082 and Z-LLF-CHO reactivated EBV in a dose-dependent manner, thus resulting in EBV-positive 5-8F cell death. In contrast, there was no significant effect on EBV-negative HNE3 cells. When ganciclovir was used in combination with either Bay11-7082 or Z-LLF-CHO to treat 5-8F cells, the cytotoxic effect of the NF-κB inhibitor was amplified. The finding indicates that inhibiting the NF-κB activity of EBV-positive cells can induce lytic replication of EBV and cause lytic cytotoxicity against these cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Three diploid ( Triticum boeoticum, AA; Aegilops speltoides, BB and Ae. tauschii, DD), two tetraploid (T. dicoccoides, AABB and T. dicoccon, AABB) and one hexaploid (T. vulgare, AABBDD) varieties of wheat, which are very important in the evolution of wheat were chosen in this study. A pot experiment was carried out on the wheat under different water and nutrient conditions (i) to understand the differences in biomass, yield, water use efficiency (WUE), and nutrient (N, P and K) use efficiency (uptake and utilization efficiency) among ploidies in the evolution of wheat; (ii) to clarify the effect of water and nutrient conditions on water and nutrient use efficiency; and (iii) to assess the relationship of water and nutrient use efficiency in the evolution of wheat. Our results showed that from diploid to tetraploid then to hexaploid during the evolution of wheat, both root biomass and above-ground biomass increased initially and then decreased. Water consumption for transpiration decreased remarkably, correlating with the decline of the growth period, while grain yield, harvest index, WUE, N, P and K uptake efficiency, and N, P and K utilization efficiency increased significantly. Grain yield, harvest index and WUE decreased in the same order: T. vulgare > T. dicoccon > T. dicoccoides > Ae. tauschii > Ae. speltoides > T. boeoticum. Water stress significantly decreased root biomass, above-ground biomass, yield, and water consumption for transpiration by 47–52%, but remarkably increased WUE. Increasing the nutrient supply increased wheat above-ground biomass, grain yield, harvest index, water consumption for transpiration and WUE under different water levels, but reduced root biomass under drought conditions. Generally, water stress and low nutrient supply resulted in the lower nutrient uptake efficiency of wheat. However, water and nutrient application had no significant effects on nutrient utilization efficiency, suggesting that wheat nutrient utilization efficiency is mainly controlled by genotypes. Compared to the other two diploid wheats, Ae. squarrosa (DD) had significant higher WUE and nutrient utilization efficiency, indicating that the D genome may carry genes controlling high efficient utilization of water and nutrient. Significant relationships were found between WUE and N, P and K utilization efficiency. (Handling editor: Jin-Zhong Cui) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A better understanding of the mechanisms of water uptake by plant roots should be vital for improving drought resistance and water use efficiency (WUE). In the present study, we have demonstrated correlations between root system hydraulic conductivity and root characteristics during evolution using six wheat evolution genotypes (solution culture) with different ploidy chromosome sets(Triticum boeoticumBioss.,T. monococcumL.: 2n=2x=14;T. dicoccidesKoern.,T. dicoccon(Schrank) Schuebl.: 2n= 4x= 28;T. vulgareVill.,T. aestivumL. cv. Xiaoyan No. 6: 2n= 6x= 42). The experimental results showed that significant correlations were found between root system hydraulic conductivity and root characteristics of the materials with the increase in ploidy chromosomes (2x→6x) during wheat evolution. Hydraulic conductivity of the wheat root system at the whole-plant level was increased with chromosome ploidy during evolution, which was positively correlated with hydraulic conductivity of single roots, whole plant biomass, root average diameter, and root growth (length, area), whereas the root/shoot ratio had an inverse correlation with the hydraulic conductivity of root system with increasing chromosome ploidy during wheat evolution. Therefore, it is concluded that that the water uptake ability of wheat roots was strengthened from wild to modern cultivated species during evolution, which will provide scientific evidence for genetic breeding to improve the WUE of wheat by genetic engineering.(Managing editor: Ya-Qin HAN) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]