Search

Superhydrophobic/superoleophilic kitchen sponge has been fabricated successfully with water contact angle (WCA) about 153°, and organic solvent contact angle (CA) almost 0°. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray spectra (EDX) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were investigated respectively to characterize the surface morphology and chemical compositions. The superhydrophobic/superoleophilic kitchen sponge can easily remove organic solvent from water, such as chloroform, toluene, hexane, diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, peanut oil, and the adsorption capacity was about 28~59 times of the sponge's own weight. The recyclability of the superhydrophobic/superoleophilic sponge was very good even after 10 times. The absorbed oil can be removed by immersing into ethanol solution for 3 times and drying for 20 min at 50 °C. This superhydrophobic/superoleophilic sponge can also be used to separate various oil from water, such as chloroform and hexane, no matter heavy oil or light oil. Its excellent performance will offer important potential values for various applications and facilitate its industrialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Diabetes is an important risk factor for periodontitis, and circular RNA (circRNA) may play an important role in aggravating inflammation and accelerating disease progression by regulating miRNA/mRNA. This study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of the hsa_circ_0084054/miR‐508‐3p/PTEN axis in the progression of periodontitis with diabetes. Methods: First, circRNA sequencing was used to screen the differentially expressed circRNAs of periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs) treated with high glucose and/or Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vitro, and the overtly differentially expressed hsa_circ_0084054 was selected and was also verified in periodontal ligament (PDL) tissue from periodontitis patients with diabetes. Then, its ring structure was tested by Sanger sequencing, RNase R, and actinomycin D assays. The bioinformatics analysis, dual luciferase reporter assay, and RIP assay were used to explore the interaction of hsa_circ_0084054/miR‐508‐3p/PTEN axis, whose effects on inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis of PDLCs were evaluated through the measurement of inflammatory factors, reactive oxygen species (ROS), total superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and Annexin V/PI assay. Results: By high‐throughput sequencing, it was found that hsa_circ_0084054 was significantly increased in HG + LPS group compared with control group and LPS group, which was also verified in periodontal ligament (PDL) tissue from periodontitis patients with diabetes. Silencing hsa_circ_0084054 in PDLCs decreased the expression of inflammatory factors (IL‐1β, IL‐6, TNF‐α), the levels of ROS and MDA, and the proportion of apoptotic cells; conversely, SOD activity was enhanced. In addition, we found that hsa_circ_0084054 could up‐regulate the expression of PTEN through sponge miR‐508‐3p to inhibit AKT phosphorylation, finally trigger the aggravation of oxidative stress and inflammation in periodontitis patients with diabetes. Conclusion: hsa_circ_0084054 can aggravate inflammation and promote the progression of periodontitis with diabetes by regulating miR‐508‐3p/PTEN signaling axis, which may serve as a new target for the intervention of periodontitis with diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Limited studies are available comparing the outcomes of non‐surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) with or without adjunctive Er:YAG laser (ERL) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study evaluated the effects of ERL adjunctive NSPT on single‐rooted teeth of inadequately controlled T2DM patients with periodontitis. Methods: Twenty‐two inadequately controlled T2DM participants with periodontitis were recruited. Adopting a double‐blinded split‐mouth design and under block randomization, we investigated the effects of ERL in calculus removal then degranulation mode, or a sham treatment, adjunct NSPT, which included two visits of full‐mouth root surface debridement delivered within 4–10 days, to test or control single‐rooted teeth (Wuxi Stomatology Hospital, trial 2017‐016). We followed periodontal parameters (plaque %, bleeding on probing [BOP] %, probing pocket depth [PPD], probing attachment level [PAL]) and selected systemic parameters (fasting plasma glucose [FPG], glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA1c%], high sensitivity C‐reactive protein) at baseline, one, three, and six months after periodontal treatment. Results: The study was completed as planned. Periodontal parameters, FPG and HbA1c% of the 22 participants appeared significantly improved at six months (p < 0.001). The 44 ERL treated, compared to 44 sham treated single‐rooted teeth exhibited significant improvement in BOP, mean PPD, and mean PAL at various postoperative follow‐up time points (effect size ≥0.44; p < 0.001). No adverse event was reported. Conclusion: Periodontal treatment outcomes in the T2DM patients with inadequate glycemic control were better in the single‐rooted teeth received ERL adjunct NSPT. Further studies are warranted to confirm the observations reported in this short‐term clinical study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immoral behaviors make individuals abominate and punish transgressors. Inspired by the associations between the Val66Met polymorphism of brain‐derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) gene and emotional responses following negative events, we investigated whether this polymorphism was also associated moral emotions such as punishment and forgiveness following interpersonal transgression. To do so, we categorized 340 individuals according to the BDNF Val66Met and assessed moral emotions by using 12 hypothetic scenarios in different conditions of intention and interpersonal consequence. The results indicated that this polymorphism was significantly associated with moral aversion and punishment towards transgressors. Victims with the Val/Val genotype expressed less aversion and punishment than the Met carriers, regardless of intention and interpersonal consequence. Moreover, this polymorphism was associated with forgiveness. Victims with the Val/Val genotype expressed more forgiveness than the Met carriers. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of the BDNF Val66Met to moral emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic control of liquid wetting behavior on smart surfaces has attracted considerable concern owing to their important applications in directional motion, confined wetting and selective separation. Despite much progress in this regard, there still remains challenges in dynamic liquid droplet manipulation with fast response, no loss and anti‐contamination. Herein, a strategy to achieve dynamic droplet manipulation and transportation on the electric field adaptive superhydrophobic elastomer surface is demonstrated. The superhydrophobic elastomer surface is fabricated by combining the micro/nanostructured clusters of hydrophobic TiO2 nanoparticles with the elastomer film, on which the micro/nanostructure can be dynamically and reversibly tuned by electric field due to the electric field adaptive deformation of elastomer film. Accordingly, fast and reversible transition of wetting state between Cassie state and Wenzel state and tunable adhesion on the surface via electric field induced morphology transformation can be obtained. Moreover, the motion states of the surface droplets can be controlled dynamically and precisely, such as jumping and pinning, catching and releasing, and controllable liquid transfer without loss and contamination. Thus this work would open the avenue for dynamic liquid manipulation and transportation, and gear up the broad application prospects in liquid transfer, selective separation, anti‐fog, anti‐ice, microfluidics devices, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Traditional genetic studies focus on identifying genetic variants associated with the mean difference in a quantitative trait. Because genetic variants also influence phenotypic variation via heterogeneity, we conducted a variance‐heterogeneity genome‐wide association study to examine the contribution of variance heterogeneity to oil‐related quantitative traits. We identified 79 unique variance‐controlling single nucleotide polymorphisms (vSNPs) from the sequences of 77 candidate variance‐heterogeneity genes for 21 oil‐related traits using the Levene test (P < 1.0 × 10−5). About 30% of the candidate genes encode enzymes that work in lipid metabolic pathways, most of which define clear expression variance quantitative trait loci. Of the vSNPs specifically associated with the genetic variance heterogeneity of oil concentration, 89% can be explained by additional linked mean‐effects genetic variants. Furthermore, we demonstrated that gene × gene interactions play important roles in the formation of variance heterogeneity for fatty acid compositional traits. The interaction pattern was validated for one gene pair (GRMZM2G035341 and GRMZM2G152328) using yeast two‐hybrid and bimolecular fluorescent complementation analyses. Our findings have implications for uncovering the genetic basis of hidden additive genetic effects and epistatic interaction effects, and we indicate opportunities to stabilize efficient breeding and selection of high‐oil maize (Zea mays L.). Significance Statement: This work validated the additive manner in which oil concentration is inherited, and can be used to guide the selection of haplotypes for improvement of oil concentration even with low phenotypic variability. However, gene × gene interaction plays a major role in the formation of variance heterogeneity of fatty acid compositional traits, which will allow modification of breeding selection plans to achieve the most efficient means of creating maize lines with the desired fatty acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Maize (Zea mays mays) oil is a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (FAs) and energy, making it a valuable resource for human food, animal feed, and bio‐energy. Although this trait has been studied via conventional genome‐wide association study (GWAS), the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)‐trait associations generated by GWAS may miss the underlying associations when traits are based on many genes, each with small effects that can be overshadowed by genetic background and environmental variation. Detecting these SNPs statistically is also limited by the levels set for false discovery rate. A complementary pathways analysis that emphasizes the cumulative aspects of SNP‐trait associations, rather than just the significance of single SNPs, was performed to understand the balance of lipid metabolism, conversion, and catabolism in this study. This pathway analysis indicated that acyl‐lipid pathways, including biosynthesis of wax esters, sphingolipids, phospholipids and flavonoids, along with FA and triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthesis, were important for increasing oil and FA content. The allelic variation found among the genes involved in many degradation pathways, and many biosynthesis pathways leading from FAs and carbon partitioning pathways, was critical for determining final FA content, changing FA ratios and, ultimately, to final oil content. The pathways and pathway networks identified in this study, and especially the acyl‐lipid associated pathways identified beyond what had been found with GWAS alone, provide a real opportunity to precisely and efficiently manipulate high‐oil maize genetic improvement. Significance Statement: This pathway analysis provided insights into the genetic basis of lipid metabolism, beyond what could be detected via GWAS alone, and indicated specific opportunities to precisely and efficiently manipulate high‐oil maize genetic improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural practices could affect bacterial diversity and community structure by altering soil physical and chemical properties. Straw returning and tillage practices are widely used in agriculture, however, the effects of these agricultural practices on microbiomes are still unclear. In the present study, we compared the 18 bacterial communities of soil with different straw returning and tillage treatment combinations. The V3–V4 regions of the 16S ribosomal RNA were amplified and analyzed by high‐throughput sequencing technology. The results showed that the bacterial communities were consistently dominated by Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Chloroflexi. Short‐term straw returning and tillage practices significantly altered the diversity, relative abundance and functions of the soil microbiome. Soil subjected to rotary tillage and straw returning (RTS) combination possessed the highest bacterial diversity and lowest ratio of G+/G‐ bacteria, indicating that RTS could be an efficient integrated management system to improve microbiome in the short term. Double verifications based on relative abundance and network analysis, revealed close relationships of Mycobacterium and Methylibium with RTS, indicating they could serve as biomarkers for RTS. Investigating microbial changes under different agricultural practices will provide valuable foundations for land sustainable utilization and increase crop yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driving a liquid droplet with control of directional motion on a solid surface, by introducing a surface wettability gradient or external stimuli, has attracted considerable research attention. There still remain challenges, however, due to the slow response rate and slow speed of continuous liquid droplet motion on the structured surface. Here, an approach to continuously drive the underwater oil droplet with control of directional motion by the cooperative effects of an electric field and the gradient of a porous polystyrene microstructure is demonstrated. The gradient microstructure induces the liquid droplet to take on an asymmetrical shape, causing unbalanced pressure on both ends to orient the droplet for motion in a particular direction. Meanwhile, the electric field decreases the contact area and the corresponding viscous drag between the droplet and the gradient-structured surface. Then, the unbalanced pressure pushes the underwater oil droplet to move directionally and continuously at a certain voltage. This work provides a new strategy to control underwater oil droplets and realize unidirectional motion. It is also promising for the design of new smart interface materials for applications such as electrofluidic displays, biological cell and particle manipulation, and other types of microfluidic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Directional motion of fluid droplets is attracting considerable research attention. Despite much progress in this field, electrowetting‐based stiction switch that drives unidirectional transport of an underwater oil droplet or air bubble on a wire surface is still a challenge to realize. Here, a strategy to collect and unidirectionally transport an underwater oil droplet or air bubble on a porous polystyrene (PS) film‐coated copper wire surface through the combination of electrowetting‐induced stiction switch and buoyancy is demonstrated. The porous PS film‐coated copper wire fabricated by the breath figure method at a relative humidity of 75% can catch and hold an underwater oil droplet or air bubble without applied voltage. With increasing applied voltage, the stiction of the underwater oil droplet or air bubble on the porous PS film surface weakens because water increasingly wets the film surface. The underwater oil droplet or air bubble can move unidirectionally on the porous PS film‐coated wire surface upward or downward at a voltage larger than its critical voltage according to whether its density is lower or higher than that of water. This work should aid the development of devices displaying electrowetting‐based changes for use in fluid collection, manipulation, unidirectional transfer, release, and removal. A strategy to collect and unidirectionally transport underwater fluid droplet by the cooperation of electrowetting‐induced stiction switch and buoyance on the porous polystyrene film‐coated copper wire is demonstrated. The underwater fluid droplet on the porous film can be caught and released via varying electric field, which is promising for applications in liquid manipulation and unidirectional transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On page 7986, D. Tian, X. Zhang, Z. Guo, and co‐workers demonstrate the directional motion of underwater oil droplets driven by the cooperative effects of an electric field and a gradient‐structured porous PS film. The approach is promising for the design of new smart interface materials for applications in electrofluidic displays, biological cells, and particle manipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]