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As a promising solid electrolyte for thin-film lithium batteries, the amorphous Li0.33La0.56TiO3 (LLTO) thin film has gained great interest. However, enhancing ionic conductivity remains challenging in the field. Here, a systematical study was performed to improve the ionic conductivity of sputter-deposited LLTO thin films via the optimization of processing atmosphere and temperature. By combining the optimized oxygen partial pressure (30%), annealing temperature (300 °C), and annealing atmosphere (air), an amorphous LLTO thin film with an ionic conductivity of 5.32 × 10−5 S·cm−1 at room temperature and activation energy of 0.26 eV was achieved. The results showed that, first, the oxygen partial pressure should be high enough to compensate for the oxygen loss, but low enough to avoid the abusive oxygen scattering effect on lithium precursors that results in a lithium-poor composition. The oxygen partial pressure needs to achieve a balance between lithium loss and oxygen defects to improve the ionic conductivity. Second, a proper annealing temperature reduces the oxygen defects of LLTO thin films while maintaining its amorphous state, which improves the ionic conductivity. Third, the highest ionic conductivity for the LLTO thin films that were annealed in air (a static space without a gas stream) occurs because of the decreased lithium loss and oxygen defects during annealing. These findings show that the lithium-ion concentration and oxygen defects affect the ionic conductivity for amorphous LLTO thin films, which provides insight into the optimization of LLTO thin-film solid electrolytes, and generates new opportunities for their application in thin-film lithium batteries.

To investigate the decay extent of wooden components in the ancient buildings of Danxia Temple, the absorption peak intensities, changes in chemical components, and cellulose crystallinity of red oak (Quercus sp.), birch (Betula sp.), and maple (Pterocarya sp.) wooden components were determined and analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The results are as follows: (1) The absorption peak intensities representing cellulose and hemicellulose decreased or disappeared obviously in the decayed red oak wood (DROW); on the contrary, those representing lignin increased. The indexes of the content of cellulose, hemicellulose, and cellulose crystallinity also decreased; on the contrary, those of the content of lignin increased. Those results indicated that cellulose and hemicellulose in DROW were largely degraded by brown-rot fungi. (2) The absorption peak intensities representing cellulose and hemicellulose decreased both in the decayed birch wood (DBW) and the decayed maple wood (DMW), whereas those representing lignin increased. The indexes of the content of cellulose, hemicellulose, and cellulose crystallinity also decreased, whereas those of lignin increased. Those results showed that cellulose and hemicellulose in DBW and DMW were seriously harmed not only by insects but also by brown-rot fungi. By comparison, the extent of fungal damage was lower in DMW than in DBW.

Tracing pedogenic processes is fundamental for reconstructing climatic and environmental changes using loess deposits. Lithium isotopes can serve as a sensitive tracer to unravel these processes, owing to its active behaviors without effect by redox and biological reactions. This study investigated the Li contents and δ7Li values of leachate and residue ([Li]leachate, [Li]residue, δ7Lileachate and δ7Liresidue) of the upper 12.5 m Luochuan loess-paleosol sediment (since the last interglacial) on the Chinese Loess Plateau, in order to better understand pedogenic processes in loess. The [Li]leachate, varying from 0.39 to 1.97 μg/g, is mainly derived from the adsorption phase, with a significant variation in δ7Lileachate, from −6.55‰ to +12.88‰. Both [Li]leachate and δ7Lileachate variations reflect weathering and adsorption processes during different periods. The [Li]residue vary from 34.4 to 46.3 μg/g (averaging 38.4 μg/g) and their δ7Liresidue vary from −3.66‰ to +2.44‰ (averaging −0.22 ± 1.68‰), both in agreement with the upper continental crust values. At initial stage after loess deposited (stage I), high [Li]leachate but low δ7Lileachate are results of preferential adsorption of 6Li by clays and migration of 7Li with soil solution during weathering and eluviation processes. When overlying loess was deposited and experienced pedogenesis as the stage I, 7Li migrated downward and was adsorbed by clays (stage II), resulting in high [Li]leachate and δ7Lileachate in underlying loess. When loess has superimposed pedogenic and adsorption processes as the stages I and II, loess became as paleosol with highest δ7Lileachate in underlying carbonate accumulation layer. A persistent increase in δ7Lileachate indicates dominant control of post-depositional adsorptions on Li fractionation along solution migrations during weathering and eluviation of overlying deposits, and vice versa. These results highlight that variations in [Li]leachate and δ7Lileachate can be used to trace soil water migration processes and the magnitude of pedogenic processes in loess-paleosol sediment at different periods.

This study presents a method for high-precision stable potassium (K) isotope analysis using multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) without a collision cell in low-resolution mode. The cold plasma technique (RF power of ∼600 W) combined with wet plasma was used to suppress the formation of argon hydrides, which are direct isobaric interference to K ions. The remaining ArH+ interference was deducted by measurements from the blank acid before and after each measurement. Using this analytical method, precision of better than 0.08‰ (2SD) for 41K/39K could be achieved based on routine measurements of pure K solution during a six-month period. The effects of matrix elements, acid strength, ArH+ percentage and concentration mismatch on the precision of the K isotope measurement were also evaluated. Mismatches in K concentration (up to 20%) between samples and bracketing standards did not affect the precision and accuracy significantly, whereas the precision and accuracy were very sensitive to mismatches in acid molarity. Thus, the same batch of acid is needed to dissolve samples and bracketing standards. The measured potassium isotopic compositions of international rock standards using the present method agreed well, within analytical precisions, with previously reported values. We believe that this contribution will accelerate the output efficiency of K isotope data and motivate the use of potassium isotopes as potential tracers in geosciences.

Currently, energy-efficient electrocatalytic oxygen evolution from water involves the use of noble metal oxides. Here, we show that highly p-conducting zinc cobaltite spinel Zn1.2Co1.8O3.5 offers an enhanced electrocatalytic activity for oxygen evolution. We refer to previous studies on sputtered Zn–Co spinels with optimized conductivity for implementation as (p-type) transparent conducting oxides. Based on that, we manufacture off-stoichiometric conducting p-spinel catalytic anodes on tetragonal Ti, Au–Ti and hexagonal Al-doped ZnO carriers and report the evolution of O2 at Tafel slopes between 40.5 and 48 mV dec−1 and at overpotentials between 0.35 and 0.43 V (at 10 mA cm−2). The anodic stability, i.e., 50 h of continuous O2 electrolysis in 1 M KOH, suggests that increasing the conductivity is advantageous for electrolysis, particularly for reducing the ohmic losses and ensuring activity across the entire surface. We conclude by pointing out the merits of improving p-doping in Zn–Co spinels by optimized growth on a tetragonal Ti-carrier and their application as dimension-stable 3d-metal anodes., Zinc cobaltite spinels show enhanced electrocatalytic activity for oxygen evolution. The spinels evolve O2 at Tafel slopes between 40.5 and 48 mV dec−1 and at overpotentials between 0.35 and 0.43 V at 10 mA cm−2. Their stability underlines their utility as 3d-metal anodes.

The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer is pivotal for stable lithium (Li) metal batteries especially under a high rate. However, the mechanism of Li+ transport through the SEI has not been clearly elucidated to build robust Li anodes for practical Li metal batteries. Herein, an artificial hybrid SEI layer consisting of lithium-antimony (Li3Sb) alloy and lithium fluoride (LiF) is constructed to explore the ion diffusion behaviors within the SEI. As evidenced theoretically and experimentally, Li3Sb is identified as a superionic conductor for Li+ transport and as an interfacial stabilizer for the SEI layer while the LiF component with superior electron-blocking capability reduces the electron tunneling from the Li anode into the SEI, resulting in uniform dendrite-free Li deposition at the SEI/Li interface and stable Li plating/stripping behaviors at an ultrahigh rate of 20 mA cm−2. A practical 325.28 W h kg−1 pouch cell is well demonstrated under a high sulfur loading of 6 mg cm−2 and a low electrolyte/sulfur ratio of 3 μl mg−1. This work uncovers the internal mechanism of Li+ transport within the SEI component, and provides an avenue to stabilize the Li anode under practical high-rate conditions.

The alkali metal salts of m-bromocinnamic acid and their photodimerization products are analyzed by solid-state NMR. Cesium, rubidium, and potassium salts show well-resolved signals in the 13C CPMA...

In order to investigate the decay mechanism in red oak (Quercus rubra) and Schima (Schima spp.) wood in the ancient building of Xichuan Guild Hall, the changes in chemical composition were determined using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The results were as follows: (1) The absorption peak intensities that represented the structural contribution of carbohydrates, and the crystallinity index of the cellulose in the red oak components, decreased noticeably by 55.70 percent in H1039/H1508, and 26.85 percent in H1370/H2900; while those of lignin were increased as a result of the brown rot process. These changes indicated that the brown-rot fungi had stronger degradation effects on hemicellulose and cellulose over lignin. (2) The absorption peak intensities of the carbohydrates (a part of the lignin) and the crystallinity index of the cellulose decreased noticeably by 22.50 percent in H1039/H1508, 25.00 percent in H1508/H1735, and 21.74 percent in H1429/H897 after white rot in the Schima wood components. These findings indicated that not only cellulose and hemicellulose but also lignin were attacked by white-rot fungi. By comparison, the extent of fungal damage in the wood components was lower in the Schima wood components than that in the red oak components.

To investigate the decay mechanisms of red oak (Quercus rubra) and hemor (Schima spp.) woods in the old architectural structure of Xichuan Guild Hall, chemical composition changes were determined and analyzed with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that decaying resulted in a noticeable decrease of the O/C from 0.59 to 0.42 in the red oak wooden components. The increase of C1 contribution, decrease of C4 contribution, increase of O1 and O3 contributions, and decrease of O2 contribution indicated that the carbohydrates in red oak wooden components can be easily degraded by fungi compared with lignin. Moreover, decaying resulted in a slight decrease of the O/C from 0.49 to 0.47 in the hemor wooden components. The results of increase of C1 contribution, decrease of C3 and C4 contributions, increase of O1, and decrease of O2 and O3 contributions indicated that carbohydrate and lignin were all degraded by fungi.

The Zn-doped LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 samples were prepared by a simple sol–gel method combined with calcination at certain temperature. The crystal structure, morphology, and lithium storage performance of as-prepared materials were studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and galvanostatic charge/discharge tests. The Zn-doped samples kept same structure as that of LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 and took on morphology of nanoirregular cubes with length of 50–200 nm. The electrochemical performances for the Zn-doped LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 were improved obviously. Especially, the sample doped with 6% Zn (LNCM-0.06Zn) behaved with higher reversible capacity and better cycle performances (It maintained reversible capacity as 173 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.5 C and 118 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles, even at high rate of 8 C). So LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 doped with suitable amount of Zn is a promising cathode for lithium-ion battery application.

Polyphenols are bioactive compounds occurring in plant foods, which are considered significant owing to their contribution to human health and the prevention of chronic diseases. Phenolic compounds mainly depend on plant food structure and the interaction with other food constituents, mostly proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. The interaction with the food matrices can obstruct or enhance nutrient accessibility and availability and even impair others. Food digestion is a complex process where ingested foods are converted to nutrients via mechanical and enzymatic alterations. The absorption of nutrients predominantly occurs in the small and large intestine, respectively. The metabolised product, however, is the main bioactive component due to their ability to enter the systemic circulation and reach the targeted organs. There is limited knowledge on the cellular uptake, phenolic metabolite, and polyphenolic effect in the gastrointestinal ecosystem. Therefore, improved understanding of the biological properties and stages of dietary phenols is essential for the effective utilization of their therapeutic potentials. This review will explore, summarise, and collate current information on how polyphenols influence nutrient metabolism, bioavailability, and the biotransformation stages.

Nattokinase was produced and enriched with selenium by liquid fermentation in a flask culture. Different concentrations of Na2SeO3 (0, 1, 5, 15, 30, 60 and 120 mg/L) were analysed for optimization purpose. Results demonstrated that addition of Na2SeO3 up to 5 mg/L significantly (P

The widespread use of metal-air batteries for mobile applications will require reduced Pt loading and enhanced catalytic activity within their cathodes to drive the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Despite tremendous efforts, however, elegant bottom-up synthesis of practical nanomaterials remains highly challenging. Here, we propose “in-situ observation” as a novel descriptor to nicely bridge the adsorbates coverage and the oxygen reduction activity of Pt-based catalysts. In-situ X-ray powder diffraction characterization directly observed the ORR process and the evident change of the (111) peak intensity shows continuous oxygen adsorption on the catalyst surface. As expected, the catalyst exhibiting the greatest intensity change delivers the best oxygen reduction activity with a half-wave potential of 0.92 ​V versus reversible hydrogen electrode and an excellent bifunctional performance with a small potential difference of 0.75 ​V. Once assembled as the cathode catalyst, both aqueous and all-solid-state zinc-air battery illustrate high power density and superior cycling stability, holding great potential as a novel energy supply for wearable electronics. The cutting-edge in-situ observation is thus identified as a valid activity descriptor to guide less empirical synthesis of enhanced ORR electrocatalysts.

Targeted gene expression in plants allows us to further study biological traits of interest, such as reproductive and developmental processes. Here, the tobacco TA29 anther-specific promoter was used to direct the expression of the ricin enzymatic subunit A (RTA) in transgenic tobacco plants, phenotypic analysis of the resulting positive transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) plants demonstrated that RTA expression led to a reduction in pistil length and shriveling of anthers, as well as the grayish-brown color of anthers, the reduced pollen viability and male sterility. For the first time, a plant-derived ricin gene enzymatic subunit A (RTA) expression system under the tissue-specific promoter was demonstrated to be sensitive and efficient in controlling plant sterility and creating male-sterile materials. Consequently, it could be used to control other agronomic traits and produce hybrid seeds in plants in the future.

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is an inducible cytoprotective enzyme that degrades heme into free iron, carbon monoxide and biliverdin, which is then rapidly converted into bilirubin. These degradation products serve an important role in the regulation of inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis. While the expression level of HO-1 is typically low in most cells, it may be highly expressed when induced by a variety of stimulating factors, a process that contributes to the regulation of cell homeostasis. In the 5′-non-coding region of the HO-1 gene, there are two polymorphic sites, namely the (GT)n dinucleotide and T(−413)A single nucleotide polymorphism sites, which regulate the transcriptional activity of HO-1. These polymorphisms have been shown to be closely associated with the occurrence and progression of numerous diseases, including cardiovascular, pulmonary, liver and kidney, various types of cancer and viral diseases. The present article reviews the progress that has been made in research on the association between the two types of polymorphisms and these diseases, which is expected to provide novel strategies for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of various diseases.

Metal-air batteries have exhibited unlimited potential and economic value because of their considerably high energy density. However, under repeated cycling, air cathodes undergo a well-known problem, the deposition of metal oxide, clogging the active surface and ultimately leading to the severe degradation of the cyclic performance. Herein, we address this challenge in a zinc-air battery by introducing ketone as the Lewis base into the air catalyst. As illustrated by in situ X-ray diffraction observations, the ketone-enriched material could generate an ultrahigh negative potential to prevent the access of negatively charged zincate ions and thus enable the nondeposition of zinc oxide on the air cathode because of the strong electrostatic repulsion. Using this strategy, we demonstrate 650 highly stable cycles of a zinc-air battery under a high rate (25 mA cm-2). Such a Lewis-base-assisted method opens up new avenues to prevent air cathodes from being poisoned for highly durable metal-air batteries.

Noninvasive regulation of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing is conducive to understanding of gene function and development of gene therapy; however, it remains challenging. Herein, a photolabile semiconducting polymer nanotransducer (pSPN) is synthesized to act as the gene vector to deliver CRISPR/Cas9 plasmids into cells and also as the photoregulator to remotely activate gene editing. pSPN comprises a 1 O2 -generating backbone grafted with polyethylenimine brushes through 1 O2 -cleavable linkers. NIR photoirradiation spontaneously triggers the cleavage of gene vectors from pSPN, resulting in the release of CRISPR/Cas9 plasmids and subsequently initiating gene editing. This system affords 15- and 1.8-fold enhancement in repaired gene expression relative to the nonirradiated controls in living cells and mice, respectively. As this approach does not require any specific modifications on biomolecular components, pSPN represents the first generic nanotransducer for in vivo regulation of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing.

Profilins are abundant cytosolic proteins that are universally expressed in eukaryotes and that regulate actin filament elongation by binding to both monomeric actin (G-actin) and formin proteins. The atypical profilin Arabidopsis AtPRF3 has been reported to cooperate with canonical profilin isoforms in suppressing formin-mediated actin polymerization during plant innate immunity responses. AtPRF3 has a 37-amino acid-long N-terminal extension (NTE), and its suppressive effect on actin assembly is derived from enhanced interaction with the polyproline (Poly-P) of the formin AtFH1. However, the molecular mechanism remains unclear. Here, we solved the crystal structures of AtPRF3Δ22 and AtPRF3Δ37, as well as AtPRF2 apo form and in complex with AtFH1 Poly-P at 1.5-3.6 A resolutions. By combining these structures with molecular modeling, we found that AtPRF3Δ22 NTE has high plasticity, with a primary "closed" conformation that can adopt an open conformation that enables Poly-P binding. Furthermore, using molecular dynamics simulation and free-energy calculations of protein-protein binding, along with experimental validation, we show that the AtPRF3Δ22 binds to Poly-P in an adaptive manner, thereby enabling different binding modes that maintain the interaction through disordered sequences. Together, our structural and simulation results suggest that the dynamic conformational changes of the AtPRF3 NTE upon Poly-P binding modulate their interactions to fine-tune formin-mediated actin assembly.

In this study, the binding characteristics of aloe-emodin (AE) and pepsin were investigated via multiple spectroscopic and molecular docking methods. The Stern-Volmer quenching constant (Ksv) suggested that AE quenched the fluorescence intensity of pepsin via static quenching. The value of the stoichiometric binding number (n) suggested only a single binding site on pepsin for AE. The value of Gibbs’ free energy change (ΔG)

A catalytic enantioselective three-component Ugi reaction was developed. SPINOL-derived phosphoric acid with bulky 2,4,6-tricyclohexylphenyl groups at the 6,6′ positions was found to be the best catalyst to afford α-amino amide derivatives in good to excellent yields (62% to 99%) and enantiocontrol (81% to >99% enantiomeric excess). This asymmetric reaction was applicable well to an array of aliphatic aldehydes. The gram-scale synthesis, modification of dapsone, and enantioselective synthesis of ( R )-Lacosamide underline the general utility of this methodology. Influence of dihedral angles and substituents of the chiral phosphoric acids on the enantioselectivity was also discussed in this article.

The molecular structure characteristics and wetting behaviors of alkyl binary doped ionic liquids’ (ILs) thin lubricating film on silicon surfaces, which are composed of a (DA) self-assembled monolayer (SAM) and a binary doped ILs layer, are probed by molecular dynamics simulations. In the binary doped ILs layer, 1-carboxyethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([CMIM]Cl) ILs were bonded to the terminal amino (NH2) groups of the DA SAM, and 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([DMIM]PF6) ILs were distributed around the [CMIM]Cl molecules by physical adsorption. Additionally, surface coverage and chain grafting positions of the bonded-phase [CMIM]Cl and the adsorption properties of mobile-phase [DMIM]PF6 were investigated. The simulation results revealed that the optimal surface coverage of [CMIM]Cl on the DA SAM was 50% with a lateral spacing of 2a and a longitudinal spacing of 22a, in which a is the space between the adjacent molecules. Meanwhile, the optimal molecular ratio of [CMIM]Cl to [DMIM]PF6 was 1 : 4, leading to the stablest structure of the lubricating film. Wetting behaviors of thin lubricating film on silicon surfaces showed good hydrophobicity, which is helpful for reducing friction and adhesion. It can be anticipated that the alkyl binary doped ILs’ thin lubricating film is suitable for antifriction and antiadhesion applications on silicon surfaces.

Mesoporous cobalt doped nickel vanadate hierarchical microspheres were developed via microwave-assisted approach. Interestingly, the introduce of cobalt renders smooth microspheres transforming into hierarchical microspheres with uniform size self-assembled from nanorods, which displays enhanced specific surface area. Benefitting from the unique morphology and synergistic effect of cobalt and nickel, cobalt doped nickel vanadate hierarchical microspheres exhibit significantly improved performance with a higher rate capability (73.7% at 20 times) and a higher capacitance retention (82.2% after 10000 charges and discharges) compared with pure nickel vanadate. This novel design strategy has great potential for promoting the practical use of electrochemical energy storage devices.

Rechargeable Zn-air batteries have drawn great attention over the past decade, but their further development will require efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts to drive the sluggish cathodic reactions. Although a single-atom catalyst with maximum utilization per metal atom shows great promise, its catalytic performance is still far from satisfactory. Here we tackle this challenge by introducing a P-O bond to update the intrinsic activity of a single-atom site and thus reduce the reaction overpotential of the Zn-air battery. The critical role of the P-O bond in producing a favorable surface electronic environment of the single-atom metal site and improving its catalytic activity is identified with density functional theory simulations. The P-O-doped, atomically dispersed catalyst is shown experimentally to deliver excellent bifunctional performance, with a remarkable half-wave potential of 0.89 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (vs RHE) for oxygen reduction reaction and a reversible oxygen electrode index of 0.74 V, exceeding those of most reported nonprecious metal catalysts. When subjected to practical application, both aqueous and all-solid-state Zn-air batteries illustrate superior power density and robust cyclic performance, confirming their potential feasibility in next-generation electronic devices.

As one of the main constituents of Compound Danshen Dripping Pills (CDDP), Panax notoginseng (PN) plays a pivotal role in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Numerous researches have proved that the dammarane type saponins including notoginsenoside R1 (NR1), ginsenoside Rg1 (GRg1) and ginsenoside Rb1 (GRb1) are the main bioactive components of PN in CDDP. An efficient, realiable and sensitive liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) analysis method for simultaneously detecting NR1, GRg1 and GRb1 in human plasma was established and applied to the pharmacokinetics study of the three PN saponins after oral administration of CDDP. The human plasma samples were processed using acetonitrile and the target materials were separated on an Eclipse plus C18 column (100 × 4.6 mm, 3.5 μm) with a gradient mobile phase consisted of water (containing 0.1% formic acid) and methanol. Within the concentration ranges of 0.25–50 ng/mL, each calibration curve exhibited an excellent linear relationship (r>0.998). The precision deviations of intra-day and inter-day analysis were lower than 9.0%, and accuracy error (RE%) ranged between 1.5% and 10.5%. The average recoveries of analytes were >64.0%. The established method was successfully applied to determine the pharmacokinetics of the three saponins in human plasma. In addition to providing guidance for clinical safe medication, the experimental results also provided a valuable and reliable basis for further pharmacological studies of PN in the human body after oral administration of CDDP.

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent psychiatric disorders, but their pathogenic mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we report that transmembrane protein 74 (TMEM74), which contains two putative transmembrane domains and exhibits high levels of mRNA in the brain, is closely associated with the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders. TMEM74 was decreased in the serum of patients with anxiety and the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus (BLA) in chronic stress mice. Furthermore, genetic deletion of Tmem74 or selective knockdown of Tmem74 in BLA pyramidal neurons resulted in anxiety-like behaviors in mice. Whole-cell recordings in BLA pyramidal neurons revealed lower hyperpolarization-activated cation current (Ih) and greater input resistance and excitability in Tmem74-/- neurons than in wild-type neurons. Accordingly, surface expression of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated 1 (HCN1) channels was also lower in the BLA of Tmem74-/- mice. The Ih current blocker ZD7288 mimicked these effects in BLA pyramidal neurons in wild-type mice but not in Tmem74-/- mice. Consistent with the improvement in anxiety-like behaviors, Tmem74 overexpression restored HCN1 channel trafficking and pyramidal neuron excitability in the BLA of Tmem74-/- and chronic stress mice. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that interactions between Tmem74 and HCN1 are physiologically relevant and that transmembrane domain 1 (TM1) is essential for the cellular membrane localization of Tmem74 to enhance Ih. Together, our findings suggest that Tmem74 coupling with HCN1 acts as a critical component in the pathophysiology of anxiety and is a potential target for new treatments of anxiety disorders.

Cobalt vanadates and their composites have drawn tremendous attention because of their outstanding cycling stability. Rational design of 3D micro/nano-structures using a facile strategy has a promising potential for supercapacitor applications. Herein, we propose a 3D porous Co2V2O7·3.3H2O microflowers electrode as a cathode for pseudocapacitor via a simple co-precipitation technology. The resultant Co2V2O7·3.3H2O with microflowers structure exhibits a high specific capacitance of 351 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1, and an ultralong cycle lifetime with 103% capacitance retention after 30,000 cycles. An asymmetric supercapacitor device is also successfully assembled consisting of Co2V2O7·3.3H2O cathode and rGO anode. The optimized ACS device with a potential window of 0–1.5 V delivers a high energy density and an excellent cycle lifetime. These superior electrochemical properties will render the 3D porous Co2V2O7·3.3H2O microflowers material as an attractive material for promising application in energy storage systems.

CeO2 is an important energy storage material that can be used in solid fuel cells. Adding citric acid can improve the particle distribution of the pyrolytic preparation of CeO2 inside the reactor. Through Fluent, this paper investigated the pyrolysis preparation of CeO2 with the addition of citric acid by adopting the Eulerian multiphase flow model, component transportation model, and standard k-ε turbulence model. The experimental and simulation results suggest that the addition of citric acid can alter the pressure, temperature, and component distributions inside the reactor. When the mass fraction of O2 is 0.3, the concentration distribution effect of the CeO2 component is optimal and its conversation rate is the highest. When the mass fraction of citric acid is 0.04, the concentration distribution effect of the CeO2 component is the best, as witnessed by the high CeO2 concentration at the exit. It was found that an O2 content of 30 wt % and citric acid content of 4 wt % were optimal operating conditions for this technology.

Large amounts of pickling liquor are produced during the pickling of iron and steel. The Venturi reactor is used during the pyrolysis of pickling liquor to prepare high-purity Fe2O3 particles. Changing the pyrolysis conditions will affect the purity and concentration of Fe2O3 particles. In this paper, physical experiments and numerical simulations were carried out to study the effect of pyrolysis conditions on the Fe2O3 particles, including the pyrolysis temperature, the FeCl2/FeCl3 ratio in the pickling liquor, and the citric acid ratio. The results showed that a product with a higher purity, better crystallinity, and greater concentration was obtained at 923 K. Further increasing the temperature did not change the concentration of Fe2O3 particles. When the ratio of FeCl2/FeCl3 in the pickling liquor was 1:1.5, the maximum concentration of Fe2O3 particles at the outlet was obtained. When the added proportion of citric acid was 1:1, the particle size distribution was more uniform, and when the added proportion was 1:2.5, the maximum concentration of Fe2O3 particles at the outlet was achieved.

Encapsulation materials play an important role in many applications including wearable electronics, medical devices, underwater robotics, marine skin tagging system, food packaging, and energy conversation and storage devices. To date, all the encapsulation materials, including polymer layers and inorganic materials, are solid materials. These solid materials suffer from limited barrier lifetimes due to pinholes, cracks, and nanopores or from complicated fabrication processes and limited stretchability for interfacing with complex 3D surfaces. This paper reports a solution to this material challenge by demonstrating bioinspired oil-infused slippery surfaces with excellent waterproof property for the first time. A water vapor transmission test shows that locking a thin layer of oil on the silicone elastomer improves the water vapor barrier performance by three orders of magnitude. Accelerated lifetime tests suggest robust water barrier characteristics that approach 226 days at 37 °C even under severe mechanical damage. A combination of temperature- and thickness-dependent experimental measurements and reaction-diffusion modeling reveals the key waterproof property. In addition to serving as a barrier to water, the oil-infused surface demonstrates an attractive ion barrier property. All these exceptional properties suggest the potential applications of slippery surfaces as encapsulation materials for medical devices, underwater electronics, and many others.

The intrinsically disordered region (IDR) is a preserved signature of phytobacterial type III effectors (T3Es). The T3E IDR is thought to mediate unfolding during translocation into the host cell and to avoid host defense by sequence diversification. Here, we demonstrate a mechanism of host subversion via the T3E IDR. We report that the Xanthomonas campestris T3E XopR undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) via multivalent IDR-mediated interactions that hijack the Arabidopsis actin cytoskeleton. XopR is gradually translocated into host cells during infection and forms a macromolecular complex with actin-binding proteins at the cell cortex. By tuning the physical-chemical properties of XopR-complex coacervates, XopR progressively manipulates multiple steps of actin assembly, including formin-mediated nucleation, crosslinking of F-actin, and actin depolymerization, which occurs through competition for actin-depolymerizing factor and depends on constituent stoichiometry. Our findings unravel a sophisticated strategy in which bacterial T3E subverts the host actin cytoskeleton via protein complex coacervation., Bacterial pathogens can subvert host cell processes through secreted proteins but the precise mechanisms and repertoire of proteins remains unclear. Here the authors report that a bacterial effector protein of Xanthomonas campestris, XopR, undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation to hijack the host cell actin cytoskeleton.

Diesel fuel contamination of aquifers is a global environmental problem. In recent years, in situ thermal remediation (ISTR) has attracted much attention owing to its advantages of high removal rate and rapid remediation. In this study, the treatment of a diesel-contaminated aquifer with thermal conduction heating (TCH) was studied. And for the purpose of making full use of the TCH residual heat, its combination with in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) was also investigated. Results show that a maximum total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) removal of 70.3% or 81.73% was observed for the TCH treatment of the solid or water phase, respectively, highlighting the possibility of successfully and simultaneously remediating both aquifer phases. The effect of evaporation/boiling plays a major role in final contaminant removal processes. And the water-diesel mixture started co-boiling at 100.3℃ theoretically according to Antoine equation and Raoult’s law. The higher the temperature is, the higher the initial TPH concentration and the larger the removal rate of pollutants. The dosage of persulfate (PS) required by the system became lower with the temperature increasing, and the contribution of oxidation to the pollutant removal became greater, with the proportion of oxidation increasing from 29.05 to 66.87% from 40 to 80 °C. In the 2-D remediation experiment, the area of the heated zone above 80℃ accounted for 71.0% of the whole tank. At the heating time of 180 min, the average aqueous TPH concentration in the tank was about 248.7 mg/L and a lowest concentration of 73.1 mg/L was found around the heating resistance. During the cooling process after TCH, 97.9% of the heated area of the tank was above 30 °C when the heating resistance was turned off for 6 h, which was sufficient to activate PS for removing pollutants. Hence, TCH treatment could be an optimal method for the rapid remediation of diesel-contaminated aquifers, and the combination of TCH and ISCO can not only expand the treatment zone, but also reduce the cost of remediation.

RATIONALE: The very small mass difference between 41 K and 40 ArH+ makes the flat, hydride interference-free peak shoulders very narrow (0.002-0.003 m/z unit), bringing a number of analytical challenges when measuring K isotopic compositions by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). In traditional Sequence Run mode, the parameters are loaded every line of the sequence, thus might introduce tiny drifts of tune parameters and mass peaks. This may occasionally lead to the failure of K isotope measurement when mass drifts exceed 0.002 m/z unit. It is thus essential to keep the tune parameters, especially the magnet current, very stable to achieve high precision K isotopic compositions. METHOD: We developed a "Continuous-Acquisition-Method" (CAM) MC-ICP-MS Run mode to improve the stability when determining K isotopes. Two sets of experiments were designed: a) Stability test: measuring a single pure K solution (viz. NIST-999c) for ~ 3 hours and comparing the stability of the two run modes; and b) GSB-K test: measuring our inhouse pure K standard solution (GSB-K) in both run modes and comparing the accuracy and precision. RESULTS: The traditional Sequence Run mode only kept the MC-ICP-MS system stable for the first ~1.5 hours during the ~3 hours test, with an offset of the mass peaks of ~0.003 m/z unit. The CAM Run mode yield higher stability during the whole test (~3 hours), with a peak shift

The direct coupling of olefins and alkyl amines represents the most efficient and atom-economical approach to prepare aliphatic allylamines which are fundamental building blocks. However, the method that achieves this goal while exhibiting exquisite control over the site at which the amine is introduced remains elusive. Herein, we report that the combination of a photocatalyst and a cobaloxime enables site-selective allylic C–H amination of olefins with secondary alkyl amines to afford allylic amines, eliminating the need for oxidants. This reaction proceeds by a radical-based mechanism distinct from those of existing allylic amination reactions. It affords the product resulting from cleavage of the stronger, primary allylic C–H bonds over other weaker allylic C–H bond options. DFT calculations reveal that this selectivity originates from a cobaloxime-promoted hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) process. Our method is compatible with a broad scope of alkenes, and can be extended to achieve a site- and diastereoselective amination of natural terpenes.

Plants respond to bacterial infection acutely with actin remodeling during plant immune responses. The mechanisms by which bacterial virulence factors (VFs) modulate plant actin polymerization remain enigmatic. Here, we show that plant-type-I formin serves as the molecular sensor for actin remodeling in response to two bacterial VFs: Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) diffusible signal factor (DSF), and pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) flagellin in pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). Both VFs regulate actin assembly by tuning the clustering and nucleation activity of formin on the plasma membrane (PM) at the nano-sized scale. By being integrated within the cell-wall-PM-actin cytoskeleton (CW-PM-AC) continuum, the dynamic behavior and function of formins are highly dependent on each scaffold layer's composition within the CW-PM-AC continuum during both DSF and PTI signaling. Our results reveal a central mechanism for rapid actin remodeling during plant-bacteria interactions, in which bacterial signaling molecules fine tune plant formin nanoclustering in a host mechanical-structure-dependent manner. Ministry of Education (MOE) Nanyang Technological University Published version S.M. is supported by a Margdarshi Fellowship (IA/M/15/1/502018) from the DBT-Wellcome Trust Alliance and the Department of Atomic Energy (Government of India) under project no. RTI 4006 to National Centre for Biological Sciences, India. This study was supported by an NTU startup grant (M4081533) and the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) tiers 1 (RG32/20) and 3 (MOE2019-T3-1-012) to Y.M.

The capture of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is mainly carried out with a small volume of blood using magnetic nanoparticles and complex microfluidics. In this study, we propose a CTC-capture apparatus based on a modular design and called this apparatus as the CTC chamber. Distinct from other CTC-capture apparatuses, the capacity of the CTC chamber could be altered by varying the number of CTC-capture modules to accommodate the different volumes of blood sample. The core component of the CTC-capture module was a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film with cell-replicated topological structure and anti-EpCAM antibody coating. Both synergistic roles can enhance the capture yield of cancer cells. Furthermore, the CTC chamber was assembled with one or three CTC-capture modules for the capture of cancer cells from spiked blood samples representing late-stage (3 mL of blood, 10 cancer cells mL–1) or middle-early stage (9 mL of blood, 1 cancer cell mL–1) cancer. The results showed that high capture yield (EpCAM-posit...

Lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus) is an insect species that can be reared on an industrial scale for human consumption. In this study, the hydration behavior of processed lesser mealworm food ingredients (whole powder, protein concentrate, textured protein) was analyzed in comparison to whey protein concentrate and tofu. Moisture adsorption isotherms were determined gravimetrically over 0.11–0.96 water activity range at 5 and 20 °C, and seven sorption models were applied to fit the experimental data. The Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer model performed best on the isotherms of all studied samples. The determined adsorption isotherms were type III according to Brunauer classification. Mealworm protein concentrate presented the strongest hydration capacity at 20 °C, followed by whey protein concentrate and whole mealworm powder. Textured mealworm protein and tofu exhibited similar hydration behavior at 5 °C. Moreover, browning and agglomeration of mealworm protein concentrate powder were observed at water activities of 0.73 and higher, which can be explained by its composition and porous structure and were not typical for whey protein concentrate. The moisture adsorption results are important for the prediction of lesser mealworm ingredients shelf-life or prevention of undesirable quality changes during storage, but more research on microbial growth and sensory quality is needed.

The remediation of Cr(VI)-contaminated groundwater with molasses has many advantages compared with traditional in-situ chemical methods, including high cost-effectiveness and negligible secondary contamination. Hence, the reaction conditions and mechanisms of molasses were investigated in this study. The results showed that Cr(VI) was chemically reduced by molasses at acidic pH (3.0), wherein the dominant active components were the hydroxyl and carbonyl groups of molasses. At neutral pH (7.0), molasses mainly acted as an electron donor for direct or indirect reduction of Cr(VI) by microorganisms. The main functional microorganisms were Bacillus and Clostridium Sensu Stricto. Compared with chemical reduction, bio-reduction could completely reduce higher concentrations of Cr(VI) when molasses was added at a concentration of 3 g/L. Ascorbic acid was added to promote the removal rate of bioremediation. Owing to the antioxidant properties of ascorbic acid, the reaction rate increased by 9.3% and 37.5% when 0.05 g/L of ascorbic acid was added to the 50 and 100 mg/L Cr(VI) bioremediation systems, respectively. Due to the decrease in pH during bioremediation, NaHCO3 was added to buffer the pH changes and promote Cr(III) precipitation. Compared with the addition of NaHCO3 and molasses simultaneously, separate additions were more effective for precipitation. Furthermore, X-ray absorption near-edge structure analysis revealed that after chemical reduction and biological reduction, Cr was attached to the solid medium in the form of Cr(III).

The growth of axillary buds determines the shoot branching and morphology of plants, and its initiation and development are regulated by a series of hormonal signals, such as cytokinin. Arabidopsis response regulators (ARRs) can regulate the growth and development, disease resistance and stress resistance of plants by participating in cytokinin signaling. To explore the distribution and expression pattern of ARR members in tobacco. The identification, isoelectric points, molecular weights, protein subcellular localization prediction, multiple sequence alignment, phylogenetic analysis, protein motifs and structures, chromosome distributions of deduced ARR proteins were conducted. The gene expression profiling of various tissues in response to topping, low temperature and drought were analyzed by RNA-seq and qRT-PCR. 59 ARR genes from cultivated tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) were identified, namely NtARRs, including 21 type A NtARRs and 38 type B NtARRs. The 59 NtARRs were expressed mainly in all organs except the fruits. Some representative NtARRs may participate in axillary bud initiation and development, as well as in stress resistance through cytokinin signal transduction. Understanding the roles of NtARRs in the molecular mechanisms responsible for axillary bud growth and stress tolerance could aid in targeted breeding in crops.

Since N-arylazoles are widely present in natural products, pharmaceuticals, and functional materials, it is important to develop a simple and efficient synthetic method for the synthesis of N-arylazoles. Herein, an oxidant-induced intermolecular azolation of phenol derivatives was demonstrated under catalyst-free condition. Both monoazolation and diazolation of phenols can be successfully achieved via this practical and powerful method.

The Sumdo eclogite, located in the central Lhasa Terrane, Tibet, has received much attention as it has important implications for the tectonic evolution of the Tibet orogenic belt. Aiming to constrain the Lithium (Li) isotope characteristics of rocks in subduction zones, we investigated whole-rock major and trace elements, Li isotopes as well as oxygen (O) and radiogenic (Sr, Nd, and Pb) isotopes on 20 Sumdo eclogite samples. The investigated samples display REE patterns similar to N-MORB, with relatively homogeneous bulk eNd(t=260Ma) values ranging from +4.0 to +7.8. These data suggest that protoliths of the Sumdo eclogite were N-MORB-type oceanic basalts. Yet, initial 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O are heterogeneous and range from 0.703703 to 0.706645 and from +4.9 to +8.9‰, respectively. A positive correlation between Sr and oxygen isotopic compositions suggests that the MORB protoliths had experienced low temperature seafloor alteration prior to subduction. The Li contents and δ7Li values of Sumdo eclogite vary from 3.64 to 29.7 µg/g and −1.1 to +4.0‰, respectively, significantly lower than those of low T altered MORBs (AOC) that usually have high Li contents (up to 33 µg/g) and heavy Li isotopic compositions (δ7Li up to +14‰). Modelling results suggests limited Li isotopic fractionation during dehydration. After eliminating the effect of diffusion, we suggest that a rehydration stage during exhumation may be responsible for the Li isotope systematics of the Sumdo eclogite. The fluids (

Nitrogen-doped carbon material (NCM) supported ZnO catalysts were prepared by wet impregnation method, following a high-temperature thermal treatment process. The resultant ZnO/NCM catalysts calcined at different temperatures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption, elemental analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to investigate their physicochemical properties and the interaction between ZnO and NCM support. Their catalytic properties were studied by liquid phase transesterification of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) with diethyl carbonate (DEC). Of these the catalyst calcined at 800 °C, named ZnO/NCM-800 exhibits the highest catalytic activity, as well as excellent stability and recyclability for the synthesis of ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC). The NCM support possesses abundant mesopores, rich surface oxygen-containing and nitrogen-containing functional groups, which are beneficial to build relatively strong interaction between ZnO nanoparticles and the NCM support, resulting in the generation of a highly active and stable acidic-basic bifunctional catalyst for the transesterification of DMC with DEC.

RATIONALE High-precision determination of magnesium (Mg) isotopes can now be routinely achieved by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). The analytical sensitivity and instrumental mass discrimination behavior of this method are, however, sensitive to the types of sample and skimmer cones used in these measurements, so it is important that these parameters should be investigated. METHODS Using the sample-standard-bracketing method in the wet-plasma mode, four available combinations of sample and skimmer cones [Jet sample cone + H skimmer cone (Jet + H), standard sample cone + H skimmer cone (Standard + H), standard sample cone + X skimmer cone (Standard + X), and Jet sample cone + X skimmer cone (Jet + X)] were systematically investigated for peak shape, sensitivity, mass discrimination, accuracy, and precision in Mg-isotopic ratio determination using a Neptune plus MC-ICP mass spectrometer. RESULTS The results showed that different cone combinations do not affect peak shapes but would significantly change the sensitivities for Mg-isotopic determinations. Compared with using the Standard + H, the sensitivities of Mg-isotopic determinations were enhanced by approximately a factor of 1.3, 1.4, and 1.9 by using the Standard + X, the Jet + H, and the Jet + X combinations, with the most stable mass discrimination behaviors obtained by the Jet + H. The instrumental mass fractionation slope for any combination of a modified cone geometry (i.e. Standard + X, Jet + X, and Jet + H) is 0.500, while it is 0.510 for the Standard + H. In addition, the mass discrimination behavior is related to Mg concentrations once the combination is set, indicating the necessity of concentration match during Mg-isotopic determination. CONCLUSIONS The precision and accuracy of the Jet + H combination are better than those of the other combinations, and this is further supported by the validation of the Mg-isotope data for four international reference materials: Cambridge-1, NASS-6, AGV-2, and BHVO-2. As the Jet + H combination also provides a high signal, this combination gives the most robust strategy for the highly precise and accurate determination of Mg isotopes.

Prolonged occlusion of multiple microvessels causes microvascular injury. G protein-coupled receptor 124 (GPR124) has been reported to be required for maintaining central nervous system (CNS) angiogenesis and blood-brain barrier integrity. However, the molecular mechanisms by which GPR124 regulates pericytes during ischemia have remained elusive. Methods: A microsphere embolism-induced ischemia model was used to evaluate the expression of GPR124 following microsphere embolism. Immunocytochemistry and stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy imaging were used to assess the expression and distribution of GPR124 in human brain vascular pericytes (HBVPs) and after the treatment with 3-morpholino-sydnonimine (SIN-1) or oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). The effect of GPR124 knockdown or overexpression on HBVP migration was analyzed in vitro using wound healing assays and a microfluidic device. GPR124 loss-of-function studies were performed in HBVPs and HEK293 cells using CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene deletion. Time-lapse imaging was used to assess dynamic changes in the formation of filopodia in an individual cell. Finally, to explore the functional domains required for GPR124 activity, deletion mutants were constructed for each of the N-terminal domains. Results: GPR124 expression was increased in pericytes following microsphere embolism. Morphological analysis showed localization of GPR124 to focal adhesions where GPR124 bound directly to the actin binding protein vinculin and upregulated Cdc42. SIN-1 or OGD treatment redistributed GPR124 to the leading edges of HBVPs where GPR124 signaling was required for pericyte filopodia formation and directional migration. Partial deletion of GPR124 domains decreased SIN-1-induced filopodia formation and cell migration. Conclusion: Taken together, our results provide the first evidence for a role of GPR124 in pericyte migration under ischemic conditions and suggest that GPR124 was essential for Cdc42 activation and filopodia formation.