Search

Calcium oscillations are induced by different stresses. Calcium‐dependent protein kinases (CDPKs/CPKs) are one major group of the plant calcium decoders that are involved in various processes including drought response. Some CPKs are calcium‐independent. Here, we identified ZmCPK2 as a negative regulator of drought resistance by screening an overexpression transgenic maize pool. We found that ZmCPK2 does not bind calcium, and its activity is mainly inhibited during short term abscisic acid (ABA) treatment, and dynamically changed in prolonged treatment. Interestingly, ZmCPK2 interacts with and is inhibited by calcium‐dependent ZmCPK17, a positive regulator of drought resistance, which is activated by ABA. ZmCPK17 could prevent the nuclear localization of ZmCPK2 through phosphorylation of ZmCPK2T60. ZmCPK2 interacts with and phosphorylates and activates ZmYAB15, a negative transcriptional factor for drought resistance. Our results suggest that drought stress‐induced Ca2+ can be decoded directly by ZmCPK17 that inhibits ZmCPK2, thereby promoting plant adaptation to water deficit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitazoxanide (NTZ) is an effective antiparasitic drug with potent antiviral and antimicrobial activity. This randomized, open‐label, 2‐sequence, 2‐period crossover trial was designed to evaluate the bioequivalence (BE) of the NTZ dry suspension in healthy subjects and investigated the effect of food intake on the pharmacokinetic (PK) properties of tizoxanide (an active metabolite of NTZ, TIZ). Sixty healthy Chinese subjects were enrolled and received a single dose of 500 mg/25 mL of preparations on days 1 and 4 under overnight fasting or fed conditions, respectively. The plasma concentration of TIZ was determined using high‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. PK parameters were calculated using WinNonlin 8.2 and BE was evaluated using SAS 9.4. The 90% confidence intervals for the geometric mean ratio (test/reference) of maximum concentration (Cmax), the area under the curve from time 0 to the time of the last quantifiable concentration (AUC0‐t), and the area under the curve from time 0 to extrapolation to infinity (AUC0‐∞) were all within the equivalent interval of 80%‐125%, compliant with BE requirements. In comparison with fasting, on taking the reference and test preparations of the NTZ dry suspension after a meal, the AUC0‐t increased by 48.9% and 47.3%, respectively, the AUC0‐∞ increased by 48.4% and 48.3%, respectively, and the post‐meal Tmax was prolonged by 1.8‐2 hours. Our results demonstrate that the test and reference preparations were bioequivalent. High‐fat meals significantly improve the degree of drug absorption and delay the rate of drug absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rubbing between a blade and its coated casing is one of the main failures in aero-engine systems. This paper aims to study the effects of coated casings on rubbing-induced dynamic responses considering the flexibility of the coated casing and the flexibility of the blade. Firstly, an actual compressor blade is established by the shell element and verified by the experiment and ANSYS 19.2 software. Subsequently, a new dynamic model for the coated casing is proposed based on the laminated shell element, and the proposed dynamic model for the coated casing is verified by comparing the natural characteristics calculated by ANSYS software. Moreover, a comprehensive analysis is conducted to analyze the influences of the casing model, coating parameters, and casing parameters on vibration characteristics. Finally, the results show that the coating can diminish the severity level of rubbing. Notably, the material and thickness of the coating can change the nodal diameter vibrations of the casings (NDVCs) induced by rubbing. This study provides valuable guidance for the optimization and design of blade–casing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have great potential in the field of stationary energy storage due to their low manufacturing cost and high safety. However, the zinc dendrite growth arising from the uneven deposition of zinc ions has been inhibiting the application of AZIBs. In this work, hydrophilic and nanocrystalline carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are synthesized and used as electrolyte additives to improve the dendrite issue. The abundant hydrophilic groups on CQDs are favorable for homogeneous Zn deposition, whereas the improved conductivity due to the high graphitization of CQDs reduces the solid-electrolyte interface impedance and lowers the polarization voltage, resulting in better rate capability of Zn-ion batteries. Owing to the reduced energy barrier of Zn2+ nucleation and the enhanced kinetics of Zn2+ plating/stripping derived from the hydrophilic and nanocrystalline CQDs, the Zn//Zn symmetrical batteries with CQDs can operate stably for more than 1000 h at 1 mA cm−2 and 1 mA h cm−2, and show superior rate performance with low voltage hysteresis of 98.3, 120.5, 156.4, and 210.2 mV at current densities of 1, 2, 3 and 4 mA cm−2. Moreover, Zn//Cu half-cells with CQDs achieve a high average coulombic efficiency of 99.7% at 1 mA cm−2 and 0.5 mA h cm−2, and Zn//MnO2 full batteries can be cycled more than 500 times with a capacity retention of 74%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One aim of the United Nations Children's Fund Sustainable Development Goals is to end preventable deaths among newborns and children In 2015, China had 12.4% (17.8 million) of the 143 [...]