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The aim of this paper is to investigate the effects of different activator -to-solid ratios on water consumption, setting time, fluidity, adhesion properties, bulk density and mechanical properties at standard consistency. The microstructural mechanisms of metakaolin geopolymer were also investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The experimental results showed that for the different activator to solid ratios and mix designs used in this paper, higher ratios enhanced the fluidity, consistency, and setting time. Besides, the standard consistency water consumption of the metakaolin polymer mortar was reduced. SEM and FT-IR tests revealed macroscopic phenomena where the polyaluminum silicate structure improved with increasing activator -to-solids ratios. Excessive sodium silicate reduced strength, thus affecting mechanical properties.

The paper investigated the influence of luminescent sand and reflectance powder on the workability, mechanical properties, and luminescence performance of cement-based material. The results showed that adding luminescent sand and reflectance powder decreased the consistency and fluidity of the mixture. Furthermore, incorporating these materials can enhance the mechanical strength of self-luminous samples. Nevertheless, exceeding 40% in the content of luminous sand or surpassing 10% in the content of reflective powder will reduce its strength. Furthermore, the initial brightness of these materials can reach 0.82cd/m2, and the afterglow time can reach 12 h when the luminous sand content is 50% and the reflective powder content is 20%. These results indicate that luminescent sand and reflective powder can improve the luminescence properties of cement-based materials. The incorporation of luminescent sand optimises the distribution of hydration products, enhancing the luminescence performance of the cement-based materials. These research findings will provide new insights for the design of road surfaces in low-light environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Callerya speciosa (Champ. ex Benth.) Schot is a significant leguminous plant valued for its edible tuberous roots, which are a plentiful source of isoflavonoids. Basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factors (TFs) have been reported to regulate secondary metabolism in plants, especially flavonoid biosynthesis. However, the bHLH genes in C. speciosa have not yet been reported, and their regulatory role in isoflavonoid biosynthesis remains unexplored. Here, 146 CsbHLH genes were identified in the C. speciosa genome, classifying them into 23 subfamilies based on the gene structures and phylogenetic relationships. All the CsbHLH proteins contained both motifs 1 and 2, whereas motif 8 was only distributed in subgroup III (d + e). Collinearity analysis demonstrated that fragmental replications are the primary driver of CsbHLH evolution, with the majority of duplicated CsbHLH gene pairs experiencing selective pressure. Nine candidate CsbHLH genes were found to play a potential role in regulating isoflavonoid biosynthesis through a combination of gene-to-metabolite correlation analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Additionally, the cis-regulatory elements and response to MeJA of these nine genes were characterized and confirmed through quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. Among them, three CsbHLHs (CsbHLH9, CsbHLH89, and CsbHLH95) were selected for further investigation. Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H), dual-luciferase (LUC) assays, bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays, and transient transformation demonstrated that CsbHLH9 acted as a transcriptional activator through its interaction with CsMYB36 and binding to the promoters of isoflavonoid biosynthesis genes in a MeJA-induced manner, such as CsIFR2, CsI3′H2, and CsCHS4, to promote isoflavonoid (calycosin, calycosin-7-o-glucoside, and formononetin) accumulation. Our results establish a basis for the functional analysis of bHLH genes and investigations into the molecular mechanisms underlying isoflavonoid biosynthesis in C. speciosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), especially PD‐1 inhibitors, are among the first‐line therapeutic drugs for the treatment of advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, most patients are not sensitive to PD‐1 inhibitors, and prolonged exposure can lead to acquired resistance. Thus, it is urgent to elucidate the mechanism underlying the resistance of NSCLC to ICIs. Connexin 43 (Cx43) is a gap junction (GJ) protein that is important in therapeutic efficacy to ICIs. In this study, we observed that Cx43 in murine Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells mediated cyclic GMP‐AMP (cGAMP) transfer to macrophages. Knockdown of Cx43 reduced T‐cell activation, leading to decreased sensitivity of LLC cells to anti‐PD‐1 therapy. The mechanism might be that knockdown of Cx43 in LLC cells promotes macrophages differentiation into pro‐tumour M2 type (TAM), thus activating the STING pathway in macrophages. These findings indicate that downregulation of Cx43 in LLC cells leads to immunotherapy resistance by negatively regulating the cGAS–STING pathway in macrophages. Therefore, Cx43/GJ‐mediated signal transmission between lung cancer cells and macrophages provides new insights for increasing immunotherapy sensitivity in NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]