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In plants, ferritin proteins play an important role in iron (Fe) storage which contributes to plant growth and development. However, the biological functions of ferritins in fruit trees are essentially unknown. In this study, three Ferritin genes were isolated from 'Zhentong No. 3' peach, which were named PpFer1-PpFer3. The expression levels of these genes were different in distinct tissues/organs. Notably, PpFer1 was the most abundantly expressed Ferritin family gene in all tested tissues of 'Zhentong No. 3' peach; its expression levels were significantly enhanced throughout the entire peach seedling under Fe toxicity and H2O2 stress, particularly in the leaves. In addition, over-expression of PpFer1 was effective in rescuing the retarded growth of Arabidopsis fer1-2 knockout mutant, embodied in enhanced fresh weight, primary root length, lateral root numbers, total root length, total leaf chlorophyll, stomatal conductance (Gs), net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate, and tissue Fe concentration. This study provides insights into understanding the molecular mechanisms of Fe storage and sequestration in perennial fruit trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Textile fabrics have a long history of use for a wide range of applications that satisfying the needs of livelihood. In this era of modernization and high technological advancements, the use of textiles has spread to include using man-made and nonconventional textiles. Among them, hollow fiber-based textiles have great application prospects due to their high surface-area-to-volume ratio, high loading capability, high active surface area and high permeability of the porous layer. Herein, the liquid loading and release performances of various hollow fiber yarns with different parameters (i.e. spinning methods, yarn count, loading amount, releasing rate, etc.) under optimized negative pressure are presented. Results showed that the hollow fiber vortex spun yarn (with yarn count Ne 10/1) had the highest loading ability under negative pressure. Moreover, the amount of liquid loaded into the yarns first increased rapidly and then the rate became slower with an increase of loading time and finally tended to a stable value. In addition, as the release time increases, the amount of liquid released from the hollow fiber yarns became higher and the release rate became lower. These findings provide an important foundation for the development of the multi-integrated textile system, which is comprises the controllable loading and delivery of various types of active substances and chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hollow fibers have been widely used as important components of membranes for drug delivery in the medical field. However, their usages in environmental and agricultural aspects have not been commonly unearthed. In our previous research, a new drug delivery system was established by utilizing hollow fiber as a carrier to convey medical substances in different phases, respectively. Our current research aims to expand the application of hollow fibers apart from medicine. In this study, the loading efficiency of the liquid under standard atmospheric pressure (nonvacuum) and negative pressure (vacuum) were further examined to achieve a higher loading system. The physical properties and the loading abilities of the three types of hollow fibers including original short crimped fibers, fibers from roving yarns, and fibers from spun yarns were studied and discussed. In-depth investigations of loading efficiency, wicking performance, water absorption, and thermal conductivity were conducted. Higher loading efficiency was observed by adopting the method of vacuum under negative pressure resulting from all experiments of which the result was at least 15 times higher than the nonvacuum-loaded methods. It was also at least 0.25% greater in moisture content, almost two times larger in the water absorption rate for yarn samples, and 35% higher for fabric samples. The differences in thermal conductivity within the two conditions were 0.00016 W/cm°C. Using the vacuum approach can improve the overall performance of precise liquid loading, increasing the efficiency and thereby reduce the production costs. It is believed to bring high-value advantages in agricultural aspects such as for sustainable pest control and crop growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Textiles are conventionally utilized as the raw materials for making clothing and complementary accessories. To keep abreast of the times, a new direction of integrating textiles into electronic technology has been given in order to develop a temperature-sensing device with outstanding built-in flexibility, versality and softness. In this study, a flexible construction of the textile-based thermocouple temperature sensor via an industrial-and-technological-based weaving process was designed. The feasible arrangement of the conductive textile materials in the warp and weft directions related to the temperature-sensing ability was studied in detail, and significant linearity was shown in the range of 5–50 ° C with different groups of combinations of the conductive yarns. More cross-intersections and 'hot junctions' resulted from the 3 × 3 warp–weft arrangement, offering higher stability and accuracy in thermal sensation. Besides, the resistance of the thermocouple remained almost constant under different degrees of bending. The relationship between the resistance and the bending flexibility was also investigated over a range of temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Viral infections constitute a primary trigger for asthma exacerbations. While vaccines protect against viral infections by eliciting a Th1 immune response, the impact of the asthmatic immune milieu which is characterized by Th2 cytokine dominance and elevated IgE levels on post-vaccination antibody production remains elusive. Therefore, vaccination protocols tailored to asthma patients need to be formulated., Methods: The levels of IgG specific for SARS-CoV-2 S protein were measured in the sera of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals by ELISA. The differences in antibody titers between asthma patients and healthy controls, as well as among distinct asthma subgroups were analyzed., Results: The vaccinated individuals had significantly elevated serum antibody levels compared to their unvaccinated counterparts. There were no significant differences in the antibody titers of asthma patients and healthy controls after completion of the three-dose vaccination regimen. Furthermore, no discernible variations in antibody titers were detected among the asthma subgroups., Conclusion: Asthma patients can safely adhere to the same vaccination strategies as the general healthy population, negating the need for any specialized vaccination protocols based solely on the asthmatic immune landscape.

This study introduces a novel distributed temperature sensing (DTS) technique on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) chips by the optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) technology. In contrast to traditional on-chip silicon photonics temperature sensors which rely on transmission spectrum detection, this method is based on Rayleigh backscatter induced by the sidewall roughness of as-fabricated waveguides, eliminating the need for a specially designed structure. On-chip DTS results with a remarkable sensing spatial resolution of 200 μ m and a high temperature sensitivity of 88 pm/K are demonstrated within the temperature range from 22.8  ∘ C to 200 ∘ C. Furthermore, the technology is employed to measure non-uniform temperature distributions along an SOI waveguide generated by integrated heaters. Importantly, this approach offers a straightforward sensing structure, opening new possibilities for investigating temperature profiles and thermal crosstalk across the chip.