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The endowment of guided bone regeneration (GBR) membranes with the ability to activate the endogenous regenerative capability of bone to regenerate bone defects is of clinical significance. Herein we explored the preparation of the calcium compound (CC) (calcium sulfate (CaSL), calcium hydrophosphate (CaHP), or tricalcium phosphate (TCaP)) loaded ultrathin silk fibroin (SF)/gelatin (G) fibre membranes via electrospinning as the GBR membranes to regenerate the calvarial bone defects. The in vitro experiments demonstrated that the CaSL-loaded ultrathin fibrous membranes could simulate optimally the bone remodelling microenvironment in comparison with the CaHP- and TCaP-loaded fibrous membranes, displaying the highest activity to regulate the migration, proliferation, and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Also, the in vivo experiments demonstrated that the CaSL-loaded fibrous membranes presented the highest intrinsic osteoinduction to guide in situ regeneration of bone. Furthermore, the in vivo experiments demonstrated that the as-prepared composite fibrous membranes possessed good degradability. In summary, our results suggested that the CaSL-loaded fibrous membranes with high intrinsic osteoinduction and good degradability have potential to translate into clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PVDF-based electrolytes are promising candidates for solid-state lithium batteries (SSLBs) due to their high safety, interface compatibility and electrochemical stability. However, the low ionic conductivity of PVDF and uncontrollable dendrite growth in the related SSLBs restrict their development and application. Herein, ferroelectric BiFeO3 is introduced into PVDF to improve its electrolyte performance. The developed PVDF-based composite electrolytes achieve a high ionic conductivity (1.39 × 10−4 S cm−1) and Li+ transference number (0.35). Benefitting from the introduced BiFeO3, the assembled Li symmetrical batteries exhibit good cycle performance and can steadily cycle for 2500 h at 0.1 mA cm−2, at 25 °C. Matched with LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cathodes, the assembled batteries show excellent long-term cycling stability with a capacity retention of 94% after 100 cycles at 0.1C and capacity retention of 89% after 400 cycles at 0.3C. The ferroelectric effect of BiFeO3 restrains the inhomogeneous electric field and adjusts the Li+ distribution at the electrolyte/electrode interface, achieving uniform Li deposition. The ferroelectric BiFeO3 powder facilitates the decomposition of lithium salts and regulates the chemical composition of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) with high ionic conductivity and electrochemical stability are crucial for the potential practical applications of solid-state lithium metal batteries. In SPEs based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), the addition of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) enhances ionic conductivity but reduces the electrochemical stable window. This work proposes a strategy to improve the stability of PVDF-based SPEs with high ionic conductivities using LiNO3 additive. By adding 5% of LiNO3 (comparing to the weight of LiTFSI lithium salt), the ionic conductivity of prepared PVDF-based SPEs achieves up to 10−4 S cm−1 at 30 ℃. The assembled Li|SPE|NCM811 cells with the LiNO3-modified SPE film as separator maintained a capacity retention rate of 93.0% after 200 electrochemistry cycles induced at a current density of 0.5 C. The influence of LiNO3 in the interface resistance, Li-ionic transfer number, solid electrolyte interface phase, and electrochemistry performance of LIBs is investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese gentian, Gentiana sino-ornata produces brilliant blue flowers. To investigate the biological function and transcriptional regulation mechanism of the anthocyanin 5-O-acyltransferase gene (Gs5AT ) in the corolla, it is beneficial to analyse the mechanism of blue flower colour presentation. In this investigation, we obtained the CDS and promoter sequences of the gene Gs5AT . Yeast one-hybrid experiments were used to identify the transcription factor GsbHLH7 that activates the gene Gs5AT . According to quantitive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis, the expression of the gene Gs5AT was significantly and positively correlated with the gene GsbHLH7 . The colour phenotype of the flowers was significantly altered by the virus-induced gene silencing transduction of Gs5AT and GsbHLH7 , with GsbHLH7 silencing producing more pronounced changes in the corolla colour than Gs5AT . The expression of GsF3'5'H , GsDFR , GsANS , Gs3GT , and Gs5GT all fell to varying degrees after GsbHLH7 silencing, indicating that GsbHLH7 may regulate transcription of these genes as well as Gs5AT . The results of this study indicate that Gs5AT was positively regulated by the GsbHLH7 , and thus affects the colour presentation of the blue corolla.