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A water-in-water (W/W) emulsion consists of droplets formed by the spontaneous liquid–liquid separation of two immiscible aqueous phases. The inherent properties of the W/W interfaces, low or ultra...

PURPOSE Most patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) are older. In this study, we investigated the efficacy and safety of a chemotherapy-free combination with ibrutinib and rituximab (IR) in previously untreated older patients with MCL (age ≥ 65 years). METHODS We enrolled 50 patients with MCL in this single-institution, single-arm, phase II clinical trial ( NCT01880567 ). Patients with Ki-67% ≥ 50% and blastoid morphology were excluded. Ibrutinib was administered with rituximab up to 2 years with continuation of ibrutinib alone. The primary objective was to assess the overall response rate and safety of IR. In evaluable samples, whole-exome sequencing and bulk RNA sequencing from baseline tissue samples were performed. RESULTS The median age was 71 years (interquartile range 69-76 years). Sixteen percent of patients had high-risk simplified MCL international prognostic index. The Ki-67% was low (< 30%) in 38 (76%) and moderately high (≥ 30%-50%) in 12 (24%) patients. The best overall response rate was 96% (71% complete response). After a median follow-up of 45 months (interquartile range 24-56 months), 28 (56%) patients came off study for various reasons (including four progression, 21 toxicities, and three miscellaneous reasons). The median progression-free survival and overall survival were not reached, and 3-year survival was 87% and 94%, respectively. None of the patients died on study therapy. Notably, 11 (22%) patients had grade 3 atrial fibrillation. Grade 3-4 myelosuppression was seen in < 5% of patients. Differential overexpression of CCND1, BIRC3, BANK1, SETBP1, AXIN2, and IL2RA was noted in partial responders compared with patients with complete response. CONCLUSION IR combination is effective in older patients with MCL. Baseline evaluation for cardiovascular risks is highly recommended. Randomized trial is needed for definitive conclusions.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an effective noninvasive therapeutic strategy that can convert oxygen to highly cytotoxic singlet oxygen (1O2) through the co-localization of excitation light and photosensitizers. However, compromised by the hypoxic tumor microenvironment, the therapeutic efficacy of PDT is reduced seriously. Herein, to overcome tumor-associated hypoxia, and further achieve tumor-targeted synergistic chemotherapy/PDT/photothermal therapy (PTT), we have constructed a biodegradable oxygen-producing nanoplatform (named Ini@PM-HP), which was composed of the porous metal-organic framework (PCN-224(Mn)), the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor (Iniparib), and the polydopamine-modified hyaluronic acid (HA-PDA). Since HA can specifically bind to the overexpressed HA receptors (cluster determinant 44, CD44) on tumor cell, Ini@PM-HP prefers to accumulate at the tumor site once injected intravenously. Then iniparib can be released in tumor environment (TME), thereby dysfunctioning DNA damage repair and promoting cell apoptosis. At the same time, the chelating of Mn and tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (Mn-TCPP) can generate O2 in situ by reacting with endogenous H2O2, relieving the hypoxic TME and achieving enhanced PDT. Moreover, owing to the high photothermal conversion efficiency of PDA, PTT can be driven by the 808 nm laser irradiation. As systematically demonstrated in vitro and in vivo, this nanotherapeutic approach enables the combined therapy with great inhibition on tumor. Overall, the as-prepared nanoplatform provide a promising strategy to overcome tumor-associated hypoxia, and shows great potential for combination tumor therapy. Statement of significance A delicately designed biodegradable oxygen-producing nanoplatform Ini@PM-HP is constructed to achieve combination therapy of solid tumors. Taking advantage of the active-targeting, PTT, enhanced PDT and PARPi, this nanotherapeutic approach successfully enables the combined chemo/photothermal/photodynamic therapy with great inhibition of solid tumors.

Standard of care (SOC) chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies such as axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) and tisagenlecleucel (tisa-cel) are associated with multisystem toxicities. There is limited information available about cardiovascular (CV) events associated with SOC axi-cel or tisa-cel. Patients with CV comorbidities, organ dysfunction, or lower performance status were often excluded in the clinical trials leading to their Food and Drug Adminsitration approval. An improved understanding of CV toxicities in the real-world setting will better inform therapy selection and management of patients receiving these cellular therapies. Here, we retrospectively reviewed the characteristics and outcomes of adult patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma treated with SOC axi-cel or tisa-cel. Among the 165 patients evaluated, 27 (16%) developed at least one 30-day (30-d) major adverse CV event (MACE). Cumulatively, these patients experienced 21 arrhythmias, four exacerbations of heart failure/cardiomyopathy, four cerebrovascular accidents, three myocardial infarctions, and one patient died due to myocardial infaction. Factors significantly associated with an increased risk of 30-d MACE included age ≥60 years, an earlier start of cytokine release syndrome (CRS), CRS ≥ grade 3, long duration of CRS, and use of tocilizumab. After a median follow-up time of 16.2 months (range, 14.3-19.1), the occurrence of 30-d MACE was not significantly associated with progression-free survival or with overall survival. Our results suggest that the occurrence of 30-d MACE is more frequent among patients who are elderly, with early, severe, and prolonged CRS. However, with limited follow-up, larger prospective studies are needed, and multidisciplinary management of these patients is recommended.

UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) is a vital metabolic enzyme responsible for the clearance of endogenous substances and drugs. Hitherto, the development of fluorescent probes for UGTs was severely restricted due to the poor isoform selectivity and on–off or blue-shifted fluorescence response. Herein, we established a novel “molecular-splicing” strategy to construct a highly selective near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe, HHC, for UGT1A1, which exhibited a NIR signal at 720 nm after UGT1A1 metabolism. HHC was then successfully used for the real-time imaging of endogenous UGT1A1 in living cells and animals and to monitor the bile excretion function. In summary, an isoform-specific NIR fluorescent probe has been developed for monitoring UGT1A1 activity in living systems, high-throughput screening of novel UGT1A1 inhibitors and visual evaluation of bile excretion function.

To improve the biogas potential in anaerobic digestion of cattle manure in cold regions, we investigated, in this study, the potential of the anaerobic digestion of cattle manure through sequencing batch anaerobic digestion experiments at sub-mesophilic temperatures (15°C, 20°C, 25°C, and 37°C) for 50 days. Specifically, the changes in the biogas yield, pH, sCOD concentration, enzyme activity, and microbial community structure were examined. The maximum daily yield of biogas was 19.18 mL·gVS−1, which was recorded on day 6 at 37°C, and the final biogas accumulation yield at this temperature was 403.64 mL·gTS−1. The concentration of sCOD gradually increased as enzyme activity increased. The maximum activities of cellulase, hemicellulase, protease, and amylase were recorded in the 37°C experimental group. The decrease in temperature severely limited the activity of different types of enzymes, resulting in a decrease in the activity of microorganisms, which greatly influenced the methanogenic reaction. The dominant bacteria at the phylum level were Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, and the dominant methanogen at the genus level was Methanosaeta.

A NIR fluorescent probe (DDAA) derived from fluorophore DDAO with alanine as the recognition group was developed for sensing aminopeptidase N (APN) in gut microbiota. Using DDAA as the real-time guidance tool for the fluorescence imaging of intestinal microorganism, target bacteria and saccharomycete possessing active APN were identified successfully from human feces.

Anaerobic fermentation experiments were performed using combinations of chicken manure and straw at a temperature of 37±0.5 °C for 70 d. In this investigation, system stability and methane production were analyzed using the Logistic model. According to our results, the highest cumulative methane yield was 292.87 mL/g VS at a straw ratio of 3%. This value was 17.43% higher than the one obtained using pure chicken manure. In addition, a positive correlation between ammonia concentration and content of chicken manure was observed. At the end of the reaction, pH values in the four groups were between 7.0 and 8.0. However, pH in the M2 group was significantly higher than that observed in the rest of the groups. Data also indicated that hydrolase activities were positively correlated with SCOD concentrations. In this context, cellulase activity reached the highest value on day 40. Proteinase activity presented two peaks on days 20 and 40. In the case of lipase, activities and amylase initially increased and later decreased, but the change is small. According to the results of the Logistic model, the highest methane production potential was of 404.41 mL/g VS, at a straw proportion of 3%. In addition, the highest daily methane yield was 6.13 mL/g VS.

Unlike the facile modulation of surface structure through protecting ligands, the core shielded by outer shell of silver nanoclusters is still hard to be controlled. Ligand effects may seep into the incipient growth of silver core. However, the comparable cases to validate such hypothesis are currently lacking. Herein, we shed light on two core-shell silver nanoclusters, Ag7S6@Ag48 (SD/Ag55b, SD = SunDi) and Ag6S6@Ag48 (SD/Ag54b), differing in only one silver atom in the core which varies from a pentagon-bipyramidal Ag7 to an octahedral Ag6 while keeping the Ag48 shielding shell almost the same. Although no direct bonding between alkynes and silver core is observed in them, we propose that the ligand effect still exerts profound influences on the size and geometry of silver core. The solution behaviours and complete ligand-exchange reaction of SD/Ag55b in CH2Cl2 are investigated using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Due to more and stronger argentophilic interactions, SD/Ag55b exhibits room-temperature phosphorescence with a 40 nm red-shift compared to that of SD/Ag54b in CH2Cl2. This work not only presents effective fabrication of silver nanoclusters via synergism of dithiophosphate and alkyne ligands, but also provides us a pair of comparable examples to understand substitution group effect of protecting ligand on the core structures and properties.

This research investigates osteoblast cell growth and cancer cell inhibition of titanium (Ti) metal implant coated with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) reinforced hydroxyapatite (HAP) composite. The fibrous composite of PVA/HAP/folic acid (FA)/Methotrexate (MTX) was coated on the surface of a titanium plate and observed with microscopy. During the PVA/HAP/FA/MTX composite preparation, the functional changes and crystalline phases were observed through Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis, respectively. The composite fibers had an average diameter of 19 nm and mechanical strength (9660 Pa) much greater than pure HAP (4965 Pa), critical to the fibrous scaffold under load-bearing applications. Biocompatibility, cell growth, and proliferation capability of the PVA/HAP/FA/MTX composite were studied in human bone marrow-derived stem cells (hBMSCs). The fiber composite was found to have excellent biocompatibility with significant cell growth, while the MTX-loaded PVA/HAP/FA composite demonstrated cytotoxicity against A459 cells. The prepared fibrous composites will serve as a superior biomaterial for osteosarcoma-diseased bone repair after evidencing of in-vivo and clinical trials.

Isolating reductive silver kernel from shell is a challenging task but is quite important to understand the embryonic form during the formation of silver nanoclusters. The intercalation of suitable anionic species may be of benefit for passivating then capturing such highly active kernel. Herein, we successfully isolated a novel silver thiolate nanocluster [Ag13@Ag76S16(CyhS)42(p-NH2-PhAsO3)4]3+ (SD/Ag89a, CyhSH = cyclohexanethiol) that contains a well-isolated icosahedral Ag13 kernel passivated by four AgS47− tetrahedra and four p-NH2PhAsO32− piercing from outer Ag72 shell. Of note, this Ag13 kernel is the largest isolable subvalent silver kernel beneath the silver shell with extremely legible core-shell boundary ever before and represents a precise embryonic model formed in the reducing Ag(I) to Ag(0) followed by aggregating to large silver nanoparticles. The reductive role of DMF and the introduction of anionic passivation layer (APL) synergistically modulate the reduction kinetics, facilitating the capture of ultrasmall subvalent silver kernel. SD/Ag89a emits in near infrared (NIR) region (λem = 800 nm) at low temperature. The synthetic strategy shown in this work opens up new opportunities for precisely capturing and recognizing diverse reductive silver kernels in different systems.

Leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) is a hydrolase for the hydrolysis of peptides or proteins containing a leucine residue at the N-terminal. It is also known to be a key virulence factor for the pathogenic abilities of various pathogens causing infectious diseases, which indicated a new insight into the diagnosis and therapy of pathogenic infections. A new fluorescent probe (S)-2-amino-N-(4-(((6,8-dichloro-9,9-dimethyl-7-oxo-7,9-dihydroacridin-2-yl)oxy)methyl)phenyl)-4-methylpentanamide (DDBL) containing DDAO as the fluorophore and leucine as the recognition group was developed for LAP. By real-time visual sensing of LAP, six bacteria with LAP expression were identified efficiently from human feces, as well as by sensitive visual analysis using native-PAGE specially stained with DDBL. Furthermore, a high throughput screening system established with DDBL was applied to identify a natural inhibitor (3-acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid, AKBA), which could attenuate mouse sepsis induced by Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, the visual sensing of LAP by DDBL suggested the application for target bacteria identification and LAP homolog analysis as well as potential inhibitor expounding for treatment of bacterial infections.

Although chirality is an ever-present characteristic in biology and some artificial molecules, controlling the chirality and demystifying the chirality origin of complex assemblies remain challenging. Herein, we report two homochiral Ag14 nanoclusters with inherent chirality originated from identical rotation of six square faces on a Ag8 cube driven by intra-cluster π···π stacking interaction between pntp− (Hpntp = p-nitrothiophenol) ligands. The spontaneous resolution of the racemic (SD/rac-Ag14a) to homochiral nanoclusters (SD/L-Ag14 and SD/R-Ag14) can be realized by re-crystallizing SD/rac-Ag14a in acetonitrile, which promotes the homochiral crystallization in solid state by forming C–H···O/N hydrogen bonds with nitro oxygen atoms in pntp− or aromatic hydrogen atoms in dpph (dpph = 1,6-bis(diphenylphosphino)hexane) on Ag14 nanocluster. This work not only provides strategic guidance for the syntheses of chiral silver nanoclusters in an all-achiral environment, but also deciphers the origin of chirality at molecular level by identifying the special effects of intra- and inter-cluster supramolecular interactions., The preparation of chiral monolayer-protected metal clusters is interesting for their potential applications in a variety of fields, including catalysis. Here, the authors synthesize chiral Ag14 nanoclusters in an all-achiral environment, and decipher the origin of chirality at the molecular level; the solvent choice is key to achieve homochiral crystallization.

Uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glucuronosyl-transferases (UGTs) are enzymes involved in the biotransformation of important endogenous compounds such as steroids, bile acids, and hormones as well as exogenous substances including drugs, environmental toxicants, and carcinogens. Here, a novel fluorescent probe BDMP was developed based on boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) with high sensitivity for the detection of UGT1A8. The glucuronidation of BDMP not only exhibited a redemission wavelength (λex/λem = 500/580 nm), but also displayed an excellent UGT1A8-dependent fluorescence signal with a good linear relationship with UGT1A8 concentration. Based on this perfect biocompatibility and cell permeability, BDMP was successfully used to image endogenous UGT1A8 in human cancer cell lines (LoVo and HCT15) in real time. In addition, BDMP could also be used to visualize UGT1A8 in tumor tissues. These results suggested that BDMP is a promising molecular tool for the investigation of UGT1A8-mediated physiological function in humans.

Background Raising nitrogen use efficiency of crops by improving root system architecture is highly essential not only to reduce costs of agricultural production but also to mitigate climate change. The physiological mechanisms of how biochar affects nitrogen assimilation by crop seedlings have not been well elucidated. Results Here, we report changes in root system architecture, activities of the key enzymes involved in nitrogen assimilation, and cytokinin (CTK) at the seedling stage of cotton with reduced urea usage and biochar application at different soil layers (0–10 cm and 10–20 cm). Active root absorption area, fresh weight, and nitrogen agronomic efficiency increased significantly when urea usage was reduced by 25% and biochar was applied in the surface soil layer. Glutamine oxoglutarate amino transferase (GOGAT) activity was closely related to the application depth of urea/biochar, and it increased when urea/biochar was applied in the 0–10 cm layer. Glutamic-pyruvic transaminase activity (GPT) increased significantly as well. Nitrate reductase (NR) activity was stimulated by CTK in the very fine roots but inhibited in the fine roots. In addition, AMT1;1, gdh3, and gdh2 were significantly up-regulated in the very fine roots when urea usage was reduced by 25% and biochar was applied. Conclusion Nitrogen assimilation efficiency was significantly affected when urea usage was reduced by 25% and biochar was applied in the surface soil layer at the seedling stage of cotton. The co-expression of gdh3 and gdh2 in the fine roots increased nitrogen agronomic efficiency. The synergistic expression of the ammonium transporter gene and gdh3 suggests that biochar may be beneficial to amino acid metabolism.

The prompt detection and proper evaluation of necrotic retinal region are especially important for the diagnosis and treatment of acute retinal necrosis (ARN). The potential application of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms in these areas of clinical research has not been reported previously. The present study aims to create a computational algorithm for the automated detection and evaluation of retinal necrosis from retinal fundus photographs. A total of 149 wide-angle fundus photographs from 40 eyes of 32 ARN patients were collected, and the U-Net method was used to construct the AI algorithm. Thereby, a novel algorithm based on deep machine learning in detection and evaluation of retinal necrosis was constructed for the first time. This algorithm had an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.92, with 86% sensitivity and 88% specificity in the detection of retinal necrosis. For the purpose of retinal necrosis evaluation, necrotic areas calculated by the AI algorithm were significantly positively correlated with viral load in aqueous humor samples (R (2)=0.7444, P

Transition metal-catalyzed aerobic oxidative reactions using molecular oxygen as the terminal oxidant play a significant role in organic synthesis. Benzoquinone (BQ) has been widely used as an electron-transfer mediator (ETM) in biomimetic palladium-catalyzed aerobic oxidative reactions, but always together with an ETM between O2 and BQ, such as a macrocyclic metal complex. Herein, we report on a heterogeneous palladium-catalyzed allenic C(sp3)-H arylation with only catalytic amounts of BQ under air without the need of an additional ETM. A range of multisubstituted 1,3-dienes were synthesized under mild reaction conditions. Mechanistic studies reveal the bifunctional role of BQ as a ligand for reductive elimination and as an ETM between Pd(0) and O2. This new regime of oxidation has important implications for further development of other transition metal-catalyzed aerobic oxidative reactions.

Anoectochilus roxburghii (AR) has been used in food, medicine and ornamental industries for a long time. Anion exchange resin was proposed to purify the sub-fraction of water-extracted AR polysaccharide (ARPP-70), and a homogeneous polysaccharide ARPP-70a was obtained. The structural features of ARPP-70a were characterized using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and high performance size exclusion chromatograph coupled with multi-angle laser light scattering (HPSEC-MALLS). The relative weight average molecular weight for ARPP-70a was determined to be 14.8 kDa, and the molar ratio of glucose to galactose was 1.0:3.2. The structure of ARPP-70a was elucidated to be glucogalactan, with backbone comprising β-1,4-linked Galp and some α-1,4-linked Glcp. The conformation characteristics of ARPP-70a were supposed to exist as a random coil chain in 0.1 M NaNO3 solution. Moreover, in vitro antioxidant activity assays revealed ARPP-70a exhibited appreciable antioxidant potential. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to obtain this type of glucogalactan, and provide systematic information on its structural and conformational properties. This study improved the understanding of the physicochemical characteristics of AR polysaccharide, which is beneficial for its further application in food and medicinal industry.

Polyoxometalates (POMs, metals=V V , Nb V , Ta V , Mo VI , W VI ) are molecular metal oxides that can be isolated without capping ligands. The high negative charge of polyoxoniobates (PONb) provides strong interactions with heterocations, advantageous for electrostatic assembly of modular materials. In four single-crystal X-ray structures, we demonstrate that carbonate combined with the very reactive decaniobate [Nb 10 O 28 ] 6- reassembles into a new decaniobate, [Nb 10 O 25 (CO 3 ) 6 ] 12- , featuring three carbonate-ligated Nb-polyhedra. These Nb-sites can be replaced by heterometals (lanthanides), and the tridentate carbonate can serve as an anchor point to build niobate-frameworks. Small-angle X-ray scattering and two additional X-ray structures reveal the reaction pathway proceeds through a Nb 24 -PONb intermediate, and the obtained PONb (with or without carbonate) is both temperature and solvent-dependent (water or mixed water-methanol). This provides an uncommon level of control for PONb chemistry.

This study is aimed at exploring the release of bound polyphenols (BP) from insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) and its mechanism by solid-state fermentation (SSF) via Trichoderma viride. The results indicated that BP released by SSF (5.55 mg GAE/g DW) was significantly higher than by alkaline hydrolysis. In addition, 39 polyphenols and catabolites were detected, and the related biotransformation pathways were speculated. Quantitative analysis showed that SSF released more ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, and organic acids, which led to advances in antioxidant, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. Furthermore, structural characteristics (scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermos gravimetric analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) and dynamic changes of carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes indicated that the destruction of hemicellulose and the secretion of xylanase were vital for releasing BP. Overall, this study demonstrated that SSF was beneficial to release BP from IDF, which could provide insight into utilizing agricultural byproducts in a more natural and economical way.

Urine is an important source of biomolecular information for metabolomic studies. However, the acquisition of high-quality metabolomic datasets or reliable biomarkers from urine is difficult owing to the large variations in the concentrations of endogenous metabolites in the biofluid, which are caused by diverse factors such as water consumption, drugs, and diseases. Thus, normalization or calibration is essential in urine metabolomics for eliminating such deviations. The urine osmolality (Π), which is a direct measure of the total urinary solute concentration and is not affected by circadian rhythms, diet, gender, and age, is often considered the gold standard for estimation of the urine concentration. In this study, a pre-data acquisition calibration strategy based on osmolality was investigated for its feasibility to overcome sample concentration variability. Before data acquisition, the product of the osmolality×injection volume of all samples was set to be equivalent through the uses of a customized injection volume or dilution. After ultra performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS) analysis of the sample, the raw dataset was normalized to the total ion abundance or total useful MS signals (MSTUS) to achieve further calibration. The osmolality of each urine sample was determined with a freezing-point depression osmometer. For the instrumental analysis, a Vanquish UPLC system coupled to a Q-Exactive Plus HRMS device was used for metabolite analysis and accurate mass measurement. Full-scan mass spectra were acquired in the range of m/z 60-900, and the MS/MS experiments were conducted in "Top5" data-dependent mode. A Waters UPLC column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.8 μm) was used for chromatography separation. The raw data were imported into Progenesis QI software for peak picking, alignment, deconvolution, and normalization. SIMCA-P software was used for the principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least-squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA). This strategy was first applied to sequentially diluted urine samples, where three frequently used normalization methods were compared. In the identical injection volume experiment, the points were scattered and showed relevant distribution according to the dilution multiple in the plot of PCA scores. There was little improvement after normalization to either the total ion abundance or MSTUS. In the customized injection volume experiment, the urine samples derived from the same source showed ideal clustering. With total ion abundance and MSTUS normalization, the dataset was further improved in the PCA model fitting and prediction. As a result, there were more peaks with a peak area RSD of

The oxidation behavior of melt-infiltrated SiC–TiB2 ceramic composites at 500–1300 °C in air for 32 h was investigated by the isothermal oxidation test. The phase composition and microstructure evolution were studied through examining the surficial and cross-sectional oxide layer by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The oxidized surfaces were covered by scattered TiO2 particles, a continuous B2O3 layer, a B2O3–Al2O3 layer or a mullite layer depending on the oxidation temperature. The thickness of the oxide layer increased from 10 to 30 μm as the oxidation temperature increased from 900 to 1300 °C. The analysis of the weight gain data revealed that the parabolic rate constant of melt-infiltrated SiC–TiB2 ceramic composites generally increased from 4.05 × 10−3 to 3.16 × 10−1 mg2/cm4/s, accompanied with a changed oxidation nature from parabolic to cubic, as oxidation temperature increased from 500 to 1300 °C. Formation of continuous B2O3 or Al2O3-based (Al2O3–B2O3 or Al2O3–SiO2) layer were identified on the surface of SiC–TiB2 ceramic composites after being oxidized at 700–1300 °C, which was responsible for the excellent oxidation resistance of such composites. The oxidation rate of the melt-infiltrated SiC–TiB2 ceramic composites was controlled by reaction rate of the composites at 500 °C and diffusion rate of oxygen through continuous B2O3 or Al2O3-based layer to the unaffected composites at 700–1300 °C.

Seed germination is essential for direct seeding in rice. It has been demonstrated that trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase 1 (OsTPP1) plays roles in improving yield and stress tolerance in rice. In this study, the roles of OsTPP1 on seed germination in rice were investigated. The tpp1 mutant germinated slower than the wild-type (WT), which can be restored by exogenous trehalose. tpp1 seeds showed higher ABA content compared with WT seeds. The tpp1 mutant was hypersensitive to ABA and ABA catabolism inhibitor (Dinicozanole). Furthermore, two ABA catabolism genes were downregulated in the tpp1 mutant which were responsible for increased ABA concentrations, and exogenous trehalose increased transcripts of ABA catabolism genes, suggesting that OsTPP1 and ABA catabolism genes acted in the same signaling pathway. Further analysis showed that a transcription factor of OsGAMYB was an activator of OsTPP1, and expression of OsGAMYB was decreased by both the exogenous and endogenous ABA, subsequently reducing the expression of OsTPP1, which suggested a new signaling pathway required for seed germination in rice. In addition, ABA-responsive genes, especially OsABI5, were invoved in OsTPP1-mediated seed germination. Overall, our study provided new pathways in seed germination that OsTPP1 controlled seed germination through crosstalk with the ABA catabolism pathway.

The fluorescence intensity of the ring-opened merocyanine (MC) form of spiropyran can be enhanced by metal nanostructures. However, direct contact between spiropyran and the metal results in fluore...

Layering AgNO3 in alcohol onto octavinylsilsesquioxane (OVS) in CHCl3 results in a one-dimensional coordination polymer, {Ag4(NO3)4(OVS)·solvents}n (SD/Ag4a-d), consisting of unprecedented flat weakly bonded Ag4(NO3)4 alternating with the firmly covalent OVS through AgI-πC═C bonds. The preferential assembling medium for SD/Ag4a is proven to be alcohols, where a 4:1 silver-OVS adduct is detected by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The present outcomes may assist our knowledge of particular interactions for supramolecular architectures of a polynuclear silver system built from OVS containing eight pendent olefin tails.

Materials with low density, exceptional thermal and corrosion resistance, and ultrahigh mechanical and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance are urgently demanded for aerospace and military industries. Efficient design of materials' components and microstructures is crucial yet remains highly challenging for achieving the above requirements. Herein, a strengthened reduced graphene oxide (SrGO)-reinforced multi-interfacial carbon-silicon carbide (C-SiC)n matrix (SrGO/(C-SiC)n) composite is reported, which is fabricated by depositing a carbon-strengthening layer into rGO foam followed by alternate filling of pyrocarbon (PyC) and silicon carbide (SiC) via a precursor infiltration pyrolysis (PIP) method. By increasing the number of alternate PIP sequences (n = 1, 3 and 12), the mechanical, electrical, and EMI shielding properties of SrGO/(C-SiC)n composites are significantly increased. The optimal composite exhibits excellent conductivity of 8.52 S·cm-1 and powerful average EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 70.2 dB over a broad bandwidth of 32 GHz, covering the entire X-, Ku-, K-, and Ka-bands. The excellent EMI SE benefits from the massive conduction loss in highly conductive SrGO skeletons and polarization relaxation of rich heterogeneous PyC/SiC interfaces. Our composite features low density down to 1.60 g·cm-3 and displays robust compressive properties (up to 163.8 MPa in strength), owing to the uniformly distributed heterogeneous interfaces capable of consuming great fracture energy upon loadings. Moreover, ultrahigh thermostructural stability (up to 2100 °C in Ar) and super corrosion resistance (no strength degradation after long-term acid and alkali immersion) are also discovered. These excellent comprehensive properties, along with ease of low-cost and scalable production, could potentially promote the practical applications of the SrGO/(C-SiC)n composite in the near future.

A highly robust heterometallic CoIILaIII2-organic framework (NUC-19) is synthesized and features 1D rectangle-like channels with a window size of 3.4 × 6.3 A2 and a carboxyl-group-modified inner surface. NUC-19 exhibits significantly differential uptake for C2H2, C2H4, and CH4, and the ideal adsorbed solution theory selectivities of C2H2/C2H4 (1:99, v/v) and C2H2/CH4 (50:50, v/v) at room temperature can reach up to 4.0 and 79.7, respectively. Fixed-bed dynamic breakthrough experiments under simulated industrial conditions indicate that NUC-19 could efficiently trap C2H2 from mixed gases of C2H2/CH4 and C2H2/C2H4.

As a genus of the Asteraceae, Inula is widely distributed all over the world, and several of them are being used in traditional medicines. A number of metabolites were isolated from Inula species, and some of these have shown to possess ranges of pharmacological activities. The genus Inula contains abundant sesquiterpenoids, such as eudesmanes, xanthanes, and sesquiterpenoid dimers and trimers. In addition, other types of terpenoids, flavonoids, and lignins also exist in the genus Inula. Since 2010, more than 300 new secondary metabolites, including several known natural products that were isolated for the first time from the genus Inula. Most of them exhibited potential bioactivities in various diseases. The review aimed to summarize the advance of recent researches (2010–2020) on phytochemical constituents, biosynthesis, and pharmacological properties of the genus Inula for providing a scientific basis and supporting its application and exploitation for new drug development.