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Zn metal anodes are usually subject to grave dendrite growth during platting/stripping, which dramatically curtails the lifespan of aqueous Zn‐ion batteries and capacitors. To address above problems, in our work, a novel phosphorus‐functionalized multichannel carbon interlayer was designed and covered on Zn anodes. The results demonstrated that the multichannel structure combined with the three‐dimensional meshy skeleton can provide more sufficient space for Zn deposition, thereby effectively inhibiting the growth of zinc dendrites. Meanwhile, theoretical calculations also confirmed that the P–C and P=O functional groups from phosphorus‐functionalized multichannel carbon interlayer have the decisive influence in reducing the zinc nucleation potential and depositing uniformly zinc. Concretely, the symmetrical battery assembled with phosphorus‐functionalized multichannel carbon interlayer‐covered Zn anodes possessed a long lifetime of 3300 h at 2 mA cm−2 with 1 mAh cm−2. Furthermore, the full cell with activated carbon cathodes exhibited a high specific capacity of 80.5 mAh g−1 and outstanding cycling stability without capacity decay after 15 000 cycles at a high current density of 5 A g−1. The superior electrochemical performance exceeded that of most reported papers. Consequently, our synthesized zincophilic interlayer with the unique structure has superior prospects for application in stabilizing zinc anodes and prolonging the lifespan of batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is a prominent viral pathogen that adversely affects tomato plants. Effective strategies for mitigating the impact of TYLCV include isolating tomato plants from the whitefly, which is the vector of the virus, and utilizing transgenic lines that are resistant to the virus. In our preliminary investigations, we observed that the use of growth retardants increased the rate of TYLCV infection and intensified the damage to the tomato plants, suggesting a potential involvement of gibberellic acid (GA) in the conferring of resistance to TYLCV. In this study, we employed an infectious clone of TYLCV to inoculate tomato plants, which resulted in leaf curling and growth inhibition. Remarkably, this inoculation also led to the accumulation of GA3 and several other phytohormones. Subsequent treatment with GA3 effectively alleviated the TYLCV-induced leaf curling and growth inhibition, reduced TYLCV abundance in the leaves, enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and lowered the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in the leaves. Conversely, the treatment with PP333 exacerbated TYLCV-induced leaf curling and growth suppression, increased TYLCV abundance, decreased antioxidant enzyme activity, and elevated ROS levels in the leaves. The analysis of the gene expression profiles revealed that GA3 up-regulated the genes associated with disease resistance, such as WRKYs, NACs, MYBs, Cyt P450s, and ERFs, while it down-regulated the DELLA protein, a key agent in GA signaling. In contrast, PP333 induced gene expression changes that were the opposite of those caused by the GA3 treatment. These findings suggest that GA plays an essential role in the tomato's defense response against TYLCV and acts as a positive regulator of ROS scavenging and the expression of resistance-related genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ether electrolytes usually outperform ester electrolytes by evaluating sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) rate performance, which is a near‐unanimous conclusion of previous studies based on an essential configuration of the half‐cell test. However, here we find that contrary to consensus, the ester electrolyte shows better Na storage capability than the ether electrolyte in full cells. An in‐depth analysis of three‐electrode, symmetric cell, and in situ XRD tests indicates that traditional half‐cell test results are unreliable due to interference from Na electrodes. In particular, Na electrodes show a huge stability difference in ester and ether electrolytes, and ester electrolytes suffer more severe interference than ether electrolytes, resulting in the belief that esters are far inferior to ether electrolytes. More seriously, the more accurate three‐electrode test would also suffer from Na electrode interference. Thus, a "corrected half‐cell test" protocol is developed to shield the Na electrode interference, revealing the very close super rate capability of hard carbon in ester and ether electrolytes. This work breaks the inherent perception that the kinetic properties of ester electrolytes are inferior to ethers in sodium‐ion batteries, reveals the pitfalls of half‐cell tests, and proposes a new test protocol for reliable results, greatly accelerating the commercialization of sodium‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α-Intercalated cells (A-ICs) within the collecting duct of the kidney are critical for acid-base homeostasis. Here, we have shown that A-ICs also serve as both sentinels and effectors in the defense against urinary infections. In a murine urinary tract infection model, A-ICs bound uropathogenic E. coli and responded by acidifying the urine and secreting the bacteriostatic protein lipocalin 2 (LCN2; also known as NGAL). A-IC-dependent LCN2 secretion required TLR4, as mice expressing an LPS-insensitive form of TLR4 expressed reduced levels of LCN2. The presence of LCN2 in urine was both necessary and sufficient to control the urinary tract infection through iron sequestration, even in the harsh condition of urine acidification. In mice lacking A-ICs, both urinary LCN2 and urinary acidification were reduced, and consequently bacterial clearance was limited. Together these results indicate that A-ICs, which are known to regulate acid- base metabolism, are also critical for urinary defense against pathogenic bacteria. They respond to both cystitis and pyelonephritis by delivering bacteriostatic chemical agents to the lower urinary system., Introduction Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most prevalent and resource-taxing diseases in the United States. Each year, 13.3% of women, 2.3% of men (1), and 3.4% of children [...]

Electrospun nanofiber membranes (ENMs) of polyvinylidene fluoride which is known as solid phase extraction materials were fabricated through electrospinning technology. Different electrospinning conditions including polymer content, spinning voltage and flow rate were investigated. The optimal operation conditions for electrospun process were set at 12% of PVDF mass fraction, 12 kV of spinning voltage, 0.5 mL h−1 of flow rate, 15 cm of receiving distance, 22 °C of spinning temperature and 45% of environmental humidity. The self-made ENMs were introduced into a combined method of radial electric focusing solid phase extraction enrichment, ultrasonic elution, UV-Vis detection and PLS calculation for determining benzoic acid, phthalic acid and p-toluene sulfonic acid in aqueous samples simultaneously. The calculation results of unknown sample show that the concentrations of benzoic acid, phthalic acid and p-toluene sulfonic acid were 4.416 mg L−1, 4.976 mg L−1 and 5.27 mg L−1, respectively. The relative standard deviation values of each component are all less than 2% with a relative recovery of 84–119%. The ENMs illustrate their fascinating application prospects in determining trace complex materials in aqueous samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a cause of proteinuric kidney disease, compromising both native and transplanted kidneys. Treatment is limited because of a complex pathogenesis, including unknown serum factors. Here we report that serum soluble urokinase receptor (suPAR) is elevated in two-thirds of subjects with primary FSGS, but not in people with other glomerular diseases. We further find that a higher concentration of suPAR before transplantation underlies an increased risk for recurrence of FSGS after transplantation. Using three mouse models, we explore the effects of suPAR on kidney function and morphology. We show that circulating suPAR activates podocyte [β.sub.3] integrin in both native and grafted kidneys, causing foot process effacement, proteinuria and FSGS-like glomerulopathy. Our findings suggest that the renal disease only develops when suPAR sufficiently activates podocyte [β.sub.3] integrin. Thus, the disease can be abrogated by lowering serum suPAR concentrations through plasmapheresis, or by interfering with the suPAR-[β.sub.3] integrin interaction through antibodies and small molecules targeting either uPAR or [β.sub.3] integrin. Our study identifies serum suPAR as a circulating factor that may cause FSGS., Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a major cause of endstage renal disease (ESRD) (1). It affects both native and transplanted kidneys (2-4), with recurrence after transplant occurring in about 30% [...]

Many proteins have been proposed to act as surrogate markers of organ damage, yet for many candidates the essential biomarker characteristics that link the protein to the injured organ have not yet been described. We generated an Ngal reporter mouse by inserting a double-fusion reporter gene encoding luciferase-2 and mCherry (Luc2-mC) into the Ngal (Lcn2) locus. The Ngal-Luc2-mC reporter accurately recapitulated the endogenous message and illuminated injuries in vivo in real time. In the kidney, Ngal-Luc2-mC imaging showed a sensitive, rapid, dose-dependent, reversible, and organ- and cell-specific relationship with tubular stress, which correlated with the level of urinary Ngal (uNgal). Unexpectedly, specific cells of the distal nephron were the source of uNgal. Cells isolated from Ngal-Luc2-mC mice also revealed both the onset and the resolution of the injury, and the actions of NF-kB inhibitors and antibiotics during infection. Thus, imaging of Ngal-Luc2-mC mice and cells identified injurious and reparative agents that affect kidney damage., Organ damage induces the appearance of many different proteins in serum and in urine, and some of these have been proposed as surrogate measures of tissue damage. However, such a [...]

Taking tomato " Ruifen 1" as experimental material, this paper studied the effect of different control measures on tomato fruit quantity, quality and disease incidence in greenhouse, so as to identify the best prevention and control measure for high quality and high yield of tomato in greenhouse. The paper set up 4 treatments, including the control (W1), chemical pest prevention and P-chlorophenoxyacetic acid pollination (W2), biological pest prevention and P-chlorophenoxyacetic acid pollination (W3), biological pest prevention and bumblebee pollination (W4). The main components analysis method was used to evaluate the twelve indexes, including single fruit weight, vitamin C content, titrate acid content, soluble sugar content, soluble solid content, sugar acid ratio, solid acid rate, taste acceptance, physiological disease fruit incidence rate, late blight incidence rate, gray mold incidence rate, and leaf mold incidence rate. The results showed that the 12 indicators of the tested tomato were converted into 2 principal components, representing 88.57% genetic information of the main quality traits. Comprehensive score ranking was W4 >W3 > W2 > W1. Treatment W4 (bumblebee pollination under biological prevention measure) had the highest comprehensive score. The plants under W4 treatment had good field conditions and low disease incidence rate. Therefore, through biological control measures combined with bumblebee pollination can improve tomato yield and quality, reduce disease occurrence. These results provided technological guidance for tomato cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]