Anisotropic δ-to-α Phase Transition in Formamidinium Lead Iodide Thin Films.

Thermal annealing on hybrid perovskites is essential to prepare high-quality solar cells with extraordinary efficiency, whose benefits include transformation of inactive phases such as δ-FAPbI to active α-FAPbI. The detailed mechanism for such critical phase transition, however, has not yet been adequately studied. Here, we present multiscale microscopic observation to unravel the anisotropic δ-to-α transition in epitaxial FAPbI thin films.

Residual Membrane Fluidity in Mycobacterial Cell Envelope Layers under Extreme Conditions Underlines Membrane-Centric Adaptation.

One of the routes for adaptation to extreme environments is via remodeling of cell membrane structure, composition, and biophysical properties rendering a functional membrane. Collective studies suggest some form of membrane feedback in mycobacterial species that harbor complex lipids within the outer and inner cell wall layers. Here, we study the homeostatic membrane landscape of mycobacteria in response to high hydrostatic pressure and temperature triggers using high pressure fluorescence, mass and infrared spectroscopies, NMR, SAXS, and molecular dynamics simulations.

Enhanced home-field advantage in deep soil organic carbon decomposition: Insights from soil transplantation in subtropical forests.

Climate change affects microbial community physiological strategies and thus regulates global soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition. However, SOC decomposition by microorganisms, depending on home-field advantage (HFA, indicating a faster decomposition rate in 'Home' than 'Away' conditions) or environmental advantage (EA, indicating a faster decomposition rate in warmer-wetter environments than in colder-drier environments) remains unknown. Here, a soil transplantation experiment was conducted between warmer-wetter and colder-drier evergreen broadleaved forests in subtropical China.

Application of the strip clear-cutting system in a running bamboo ( McClure) forest: feasibility and sustainability assessments.

Introduction: As a renewable forest resource, bamboo plays a role in sustainable forest development. However, traditional cutting systems, selection cutting (SeC) and clear-cutting (ClC), result in an unsustainable production of bamboo forests due to labor-consuming or bamboo degradation. Recently, a strip clear-cutting (StC) was theoretically proposed to promote the sustainability of bamboo production, while little is known about its application consequence.

Effect of Host Cholesterol on the Membrane Dynamics of Outer Membrane Lipids of Mycobacteria.

The ability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to remain dormant after primary infection represents the prime cause of new TB cases throughout the world. Hence, diagnosis and treatment of individuals hosting dormant mycobacterium is one of the crucial strategies to be adopted for the prevention of Tuberculosis. Among many strategies unleashed by the latent bacterium, one of them is scavenging host cholesterol for carbon source.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and its metabolite 12-HEPE rescue busulfan disrupted spermatogenesis via target to GPR120.

Busulfan is an antineoplastic, which is always accompanied with the abnormal of spermatogonia self-renewal and differentiation. It has been demonstrated that the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) benefits mature spermatozoa. However, whether omega-3 can protect endogenous spermatogonia and the detailed mechanisms are still unclear.

Fusion Landscape of Mycobacterial Envelope-Derived Lipid Vesicles with Intact Bacteria Dictates High Intracellular Drug Retention.

Membrane vesicles are critical regulators of pathogenic diseases. In tubercular infections, the use of mycobacteria derived vesicles as delivery vehicles to overcome drug resistance and complex treatment regimens has never been attempted. Here, we first address how these vesicles interact with their target cells, especially via membrane fusion.

Smart Copolymer Surface Derived from Geminized Cationic Amphiphilic Polymers for Reversibly Switchable Bactericidal and Self-Cleaning Abilities.

Bacterial adhesion and colonization on material surfaces pose a serious problem for healthcare-associated devices. Cationic amphiphilic polymer brushes are usually used as surface coatings in antibacterial materials to endow an interface with excellent bactericidal efficiency, but they are easily contaminated, which puts a great limitation on their application. Herein, novel antibacterial copolymer brush surfaces containing geminized cationic amphiphilic polymers (pAGC) and thermoresponsive poly(-isopropylacrylamide) polymers (pNIPAm) have been synthesized.

Molecular Insights on the Conformational Transitions and Activity Regulation of the c-Met Kinase Induced by Ligand Binding.

The tyrosine-protein kinase Met (c-Met) is an important signaling molecule involved in cellular growth and division. The dysregulation of c-Met may induce many fatal diseases, including non-small cell lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, hepatocellular carcinoma, . The activation of the c-Met kinase is dominant by the structure and dynamics of many important functional motifs, which are regulated by adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding.

The Conformational Transitions and Dynamics of Lipase Regulated by Water-Oil Interfaces.

Structural dynamics and conformational transitions are crucial for the activities of enzymes. As one of the most widely used industrial biocatalysts, lipase could be activated by the water-oil interfaces. The interface activations were believed to be dominated by the close-to-open transitions of the lid subdomains.

SERPINA5 Protein in Cumulus-Oocyte Complexes Increases the Fertilisation Ability of Mouse Sperm.

Obtaining high-quality sperm is key to improving the success rate of assisted reproductive technology (ART). Although cytokines secreted by cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) bind to sperm surface receptors to improve sperm quality, the effects of adding mouse COCs to human tubal fluid (HTF) medium on sperm capacitation have not yet been explored. Eight-week-old ICR mouse COCs were added to HTF medium and crushed to obtain the post-modified HTF medium.

LncRNA Tug1 maintains blood-testis barrier integrity by modulating Ccl2 expression in high-fat diet mice.

Sertoli cells are essential for spermatogenesis in the testicular seminiferous tubules by forming blood-testis barrier (BTB) and creating a unique microenvironment for spermatogenesis. Many lncRNAs have been reported to participate in spermatogenesis. However, the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in Sertoli cells has rarely been examined.

miR-125a-5p increases cellular DNA damage of aging males and perturbs stage-specific embryo development via Rbm38-p53 signaling.

An increasing number of men are fathering children at an older age than in the past. While advanced maternal age has long been recognized as a risk factor for adverse reproductive outcomes, the influence of paternal age on reproduction is incompletely comprehended. Herein, we found that miR-125a-5p was upregulated in the sperm of aging males and was related to inferior sperm DNA integrity as an adverse predictor.

High-Quality Genome Resource of the Pathogen of () Causing Kiwifruit Soft Rot.

spp. are critical plant pathogens that cause wood cankers, wilt, dieback, and fruit rot in a wide variety of economic plant hosts and are regarded as one of the most acute threats faced by the kiwifruit industry worldwide. NJD1 is a highly pathogenic isolate of soft rot of kiwifruit.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids alleviate hydrogen sulfide-induced blood-testis barrier disruption in the testes of adult mice.

Hydrogen sulfide (HS), a gaseous intracellular signal transducer, participates in multiple physiological and pathological conditions, including reproductive conditions, and disrupts spermatogenesis. The blood-testis barrier (BTB) plays a vital role in spermatogenesis. However, the effect of HS on the BTB and the underlying mechanism remain unclear.

Oxidized-LDL inhibits testosterone biosynthesis by affecting mitochondrial function and the p38 MAPK/COX-2 signaling pathway in Leydig cells.

Abnormal lipid/lipoprotein metabolism induced by obesity may affect spermatogenesis by inhibiting testosterone synthesis in Leydig cells. It is crucial to determine which components of lipoproteins inhibit testosterone synthesis. Circulating oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), the oxidized form of LDL, has been reported to be an independent risk factor for decreased serum testosterone levels.

Design of next-generation cross-linking structure for elastomers toward green process and a real recycling loop.

Currently adopted cross-linking methods in rubber industry are suffering from variable persistent issues, including the utilization of toxic curing packages, release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and difficulties in the recycling of end-of-life materials. It is of great importance to explore a green cross-linking strategy in the area. Herein, we report a new "green" strategy based on hydrolyzable ester cross-links for cross-linking diene-typed elastomers.

Mitochondria-related miR-574 reduces sperm ATP by targeting in aging males.

Couples are delaying childbearing in recent decades. While women experience a notable decrease in oocyte production in their late thirties, the effect of advanced paternal age on reproduction is incompletely understood. Herein, we observed that numerous miRNAs, including miR-574, increased in the sperm of aging males, as indicated by high-throughput sequencing.