Effect of Chloroplast ATP Synthase on Reactive Oxygen Species Metabolism in Cotton.

Abnormal programmed cell death in the tapetum is induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are the main factors leading to cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS). These abnormalities are caused by genetic interactions between nuclear and cytoplasmic genes. To explore the role of chloroplast genes in ROS metabolism, next-generation and single-molecule real-time sequencing of the chloroplast genome were performed in the cotton CMS line Jin A (Jin A-CMS).

Tailoring Cathode-Electrolyte Interface for High-Power and Stable Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Global interest in lithium-sulfur batteries as one of the most promising energy storage technologies has been sparked by their low sulfur cathode cost, high gravimetric, volumetric energy densities, abundant resources, and environmental friendliness. However, their practical application is significantly impeded by several serious issues that arise at the cathode-electrolyte interface, such as interface structure degradation including the uneven deposition of LiS, unstable cathode-electrolyte interphase (CEI) layer and intermediate polysulfide shuttle effect. Thus, an optimized cathode-electrolyte interface along with optimized electrodes is required for overall improvement.

Predicting the therapeutic role and potential mechanisms of Indole-3-acetic acid in diminished ovarian reserve based on network pharmacology and molecular docking.

Background: Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), an indole analog produced by intestinal microorganisms metabolizing tryptophan, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and thus has potential applications in ovarian protection, although the exact mechanism is unknown. The present study preliminarily investigated the pharmacological mechanism of IAA in alleviating diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) by network pharmacology and molecular docking.

Methods: Relevant target proteins of IAA were searched in SwissTargetPrediction, PharmMapper, TargetNet, BATMAN-TCM, and SuperPred databases.

ROS accumulation-induced tapetal PCD timing changes leads to microspore abortion in cotton CMS lines.

Background: Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is the basis of heterosis exploitation. CMS has been used to hybrid production in cotton, but its molecular mechanism remains unclear. CMS is associated with advanced or delayed tapetal programmed cell death (PCD), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) may mediate this process.

Self-Doping Based Facet Junctions and Oxygen Vacancies in Ferroelectric BiTiNbO Nanosheets for Boosting Photocatalytic Degradation and Antibacterial Activity.

Constructing facet junction in semiconductor photocatalysts has been demonstrated as an effective method to promote charge-carrier separation and suppress carrier recombination. Herein, we proposed a novel but facile self-doping strategy to regulate the crystal facet exposure ratio in ferroelectric BiTiNbO single-crystalline nanosheets, thereby optimizing its facet junction effect. Through tuning the atomic ratio of Ti and Nb, the exposure ratio of {001} and {110} crystal planes in BiTiNbO nanosheets can be delicately modulated, and more {110} facets were exposed with the increase of the Ti/Nb atomic ratio as evidenced by the X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy results.

A Single-Atom Fe-N-C Catalyst with Ultrahigh Utilization of Active Sites for Efficient Oxygen Reduction.

Fe-N-C single-atom catalysts (SACs) are emerging as a promising class of electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to replace Pt-based catalysts. However, due to the limited loading of Fe for SACs and the inaccessibility of internal active sites, only a small portion of the sites near the external surface are able to contribute to the ORR activity. Here, this work reports a metal-organic framework-derived Fe-N-C SAC with a hierarchically porous and concave nanoarchitecture prepared through a facile but effective strategy, which exhibits superior electrocatalytic ORR activity with a half-wave potential of 0.

Formulation and evaluation of a α-linolenic acid and vitamin E succinate microemulsion with low surfactant content and free of co-surfactant for use as a nutritional supplement.

Herein, we have designed an alcohol-free and low-surfactant microemulsion to safely and effectively supply α-linolenic acid (ALA) and vitamin E (VE). Ternary phase diagrams show that the use of medium- or short-chain alcohols as the co-surfactant (CoS) was unfavorable for the formation of the ALA microemulsion due to the competitive hydrogen bonding effect and vitamin E succinate (VES) significantly increased the ALA microemulsion region by improving the hydrophilicity of the oil phase. The optimal microemulsion formulation (M) was 6.

In situ construction of hierarchical polyaniline/SnS@carbon nanotubes on carbon fibers for high-performance supercapacitors.

Carbon fibers (CFs) show great potential for high-performance supercapacitors in miniature electronics fields, where high energy density and long cycling life are required. However, superior combination of these two attributes in CF-based supercapacitors still presents a long-standing challenge. Herein, straight carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with radial orientation and high chemical/physical stability are served as nanoscale conductive skeletons on CFs for supporting the polyaniline (PANI)/SnS.

Design, optimization and evaluation of co-surfactant free microemulsion-based hydrogel with low surfactant for enhanced transdermal delivery of lidocaine.

Microemulsion is the preferred vehicle for local anesthetics; however, the toxicity and irritation associated with a quantity use of surfactants (S) and co-surfactants (CS), i.e., medium- or short-chain alcohols, restrict its commercial application.

Effect of Dual-Cocatalyst Surface Modification on Photodegradation Activity, Pathway, and Mechanisms with Highly Efficient Ag/BaTiO/MnO.

Cocatalyst surface-loading has been regarded as an effective strategy to promote solar-energy-conversion efficiency. However, the potential influence of surface modification with cocatalysts on the photodegradation pathway and the underlying mechanisms is still unclear. Herein, we have used ferroelectric BaTiO as the substrate, and both the reduction cocatalyst Ag and the oxidation cocatalyst MnO have been successfully loaded onto BaTiO simultaneously by a one-step photodeposition method as evidenced by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM).

Effects of 8-Year Nitrogen and Phosphorus Treatments on the Ecophysiological Traits of Two Key Species on Tibetan Plateau.

Understanding how nitrogen (N) and/or phosphorus (P) addition affects plants carbon- and water- related ecophysiological characteristics is essential for predicting the global change impact on the alpine meadow ecosystem structure and function in carbon and water cycling. The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) with the largest alpine meadow in the world is regarded as the third pole in the earth and has been experiencing increased atmospheric N deposition. In this project, we focused on two key species ( and ) of the alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau and investigated the variability of photosynthetic and stomatal responses to 8-year N and/or P treatments through field measurements and modeling.

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Flexible Nanocomposite Films with Dopamine-Coated Giant Dielectric Ceramic Nanopowders, Ba(FeTa)O, for High Energy-Storage Density at Low Electric Field.

Ba(FeTa)O/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (BFT/PVDF) flexible nanocomposite films are fabricated by tape casting using dopamine (DA)-modified BFT nanopowders and PVDF as a matrix polymer. After a surface modification of installing a DA layer with a thickness of 5 nm, the interfacial couple interaction between BFT and PVDF is enhanced, resulting in less hole defects at the interface. Then the dielectric constant (ε'), loss tangent (tan δ), and AC conductivity of nanocomposite films are reduced.

Plant Physiological, Morphological and Yield-Related Responses to Night Temperature Changes across Different Species and Plant Functional Types.

Land surface temperature over the past decades has shown a faster warming trend during the night than during the day. Extremely low night temperatures have occurred frequently due to the influence of land-sea thermal difference, topography and climate change. This asymmetric night temperature change is expected to affect plant ecophysiology and growth, as the plant carbon consumption processes could be affected more than the assimilation processes because photosynthesis in most plants occurs during the daytime whereas plant respiration occurs throughout the day.

Dependence of phase configurations, microstructures and magnetic properties of iron-nickel (Fe-Ni) alloy nanoribbons on deoxidization temperature in hydrogen.

Iron-nickel (Fe-Ni) alloy nanoribbons were reported for the first time by deoxidizing NiFeO nanoribbons, which were synthesized through a handy route of electrospinning followed by air-annealing at 450 °C, in hydrogen (H) at different temperatures. It was demonstrated that the phase configurations, microstructures and magnetic properties of the as-deoxidized samples closely depended upon the deoxidization temperature. The spinel NiFeO ferrite of the precursor nanoribbons were firstly deoxidized into the body-centered cubic (bcc) Fe-Ni alloy and then transformed into the face-centered cubic (fcc) Fe-Ni alloy of the deoxidized samples with the temperature increasing.

High saturation magnetization of γ-Fe2O3 nano-particles by a facile one-step synthesis approach.

We have demonstrated the synthesis of γ-Fe2O3 nano-particles through a facile and novel calcination process in the air. There is no pH regulation, gas atmosphere, additive, centrifugation or other complicated procedures during the preparing process. A detailed formation process of the nano-particles is proposed, and DMF as a polar solvent may slower the reaction process of calcination.

Analyzing the impact of climate and management factors on the productivity and soil carbon sequestration of poplar plantations.

It is crucial to investigate how climate and management factors impact poplar plantation production and soil carbon sequestration interactively. We extracted above-ground net primary production (ANPP), climate and management factors from peer-reviewed journal articles and analyzed impact of management factor and climate on the mean annual increment (MAI) of poplar ANPP statistically. Previously validated mechanistic model (ED) is used to perform case simulations for managed poplar plantations under different harvesting rotations.

Width-controlled M-type hexagonal strontium ferrite (SrFe12O19) nanoribbons with high saturation magnetization and superior coercivity synthesized by electrospinning.

Width-controlled M-type hexagonal SrFe12O19 nanoribbons were synthesized for the first time via polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) sol assisted electrospinning followed by heat treatment in air, and their chemical composition, microstructure and magnetic performance were investigated. Results demonstrated that as-obtained SrFe12O19 nanoribbons were well-crystallized with high purity. Each nanoribbon was self-assembled by abundant single-domain SrFe12O19 nanoparticles and was consecutive on structure and uniform on width.

Hierarchical SrTiO3/NiFe2O4 composite nanostructures with excellent light response and magnetic performance synthesized toward enhanced photocatalytic activity.

Being capable of gathering advanced optical, electrical and magnetic properties originating from different components, multifunctional composite nanomaterials have been of concern increasingly. Herein, we have successfully demonstrated the preparation of SrTiO3/NiFe2O4 porous nanotubes (PNTs) and SrTiO3/NiFe2O4 particle-in-tubes (PITs) via a single-spinneret electrospinning and a side-by-side-spinneret electrospinning, respectively. The products were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectra and a vibrating sample magnetometer in detail.

High photocatalytic activity of V-doped SrTiO3 porous nanofibers produced from a combined electrospinning and thermal diffusion process.

In this letter, we report a novel V-doped SrTiO3 photocatalyst synthesized via electrospinning followed by a thermal diffusion process at low temperature. The morphological and crystalline structural investigations reveal not only that the V-doped SrTiO3 photocatalyst possesses a uniform, porous, fibrous structure, but also that some V(5+) ions are introduced into the SrTiO3 lattice. The photocatalytic capability of V-doped SrTiO3 porous nanofibers was evaluated through photodegrading methyl orange (MO) in aqueous solution under artificial UV-vis light.

Robust SiO2-modified CoFe2O4 hollow nanofibers with flexible room temperature magnetic performance.

A range of robust SiO2-modified CoFe2O4 hollow nanofibers with high uniformity and productivity were successfully prepared via polyvinylpyrrolidone-sol assisted electrospinning followed by annealing at a high temperature of 1000 °C, and they were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in detail. It was demonstrated that amorphous SiO2 has a significant influence on not only the surface morphology, microstructure and crystalline size but also the room temperature magnetic performance of the inverse spinel CoFe2O4 nanofibers. The pure CoFe2O4 sample shows a particle chain rod-shape appearance but the SiO2-modified CoFe2O4 sample shows a robust hollow fibrous structure.

A novel method to fabricate CoFe2O4/SrFe12O19 composite ferrite nanofibers with enhanced exchange coupling effect.

Nanocomposite of CoFe2O4/SrFe12O19 has been synthesized by the electrospinning and calcination process. A novel method that cobalt powder was used to replace traditional cobalt salt in the precursor sol-gel for electrospinning was proposed. The crystal structures, morphologies, and magnetic properties of these samples have been characterized in detail.

Efficient photocatalytic degradation of acid fuchsin in aqueous solution using separate porous tetragonal-CuFe2O4 nanotubes.

To develop a new promising magnetic photocatalyst, homogeneous tetragonal-CuFe2O4 (t-CuFe2O4) nanotubes were successfully synthesized via the electrospinning technique followed by heating treatment. The detailed investigation of chemical phase and microstructure reveals that the obtained samples are inversely spinel CuFe2O4 nanotubes with an average diameter of about 272±2nm, which are assembled by numerous CuFe2O4 single crystal nanoparticles with regular polyhedron structure and possess a very outstanding porous feature. Furthermore, element mapping, UV-vis adsorption spectrum, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm, and magnetic hysteresis loop indicate that these t-CuFe2O4 nanotubes have uniform component distribution, strong light response in the range of 200 nm-800 nm, considerable specific surface area of 12.