Epigenetic landscape reveals MECOM as an endothelial lineage regulator.

A comprehensive understanding of endothelial cell lineage specification will advance cardiovascular regenerative medicine. Recent studies found that unique epigenetic signatures preferentially regulate cell identity genes. We thus systematically investigate the epigenetic landscape of endothelial cell lineage and identify MECOM to be the leading candidate as an endothelial cell lineage regulator.

Spatially confined growth of carbon nanotubes in the pore channels of microporous ceramic supports with improved filtration efficiency.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with high degrees of uniformity, orientation and controlled dimensions on porous supports are highly desirable for various applications such as separation of O/W emulsions and air purification. In this work, CNTs were fabricated on silicon carbide (SiC) porous supports with different porosities and pore sizes by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The growth processes of CNTs on the surface and in the pore channels of the SiC support were studied in detail.

3D spray-coated gradient profile ceramic membranes enables improved filtration performance in aerobic submerged membrane bioreactor.

Rational design of cross-sectional microstructure in ceramic membranes has shown to improve membrane filtration efficacy without affecting rejection performance. In this work, we adopted 3D spray-coating technique to generate multi-layered membrane layers on macro-porous flat-sheet ceramic supports. The thickness of each layer was controlled by spray-coating cycles, and a gradient membrane layer was rationalized by successively coating three ceramic slurries containing alumina powders of gradually refined particle sizes, followed by co-sintering.

Silicon carbide microfiltration membranes for oil-water separation: Pore structure-dependent wettability matters.

Both the pore size and surface properties of silicon carbide (SiC) membranes are demonstrated to significantly affect their separation efficiency when used for oily water treatment. However, the potential influences of open porosity together with the pore size of SiC membranes on their surface properties and oil-water separation performance have rarely been investigated. In this work, porous SiC ceramic membranes with tunable open porosity and pore size were purposely prepared and selected to systematically study the effect of pore structure-dependent wettability on the oil-water separation performance.

Black Phosphorus@TiCT MXene Composites with Engineered Chemical Bonds for Commercial-Level Capacitive Energy Storage.

Electrolyte-accessibly porous yet densely packed MXene composite electrodes with high ion-accessible surface and rapid ion transport rate have shown exceptional promise for high-volumetric-performance supercapacitors (SCs), but they are largely limited by the insufficient rate capability and poor electrochemical cyclability, in association with the instability in mechanical robustness of the porous network structures. Taking advantage of chemical bonding design, herein a black phosphorus (BP)@MXene compact film of 3D porous network structure is successfully made by growth of BP nanoparticles on crumbled MXene flakes. The strong interfacial interaction (Ti-O-P bonds) formed at the BP-MXene interfaces not only enhances the atomic charge polarization in the BP-MXene heterostructures, leading to efficient interfacial electron transport, but also stabilizes the 3D porous yet dense architecture with much improved mechanical robustness.

Ceramic-Polymer Composite Membranes for Water and Wastewater Treatment: Bridging the Big Gap between Ceramics and Polymers.

Clean water supply is an essential element for the entire sustainable human society, and the economic and technology development. Membrane filtration for water and wastewater treatments is the premier choice due to its high energy efficiency and effectiveness, where the separation is performed by passing water molecules through purposely tuned pores of membranes selectively without phase change and additional chemicals. Ceramics and polymers are two main candidate materials for membranes, where the majority has been made of polymeric materials, due to the low cost, easy processing, and tunability in pore configurations.

Overcoming the Trade-off between Water Permeation and Mechanical Strength of Ceramic Membrane Supports by Interfacial Engineering.

Porous ceramic membrane supports with high mechanical strength and permeation are required for highly permeable ceramic membranes. The water permeation of a ceramic membrane support is largely dependent on its level of open porosity, which can be however generally detrimental to the mechanical strength. In this work, low-cost kaolin nanoflakes were rationally composited with coarse alumina particles, and multichannel flat-sheet ceramic supports were successfully fabricated by extrusion and subsequent partial sintering.

A self-cleaning zwitterionic nanofibrous membrane for highly efficient oil-in-water separation.

The oil and bacteria adhesion during membrane separation process brings great challenges to the operation costs and membrane service life. Meantime, the strong chemical corrosion in sewage seriously limits the durability of membrane as well. Herein, a facile strategy is developed for fabricating highly stable and efficient zwitterionic nanofibrous membrane (NFM) with self-cleaning feature via the combination of in-situ cross-linking of poly (sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA) and electrospun poly (ether sulfone) (PES) nanofibers.

Dendrite-Free Potassium Metal Anodes in a Carbonate Electrolyte.

Potassium (K) metal anodes suffer from a challenging problem of dendrite growth. Here, it is demonstrated that a tailored current collector will stabilize the metal plating-stripping behavior even with a conventional KPF -carbonate electrolyte. A 3D copper current collector is functionalized with partially reduced graphene oxide to create a potassiophilic surface, the electrode being denoted as rGO@3D-Cu.

CuCoS Nanosheets@N-Doped Carbon Nanofibers by Sulfurization at Room Temperature as Bifunctional Electrocatalysts in Flexible Quasi-Solid-State Zn-Air Batteries.

The performance of quasi-solid-state flexible zinc-air batteries (ZABs) is critically dependent on the advancement of air electrodes with outstanding bifunctional electrocatalysis for both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), together with the desired mechanical flexibility and robustness. The currently available synthesis processes for high-efficiency bifunctional bimetallic sulfide electrodes typically require high-temperature hydrothermal or chemical vapor deposition, which is undesirable in terms of the complexity in experimental procedure and the damage of flexibility in the resultant electrode. Herein, a scalable fabrication process is reported by combining electrospinning with in situ sulfurization at room temperature to successfully obtain CuCoS nanosheets@N-doped carbon nanofiber (CuCoS NSs@N-CNFs) films, which show remarkable bifunctional catalytic performance ( (OER) - (ORR) = 0.

Nucleoporin 62-Like Protein is Required for the Development of Pharyngeal Arches through Regulation of Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling and Apoptotic Homeostasis in Zebrafish.

We have previously observed the predominant expression of nucleoporin 62-like (Nup62l mRNA in the pharyngeal region of zebrafish, which raises the question whether Nup62l has important implications in governing the morphogenesis of pharyngeal arches (PA) in zebrafish. Herein, we explored the functions of Nup62l in PA development. The disruption of Nup62l with a CRISPR/Cas9-dependent gene knockout approach led to defective PA, which was characterized by a thinned and shortened pharyngeal region and a significant loss of pharyngeal cartilages.

Hierarchical Micro-Nano Sheet Arrays of Nickel-Cobalt Double Hydroxides for High-Rate Ni-Zn Batteries.

The rational design of nickel-based cathodes with highly ordered micro-nano hierarchical architectures by a facile process is fantastic but challenging to achieve for high-capacity and high-rate Ni-Zn batteries. Herein, a one-step etching-deposition-growth process is demonstrated to prepare hierarchical micro-nano sheet arrays for Ni-Zn batteries with outstanding performance and high rate. The fabrication process is conducted at room temperature without any need of heating and stirring, and the as-grown nickel-cobalt double hydroxide (NiCo-DH) supported on conductive nickel substrate is endowed with a unique 3D hierarchical architecture of micro-nano sheet arrays, which empower the effective exposure of active materials, easy electrolyte access, fast ion diffusion, and rapid electron transfer.

AIBP-mediated cholesterol efflux instructs hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell fate.

Hypercholesterolemia, the driving force of atherosclerosis, accelerates the expansion and mobilization of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). The molecular determinants connecting hypercholesterolemia with hematopoiesis are unclear. Here, we report that a somite-derived prohematopoietic cue, AIBP, orchestrates HSPC emergence from the hemogenic endothelium, a type of specialized endothelium manifesting hematopoietic potential.

Heterogeneous ZIF-L membranes with improved hydrophilicity and anti-bacterial adhesion for potential application in water treatment.

Although different metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes have been widely studied for gas separation, their application for water treatment is still in its infancy. MOF membranes with improved hydrophilicity and stability are particularly essential for water/wastewater treatment. Herein, we have successfully developed heterogeneous membranes (Zn/Co-ZIF-L) composed of vertically standing leaf-like crystals of Zn-ZIF-L grown onto porous ceramic supports, followed by the subsequent heterogeneous growth of Co-ZIF-L.

A minimally invasive approach to induce myocardial infarction in mice without thoracotomy.

Acute myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. Traditional method to induce MI by left coronary artery (LCA) ligation is typically performed by an invasive approach that requires ventilation and thoracotomy, causing serious injuries in animals undergoing this surgery. We attempted to develop a minimally invasive method (MIM) to induce MI in mice.

TBX20 Regulates Angiogenesis Through the Prokineticin 2-Prokineticin Receptor 1 Pathway.

Background: Angiogenesis is integral for embryogenesis, and targeting angiogenesis improves the outcome of many pathological conditions in patients. TBX20 is a crucial transcription factor for embryonic development, and its deficiency is associated with congenital heart disease. However, the role of TBX20 in angiogenesis has not been described.

Lmo2 (LIM-Domain-Only 2) Modulates Sphk1 (Sphingosine Kinase) and Promotes Endothelial Cell Migration.

Objective: (LIM-domain-only)2 transcription factor is involved in hematopoiesis and vascular remodeling. (sphingosine kinase)1 phosphorylates sphingosine to S1P (sphingosine-1-phosphate). We hypothesized that regulates to promote endothelial cell (EC) migration and vascular development.

AIBP Limits Angiogenesis Through γ-Secretase-Mediated Upregulation of Notch Signaling.

Rationale: Angiogenesis improves perfusion to the ischemic tissue after acute vascular obstruction. Angiogenesis in pathophysiological settings reactivates signaling pathways involved in developmental angiogenesis. We showed previously that AIBP (apolipoprotein A-I [apoA-I]-binding protein)-regulated cholesterol efflux in endothelial cells controls zebra fish embryonic angiogenesis.

Crystalline Structure, Defect Chemistry and Room Temperature Colossal Permittivity of Nd-doped Barium Titanate.

Dielectric materials with high permittivity are strongly demanded for various technological applications. While polarization inherently exists in ferroelectric barium titanate (BaTiO), its high permittivity can only be achieved by chemical and/or structural modification. Here, we report the room-temperature colossal permittivity (~760,000) obtained in xNd: BaTiO (x = 0.

A metastable cubic phase of sodium niobate nanoparticles stabilized by chemically bonded solvent molecules.

Structural modification, especially the stabilization of metastable phases at room temperature, has emerged as an effective strategy to understand their stabilization mechanism and improve their functional properties. In this work, a facile solvothermal approach is developed to synthesize metastable sodium niobate (NaNbO) crystals with the cubic symmetry. XRD, Raman and TEM results all confirmed the selective synthesis of cubic and orthorhombic NaNbOvia adjustment of the reaction medium.

Transdifferentiation Requires iNOS Activation: Role of RING1A S-Nitrosylation.

Rationale: We have previously shown that innate immunity is necessary for transdifferentiation of fibroblasts to endothelial cells. A major signaling molecule involved in innate immunity is inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Accordingly, we hypothesized that iNOS-generated nitric oxide (NO) might enhance transdifferentiation.

Bundle-like α'-NaV2O5 mesocrystals: from synthesis, growth mechanism to analysis of Na-ion intercalation/deintercalation abilities.

Bundle-like α'-NaV2O5 mesocrystals were synthesized successfully by a two-step hydrothermal method. Observations using electron microscopy revealed that the obtained NaV2O5 mesocrystals were composed of nanobelts with the preferential growth direction of [010]. The precise crystal structure was further confirmed by Rietveld refinement and Raman spectroscopy.

Solvothermal Synthesis and Formation Mechanism of Potassium Sodium Niobate Mesocrystals Under Low Alkaline Conditions.

Pure-phase (K, Na)NbO3 (KNN) powders with orthorhombic symmetry were successfully synthesized by solvothermal method using isopropanol as solvent, without the addition of water. The as-prepared powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry to show the variation of phase, morphology, size distribution and chemical composition under different synthetic conditions, such as fill factors (FF) of the solvothermal system and alkalinity of the starting solution. Compared with the traditional hydrothermal method and the so-called solvothermal method (water aided in fact), small grains with well crystallinity were obtained using 100% isopropanol as reaction medium.