[Functional analysis of a nitrate-induced GARP transcription factor AhNIGT1.2 in peanut nodulation].

Peanut, a major economic and oil crop known for the high protein and oil content, is extensively cultivated in China. Peanut plants have the ability to form nodules with rhizobia, where the nitrogenase converts atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia nitrogen that can be utilized by the plants. Analysis of nodule fixation is of positive significance for avoiding overapplication of chemical fertilizer and developing sustainable agriculture.

Transcriptome and WGCNA reveals the potential genetic basis of photoperiod-sensitive male sterility in soybean.

Background: Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is a crucial crop due to its high plant protein and oil content.

A green, versatile, and facile strategy for anti-biofouling surface with ultra-high graft density polyethylene glycol.

Implantable catheters are susceptible to severe complications due to non-specific protein adhesion on their surfaces. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) coatings, the gold standard for resistance to non-specific protein adhesion, present a challenge in achieving high-density grafting, which significantly restricts their use as anti-biofouling coatings. Herein, we exploited the strong interaction between polyphenols (PCs) and polycations (K6-PEG) to graft PEG onto the surface of PC-Cu (A network of metal polyphenols composed of proanthocyanidins and metal copper ions, with expectation for the coating with excellent resistance to non-specific protein adhesion (PC-Cu@K6-PEG).

Alginate-based hydrogels mediated biomedical applications: A review.

With the development in the field of biomaterials, research on alternative biocompatible materials has been initiated, and alginate in polysaccharides has become one of the research hotspots due to its advantages of biocompatibility, biodegradability and low cost. In recent years, with the further understanding of microscopic molecular structure and properties of alginate, various physicochemical methods of cross-linking strategies, as well as organic and inorganic materials, have led to the development of different properties of alginate hydrogels for greatly expanded applications. In view of the potential application prospects of alginate-based hydrogels, this paper reviews the properties and preparation of alginate-based hydrogels and their major achievements in delivery carrier, dressings, tissue engineering and other applications are also summarized.

Petal-like Patterning of Polylactide/Poly (Butylene Succinate) Thin Films Induced by Phase Separation.

Biodegradable plastics are attracting attention as a solution to the problems caused by plastic waste. Among biodegradable plastics, polylactide (PLA) and poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) are particularly noteworthy because of their excellent biodegradability. However, the drawbacks of their mechanical properties prompts the need to compound them to achieve the desired strength.

Colorless, Transparent, and High-Performance Polyurethane with Intrinsic Ultraviolet Resistance and Its Anti-UV Mechanism.

Polyurethane (PU) is a widely used polymer material that will age under prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, shortening the service life. Several methods have been used to prepare the anti-UV PU, including adding nonreactive anti-UV additives, functional fillers, and biological antioxidant molecules. However, the nonreactive anti-UV additives may migrate during long-term use, the functional fillers may damage the mechanical properties and seriously reduce the light transmittance of the sample, and the biological antioxidant molecules will inevitably color the sample.

Novel Monomethoxy Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Modified Hydroxylated Tung Oil for Drug Delivery.

Novel monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) modified hydroxylated tung oil (HTO), denoted as PEG-HTO-PEG, was designed and synthesized for drug delivery. PEG-HTO-PEG consists of a hydroxylated tung oil center joined by two PEG blocks via a urethane linkage. The properties of PEG-HTO-PEG were affected by the length of the mPEG chain.

Thermal/Near-Infrared Light Dual-Responsive Reconfigurable and Recyclable Polythiourethane/CNT Composite with Simultaneously Enhanced Strength and Toughness.

Thermoset polymers cross-linked by dynamic covalent bonds are recyclable and reconfigurable based on solid-state plasticity, resulting in less waste and environmental pollution. However, most thermoset polymers previously reported show thermal-responsive solid-state plasticity, depending much on external conditions and not allowing for local shape modulation. Herein, the isocyanate modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs-NCO) are introduced into the polythiourethane (PCTU) network with multiple dynamic covalent bonds by in situ polymerization to prepare the composite with thermal/light dual-responsive solid-state plasticity, reconfigurability, and recyclability.

Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed the regulatory mechanism of sulfur application in grain yield and protein content in wheat ( L.).

Sulfur fertilizers play an important role in increasing the yield and improving the dough quality of bread wheat, but their regulatory mechanism remains unclear. In this study, 0 kg·ha (S0) and 60 kg·ha (S60) of sulfur were applied on the anthesis date; subsequently, immature wheat grains at 8, 13, and 18 days post-anthesis (DPA) were subjected to integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses to investigate the changes in the gene/metabolite activity in a typical strong-gluten wheat, Gaoyou2018 (GY2018). Our data show that the S60 treatment could significantly increase the grain yield and grain protein content by 13.

Transparent, photothermal and stretchable alginate-based hydrogels for remote actuation and human motion sensing.

Multifunctional hydrogels show potential applications in actuators and wearable sensors. However, it is still a challenge to develop a photothermal responsive conductive hydrogel with high transparency, mechanical properties, broad sensing range, and low-temperature resistance. In this work, a transparent, photothermal responsive, and highly stretchable alginate-based hydrogels was feasibly constructed by adding two-dimensional non-layered molybdenum dioxide nanosheets (2D-MoO) to sodium alginate/polyacrylamide mixture and then soaking into the calcium chloride solution.

Real-time time-optimal continuous multi-axis trajectory planning using the trajectory index coordination method.

Real-time time-optimal trajectory planning exists in a wide range of applications such as computer numerical control (CNC) manufacturing, robotics and autonomous vehicles. Generally, the methods to generate time-optimal trajectory can be categorized as non-real-time methods and real-time methods. Non-real-time methods such as direct optimization method tend to generate time-optimal trajectory through nonlinear or linear programming while it is computationally prohibitive for high frequency real-time applications.

Dual pH-Responsive and Tumor-Targeted Nanoparticle-Mediated Anti-Angiogenesis siRNA Delivery for Tumor Treatment.

Purpose: In order to overcome the biological barriers at all levels and enhance the delivery efficiency of siRNA, we have prepared a multifunctional siRNA delivery system (CHCE/siRNA nanoparticles) through self-assembly of the carboxymethyl chitosan modified with histidine, cholesterol, and anti-EGFR antibody (CHCE).

Methods: The morphology of CHCE/siRNA NPs was detected by dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscope. In vitro, we assessed the tumor-targeting, cellular uptake, and endosomal escape by flow cytometry and confocal laser scanning microscopy, confirming the CHCE/siRNA NPs functions in gene silencing and cell killing ability.

Migration Kinetics of Surface Ions in Oxygen-Deficient Perovskite During Topotactic Transitions.

Oxygen diffusivity and surface exchange kinetics underpin the ionic, electronic, and catalytic functionalities of complex multivalent oxides. Towards understanding and controlling the kinetics of oxygen transport in emerging technologies, it is highly desirable to reveal the underlying lattice dynamics and ionic activities related to oxygen variation. In this study, the evolution of oxygen content is identified in real-time during the progress of a topotactic phase transition in La Sr MnO epitaxial thin films, both at the surface and throughout the bulk.

Arbitrarily Reconfigurable and Thermadapt Reversible Two-Way Shape Memory Poly(thiourethane) Accomplished by Multiple Dynamic Covalent Bonds.

The fabrication of a single polymer network that exhibits a good reversible two-way shape memory effect (2W-SME), can be formed into arbitrarily complex three-dimensional (3D) shapes, and is recyclable remains a challenge. Herein, we design and fabricate poly(thiourethane) (PTU) networks with an excellent thermadapt reversible 2W-SME, arbitrary reconfigurability, and good recyclability via the synergistic effects of multiple dynamic covalent bonds (i.e.

Rapid Photothermal Responsive Conductive MXene Nanocomposite Hydrogels for Soft Manipulators and Sensitive Strain Sensors.

Stimulus-responsive hydrogels are of great significance in soft robotics, wearable electronic devices, and sensors. Near-infrared (NIR) light is considered an ideal stimulus as it can trigger the response behavior remotely and precisely. In this work, a smart flexible stimuli-responsive hydrogel with excellent photothermal property and decent conductivity are prepared by incorporating MXene nanosheets into the physically cross-linked poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) hydrogel matrix.

Two-Dimensional MoO Nanosheet Composite Hydrogels with High Transmittance and Excellent Photothermal Property for Near-Infrared Responsive Actuators and Microvalves.

Stimulus-responsive intelligent hydrogel actuators have highly promising applications in the fields of soft robotics, smart manipulators, and flexible devices. Near-infrared (NIR) light is considered an ideal method to trigger the response behavior remotely and precisely. In order to realize the excellent optical transmittance and photothermal property of NIR-responsive hydrogels at the same time, two-dimensional nonlayered MoO nanosheets (2D-MoO) with excellent photothermal efficiency (62% under an NIR light irradiation of 808 nm), splendid chemistry stability, and low preparation cost are used as photothermal agents and incorporated into the poly(-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogel network, forming the 2D-MoO/Laponite/PNIPAM ternary nanocomposite hydrogel (TN hydrogel).

Thermal/Near-Infrared Light Dual-Responsive Reversible Two-Way Shape Memory cEVA/2D-MoO Composite for Multifunctional Applications.

Light-responsive reversible two-way shape memory polymers (2W-SMPs) are highly promising for many fields due to indirect heating, clean, and remote control. In this work, a composite with both thermal- and near-infrared (NIR) light-induced reversible two-way shape memory effect (2W-SME) is prepared by doping extremely little quantities of 2D non-layered molybdenum dioxide nanosheets (2D-MoO ) into semicrystalline poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) networks. This is the first report on light-induced reversible two-way shape memory composites employing 2D-MoO as photothermal fillers.

Cascade-Targeting of Charge-Reversal and Disulfide Bonds Shielding for Efficient DOX Delivery of Multistage Sensitive MSNs-COS-SS-CMC.

Background: Although pH and redox sensitiveness have been extensively investigated to improve therapeutic efficiency, the effect of disulfide bonds location and pH-triggered charge-reversal on cascade-targeting still need to be further evaluated in cancer treatment with multi-responsive nanoparticles.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to design multi-responsive DOX@MSNs-COS-NN-CMC, DOX@MSNs-COS-SS-CMC and DOX@MSNs-COS-CMC-SS and systematically investigate the effects of disulfide bonds location and charge-reversal on the cancer cell specificity, endocytosis mechanisms and antitumor efficiency.

Results: In vitro drug release rate of DOX@MSNs-COS-SS-CMC in tumor environments was 7-fold higher than that under normal physiological conditions after 200 h.

Amphiphilic poly(caprolactone--hydroxyethyl acrylamide) micelles for controlled drug delivery.

To increase the bioavailability and water solubility of hydrophobic medicine, an amphiphilic block copolymer, polycaprolactone--polyhydroxyethyl acrylamide (PCL--PHEAA), was synthesized. The copolymer can self-assemble into micelles by dialysis. The micelles were characterized by the Tyndall effect, static drop method, fluorescence spectrometry, dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.

Morphology and transport characterization of solution-processed rubrene thin films on polymer-modified substrates.

In this report, the morpho-structural peculiarities and the crystallization mechanisms in solution-processed, solvent vapor annealed (SVA) thin films of rubrene (5,6,11,12-tetraphenylnaphthacene) on different substrates were investigated. The high-quality rubrene crystal films with a triclinic crystal structure were successfully prepared on the FTO substrates (glass slide coated with fluorine-tin-oxide) modified by PLA (polylactic acid) for the first time. The area coverage of rubrene crystal and the sizes of rubrene dendritic crystals increased with increasing thickness of PLA film and concentration of rubrene solution.

The Thermal Behavior of γ-PA1010: Evolution of Structure and Morphology in the Simultaneous Thermal Stretched Films.

In this work, polyamide 1010 (PA1010) films were prepared by melt-quenching. A wide-angle X-ray diffractometer (WAXD) with a thermal stretching stage was used to investigate the structure transformation, crystallinity and degree of orientation in the course of simultaneous thermally stretched PA1010. The crystallinity increased along with the increase of draw ratio and then decreased as the draw ratio was over 2.

Cell Type-Dependent Specificity and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Charge-Reversible MSNs-COS-CMC for Targeted Drug Delivery in Cervical Carcinoma.

The surface charge of nanocarriers inevitably affects drug delivery efficiency; however, the cancer cell specificity, anti-inflammatory effects, and charge-reversal points remain to be further addressed in biomedical applications. The aim of this study was to comprehensively assess the cancer cell specificity of DOX-loaded mesoporous silica-chitosan oligosaccharide-carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles (DOX@MSNs-COS-CMC) in MCF-7 and HeLa cells, inhibit the production of inflammatory cytokines, and improve the drug accumulation in the tumor site. Intracellular results reveal that the retention time prolonged to 48 h in both HeLa and MCF-7 cells at pH 7.

A DFT study on the photoelectric properties of rubrene and its derivatives.

The way to obtain new materials was usually to introduce some groups to molecules. Correlations among the molecular structure and photoelectric properties of rubrene and its eight derivatives have been studied in this paper, and the influences of the introduction of different electron-donating and withdrawing substituents on the molecular orbital, reorganization energies, absorption spectra, and fluorescence spectra of rubrene and its derivatives were discussed. In the present work, density functional theory calculations were performed at the B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level to optimize the structure, and TD-DFT was used to calculate the absorption and emission spectra.

pH-Triggered Charge-Reversal Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Stabilized by Chitosan Oligosaccharide/Carboxymethyl Chitosan Hybrids for Effective Intracellular Delivery of Doxorubicin.

Surface modification of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) is a promising way to enhance therapeutic efficacy and minimize side effects of anticancer drugs. In this work, MSNs with reduced particle size and optimum pore diameter were obtained and catalyzed by ammonia/triethanolamine. In view of the negatively charged carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) and positively charged chitosan oligosaccharide (CS), the pH-triggered charge-reversal CS/CMC bilayer was designed as a stimuli-responsive switch for MSNs via the protonation and deprotonation effect.

Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator RAD140 Inhibits the Growth of Androgen/Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Models with a Distinct Mechanism of Action.

Steroidal androgens suppress androgen receptor and estrogen receptor positive (AR/ER) breast cancer cells and were used to treat breast cancer, eliciting favorable response. The current study evaluates the activity and efficacy of the oral selective AR modulator RAD140 in and models of AR/ER breast cancer. A series of assays were used to determine the affinity of RAD140 to 4 nuclear receptors and evaluate its tissue-selective AR activity.