Solid hygroscopic materials are extensively utilized in diverse fields, including adsorption heat transfer, adsorption heat storage, atmospheric water harvesting (AWH), and air conditioning dehumidification. The efficacy and energy efficiency of these materials in practical applications are significantly influenced by their adsorption and desorption properties. Yet, the introduction of inorganic salts to boost adsorption performance can result in issues like salt leakage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe water sorption and desorption properties of solid adsorbent materials are crucial in rotary dehumidification systems. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and hydrogels are mostly at the laboratory stage due to factors like the synthesis process and yield. In this study, we utilized an eco-friendly and large-scale synthesis method to prepare polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogels (yielding approximately 500 mL from a single polymerization).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe introduce non-aqueous continuous-flow electrophoresis (NACFE) in which the electrolyte is a solution of an organic salt in an aprotic organic solvent. NACFE can maintain steady-state separation of multiple hydrophobic organic species into individual molecular streams. It is a potential separation complement for continuous-flow organic synthesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe tandem gene clusters orfR-ombB-omaB-omcB and orfS-ombC-omaC-omcC of the metal-reducing bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens PCA are responsible for trans-outer membrane electron transfer during extracellular reduction of Fe(III)-citrate and ferrihydrite [a poorly crystalline Fe(III) oxide]. Each gene cluster encodes a putative transcriptional factor (OrfR/OrfS), a porin-like outer-membrane protein (OmbB/OmbC), a periplasmic c-type cytochrome (c-Cyt, OmaB/OmaC) and an outer-membrane c-Cyt (OmcB/OmcC). The individual roles of OmbB, OmaB and OmcB in extracellular reduction of Fe(III), however, have remained either uninvestigated or controversial.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe multi-heme, outer membrane c-type cytochrome (c-Cyt) OmcB of Geobacter sulfurreducens was previously proposed to mediate electron transfer across the outer membrane. However, the underlying mechanism has remained uncharacterized. In G.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this article, we show that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in Arabidopsis thaliana undergoes morphological changes in structure during ER stress that can be attributed to autophagy. ER stress agents trigger autophagy as demonstrated by increased production of autophagosomes. In response to ER stress, a soluble ER marker localizes to autophagosomes and accumulates in the vacuole upon inhibition of vacuolar proteases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlants have developed sophisticated mechanisms to survive when in unfavorable environments. Autophagy is a macromolecule degradation pathway that recycles damaged or unwanted cell materials upon encountering stress conditions or during specific developmental processes. Over the past decade, our molecular and physiological understanding of plant autophagy has greatly increased.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Autophagy is a protein degradation process by which cells recycle cytoplasmic contents under stress conditions or during senescence; a basal level of housekeeping autophagy also occurs under non-stressed conditions. Although a number of genes that function in autophagy (ATG genes) have been identified in plants, the upstream components that regulate the plant autophagy pathway are still obscure. Target of rapamycin (TOR) is a negative regulator of autophagy in both yeast and animals, and homologs of TOR in plants control plant growth and protein synthesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAutophagy is a protein degradation process in which cells recycle cytoplasmic contents when subjected to environmental stress conditions or during certain stages of development. Upon the induction of autophagy, a double membrane autophagosome forms around cytoplasmic components and delivers them to the vacuole or lysosome for degradation. In plants, autophagy has been shown previously to be induced during abiotic stresses including nutrient starvation and oxidative stress.
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