Hexagonal Boron Nitride as a Two-Dimensional Surfactant: Low-Density Flame-Resistant Composites Based on Boron Nitride Exfoliated by an Interface Trapping Technique.

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is a two-dimensional material isoelectric to graphene. It has a hexagonal structure with alternating boron and nitrogen atoms and is electrically insulating, thermally conductive, and chemically inert. However, like graphene, its use as a functional nanofiller requires exfoliation.

Vitrification cryo-foil method for shoot tip cryopreservation and virus eradication in apple.

Establishment of a new method for improved shoot tip cryopreservation is crucial to facilitate the long-term preservation of plant germplasm as well as the use of cryotherapy for pathogen eradication. The present study reported a vitrification (V) cryo-foil method for shoot tip cryopreservation and virus eradication in apple. Shoot tip regrowth levels after cryopreservation were comparable among V cryo-foil (53 %), V cryo-plate (46 %) and conventional droplet vitrification (Dr-vi, 48 %).

Melatonin enhances resistance to Botryosphaeria dothidea in pear by promoting jasmonic acid and phlorizin biosynthesis.

Ring rot, caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea, is an important fungal disease of pear fruit during postharvest storage. Melatonin, as a plant growth regulator, plays an important role in enhancing the stress resistance of pear fruits. It enhances the resistance of pear fruits to ring rot by enhancing their antioxidant capacity.

Knockdown of LRCH4 Remodels Tumor Microenvironment Through Inhibiting YAP and TGF-β/Smad Signaling Pathway in Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common gastrointestinal malignancies worldwide. LRCH4 is the top 1 gene associated with an unfavorable prognosis in colorectal cancer.

Methods: Here, we reported that the knockdown of LRCH4 inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion in HT29 cells.

Spatially selective defect management of CsPbI films for high-performance carbon-based inorganic perovskite solar cells.

Defects formed at the surface, buried interface and grain boundaries (GB) of CsPbI perovskite films considerably limit photovoltaic performance. Such defects could be passivated effectively by the most prevalent post modification strategy without compromising the photoelectric properties of perovskite films, but it is still a great challenge to make this strategy comprehensive to different defects spatially distributed throughout the films. Herein, a spatially selective defect management (SSDM) strategy is developed to roundly passivate various defects at different locations within the perovskite film by a facile one-step treatment procedure using a piperazine-1,4-diium tetrafluoroborate (PZD(BF)) solution.

Effects of Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components on Chronic Kidney Disease and Renal Function: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study.

The association of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and renal function remains controversial in observational studies. To comprehensively investigate the association between MetS and its components with CKD and renal function, a Mendelian randomization (MR) study was performed. The inverse variance weighting (IVW) of random effects was used as the main estimation method, while MR-Egger and weighted median analysis results were used for auxiliary judgments.

Effects of trunk training using motor imagery on trunk control ability and balance function in patients with stroke.

Objective: To explore the effects of trunk training using motor imagery on trunk control and balance function in patients with stroke.

Methods: One hundred eligible stroke patients were randomly divided into a control group and trial group. The control group was given routine rehabilitation therapy, while the trial group was given routine rehabilitation therapy and trunk training using motor imagery.

Anion Confinement for Homogeneous Mixed Halide Perovskite Film Growth by Electrospray.

Wide-bandgap perovskites are promising absorbers for state-of-the-art tandem solar cells to feasibly surpass Shockley-Queisser limit with low cost. However, the commonly used mixed halide perovskites suffer from poor stability; particularly, photoinduced phase segregation. Electrospray deposition is developed to bridge the gap of growth rate between iodide and bromide components during film growth by spatially confining the anion diffusion and eliminating the kinetic difference, which universally improves the initial homogeneity of perovskite films regardless of device architectures.

Review of fruit cork spot disorder of Asian pear ( spp.).

Cork spot disorder has affected the fruit of Asian pear since the 1990s and has become serious in recent years with increasingly affected cultivars and areas. The commodity value of affected fruit is greatly decreased, resulting in severe economic losses. Cork spot disorder of pear fruit is a physiological disorder, and the factors responsible are relatively complex.

Carboxypeptidase A6 suppresses the proliferation and invasion of colorectal cancer cells and is negatively regulated by miR-96-3p.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignant tumor, and this study aims to explore the role and the regulatory mechanism of carboxypeptidase A6 (CPA6) in CRC cells.

Methods: Specific shRNA targeting CPA6 mRNA was transfected into NCM460 and HT29 cells to down-regulate CPA expression, and expression plasmid was transfected into HCT116 cells to exogenously overexpress CPA6. The dual luciferase assay was used to detect the direct binding of miR-96-3p to CPA6 3'UTR.

Identification of QTLs and Putative Candidate Genes for Plant Architecture of Lotus Revealed by Regional Association Mapping.

The lotus ( Adans.) is one of the most economically relevant ornamental aquatic plants. Plant architecture (PA) is an important trait for lotus classification, cultivation, breeding, and applications.

Jasmonic acid negatively regulates branch growth in pear.

The quality of seedlings is an important factor for development of the pear industry. A strong seedling with few branches and suitable internodes is ideal material as a rootstock for grafting and breeding. Several branching mutants of pear rootstocks were identified previously.

Bagging Strategy and Identification of Coloring Mode of 'Xinqihong' Pear.

'Xinqihong' is a recently selected and well-colored red pear ( Rehd.) cultivar that is popular in the marketplace owing to the bright red color and high quality of the fruit. The red pigmentation is strongly associated with the light signal.

3D Bioprinting of Living Materials for Structure-Dependent Production of Hyaluronic Acid.

3D bioprinting of living materials represents an interesting paradigm toward the efficacy enhancement for the biosynthesis of various functional compounds in microorganisms. Previous studies have shown the success of 3D-printed bioactive systems in the production of small molecular compounds. However, the feasibility of such a strategy in producing macromolecules and how the geometry of the 3D scaffold influences the productivity are still unknown.

Avoiding Structural Collapse to Reduce Lead Leakage in Perovskite Photovoltaics.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have become a promising candidate for the next-generation photovoltaic technologies. As an essential element for high-efficiency PSCs however, the heavy metal Pb is soluble in water, causing a serious threat to the environment and human health. Due to the weak ionic bonding in three-dimensional (3D) perovskites, drastic structure decomposition occurs when immersing the perovskite film in water, which accelerates the Pb leakage.

Association between hypertension and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a cross-sectional and meta-analysis study.

The association between hypertension and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is not completely understood. This study aimed to investigate the association between hypertension and hepatic ultrasound examination-diagnosed positive NAFLD in healthy people; to conduct a comprehensive meta-analysis combining the results of previous studies; to explore whether hypertension was a risk factor for NAFLD. This study included 2049 adults (male: 870 and female: 1179), aged ≥20 years, whose anthropometric parameters were measured to analyze the risk of hypertension on NAFLD.

Variations in Pedicel Structural Properties Among Four Pear Species (): Insights Into the Relationship Between the Fruit Characteristics and the Pedicel Structure.

Fruit pedicel is the bridge linking the parent tree and the fruit, which is an important channel for water and nutrients transport to the fruit. The genetic specificity determines the characteristics of the pedicel and the fruit, but the relationship between the pedicel structure and the fruit characteristics is unexplored. Combining the investigation of fruit characteristics, the statistical analysis of the pedicel structural properties, and the 2D and 3D anatomical observation of the pedicel, this study found distinctive contributions of the pedicel elements to the fruit characteristics in four pear species.

[Mechanism of oxymatrine in treatment of collagen-induced arthritis in mice].

Sophorae Flavescentis Radix, the root of Sophora flavescens Ait., has been widely applied in the medical field due to its anti-inflammatory, analgesic, bacteriostatic, antiviral, antitumor, and other pharmacological effects. The present study investigated the anti-rheumatoid arthritis effect of oxymatrine(OMT), the active component of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix by observing its effect on the function of B lymphocytes in collagen-induced arthritis(CIA) mice through the Toll-like receptor 9(TLR9)/myeloid differentiation factor 88(MyD88)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3) pathway.

High-Resolution Microstructure Analysis of Cork Spot Disordered Pear Fruit "Akizuki" ( Nakai) Using X-Ray CT.

Cork spot is one of the most damaging physiological disorders in pear fruit, causing considerable economic loss every year. However, the mechanism of cork spot occurrence requires further examination. In this study, X-ray CT scanning was applied to analyze the microstructure of pear fruit "Akizuki" (), a cultivar susceptible to cork spot disorder, to elucidate the fruit texture alteration between healthy and cork spotted fruit.

Nitrendipine-Treatment Increases Cork Spot Disorder Incidence in Pear 'Akituki' ( Nakai.) by Altering Calcium Distribution Inside the Fruit.

'Akituki' ( Nakai.) is a very popular and profitable pear cultivar in China. However, its high susceptibility to cork spot disorder has limited its expansion of cultivated area.

[Reduction of follicular regulatory T cells is associated with occurrence and development of rheumatoid arthritis].

Objective To investigate the potential mechanism of follicular regulatory T (Tfr) cells in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods The percentage of CD4CXCR5FOXP3ICOS Tfr cells in the peripheral blood of 20 patients with RA and 20 healthy subjects were detected by flow cytometry, and the correlation between the proportion of Tfr cells and the clinical laboratory index of RA was analyzed. The serum levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10), IL-12, IL-2, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13) were measured by ELISA.