Phyto-assisted synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Bauhinia variegata buds extract and evaluation of their multi-faceted biological potentials.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles have wide range biological, biomedical and environmental applications. However, traditional nanofabrication of ZnONPs uses various toxic chemicals and organic solvents which limit their bio-applications. To overcome this hurdle, Bauhinia variegata derived buds extract was utilized to fabricate ZnONPs. The greenly generated ZnONPs were successfully prepared and extensively characterized using different analytical tools and the average crystalline size was calculated as 25.47 nm. Further, bioengineered ZnONPs were explored for multiple biological activities that revealed excellent therapeutic potentials. The antibacterial potential was determined using different bacterial strains. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC: 137.5 µg/mL) was reported to be the most resistant variant while Bacillus subtilis (MIC: 34.38 µg/mL) was observed to be most susceptible bacterial strain. DPPH radical scavenging potential was measured to determine the antioxidant capacity of ZnONPs and the highest scavenging potential was observed as 82% at highest of 300 µg/mL. The fungicidal effect of green ZnONPs in comparison with Amphotericin B was assessed against five selected pathogenic fungal strains. The results revealed, Fusarium solani (MIC: 46.875 µg/mL) was least resistant and Aspergillus flavus (MIC: 187.5 µg/mL) was most resistant in fungicidal examination. Cytotoxicity potential of B.V@ZnONPs was analyzed against newly hatched nauplii of brine shrimps. The results for greenly produced ZnONPs was recorded as 39.78 µg/mL while 3.006 µg/mL was reported for positive control vincristine sulphate. The results confirmed the category of general cytotoxic for greenly synthesized nano sized B.V@ZnONPs.

A homozygous nonsense variant in HENMT1 causes male infertility in humans and mice.

BACKGROUND: HENMT1 encodes a small RNA methyltransferase that plays a crucial role in mouse spermatogenesis through the methylation of the 3' end of PIWI-interacting RNAs. OBJECTIVES: Our study aims to elucidate the relationship between HENMT1 and male infertility in humans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A consanguineous family, having a single non-obstructive azoospermia patient was recruited for pathogenic variants screening. The research includes genetic analysis and experimental validation using mouse models. The patient was diagnosed with non-obstructive azoospermia. Whole-exome sequencing and subsequent bioinformatic analyses were performed to screen for candidate pathogenic variants. The pathogenicity of the identified variant was assessed and studied in vivo using a mouse model that mimicked the patient's mutation. RESULTS: Through whole-exome sequencing, we identified a homozygous nonsense variant (c.555G > A, p.Trp185*) in HENMT1 in the patient. The presence of the mutant HENMT1 mRNA was detected in the patient's blood, and the truncated HENMT1 protein was observed in transfected HEK293T cells. The mutant mice modeling this HENMT1 variant displayed an infertile phenotype similar to that of the patient, characterized by spermiogenesis arrest. Further analysis revealed a significant derepression of retrotransposon LINE1 in the testes of the Henmt1 mutant mice, and increased apoptosis of spermatids. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Our findings provide the evidence of pathogenicity of the identified HENMT1 variant, thus shedding light on the indispensable role of HENMT1 in human spermatogenesis.

Combined application of biochar and peatmoss for mitigation of drought stress in tobacco.

Drought poses a significant ecological threat that limits the production of crops worldwide. The objective of this study to examine the impact of soil applied biochar (BC) and peatmoss (PM) on the morpho-biochemical and quality traits of tobacco plants under drought conditions. In the present experiment work, a pot trial was conducted with two levels of drought severity (~ well-watered 75 ± 5% field capacity) and severe drought stress (~ 35 ± 5% field capacity), two levels of peatmoss (PM) @ 5% [PM+ (with peatmoss) and PM- (without peatmoss)] and three levels of rice straw biochar (BC0 = no biochar; BC1 = 150 mg kg- 1; and BC2 = 300 mg kg- 1 of soil) in tobacco plants. The results indicate that drought conditions significantly impacted the performance of tobacco plants. However, the combined approach of BC and PM significantly improved the growth, biomass, and total chlorophyll content (27.94%) and carotenoids (32.00%) of tobacco. This study further revealed that the drought conditions decreased the production of lipid peroxidation and proline accumulation. But the synergistic approach of BC and PM application increased soluble sugars (17.63 and 12.20%), soluble protein (31.16 and 15.88%), decreased the proline accumulation (13.92 and 9.03%), and MDA content (16.40 and 8.62%) under control and drought stressed conditions, respectively. Furthermore, the combined approach of BC and PM also improved the leaf potassium content (19.02%) by limiting the chloride ions (33.33%) under drought stressed conditions. Altogether, the balanced application of PM and BC has significant potential as an effective approach and sustainable method to increase the tolerance of tobacco plants subjected to drought conditions. This research uniquely highlights the combined potential of PM and BC as an eco-friendly strategy to enhance plant resilience under drought conditions, offering new insights into sustainable agricultural practices.

Bioinspired Wearable Hydrogel Composite with Sustained Drug-Release for Wound Healing and Naked-Eye Visual Early Warning of Wound Dehiscence.

Wound healing is critical to the structural and functional restoration of damaged tissue. However, effective wound closure and healing are always great challenges in regenerative engineering. This study provided bioinspired wearable hydrogel composites with drug-releasing hydrogel and nonclose-packed photonic crystals (NPCs) for wound therapy and naked-eye visual early warning of wound dehiscence. Molecular dynamics models and drug-releasing results illustrated the sustained drug release of ibuprofen, and the mechanical properties of the drug-releasing hydrogel were optimized with 1410% tensile strain by introducing fish collagen; their biocompatibility and adhesion were also improved. The structural color of the NPCs blue-shifted from 630 to 500 nm with 15.0% strain, and the original color was customized with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) concentration and acrylamide content. Compared with the gauze and the traditional hydrogels, the composite provided a moist environment and an effectively closed wound; the debridement and released drug avoided inflammation, and the rat wound was healed 40.5% on the third day and essentially 100% on the 14th day. The work provided a novel strategy for wound healing and naked-eye visual early warning when a wound deforms, which is expected to promote the synergistic development of clinical treatment and visualized early warning.

Homozygous CCDC146 mutation causes oligoasthenoteratozoospermia in humans and mice.

Infertility represents a significant health concern, with sperm quantity and quality being crucial determinants of male fertility. Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) is characterized by reduced sperm motility, lower sperm concentration, and morphological abnormalities in sperm heads and flagella. Although variants in several genes have been implicated in OAT, its genetic etiologies and pathogenetic mechanisms remain inadequately understood. In this study, we identified a homozygous nonsense mutation (c.916C>T, p.Arg306*) in the coiled-coil domain containing 146 ( CCDC146) gene in an infertile male patient with OAT. This mutation resulted in the production of a truncated CCDC146 protein (amino acids 1-305), retaining only two out of five coiled-coil domains. To validate the pathogenicity of the CCDC146 mutation, we generated a mouse model ( Ccdc146 mut/mut ) with a similar mutation to that of the patient. Consistently, the Ccdc146 mut/mut mice exhibited infertility, characterized by significantly reduced sperm counts, diminished motility, and multiple defects in sperm heads and flagella. Furthermore, the levels of axonemal proteins, including DNAH17, DNAH1, and SPAG6, were significantly reduced in the sperm of Ccdc146 mut/mut mice. Additionally, both human and mouse CCDC146 interacted with intraflagellar transport protein 20 (IFT20), but this interaction was lost in the mutated versions, leading to the degradation of IFT20. This study identified a novel deleterious homozygous nonsense mutation in CCDC146 that causes male infertility, potentially by disrupting axonemal protein transportation. These findings offer valuable insights for genetic counseling and understanding the mechanisms underlying CCDC146 mutant-associated infertility in human males.

Bio-Inspired Photoelectric Dual-Mode Sensor Based on Photonic Crystals for Human Motion Sensing and Monitoring.

Photoelectric dual-mode sensors, which respond to strain signal through photoelectric dual-signals, hold great promise as wearable sensors in human motion monitoring. In this work, a photoelectric dual-mode sensor based on photonic crystals hydrogel was developed for human joint motion detection. The optical signal of the sensor originated from the structural color of photonic crystals, which was achieved by tuning the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microspheres diameter. The reflective peak of the sensor, based on 250 nm PMMA PCs, shifted from 623 nm to 492 nm with 100% strain. Graphene was employed to enhance the electrical signal of the sensor, resulting in a conductivity increase from 9.33 × 10-4 S/m to 2 × 10-3 S/m with an increase in graphene from 0 to 8 mg·mL-1. Concurrently, the resistance of the hydrogel with 8 mg·mL-1 graphene increased from 160 kΩ to 485 kΩ with a gauge factor (GF) = 0.02 under 100% strain, while maintaining a good cyclic stability. The results of the sensing and monitoring of finger joint bending revealed a significant shift in the reflective peak of the photoelectric dual-mode sensor from 624 nm to 526 nm. Additionally, its resistance change rate was measured at 1.72 with a 90° bending angle. These findings suggest that the photoelectric dual-mode sensor had the capability to detect the strain signal with photoelectric dual-mode signals, and indicates its great potential for the sensing and monitoring of joint motion.

Effect of chloroquine pre-treatment on the metoclopramide's pharmacokinetics after their co-administration.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the pharmacokinetic interactions of orally administered chloroquine and metoclopramide. METHODS: The study employed a randomized and two-phase cross-over design with 4-week washout plan. Twelve healthy male volunteers were shortlisted according to the set criteria and were administered with metoclopramide 10 mg PO and chloroquine (a total of 1500 mg) at different intervals which were (500 mg at 0, 6, and 24 h). The concentration of chloroquine and metoclopramide in the blood samples was estimated using a validated HPLC-UV technique to affirm the maximum concentration (Cmax), time to reach Cmax (Tmax), and area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: Cmax, T1/2, and AUC of metoclopramide were increased up to 20, 10, and 47.8%, respectively, by the concomitantly administering Chloroquine. Chloroquine-treated phase showed increased values of Cmax (ng/ml), AUC (ng.h/ml), and T½ (h), i.e. 41.35 ± 1.61, 504.12 ± 66.25, and 5.72 ± 2.63, as compared to that reference phase i.e. 34.52 ± 4.92, 341.14 ± 112.8, and 5.19 ± 1.14, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Chloroquine was found to attenuate CYP2D6 activity in healthy Pakistani male volunteers. Hence, patients that are prescribed with metoclopramide or other CYP2D6-substrate drugs require a dose adjustment when administered with chloroquine.

Particulate and gaseous air pollutants exceed WHO guideline values and have the potential to damage human health in Faisalabad, Metropolitan, Pakistan.

First-ever measurements of particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10, and TSP) along with gaseous pollutants (CO, NO2, and SO2) were performed from June 2019 to April 2020 in Faisalabad, Metropolitan, Pakistan, to assess their seasonal variations; Summer 2019, Autumn 2019, Winter 2019-2020, and Spring 2020. Pollutant measurements were carried out at 30 locations with a 3-km grid distance from the Sitara Chemical Industry in District Faisalabad to Bhianwala, Sargodha Road, Tehsil Lalian, District Chiniot. ArcGIS 10.8 was used to interpolate pollutant concentrations using the inverse distance weightage method. PM2.5, PM10, and TSP concentrations were highest in summer, and lowest in autumn or winter. CO, NO2, and SO2 concentrations were highest in summer or spring and lowest in winter. Seasonal average NO2 and SO2 concentrations exceeded WHO annual air quality guide values. For all 4 seasons, some sites had better air quality than others. Even in these cleaner sites air quality index (AQI) was unhealthy for sensitive groups and the less good sites showed Very critical AQI (> 500). Dust-bound carbon and sulfur contents were higher in spring (64 mg g-1) and summer (1.17 mg g-1) and lower in autumn (55 mg g-1) and winter (1.08 mg g-1). Venous blood analysis of 20 individuals showed cadmium and lead concentrations higher than WHO permissible limits. Those individuals exposed to direct roadside pollution for longer periods because of their occupation tended to show higher Pb and Cd blood concentrations. It is concluded that air quality along the roadside is extremely poor and potentially damaging to the health of exposed workers.

scGrapHiC: deep learning-based graph deconvolution for Hi-C using single cell gene expression.

SUMMARY: Single-cell Hi-C (scHi-C) protocol helps identify cell-type-specific chromatin interactions and sheds light on cell differentiation and disease progression. Despite providing crucial insights, scHi-C data is often underutilized due to the high cost and the complexity of the experimental protocol. We present a deep learning framework, scGrapHiC, that predicts pseudo-bulk scHi-C contact maps using pseudo-bulk scRNA-seq data. Specifically, scGrapHiC performs graph deconvolution to extract genome-wide single-cell interactions from a bulk Hi-C contact map using scRNA-seq as a guiding signal. Our evaluations show that scGrapHiC, trained on seven cell-type co-assay datasets, outperforms typical sequence encoder approaches. For example, scGrapHiC achieves a substantial improvement of 23.2% in recovering cell-type-specific Topologically Associating Domains over the baselines. It also generalizes to unseen embryo and brain tissue samples. scGrapHiC is a novel method to generate cell-type-specific scHi-C contact maps using widely available genomic signals that enables the study of cell-type-specific chromatin interactions. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The GitHub link: https://github.com/rsinghlab/scGrapHiC contains the source code of scGrapHiC and associated scripts to preprocess publicly available datasets to produce the results and visualizations we have discuss in this manuscript.

Quercetin in semen extender improves frozen-thawed spermatozoa quality and in-vivo fertility in crossbred Kamori goats.

This study investigated the antioxidant effect of quercetin-treated semen on frozen-thawed spermatozoa quality and in-vivo fertility in crossbred Kamori goats. In total, 32 ejaculates from four fertile bucks were diluted in Tris-based egg yolk extender with varying levels of quercetin (0, 1, 5, 10, and 15 µM). Qualified semen samples were pooled and frozen in French straws. The results revealed that the addition of quercetin in the semen extender increased (p < 0.05) frozen-thawed sperm total motility (TM), progressive motility (PM), rapid velocity (RV), average path velocity (VAP), straight line velocity (VSL), curvilinear velocity (VCL), and amplitude of lateral head (ALH) displacement in contrast to the control group. Quercetin supplementation had no effect on beat cross frequency (BCF), straightness (STR), and linearity (LIN) (p > 0.05). Quercetin showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) plasma membrane and acrosome integrity and viability (p < 0.05) of spermatozoa in contrast to the control group. Quercetin in the semen extender significantly increased (p < 0.05) superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels while reduced (p < 0.05) the contents of total oxidant status (TOS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), which were in contrast to the control group. Ultrasound results revealed that 24 out of 30 (80%) goats were found pregnant when semen was treated with 5 µM quercetin while the control group showed 18 out of 30 (60%) animals were pregnant. Thus, the study concluded that 5 µM quercetin-treated semen was found to be efficient, showed increased antioxidant status, and reduced oxidant production, leading to improved spermatozoa quality and in-vivo fertility in goats.

The impact of biochar addition on morpho-physiological characteristics, yield and water use efficiency of tomato plants under drought and salinity stress.

The use of saline water under drought conditions is critical for sustainable agricultural development in arid regions. Biochar is used as a soil amendment to enhance soil properties such as water-holding capacity and the source of nutrition elements of plants. Thus, the research was carried out to assess the impact of biochar treatment on the morphological and physiological characteristics and production of Solanum lycopersicum in greenhouses exposed to drought and saline stresses. The study was structured as a three-factorial in split-split-plot design. There were 16 treatments across three variables: (i) water quality, with freshwater and saline water, with electrical conductivities of 0.9 and 2.4 dS m- 1, respectively; (ii) irrigation level, with 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of total evapotranspiration (ETC); (iii) and biochar application, with the addition of biochar at a 3% dosage by (w/w) (BC3%), and a control (BC0%). The findings demonstrated that salt and water deficiency hurt physiological, morphological, and yield characteristics. Conversely, the biochar addition enhanced all characteristics. Growth-related parameters, such as plant height, stem diameter, leaf area, and dry and wet weight, and leaf gas exchange attributes, such rate of transpiration and photosynthesis, conductivity, as well as leaf relative water content were decreased by drought and salt stresses, especially when the irrigation was 60% ETc or 40% ETc. The biochar addition resulted in a substantial enhancement in vegetative growth-related parameters, physiological characteristics, efficiency of water use, yield, as well as reduced proline levels. Tomato yield enhanced by 4%, 16%, 8%, and 3% when irrigation with freshwater at different levels of water deficit (100% ETc, 80% ETc, 60% ETc, and 40% ETc) than control (BC0%). Overall, the use of biochar (3%) combined with freshwater shows the potential to enhance morpho-physiological characteristics, support the development of tomato plants, and improve yield with higher WUE in semi-arid and arid areas.

Liming potential and characteristics of biochar produced from woody and non-woody biomass at different pyrolysis temperatures.

Large amount of wastes are burnt or left to decompose on site or at landfills where they cause air pollution and nutrient leaching to groundwater. Waste management strategies that return these food wastes to agricultural soils recover the carbon and nutrients that would otherwise have been lost, enrich soils and improve crop productivity. The incorporation of liming materials can neutralize the protons released, hence reducing soil acidity and its adverse impacts to the soil environment, food security, and human health. Biochar derived from organic residues is becoming a source of carbon input to soil and provides multifunctional values. Biochar can be alkaline in nature, with the level of alkalinity dependent upon the feedstock and processing conditions. This study conducted a characterization of biochar derived from the pyrolysis process of eggplant and Acacia nilotica bark at temperatures of 300 °C and 600 °C. An analysis was conducted on the biochar kinds to determine their pH, phosphorus (P), as well as other elemental composition. The proximate analysis was conducted by the ASTM standard 1762-84, while the surface morphological features were measured using a scanning electron microscope. The biochar derived from Acacia nilotica bark exhibited a greater yield and higher level of fixed carbon while possessing a lower content of ash and volatile components compared to biochar derived from eggplant. The eggplant biochar exhibits a higher liming ability at 600 °C compared to the acacia nilotica bark-derived biochar. The calcium carbonate equivalent, pH, potassium (K), and phosphorus (P) levels in eggplant biochars increased as the pyrolysis temperature increased. The results suggest that biochar derived from eggplant could be a beneficial resource for storing carbon in the soil, as well as for addressing soil acidity and enhancing nutrients availability, particularly potassium and phosphorus in acidic soils.

Physicochemical properties and performance of non-woody derived biochars for the sustainable removal of aquatic pollutants: A systematic review.

Biochar is a carbon-rich material produced from the partial combustion of different biomass residues. It can be used as a promising material for adsorbing pollutants from soil and water and promoting environmental sustainability. Extensive research has been conducted on biochars prepared from different feedstocks used for pollutant removal. However, a comprehensive review of biochar derived from non-woody feedstocks (NWF) and its physiochemical attributes, adsorption capacities, and performance in removing heavy metals, antibiotics, and organic pollutants from water systems needs to be included. This review revealed that the biochars derived from NWF and their adsorption efficiency varied greatly according to pyrolysis temperatures. However, biochars (NWF) pyrolyzed at higher temperatures (400-800 °C) manifested excellent physiochemical and structural attributes as well as significant removal effectiveness against antibiotics, heavy metals, and organic compounds from contaminated water. This review further highlighted why biochars prepared from NWF are most valuable/beneficial for water treatment. What preparatory conditions (pyrolysis temperature, residence time, heating rate, and gas flow rate) are necessary to design a desirable biochar containing superior physiochemical and structural properties, and adsorption efficiency for aquatic pollutants? The findings of this review will provide new research directions in the field of water decontamination through the application of NWF-derived adsorbents.

Greenhouse gas emissions, carbon stocks and wheat productivity following biochar, compost and vermicompost amendments: comparison of non-saline and salt-affected soils.

Understanding the impact of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon stock is crucial for effective climate change assessment and agroecosystem management. However, little is known about the effects of organic amendments on GHG emissions and dynamic changes in carbon stocks in salt-affected soils. We conducted a pot experiment with four treatments including control (only fertilizers addition), biochar, vermicompost, and compost on non-saline and salt-affected soils, with the application on a carbon equivalent basis under wheat crop production. Our results revealed that the addition of vermicompost significantly increased soil organic carbon content by 18% in non-saline soil and 52% in salt-affected soil compared to the control leading to improvements in crop productivity i.e., plant dry biomass production by 57% in non-saline soil with vermicompost, while 56% with the same treatment in salt-affected soil. The grain yield was also noted 44 and 50% more with vermicompost treatment in non-saline and salt-affected soil, respectively. Chlorophyll contents were observed maximum with vermicompost in non-saline (24%), and salt-affected soils (22%) with same treatments. Photosynthetic rate (47% and 53%), stomatal conductance (60% and 12%), and relative water contents (38% and 27%) were also noted maximum with the same treatment in non-saline and salt-affected soils, respectively. However, the highest carbon dioxide emissions were observed in vermicompost- and compost-treated soils, leading to an increase in emissions of 46% in non-saline soil and 74% in salt-affected soil compared to the control. The compost treatment resulted in the highest nitrous oxide emissions, with an increase of 57% in non-saline soil and 62% in salt-affected soil compared to the control. In saline and non-saline soils treated with vermicompost, the global warming potential was recorded as 267% and 81% more than the control, respectively. All treatments, except biochar in non-saline soil, showed increased net GHG emissions due to organic amendment application. However, biochar reduced net emissions by 12% in non-saline soil. The application of organic amendments increased soil organic carbon content and crop yield in both non-saline and salt-affected soils. In conclusion, biochar is most effective among all tested organic amendments at increasing soil organic carbon content in both non-saline and salt-affected soils, which could have potential benefits for soil health and crop production.

Biochar enhances the growth and physiological characteristics of Medicago sativa, Amaranthus caudatus and Zea mays in saline soils.

Biochar is a promising solution to alleviate the negative impacts of salinity stress on agricultural production. Biochar derived from food waste effect was investigated on three plant species, Medicago sativa, Amaranthus caudatus, and Zea mays, under saline environments. The results showed that biochar improved significantly the height by 30%, fresh weight of shoot by 35% and root by 45% of all three species compared to control (saline soil without biochar adding), as well as enhanced their photosynthetic pigments and enzyme activities in soil. This positive effect varied significantly between the 3 plants highlighting the importance of the plant-biochar interactions. Thus, the application of biochar is a promising solution to enhance the growth, root morphology, and physiological characteristics of plants under salt-induced stress.

Flow and Heat Transfer of CoFe2O4-Blood Due to a Rotating Stretchable Cylinder under the Influence of a Magnetic Field.

The flow and heat transfer of a steady, viscous biomagnetic fluid containing magnetic particles caused by the swirling and stretching motion of a three-dimensional cylinder has been investigated numerically in this study. Because fluid and particle rotation are different, a magnetic field is applied in both radial and tangential directions to counteract the effects of rotational viscosity in the flow domain. Partial differential equations are used to represent the governing three-dimensional modeled equations. With the aid of customary similarity transformations, this system of partial differential equations is transformed into a set of ordinary differential equations. They are then numerically resolved utilizing a common finite differences technique that includes iterative processing and the manipulation of tridiagonal matrices. Graphs are used to depict the physical effects of imperative parameters on the swirling velocity, temperature distributions, skin friction coefficient, and the rate of heat transfer. For higher values of the ferromagnetic interaction parameter, it is discovered that the axial velocity increases, whereas temperature and tangential velocity drop. With rising levels of the ferromagnetic interaction parameter, the size of the axial skin friction coefficient and the rate of heat transfer are both accelerated. In some limited circumstances, a comparison with previously published work is also handled and found to be acceptably accurate.

A PDMS-encapsulated cylindrical non-closed-packed photonic crystals composite with Bragg-enhanced Fresnel reflectance for optical gain and spectral selection.

According to the Fresnel theory, the reflectivity intensity of spherical and cylindrical convex surfaces decreases from their edge to center, and it is noteworthy and interesting for optical gain to study the enhancement of center reflectance. In this paper, a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) - encapsulated cylindrical non-closed-packed photonic crystals (NPCs) composite with Bragg-enhanced Fresnel reflectance was designed for spectral selectivity and optical gain. Theoretically and experimentally, the periodically ordered structure of NPCs achieved high-reflection of light in photonic bandgap and high-transmission in other bands, which enhanced Fresnel reflectivity of the convex center to specific bands. Furtherly, the cylindrical NPCs hydrogel with stretchability was applied for the dynamic tuning of optical signals. The reflection peak of the PDMS-encapsulated cylindrical NPCs composite blue-shifted from 608 nm to 413 nm with 50 % tensile strain and achieved a rapid transition of structural color from orange to blue-violet in 60 cycles. The new kind of photonic crystals composite for optical gain and spectral selection broke through the limitations of traditional Fresnel curved mirrors with the lowest central reflectivity and inability to perform spectral selectivity, and have great significance and application prospects in fields of signal transmission, optical measurement, and instrument design.

Efficient Adsorption of Methylene Blue Using a Hierarchically Structured Metal-Organic Framework Derived from Layered Double Hydroxide.

The growing concerns about environmental pollution, particularly water pollution, are causing an increasing alarm in modern society. One promising approach to address this issue involves engineering existing materials to enhance their effectiveness. A one-step solvothermal reconstruction approach was used to build an eco-friendly two-dimensional (2D) AlNiZn-LDH/BDC MOF composite. The characterizations confirm the formation of a metal-organic framework (MOF) at the layered double hydroxide (LDH) surface. The resulting synthesized material, 2D AlNiZn-LDH/BDC MOF, demonstrated remarkable efficacy in decontaminating methylene blue (MB), a model cationic dye found in water systems. The removal performance of 2D AlNiZn-LDH/BDC MOF was significantly higher than that of pristine 2D AlNiZn-LDH. This improvement shows the potential to increase the adsorption capabilities of nanoporous LDH materials by incorporating organic ligands and integrating meso-/microporosity through MOF formation on their surfaces. Furthermore, their kinetic, isothermal, and thermodynamic studies elucidated the adsorption behavior of this composite material. The results of synthesized MOF showed excellent removal efficiency (92.27%) of 10 ppm of MB aqueous solution as compared to pristine LDH. Additionally, the as-synthesized adsorbent could be regenerated for six successive cycles. This method holds promise for the synthesis of novel and highly effective materials to combat water pollution, laying the groundwork for potential advancements in diverse applications.

Redox mechanisms of environmental toxicants on male reproductive function.

Humans and wildlife, including domesticated animals, are exposed to a myriad of environmental contaminants that are derived from various human activities, including agricultural, household, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and industrial products. Excessive exposure to pesticides, heavy metals, and phthalates consequently causes the overproduction of reactive oxygen species. The equilibrium between reactive oxygen species and the antioxidant system is preserved to maintain cellular redox homeostasis. Mitochondria play a key role in cellular function and cell survival. Mitochondria are vulnerable to damage that can be provoked by environmental exposures. Once the mitochondrial metabolism is damaged, it interferes with energy metabolism and eventually causes the overproduction of free radicals. Furthermore, it also perceives inflammation signals to generate an inflammatory response, which is involved in pathophysiological mechanisms. A depleted antioxidant system provokes oxidative stress that triggers inflammation and regulates epigenetic function and apoptotic events. Apart from that, these chemicals influence steroidogenesis, deteriorate sperm quality, and damage male reproductive organs. It is strongly believed that redox signaling molecules are the key regulators that mediate reproductive toxicity. This review article aims to spotlight the redox toxicology of environmental chemicals on male reproduction function and its fertility prognosis. Furthermore, we shed light on the influence of redox signaling and metabolism in modulating the response of environmental toxins to reproductive function. Additionally, we emphasize the supporting evidence from diverse cellular and animal studies.