Effect of corneal diameter on preoperative screening results for corneal refractive surgery.

AIMS: To investigate the impact of different corneal diameters on corneal morphology and biomechanical outcome during preoperative screening for corneal refractive surgery. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 300 patients who underwent corneal refractive surgery at Eye and ENT Hospital, Fudan University between October 2023 and December 2023. All patients had no history of keratoconus or previous corneal surgery. Patients were categorized into two groups based on corneal topography measurements: (1) normal corneal diameter group (n=159), those with corneal diameter ranging from 11.5 mm to 12.0 mm; (2) abnormal corneal diameter group (n=141), those with corneal diameter smaller than 10.0 mm or larger than 12.5 mm. Corneal thickness, morphologic data, and biomechanical data were measured using Pentacam corneal topography. Correlation analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between corneal diameter and various corneal topography and biomechanical data. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed in corneal topography data including BFSf (F=43.21), BFSb (F=30.24), Df (F=15.32), Dp (F=32.36), Da (F=9.66), D (F=58.36), PPIavg (F=32.64), and ARTmax (F=12.06) between the groups (P<0.05). Additionally, BFSf, BFSb, Db, Dp, D, and PPIavg exhibited statistically significant differences between any two groups (P<0.05). Significant differences were also found in Df, Da, and ARTmax between small and large corneas, as well as between normal-sized and large corneas (P<0.05). Correlation analysis indicated negative correlations between corneal diameter and A1V (r=-0.12), HCdArcLength (r=-0.17), CBI (r=-0.27), bIOP (r=-0.13), Df (r=-0.025), PPIavg (r=-0.028), and TBI (r=-0.27). Conversely, BFSf (r=0.009), BFSb (r=0.001), PD (r=0.15), and ARTH (r=0.37) displayed positive correlations with corneal diameter. CONCLUSIONS: Corneal diameter significantly affects preoperative screening for corneal refractive surgery. Smaller corneal diameters exhibit a greater influence on the corneal topography BAD analysis system.

Mitigating Ni and Cu ecotoxicity in the ecological restoration material and ornamental Primula forbesii Franch. with exogenous 24-epibrassinolide and melatonin.

Nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) contamination have become major threats to plant survival worldwide. 24-epibrassinolide (24-EBR) and melatonin (MT) have emerged as valuable treatments to alleviate heavy metal-induced phytotoxicity. However, plants have not fully demonstrated the potential mechanisms by which these two hormones act under Ni and Cu stress. Herein, this study investigated the impact of individual and combined application of 24-EBR and MT on the growth and physiological traits of Primula forbesii Franch. subjected to stress (200 µmol L-1 Ni and Cu). The experiments compared the effects of different mitigation treatments on heavy metal (HM) stress and the scientific basis and practical reference for using these exogenous substances to improve HM resistance of P. forbesii in polluted environments. Nickel and Cu stress significantly hindered leaf photosynthesis and nutrient uptake, reducing plant growth and gas exchange. However, 24-EBR, MT, and 24-EBR + MT treatments alleviated the growth inhibition caused by Ni and Cu stress, improved the growth indexes of P. forbesii, and increased the gas exchange parameters. Exogenous MT effectively alleviated Ni stress, and 24-EBR + MT significantly alleviated the toxic effects of Cu stress. Unlike HM stress, MT and 24-EBR + MT activated the antioxidant enzyme activity (by increasing superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT)), significantly reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and regulated ascorbate and glutathione cycle (AsA-GSH) efficiency. Besides, the treatments enhanced the ability of P. forbesii to accumulate HMs, shielding plants from harm. These findings conclusively illustrate the capability of 24-EBR and MT to significantly bolster the tolerance of P. forbesii to Ni and Cu stress.

Association between chronic kidney disease and age-related macular degeneration: a Mendelian randomization study.

Purpose: Observational studies have reported inconsistent results on the relationship between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The primary objective of this study was to investigate the causal relationships between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), CKD, its common causes, and AMD among participants of European descent. Methods: Genetic variants associated with eGFR, CKD and its common causes, encompassing diabetic nephropathy (DN), immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), and membranous nephropathy (MN) were obtained from previously published genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and FinnGen database. Summary statistics for early AMD, AMD, dry AMD, and wet AMD were acquired from the GWAS and FinnGen database. Inverse-variance-weighted (IVW) method was the main MR analysis. Sensitivity analyses were performed with Cochran's Q, MR-Egger intercept, and leave-one-out analysis. In addition, RadialMR was utilized to identify and remove outliers. Results: IVW results showed that CKD, eGFR were not associated with any type of AMD (p > 0.05). DN (OR: 1.042, 95% CI: 1.002-1.083, p = 0.037) and MN (OR: 1.023, 95% CI: 1.007-1.040, p = 0.005) were associated with an increased risk of earl AMD. DN (OR: 1.111, 95% CI: 1.07-1.154, p = 4.87 × 10-8), IgAN (OR: 1.373, 95% CI: 1.097-1.719, p = 0.006), and MN (OR: 1.036, 95% CI: 1.008-1.064, p = 0.012) were associated with an increased risk of AMD. DN (OR: 1.090, 95% CI: 1.042-1.140, p = 1.57 × 10-4) and IgAN (OR: 1.480, 95% CI: 1.178-1.858, p = 7.55 × 10-4) were associated with an increased risk of dry AMD. The risk of wet AMD was associated with DN (OR: 1.107, 95% CI: 1.043-1.174, p = 7.56 × 10-4) and MN (OR: 1.071, 95% CI: 1.040-1.103, p = 5.48 × 10-6). Conclusion: This MR study found no evidence of causal relationship between CKD and AMD. DN, IgAN, and MN may increase risk of AMD. This findings underscore the importance of ocular examinations in patients with DN, MN, and IgAN. More studies are needed to support the findings of our current study.

Evaluating Fluorinated-Aniline Units with Functionalized Spiro[Fluorene-9,9'-Xanthene] as Hole-Transporting Materials in Perovskite Solar Cells and Light-Emitting Diodes.

In the field of perovskite optoelectronics, developing hole-transporting materials (HTMs) on the spiro[fluorene-9,9'-xanthene] (SFX) platform is one of the current research focuses. The SFX inherits the merits of spirobifluorene in terms of the configuration and property, but it is more easily derivatized and regulated by virtue of its binary structure. In this work, we design and synthesize four isomeric SFX-based HTMs, namely m-SFX-mF, p-SFX-mF, m-SFX-oF, and p-SFX-oF, through varying the positions of fluorination on the peripheral aniline units and their substitutions on the SFX core, and the optoelectronic performance of the resulting HTMs is evaluated in both perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) by the vacuum thermal evaporating hole-transporting layers (HTLs). The HTM p-SFX-oF exhibits an improved power conversion efficiency of 15.21% in an inverted PSC using CH3NH3PbI3 as an absorber, benefiting from the deep HOMO level and good HTL/perovskite interface contact. Meanwhile, the HTM m-SFX-mF provides a maximum external quantum efficiency of 3.15% in CsPb(Br/Cl)3-based PeLEDs, which is attributed to its perched HOMO level and shrunken band-gap for facilitating charge carrier injection and then exciton combination. Through elucidating the synergistic position effect of fluorination on aniline units and their substitutions on the SFX core, this work lays the foundation for developing low-cost and efficient HTMs in the future.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Oxazocines via MQ-Phos Enabled Palladium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Formal [4+4]-Cycloadditions.

Oxazocines are key structural intermediates in the synthesis of natural products and pharmaceutical molecules. However, the synthesis of oxazocines especially in a highly enantioselective manner, is a long-standing formidable challenge due to unfavorable energetics involved in cyclization. Herein, a series of new PNP-Ligand P-chiral stereocenter is first designed and synthesized, called MQ-Phos, and successfully applied it in the Pd-catalyzed enantioselective higher-order formal [4+4]-cycloaddition of α, ß-unsaturated imines with 2-(hydroxymethyl)-1-arylallyl carbonates. The reaction features mild conditions, excellent regio- and enantiocontrol and a broad substrate scope (54 examples). Various medium-sized rings can be afforded in moderate to excellent yields (up to 92%) and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee). The newly developed MQ-Phos is critical for synthesis of the medium-sized ring in excellent catalytic reactivity and enantioselectivity.

Biphasic effects of ethanol consumption on N,N-dimethylformamide-induced liver injury in mice.

N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) is a well-documented occupational hazardous material, which can induce occupational liver injury. The current study was designed to investigate whether ethanol consumption can affect DMF-induced hepatotoxicity and the potential underlying mechanisms involved. We found that a single dose of ethanol (1.25, 2.5, or 5 g/kg bw by gavage) significantly repressed the increase in serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) activities and alleviated the liver histopathological changes in mice challenged with 3 g/kg DMF. In contrast, long-term moderate drinking (2.5 g/kg bw) significantly aggravated the repeated DMF (0.7 g/kg bw) exposure-induced increase in the serum ALT and AST activities. Mechanistically, acute ethanol consumption suppressed DMF-induced activation of the NLR family pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, while long-term moderate ethanol consumption promoted hepatocyte apoptosis in the mouse liver. Notably, cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) protein level and activity in mouse livers were not significantly affected by ethanol per se in the two models. These results confirm that regular drinking can increase the risk of DMF-induced hepatotoxicity, and suggest that DMF-handling workers should avoid consuming ethanol to reduce the risk of DMF-indued liver injury.

Blood metabolites and chronic kidney disease: a Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Human blood metabolites have demonstrated close associations with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in observational studies. Nonetheless, the causal relationship between metabolites and CKD is still unclear. This study aimed to assess the associations between metabolites and CKD risk. METHODS: We applied a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to evaluate relationships between 1400 blood metabolites and eight phenotypes (outcomes) (CKD, estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR), urine albumin to creatinine ratio, rapid progress to CKD, rapid decline of eGFR, membranous nephropathy, immunoglobulin A nephropathy, and diabetic nephropathy). The inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median were used to investigate the causal relationship. Sensitivity analyses were performed with Cochran's Q, MR-Egger intercept, MR-PRESSO Global test, and leave-one-out analysis. Bonferroni correction was used to test the strength of the causal relationship. RESULTS: Through the MR analysis of 1400 metabolites and eight clinical phenotypes, a total of 48 metabolites were found to be associated with various outcomes. Among them, N-acetylleucine (OR = 0.923, 95%CI: 0.89-0.957, PIVW = 1.450 × 10-5) has a strong causal relationship with lower risk of CKD after the Bonferroni-corrected test, whereas Glycine to alanine ratio has a strong causal relationship with higher risk of CKD (OR = 1.106, 95%CI: 1.063-1.151, PIVW = 5.850 × 10-7). No horizontal pleiotropy and heterogeneity were detected. CONCLUSION: Our study offers groundbreaking insights into the integration of metabolomics and genomics to reveal the pathogenesis of and therapeutic strategies for CKD. It underscores 48 metabolites as potential causal candidates, meriting further investigation.

Cloning and functional verification of the CmHSP17.9 gene from chrysanthemum.

Small molecular heat shock proteins (sHSPs) belong to the HSP family of molecular chaperones. Under high-temperature stress, they can prevent the aggregation of irreversible proteins and maintain the folding of denatured proteins to enhance heat resistance. In this study, the CmHSP17.9-1 and CmHSP17.9-2 genes, which were cloned from chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum×morifolium 'Jinba') by homologous cloning, had a complete open reading frame of 480 bp each, encoding 159 amino acids. The protein subcellular localization analysis showed that CmHSP17.9-1 and CmHSP17.9-2 were located in the cytoplasm and mostly aggregated in granules, especially around the nucleus. Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that the relative expression level of the CmHSP17.9-1 and CmHSP17.9-2 genes was highest in the terminal buds of the chrysanthemum, followed by the leaves. CmHSP17.9-1 and CmHSP17.9-2 overex-pression vectors were constructed and used to transform the chrysanthemum; overexpression of these genes led to the chrysanthemum phenotypes being less affected by high-temperature, and the antioxidant capacity was enhanced. The results showed that chrysanthemum with overex-pression of the CmHSP17.9-1 and CmHSP17.9-2 genes had stronger tolerance than the wild type chrysanthemum after high-temperature treatment or some degree of heat exercise, and overex-pression of the CmHSP17.9-1 gene led to stronger heat resistance than that of the CmHSP17.9-2 gene, providing an important theoretical basis for the subsequent molecular breeding and pro-duction applications of chrysanthemum.

Fabrication of polyamide nanofiltration membrane with tannic acid/poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) network-like interlayer for enhanced desalination performance.

The traditional polyamide composite nanofiltration membranes have high selectivity and low water permeance, so it is necessary to find strategies to raise the permeance. Herein, a novel polyamide nanofiltration membranes with high permeance were fabricated by coating a loose hydrophilic network-like interlayer, where tannic acid (TA) with pentapophenol arm structure binds to poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) polymer through hydrogen and ionic interactions. The effects of the network-like TA/PSS interlayer on surface morphology, surface hydrophobicity, and the interfacial polymerization mechanism were investigated. The outcomes demonstrated that the TA/PSS interlayer can offer a favorable environment for interfacial polymerization, enhance the hydrophilicity of the substrate membrane, and delay the release of piperazine (PIP). The optimized TFC-2 presents pure water flux of 22.7 ± 2.8 L m-2 h-1 bar-1, Na2SO4 rejection of 97.1 ± 0.5 %, and PA layer thickness of about 38.9 ± 2.5 nm. This provides new strategies for seeking to prepare simple interlayers to obtain high-performance nanofiltration membranes.

The histone deacetylase SRT2 enhances the tolerance of chrysanthemum to low temperatures through the ROS scavenging system.

Low temperatures can severely affect plant growth and reduce their ornamental value. A family of plant histone deacetylases allows plants to cope with both biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, we screened and cloned the cDNA of DgSRT2 obtained from transcriptome sequencing of chrysanthemum leaves under low-temperature stress. Sequence analysis showed that DgSRT2 belongs to the sirtuin family of histone deacetylases. We obtained the stable transgenic chrysanthemum lines OE-2 and OE-12. DgSRT2 showed tissue specificity in wild-type chrysanthemum and was most highly expressed in leaves. Under low-temperature stress, the OE lines showed higher survival rates, proline content, solute content, and antioxidant enzyme activities, and lower relative electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide ion accumulation than the wild-type lines. This work suggests that DgSRT2 can serve as an essential gene for enhancing cold resistance in plants. In addition, a series of cold-responsive genes in the OE line were compared with WT. The results showed that DgSRT2 exerted a positive regulatory effect by up-regulating the transcript levels of cold-responsive genes. The above genes help to increase antioxidant activity, maintain membrane stability and improve osmoregulation, thereby enhancing survival under cold stress. It can be concluded from the above work that DgSRT2 enhances chrysanthemum tolerance to low temperatures by scavenging the ROS system.

Research progress on the correlation between platelet aggregation and tumor progression.

Platelets are generally considered as the main functional unit of the coagulation system. However, more and more studies have confirmed that platelets also have an important relationship with tumor progression. Tumor cells can utilize platelets to promote their own infiltration and hematogenous metastasis, and platelets are activated and aggregated in this process. Therefore, platelet aggregation may be a concomitant marker of tumor progression. This is of great significance for predicting tumor metastasis before timely treatments.

DgHDA6 enhances the cold tolerance in chrysanthemum by improving ROS scavenging capacity.

Histone deacetylases have been demonstrated to play an important role in responding to low-temperature stress, but the related response mechanism in chrysanthemum remains unclear. In this study, we isolated a cold-induced gene, DgHDA6, from chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat). DgHDA6 contains 474 amino acids and shares a typical deacetylation domain with RPD3/HDA1 family members. The overexpression of DgHDA6 enhanced cold resistance in chrysanthemums. After low-temperature stress, the overexpression lines showed a higher survival rate. The contents of proline, soluble proteins and sugars, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes were significantly increased while the contents of H2O2, O2- and MDA were lower. Moreover, cold-stress-responding genes such as DgCuZnSOD, DgCAT, DgP5CS, and DgFAD were upregulated after cold stress. These results suggest that the overexpression of DgHDA6 can improve cold tolerance in chrysanthemum by enhancing ROS scavenging capacity.

Transcription factor DgMYB recruits H3K4me3 methylase to DgPEROXIDASE to enhance chrysanthemum cold tolerance.

Cold affects the growth and development of plants. MYB transcription factors and histone H3K4me3 transferase ARABIDOPSIS TRITHORAXs (ATXs) play important regulatory functions in the process of plant resistance to low-temperature stress. In this study, DgMYB expression was responsive to low temperature, and overexpression of DgMYB led to increased tolerance, whereas the dgmyb mutant resulted in decreased tolerance of Chrysanthemum morifolium (Dendranthema grandiflorum var. Jinba) to cold stresses. Interestingly, we found that only peroxidase (POD) activity differed substantially between wild type (WT), overexpression lines, and the mutant line. A DgATX H3K4me3 methylase that interacts with DgMYB was isolated by further experiments. DgATX expression was also responsive to low temperature. Overexpression of DgATX led to increased tolerance, whereas the dgatx mutant resulted in decreased tolerance of chrysanthemum to cold stresses. Moreover, the dgmyb, dgatx, and dgmyb dgatx double mutants all led to reduced H3K4me3 levels at DgPOD, thus reducing DgPOD expression. Together, our results show that DgMYB interacts with DgATX, allowing DgATX to specifically target DgPOD, altering H3K4me3 levels, increasing DgPOD expression, and thereby reducing the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in chrysanthemum.

Transcriptome analysis during axillary bud growth in chrysanthemum (chrysanthemum×morifolium).

The chrysanthemum DgLsL gene, homologous with tomato Ls, is one of the earliest expressed genes controlling axillary meristem initiation. In this study, the wild-type chrysanthemum (CW) and DgLsL-overexpressed line 15 (C15) were used to investigate the regulatory mechanism of axillary bud development in chrysanthemum. Transcriptome sequencing was carried out to detect the differentially expressed genes of the axillary buds 0 h, 24 h and 48 h after decapitation. The phenotypic results showed that the number of axillary buds of C15 was significantly higher than CW. A total of 9,224 DEGs were identified in C15-0 vs. CW-0, 10,622 DEGs in C15-24 vs. CW-24, and 8,929 DEGs in C15-48 vs. CW-48.GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses showed that the genes of the flavonoid, phenylpropanoids and plant hormone pathways appeared to be differentially expressed, indicating their important roles in axillary bud germination. DgLsL reduces GA content in axillary buds by promoting GA2ox expression.These results confirmed previous studies on axillary bud germination and growth, and revealed the important roles of genes involved in plant hormone biosynthesis and signal transduction, aiding in the study of the gene patterns involved in axillary bud germination and growth.

Safety and efficacy of microwave ablation for symptomatic benign thyroid nodules in children.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of microwave ablation (MWA) for the treatment of symptomatic benign thyroid nodules in children. METHODS: A retrospective study of MWA for the treatment of 34 symptomatic benign thyroid nodules in 25 children was conducted. Volume reduction ratio (VRR), technique efficacy, symptom score, cosmetic score, and thyroid function were used to evaluate the efficacy of the technique. The associated complications and side effects were recorded. RESULTS: The participants were followed for at least 6 months (median 12 months, range 6-48 months). After MWA treatment, the volumes of the targeted nodules decreased gradually (median volume 5.86 mL before MWA and 0.34 mL at the final follow-up assessment), the VRR achieved was up to 85.03% at the final follow-up assessment, and the technical efficacy at this time was 91.2%. The subjective and objective nodule-related symptoms were also ameliorated. The circulating hormone concentrations reflecting thyroid function remained within their normal ranges in all the participants after one month of follow-up. The procedure had no major complications. CONCLUSIONS: MWA seems to be an effective and safe technique for the treatment of symptomatic benign thyroid nodules in pediatric patients. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Microwave ablation is a safe and effective method to treat symptomatic benign thyroid nodules in pediatric patients. This treatment may be selected if the patient or parents are not suitable or refuse to undergo surgery. KEY POINTS: • Microwave ablation is effective in reducing the volume of benign thyroid nodules and ameliorating nodule-related symptoms in pediatric patients. • Microwave ablation is a safe method in children, with low complications. • Microwave ablation does not affect the circulating thyroid hormone concentrations of children.

HLA-DRB1*14:54 Is Associated with Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis: A Retrospective Real-World Audit.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare pulmonary disease characterized by abnormal accumulation of pulmonary surfactant lipids in alveoli or terminal bronchioles, leading to increased infection risk and progressive respiratory failure. Approximately more than 90% of all cases are autoimmune PAP (aPAP). Since one of the predisposing factors has been identified as genes located within the major-histocompatibility-complex region, an investigation of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles associated with the risk of aPAP is warranted. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 60 patients pathologically diagnosed with PAP from 2019 to 2022. Patients were divided into the aPAP group or secondary PAP (sPAP) group according to their clinical information. Qualified DNA was extracted from the paraffin-embedded tissue of 28 patients, and the PCR-sequence-based typing method was used for HLA-DRB1 genotyping. RESULTS: A similar HLA-DRB1 allele profile (including the HLA-DRB1*08:03) between the aPAP group and sPAP group was revealed, except that HLA-DRB1*14:54, which has never been reported in aPAP patients, was only detected in the aPAP group rather than the sPAP group (19.4% vs. 0.0%, p = 0.030). Under inhaled granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor therapy, more clinical remission was observed in HLA-DRB1*14:54 carriers rather than in HLA-DRB1*08:03 carriers (80.0% vs. 57.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Our real-world study revealed for the first time that a population with HLA-DRB1*14:54 was subject to aPAP, and HLA-DRB1*14:54 might imply a response in aPAP patients to inhaled granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in aPAP patients.

Preparation and Evaluation of Composite Hydrogel for Reducing the Leakage Rate of Lost Circulation.

Fractured reservoirs are widely distributed and rich in hydrocarbon resources. When encountering fractured reservoirs during the drilling process, it is often accompanied by formation losses characterized by high leak-off rates, causing severe damage to the reservoir and hindering the detection of oil and gas layers, which is not conducive to the accurate and efficient development of the reservoirs. Conventional plugging materials have poor retention effects in the fractures, resulting in the low stability of the sealing layer. The treatment of malignant lost circulation in fractured formations is an urgent problem to be solved in drilling engineering. This article focuses on improving the success rate of formation plugging through the combined use of multiple plugging materials and develops a composite hydrogel that can effectively reduce leakage rates. This hydrogel is mainly composed of materials such as polyvinyl alcohol, borax, and sodium silicate. It has good temperature resistance, maintains good gel strength at 60 °C, and can maintain long-term performance stability under simulated geological water conditions with salinity of 12,500 mg/L. For immersion corrosion by water or gasoline, the amount of corrosion is small and its fundamental performance remains largely unchanged. Through indoor simulation of a leak formation scenario, the hydrogel demonstrates commendable sealing pressure-bearing capacity. In terms of delaying fluid leakage, mixing the hydrogel with cement slurry at a ratio of 1:1 can delay the leakage rate of the cement slurry by a factor of 5.29.

A WRKY transcription factor, PyWRKY71, increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes and promoted the accumulation of cadmium in poplar.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution poses significant threats to the ecological environment and human health. Currently, phytoremediation is recognized as an environmentally friendly approach for mitigating Cd pollution, with increasing attention on the utilization of transgenic plants in Cd-contaminated soil remediation. In this study, we isolated and cloned PyWRKY71 from Populus yunnanensis and conducted a pot experiment to validate its enhanced functionality in conferring Cd tolerance to woody plants (poplar). During the experiment, the increase in plant height of the OE-87 line (overexpression poplar) was 1.46 times than that of the wild type (WT). Moreover, PyWRKY71 significantly promoted the accumulation of Cd in poplar, especially in the roots, where the Cd content in the OE-45 and OE-87 lines was 1.42 times than that in the WT. The chlorophyll content of transgenic poplar leaves was higher than that of the WT, reflecting a protective mechanism of PyWRKY71. Additionally, the activities of other antioxidants, including POD, SOD, CAT, and MDA, were elevated in transgenic poplars, bolstering their tolerance to Cd stress. In summary, PyWRKY71 exhibits substantial potential in regulating plant tolerance to Cd stress. This study not only provides a solid scientific foundation but also introduces a novel modified poplar variety for the remediation of Cd pollution.

Unraveling the Position Effect of Spiroxanthene-Based n-Type Hosts for High-Performance TADF-OLEDs.

For developing high-performance organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) emitters, the diphenyltriazine (TRZ) unit was introduced onto the 2'- and 3'-positions of xanthene moiety of spiro[fluorene-9,9'-xanthene] (SFX) to construct n-type host molecules, namely 2'-TRZSFX and 3'-TRZSFX. The outward extension of the TRZ unit, induced by the meta-linkage, resulted in a higher planarity between the TRZ unit and xanthene moiety in the corresponding 3'-TRZSFX. Additionally, this extension led to a perched T1 level, as well as a lower unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level when compared with 2'-TRZSFX. Meanwhile, the 3'-TRZSFX molecules in the crystalline state presented coherent packing along with the interaction between TRZ units; the similar packing motif was spaced apart from xanthene moieties in the 2'-TRZSFX crystal. These endowed 3'-TRZSFX superior electron transport capacity in single-carrier devices relative to the 2'-TRZSFX-based device. Hence, the 3'-TRZSFX-based TADF-OLED showed remarkable electroluminescent (EL) performance under the operating luminance from turn-on to ca. 1000 cd·m-2 with a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQEmax) of 23.0%, thanks to its matched LUMO level with 4CzIPN emitter and better electron transport capacity. Interestingly, the 2'-TRZSFX-based device, with an EQEmax of 18.8%, possessed relatively low roll-off and higher efficiency when the operating luminance exceeded 1000 cd·m-2, which was attributed to the more balanced carrier transport under high operating voltage. These results were elucidated by the analysis of single-crystal structures and the measurements of single-carrier devices, combined with EL performance. The revealed position effect of the TRZ unit on xanthene moiety provides a more informed strategy to develop SFX-based hosts for highly efficient TADF-OLEDs.

Influence of Preheating Temperature on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 6061/TA1 Composite Plates Fabricated by AFSD.

In this study, composite plates of 6061/TA1 were successfully manufactured using additive friction stir deposition (AFSD). The impact of preheating temperatures (room temperature, 100 °C, 200 °C) on the interfacial microstructure and interface mechanical properties at various deposition zones was studied. The results showed that as the preheating temperature increased or when the deposit zone shifted from the boundary to the center, the diffusion width of Al and Ti increased, accompanied by an increase in bonding shear strength. Moreover, in the boundary zone of the sample preheated at room temperature (P-RT), only mechanical bonding was observed, resulting in the lowest bonding shear strength. Conversely, the other samples exhibited a combination of mechanical and metallurgical bonding. Under the preheating temperature of 200 °C, interfacial intermetallic compounds were observed near the center zone, which exhibited the highest bonding shear strength.