Recent Progress in Framework Materials for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-Sulfur batteries (LSBs) have been considered as a promising candidate for the next generation of energy storage systems due to their high theoretical capacity. However, there are still lots of pending scientific and technological issues to be solved. Framework materials show great potential to address the above-mentioned issues due to the highly ordered distribution of pore sizes, effective catalytic activity, and periodically arranged aperture. In addition, good tunability gives framework materials unlimited possibilities to achieve satisfying performance for LSBs. In this review, the recent advances in pristine framework materials, their derivatives, and composites have been summarized. And a short conclusion and outlook regard to future prospects for guiding the development of framework materials and LSBs.

Anti-Inflammatory and Hepatoprotective Effects of Ganoderma lucidum Polysaccharides against Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Liver Injury in Kunming Mice.

BACKGROUND: Ganoderma lucidum Polysaccharides (GLPS) were found to possess various pharmacological properties including anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities. However, the effect and possible mechanism of GLPS treatment on liver injury have not yet been reported. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the potential anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective effects and possible mechanism of GLPS in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute liver injury mice. SUMMARY: GLPS significantly reduced the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and improved liver function in liver injury mice. It significantly inhibited CCl4-induced changes of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities in serum, as well as nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) activities in liver tissue; it also remarkably decreased levels of liver weight and index, total bilirubin, interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-18, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α in serum, as well as malondialdehyde and IL-1ß in liver tissue. Protein expression levels of liver NLRP3, ASC, and Caspase-1 were also downregulated, while the glutathione level in liver tissue was remarkably enhanced in GLPS groups compared to that of the model group. Key Message: These results suggested that GLPS may be a potential for the prevention and treatment of acute liver injury with liver inflammation. The possible mechanism may be related to the inhibition of free radical lipid peroxidation, NOS, and CYP2E1 activities and activation of liver inflammatory factors.

Factors affecting synonymous codon usage bias in chloroplast genome of oncidium gower ramsey.

Oncidium Gower Ramsey is a fascinating and important ornamental flower in floral industry. In this research, the complete nucleotide sequence of the chloroplast genome in Oncidium Gower Ramsey was studied, then analyzed using Codonw software. Correspondence analysis and method of effective number of codon as Nc-plot were conducted to analyze synonymous codon usage. According to the corresponding analysis, codon bias in the chloroplast genome of Oncidium Gower Ramsey is related to their gene length, mutation bias, gene hydropathy level of each protein, gene function and selection or gene expression only subtly affect codon usage. This study will provide insights into the molecular evolution study and high-level transgene expression.

[Structural changes of 4V chromosome of Haynaldia villosa induced by gametocidal chromosome 3C of Aegilops triuncialis].

Chromosome 3C of Aegilops triuncialis was discovered with ability to be transferred preferentially in the case of its monosomic status in wheat background, whereas, those gametes without 3C would result in chromosome structural changes including deletions and translocations. In the present study, Triticum aestivum-Haynaldia villosa substitution line 4V(4D) developed in our laboratory, was crossed to T. aestivum c.v. Norin 26-Aegilops triuncialis 3C addition line, and the hybrids F1 were then backcrossed with common wheat in order to induce structural changes of 4V. Both chromosome C-banding and genomic in situ hybridization was applied to search such chromosome variations. In this case, total genomic DNA of Haynaldia villosa was labelled by Biotin-11-dUTP as probes and total genomic DNA of Chinese Spring as the block. Moreover, several chromosome changes within common wheat such as isochromosome 1BL.1BL(B39-2) and others were also revealed. The result indicated that two translocation lines T4VL.3AS(A47-10-3) and T4VS.4DL(A47-25-4), two telocentric chromosome lines A47-7-2(4VS) and A47-32-2(4VL), and two isochromosomes including 4VS.4VS(A47-23) and 4VL.4VL(A412-5-4) were identified from BC1F2 or BC1F3. This result indicated that gametocidal chromosome 3C of Aegilop triuncialis could effectively induce structural changes of both chromosome 4V of Haynaldia villosa and chromosomes of wheat.