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As an emerging pollutant in the life cycle of plastic products, micro/nanoplastics (M/NPs) are increasingly being released into the natural environment. Substantial concerns have been raised regarding the environmental and health impacts of M/NPs. Although diverse M/NPs have been detected in natural environment, most of them display two similar features, i.e.,high surface area and strong binding affinity, which enable extensive interactions between M/NPs and surrounding substances. This results in the formation of coronas, including eco-coronas and bio-coronas, on the plastic surface in different media. In real exposure scenarios, corona formation on M/NPs is inevitable and often displays variable and complex structures. The surface coronas have been found to impact the transportation, uptake, distribution, biotransformation and toxicity of particulates. Different from conventional toxins, packages on M/NPs rather than bare particles are more dangerous. We, therefore, recommend seriously consideration of the role of surface coronas in safety assessments. This review summarizes recent progress on the eco–coronas and bio-coronas of M/NPs, and further discusses the analytical methods to interpret corona structures, highlights the impacts of the corona on toxicity and provides future perspectives.

We take non-Hermitian Aubry–André–Harper models and quasiperiodic Kitaev chains as examples to demonstrate the equivalence and superposition of real and imaginary quasiperiodic potentials (QPs) on inducing localization of single-particle states. We prove this equivalence by analytically computing Lyapunov exponents (or inverse of localization lengths) for systems with purely real and purely imaginary QPs. Moreover, when superposed and with the same frequency, real and imaginary QPs are coherent on inducing the localization, in a way which is determined by the relative phase between them. The localization induced by a coherent superposition can be simulated by the Hermitian model with an effective strength of QP, implying that models are in the same universality class. When their frequencies are different and relatively incommensurate, they are incoherent and their superposition leads to less correlation effects. Numerical results show that the localization happens earlier and there is an intermediate mixed phase lacking of mobility edge.

We investigate novel transport properties of chiral continuous-time quantum walks (CTQWs) on graphs. By employing a gauge transformation, we demonstrate that CTQWs on chiral chains are equivalent to those on non-chiral chains, but with additional momenta from initial wave packets. This explains the novel transport phenomenon numerically studied in (Khalique et al 2021 New J. Phys. 23 083005). Building on this, we delve deeper into the analysis of chiral CTQWs on the Y-junction graph, introducing phases to account for the chirality. The phase plays a key role in controlling both asymmetric transport and directed complete transport among the chains in the Y-junction graph. We systematically analyze these features through a comprehensive examination of the chiral CTQW on a Y-junction graph. Our analysis shows that the CTQW on Y-junction graph can be modeled as a combination of three wave functions, each of which evolves independently on three effective open chains. By constructing a lattice scattering theory, we calculate the phase shift of a wave packet after it interacts with the potential-shifted boundary. Our results demonstrate that the interplay of these phase shifts leads to the observed enhancement and suppression of quantum transport. The explicit condition for directed complete transport or 100 % efficiency is analytically derived. Our theory has applications in building quantum versions of binary tree search algorithms.

While hypoxia promotes carcinogenesis, tumour aggressiveness, metastasis, and resistance to oncological treatments, the impacts of hyperoxia on tumours are rarely explored because providing a long-lasting oxygen supply in vivo is a major challenge. Herein, we construct micro oxygen factories, namely, photosynthesis microcapsules (PMCs), by encapsulation of acquired cyanobacteria and upconversion nanoparticles in alginate microcapsules. This system enables a long-lasting oxygen supply through the conversion of external radiation into red-wavelength emissions for photosynthesis in cyanobacteria. PMC treatment suppresses the NF-kB pathway, HIF-1α production and cancer cell proliferation. Hyperoxic microenvironment created by an in vivo PMC implant inhibits hepatocarcinoma growth and metastasis and has synergistic effects together with anti-PD-1 in breast cancer. The engineering oxygen factories offer potential for tumour biology studies in hyperoxic microenvironments and inspire the exploration of oncological treatments. Tumour hypoxia is an important factor in tumorigenesis and cancer therapy. Here, the authors present a micro oxygenation factory, capable of providing an oxygen supply through photosynthesis, and demonstrate its utility in cancer therapy.

Plants release large amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in response to attackers. Several VOCs can serve as volatile signals to elicit defense responses in undamaged tissues and neighboring plants, but many questions about the ecological functions of VOCs remain unanswered. Tea plants are impacted by two harmful invaders, the piercing herbivore Empoasca ( Matsumurasca ) onukii Matsuda and the pathogen Colletotrichum fructicola . To determine the VOC signals in tea, we confirmed CsOPR3 as a marker gene and set up a rapid screening method based on a 1.51 kb CsOPR3 promoter fused with a β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter construct ( OPR3p::GUS ) in Arabidopsis . Using this screening system, a terpenoid volatile ( E )-nerolidol was identified as a potent signal that elicits plant defenses. The early responses triggered by ( E )-nerolidol included the activation of a mitogen-activated protein kinase and WRKY, an H 2 O 2 burst, and the induction of jasmonic acid and abscisic acid signaling. The induced plants accumulated high levels of defense-related chemicals, which possessed broad-spectrum anti-herbivore or anti-pathogen properties, and ultimately triggered resistance against Empoasca onukii and Colletotrichum fructicola in tea. We propose that these findings can supply an environmentally friendly management strategy for controlling an insect pest and a disease of tea plants.

Increasing concerns over the possible risks of nanotechnology necessitates breakthroughs in structure–activity relationship (SAR) analyses of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) at nano-bio interfaces. However, current nano-SARs are often based on univariate assessments and fail to provide tiered views on ENM-induced bio-effects. Here we report a multi-hierarchical nano-SAR assessment for a representative ENM, Fe 2 O 3 , by metabolomics and proteomics analyses. The established nano-SAR profile allows the visualizing of the contributions of seven basic properties of Fe 2 O 3 to its diverse bio-effects. For instance, although surface reactivity is responsible for Fe 2 O 3 -induced cell migration, the inflammatory effects of Fe 2 O 3 are determined by aspect ratio (nanorods) or surface reactivity (nanoplates). These nano-SARs are examined in THP-1 cells and animal lungs, which allow us to decipher the detailed mechanisms including NLRP3 inflammasome pathway and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1-dependent signaling. This study provides more insights for nano-SARs, and may facilitate the tailored design of ENMs to render them desired bio-effects. Understanding nano-bio interactions is key to optimizing the biocompatible design of nanomaterials. Here, the authors combine proteomic and metabolomics studies to evaluate the effect of varying physicochemical properties of iron oxide nanoparticles in macrophage-like cells and mouse lungs.

Concerns regarding chronic injuries ( e.g ., fibrosis and carcinogenesis) induced by nanoparticles raised public health concerns and need to be rapidly assessed in hazard identification. Although in silico analysis is commonly used for risk assessment of chemicals, predicting chronic in vivo nanotoxicity remains challenging due to the intricate interactions at multiple interfaces like nano-biofluids and nano-subcellular organelles. Herein, we develop a multimodal feature fusion analysis framework to predict the fibrogenic potential of metal oxide nanoparticles (MeONPs) in female mice. Treating each nano-bio interface as an independent entity, eighty-seven features derived from MeONP-lung interactions are used to develop a machine learning-based predictive framework for lung fibrosis. We identify cell damage and cytokine (IL-1β and TGF-β1) production in macrophages and epithelial cells as key events closely associated with particle size, surface charge, and lysosome interactions. Experimental validations show that the developed in silico model has 85% accuracy. Our findings demonstrate the potential usefulness of this predictive model for risk assessment of nanomaterials and in assisting regulatory decision-making. While the model is developed based on 52 MeONPs, further validation using a larger nanoparticle library is necessary to confirm its broader applicability. The prediction of chronic toxicity is a major challenge in nanotoxicity studies. Here, the authors present an in silico framework for predicting ENM-induced lung fibrosis, displaying 85% accuracy in experimental validation and leading to identification of key events at nano-bio interfaces that allows mechanism interpretation of ENM-induced lung fibrosis.

Main conclusionThis review provides a direction for crop quality improvement and ideas for further research on the application of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology for crop improvement.Various important crops, such as wheat, rice, soybean and tomato, are among the main sources of food and energy for humans. Breeders have long attempted to improve crop yield and quality through traditional breeding methods such as crossbreeding. However, crop breeding progress has been slow due to the limitations of traditional breeding methods. In recent years, clustered regularly spaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas9 gene editing technology has been continuously developed. And with the refinement of crop genome data, CRISPR/Cas9 technology has enabled significant breakthroughs in editing specific genes of crops due to its accuracy and efficiency. Precise editing of certain key genes in crops by means of CRISPR/Cas9 technology has improved crop quality and yield and has become a popular strategy for many breeders to focus on and adopt. In this paper, the present status and achievements of CRISPR/Cas9 gene technology as applied to the improvement of quality in several crops are reviewed. In addition, the shortcomings, challenges and development prospects of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology are discussed.

Current management strategies for progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease (PF-ILD) and non-PF-ILD differ significantly, underscoring the need for early identification of PF-ILD patients. We analyzed the expression of macrophage markers and the number of dust particles (DP) in lung tissue, as well as complete blood count and blood chemistry tests to identify biomarkers of PF-ILD, and examined the effect of certain pollutants on these biomarkers. Lung biopsies were collected from 73 non-PF-ILD patients and 36 PF-ILD patients. DP were quantified in alveolar wall cells (DP-aw) and desquamated epithelial cells (DP-desq) using polarizing light microscopy. Expression of CD206, transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), C-X-C motif ligand 13 (CXCL13), fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2), tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) was assessed in lung tissue by immunohistochemistry. The numbers of DP-desq, pulmonary expression of CXCL13, IL-1β and CD206 were higher in ILD patients resided for ≥ 15 days per year in places with 24-hour ambient PM 10 level of ≥ 50 µg/m 3 compared with ILD patients exposed for < 15 days per year to the similar PM 10 concentration. Additionally, CXCL13 expression in lung tissue was higher in smoking ILD patients than in non-smoking ILD patients. Compared with non-PF-ILD patients, PF-ILD patients exhibited higher numbers of DP-aw and DP-desq, as well as increased expression of CD206, CXCL13, IL-1β, TGF-β1, and CTGF in lung tissue. Elevated blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios were also observed in PF-ILD patients. These biomarkers were found to be independent predictors of PF-ILD. A regression logistic model incorporating NLR, CD206, and DP-desq predicted PF-ILD with an AUC of 0.847, sensitivity of 84.6%, and specificity of 83.3%. Our findings may be useful in predicting PF-ILD and highlight the need for reducing pollutant emission.

The tea plant ( Camellia sinensis ) suffers heavily from a harmful piercing pest, the tea green leafhopper (TLH) Empoasca ( Matsumurasca ) onukii Matsuda. In the present study, we studied the effect of an efficient elicitor of plant disease resistance, the β-1,3-glucan laminarin, on the induced defense against TLH in tea plants. Defense responses elicited by laminarin in tea include the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and WRKY, the burst of H 2 O 2 , salicylic acid, and abscisic acid, and the accumulation of direct-defense chemicals (including chitinase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase, callose, polyphenol oxidase, and flavonol synthase), as well as the production of volatile compounds. The laminarin-treated tea plants reduced the performance of TLH and enhanced the attractiveness to the egg parasitoid wasp of TLH, Stethynium empoascae Subba Rao. In the field experiment, laminarin application effectively reduced the number of TLH by attracting parasitoids. These results suggest that laminarin can induce protection against TLH by regulating signaling pathways in tea plant. Our study also proposes an environment friendly strategy for the integrated management of an economically important piercing pest.