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MXene‐based thermal camouflage materials have gained increasing attention due to their low emissivity, however, the poor anti‐oxidation restricts their potential applications under complex environments. Various modification methods and strategies, e.g., the addition of antioxidant molecules and fillers have been developed to overcome this, but the realization of long‐term, reliable thermal camouflage using MXene network (coating) with excellent comprehensive performance remains a great challenge. Here, a MXene‐based hybrid network comodified with hyaluronic acid (HA) and hyperbranched polysiloxane (HSi) molecules is designed and fabricated. Notably, the presence of appreciated HA molecules restricts the oxidation of MXene sheets without altering infrared stealth performance, superior to other water‐soluble polymers; while the HSi molecules can act as efficient cross‐linking agents to generate strong interactions between MXene sheets and HA molecules. The optimized MXene/HA/HSi composites exhibit excellent mechanical flexibility (folded into crane structure), good water/solvent resistance, and long‐term stable thermal camouflage capability (with low infrared emissivity of ≈0.29). The long‐term thermal camouflage reliability (≈8 months) under various outdoor weathers and the scalable coating capability of the MXene‐coated textile enable them to disguise the IR signal of various targets in complex environments, indicating the great promise of achieved material for thermal camouflage, IR stealth, and counter surveillance. A high‐performance thermal camouflage material is designed and successfully fabricated by decorating MXene network with hyaluronic acid (HA) and hyperbranched polysiloxane (HSi). Besides excellent mid‐infrared (IR) thermal camouflage, such material also integrates multiple advantages into itself, including being large‐scale, mechanically flexible, weather‐resistant, and thus showing great potential for stealth applications.

HighlightsGraphene oxide-based hybrid networks were fabricated via introducing multi-amino molecule with triple roles (i.e., cross-linker, fire retardant and reducing agent).The optimized hybrid network with mechanically robust, exceptional intumescent effect and ultra-sensitive fire alarm response (~ 0.6 s) can be used as desirable smart fire alarm sensor materials.Exceptional fire shielding performances, e.g., ~ 60% reduction in peak heat release rate and limiting oxygen index of ~ 36.5%, are achieved, when coated such hybrid network onto combustible polymer foam.Smart fire alarm sensor (FAS) materials with mechanically robust, excellent flame retardancy as well as ultra-sensitive temperature-responsive capability are highly attractive platforms for fire safety application. However, most reported FAS materials can hardly provide sensitive, continuous and reliable alarm signal output due to their undesirable temperature-responsive, flame-resistant and mechanical performances. To overcome these hurdles, herein, we utilize the multi-amino molecule, named HCPA, that can serve as triple-roles including cross-linker, fire retardant and reducing agent for decorating graphene oxide (GO) sheets and obtaining the GO/HCPA hybrid networks. Benefiting from the formation of multi-interactions in hybrid network, the optimized GO/HCPA network exhibits significant increment in mechanical strength, e.g., tensile strength and toughness increase of ~ 2.3 and ~ 5.7 times, respectively, compared to the control one. More importantly, based on P and N doping and promoting thermal reduction effect on GO network, the excellent flame retardancy (withstanding ~ 1200 °C flame attack), ultra-fast fire alarm response time (~ 0.6 s) and ultra-long alarming period (> 600 s) are obtained, representing the best comprehensive performance of GO-based FAS counterparts. Furthermore, based on GO/HCPA network, the fireproof coating is constructed and applied in polymer foam and exhibited exceptional fire shielding performance. This work provides a new idea for designing and fabricating desirable FAS materials and fireproof coatings.

Intumescent fire-retardant coatings, which feature thinner layers and good decorative effects while significantly reducing heat transfer and air dispersion capabilities, are highly attractive for fire safety applications due to their effective prevention of material combustion and protection of materials. Particularly, the worldwide demand for improved environmental protection requirements has given rise to the production of waterborne intumescent fire-retardant polymer composite coatings, which are comparable to or provide more advantages than solvent-based intumescent fire-retardant polymer composite coatings in terms of low cost, reduced odor, and minimal environmental and health hazards. However, there is still a lack of a comprehensive and in-depth overview of waterborne intumescent fire-retardant polymer composite coatings. This review aims to systematically and comprehensively discuss the composition, the flame retardant and heat insulation mechanisms, and the practical applications of waterborne intumescent fire-retardant polymer composite coatings. Finally, some key challenges associated with waterborne intumescent fire-retardant polymer composite coatings are highlighted, following which future perspectives and opportunities are proposed.

Silicone rubber (SR), as one kind of highly valuable rubber material, has been widely used in many fields, e.g., construction, transportation, the electronics industry, automobiles, aviation, and biology, owing to its attractive properties, including high- and low-temperature resistance, weathering resistance, chemical stability, and electrical isolation, as well as transparency. Unfortunately, the inherent flammability of SR largely restricts its practical application in many fields that have high standard requirements for flame retardancy. Throughout the last decade, a series of flame-retardant strategies have been adopted which enhance the flame retardancy of SR and even enhance its other key properties, such as mechanical properties and thermal stability. This comprehensive review systematically reviewed the recent research advances in flame-retarded SR materials and summarized and introduced the up-to-date design of different types of flame retardants and their effects on flame-retardant properties and other performances of SR. In addition, the related flame-retardant mechanisms of the as-prepared flame-retardant SR materials are analyzed and presented. Moreover, key challenges associated with these various types of FRs are discussed, and future development directions are also proposed.

Unlike protein-coding genes, the majority of human long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are considered non-conserved. Although lncRNAs have been shown to function in diverse pathophysiological processes in mice, it remains largely unknown whether human lncRNAs have such in vivo functions. Here, we describe an integrated pipeline to define the in vivo function of non-conserved human lncRNAs. We first identify lncRNAs with high function potential using multiple indicators derived from human genetic data related to cardiometabolic traits, then define lncRNA’s function and specific target genes by integrating its correlated biological pathways in humans and co-regulated genes in a humanized mouse model. Finally, we demonstrate that the in vivo function of human-specific lncRNAs can be successfully examined in the humanized mouse model, and experimentally validate the predicted function of an obesity-associated lncRNA, LINC01018, in regulating the expression of genes in fatty acid oxidation in humanized livers through its interaction with RNA-binding protein HuR. Majority of human long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are not conserved in mouse. Here the authors identify metabolic trait-associated lncRNA genes and show a functional role of a non-conserved human lncRNA, LINC01018, in lipid metabolism using a humanized mouse model.

Flowering plants have evolved numerous intraspecific and interspecific prezygotic reproductive barriers to prevent production of unfavourable offspring 1 . Within a species, self-incompatibility (SI) is a widely utilized mechanism that rejects self-pollen 2 , 3 to avoid inbreeding depression. Interspecific barriers restrain breeding between species and often follow the SI × self-compatible (SC) rule, that is, interspecific pollen is unilaterally incompatible (UI) on SI pistils but unilaterally compatible (UC) on SC pistils 1 , 4 – 6 . The molecular mechanisms underlying SI, UI, SC and UC and their interconnections in the Brassicaceae remain unclear. Here we demonstrate that the SI pollen determinant S -locus cysteine-rich protein/ S -locus protein 11 (SCR/SP11) 2 , 3 or a signal from UI pollen binds to the SI female determinant S -locus receptor kinase (SRK) 2 , 3 , recruits FERONIA (FER) 7 – 9 and activates FER-mediated reactive oxygen species production in SI stigmas 10 , 11 to reject incompatible pollen. For compatible responses, diverged pollen coat protein B-class 12 – 14 from SC and UC pollen differentially trigger nitric oxide, nitrosate FER to suppress reactive oxygen species in SC stigmas to facilitate pollen growth in an intraspecies-preferential manner, maintaining species integrity. Our results show that SRK and FER integrate mechanisms underlying intraspecific and interspecific barriers and offer paths to achieve distant breeding in Brassicaceae crops. A signalling mechanism ensuring intraspecies and interspecies reproductive barriers in flowering plants is uncovered.

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disorder with cellular heterogeneity. To understand the composition and spatial changes of the ulcerative colitis ecosystem, here we use imaging mass cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing to depict the single-cell landscape of the human colon ecosystem. We find tissue topological changes featured with macrophage disappearance reaction in the ulcerative colitis region, occurring only for tissue-resident macrophages. Reactive oxygen species levels are higher in the ulcerative colitis region, but reactive oxygen species scavenging enzyme SOD2 is barely detected in resident macrophages, resulting in distinct reactive oxygen species vulnerability for inflammatory macrophages and resident macrophages. Inflammatory macrophages replace resident macrophages and cause a spatial shift of TNF production during ulcerative colitis via a cytokine production network formed with T and B cells. Our study suggests components of a mechanism for the observed macrophage disappearance reaction of resident macrophages, providing mechanistic hints for macrophage disappearance reaction in other inflammation or infection situations. Ulcerative colitis is associated with increased infiltration and cellularity, yet the precise tissue topology remains poorly understood. Here the authors employ imaging mass cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing to characterise intestinal lesions in patients with ulcerative colitis, and show the architecture at the individual cell level which includes a decrease in the resident macrophage population.

This study explores the differential expression of lncRNA PVT1 in intracranial aneurysms (IAs) and its role in the phenotypic switching of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). PVT1 and ALOX5 expressions in the serum of IA patients and healthy controls were detected by qRT‐PCR. The diagnostic efficacy of PVT1 for IA was analyzed using the receiver operating curve (ROC). VSMCs were treated with H2O2 to induce phenotypic switching. PVT1 expression was silenced in VSMCs, followed by the detection of cell viability, inflammatory factors (TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐6), as well as α‐SMA, OPN, and MMP2. RIP confirmed the binding between PVT1 and KDM1A. The enrichment of KDM1A and H3K9me2 on ALOX5 promoter was analyzed by ChIP. PVT1 expression in IA patients was significantly elevated, and PVT1 expression was correlated with the size and location of IAs. H2O2 induced VSMCs to transition from contractile cells to synthetic cells, intensified cellular inflammation, and upregulated PVT1 expression. Inhibition of PVT1 repressed VSMC phenotypic switching. PVT1 promoted ALOX5 expression by recruiting KDM1A to reduce H3K9me2 modification. In conclusion, PVT1 is highly expressed in IA patients and has high diagnostic value. PVT1 promotes VSMC phenotypic switching by recruiting KDM1A to reduce H3K9me2 modification and enhance ALOX5 expression.

A fungus F. sp. (FON) is the causal organism of wilt in watermelon. In this study, we evaluated the effect of wheat intercropping on the wilt of watermelon. Our results showed that wheat intercropping decreases the incidence of wilt of watermelon, likely due to the secretion of coumaric acid from the roots of wheat that dramatically inhibits FON spore germination, sporulation, and growth. The secretion of -hydroxybenzoic acid, ferulic acid, and cinnamic acid from the roots of watermelon stimulates FON spore germination, sporulation, and growth. The secretion of phenolic acids and organic acids from the roots of watermelon is also promoted by FON infection. However, secretion of phenolic acids and organic acids from the roots of watermelon is substantially reduced under wheat intercropping systems. FON infection increases the accumulation of free and conjugated salicylic acid (SA) in watermelon grown under wheat intercropping systems through isochorismate (ICS) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) pathways. Furthermore, wheat intercropping up-regulates the expression of disease-and defense-responsive genes and improves the activities of corresponding pathogenesis-related (PR) enzymes in the roots of watermelon. In conclusion, the secretion of coumaric acid from the roots of wheat and changes in the composition of phenolic acid and organic acid secretion from the roots of watermelon suppress wilt of watermelon under wheat intercropping system. Meanwhile, wheat intercropping also enhanced the resistance of watermelon to FON by up-regulating the expression of disease-and defense-responsive genes in watermelon.

An accurate paddy rice map is crucial for ensuring food security, particularly for Southeast and Northeast Asia. MODIS satellite data are useful for mapping paddy rice at continental scales but have a mixed-pixel problem caused by the coarse spatial resolution. To reduce the mixed pixels, we designed a rule-based method for mapping paddy rice by integrating time series Sentinel-1 and MODIS data. We demonstrated the method by generating annual paddy rice maps for Southeast and Northeast Asia in 2017–2019 (NESEA-Rice10). We compared the resultant paddy rice maps with available agricultural statistics at subnational levels and existing rice maps for some countries. The results demonstrated that the linear coefficient of determination (R2) between our paddy rice maps and agricultural statistics ranged from 0.80 to 0.97. The paddy rice planting areas in 2017 were spatially consistent with the existing maps in Vietnam (R2=0.93) and Northeast China (R2=0.99). The spatial distribution of the 2017–2019 composite paddy rice map was consistent with that of the rice map from the International Rice Research Institute. The paddy rice planting area may have been underestimated in the region in which the flooding signal was not strong. The dataset is useful for water resource management, rice growth, and yield monitoring. The full product is publicly available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5645344 (Han et al., 2021a). Small examples can be found from the following DOI: https://doi.org/10.17632/cnc3tkbwcm.1 (Han et al., 2021b).