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Molecular sieving membranes with sufficient and uniform nanochannels that break the permeability-selectivity trade-off are desirable for energy-efficient gas separation, and the arising two-dimensional (2D) materials provide new routes for membrane development. However, for 2D lamellar membranes, disordered interlayer nanochannels for mass transport are usually formed between randomly stacked neighboring nanosheets, which is obstructive for highly efficient separation. Therefore, manufacturing lamellar membranes with highly ordered nanochannel structures for fast and precise molecular sieving is still challenging. Here, we report on lamellar stacked MXene membranes with aligned and regular subnanometer channels, taking advantage of the abundant surface-terminating groups on the MXene nanosheets, which exhibit excellent gas separation performance with H 2 permeability >2200 Barrer and H 2 /CO 2 selectivity >160, superior to the state-of-the-art membranes. The results of molecular dynamics simulations quantitatively support the experiments, confirming the subnanometer interlayer spacing between the neighboring MXene nanosheets as molecular sieving channels for gas separation. Two-dimensional materials show great potential for membrane technologies, but their disordered channels hinder their molecular sieving performance. Here, Wang, Gogotsi and colleagues design a MXene membrane with ordered nanochannels that exhibits an excellent H 2 /CO 2 gas separation performance.

Ammonia (NH 3 ) is essential for modern agriculture and industry and is a potential energy carrier. NH 3 is traditionally synthesized by the Haber–Bosch process at high temperature and pressure. The high-energy input of this process has motivated research into electrochemical NH 3 synthesis via nitrogen (N 2 )–water reactions under ambient conditions. However, the future of this low-cost process is compromised by the low yield rate and poor selectivity, ascribed to the inert N≡N bond and ultralow solubility of N 2 . Obtaining NH 3 directly from non-N 2 sources could circumvent these challenges. Here we report the eight-electron direct electroreduction of nitrate to NH 3 catalysed by copper-incorporated crystalline 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride. The catalyst exhibits an NH 3 production rate of 436 ± 85 μg h −1  cm −2 and a maximum Faradaic efficiency of 85.9% at −0.4 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode. This notable performance is achieved by the catalyst regulating the transfer of protons and/or electrons to the copper centres and suppressing hydrogen production. Electrochemically reducing nitrogen-containing molecules could provide less energy-intense routes to produce ammonia than the traditional Haber–Bosh process. Here the authors use a catalyst comprising Cu embedded in an organic molecular solid to synthesize ammonia from nitrate ions.

Membrane consisting of ordered sub-nanochannels has been pursued in ion separation technology to achieve applications including desalination, environment management, and energy conversion. However, high-precision ion separation has not yet been achieved owing to the lack of deep understanding of ion transport mechanism in confined environments. Biological ion channels can conduct ions with ultrahigh permeability and selectivity, which is inseparable from the important role of channel size and “ion-channel” interaction. Here, inspired by the biological systems, we report the high-precision separation of monovalent and divalent cations in functionalized metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes (UiO-66-(X) 2 , X = NH 2 , SH, OH and OCH 3 ). We find that the functional group (X) and size of the MOF sub-nanochannel synergistically regulate the ion binding affinity and dehydration process, which is the key in enlarging the transport activation energy difference between target and interference ions to improve the separation performance. The K + /Mg 2+ selectivity of the UiO-66-(OCH 3 ) 2 membrane reaches as high as 1567.8. This work provides a gateway to the understanding of ion transport mechanism and development of high-precision ion separation membranes. Understanding ion transport mechanisms in confined environments is key to achieving efficient membrane-based ion separation. Here, the authors regulate the ion affinity and dehydration in metal-organic framework sub-nanochannels and achieve a high-precise mono-/di-valent cation separation.

Considerable interest has been devoted to converting mechanical energy into electricity using polymer nanofibres. In particular, piezoelectric nanofibres produced by electrospinning have shown remarkable mechanical energy-to-electricity conversion ability. However, there is little data for the acoustic-to-electric conversion of electrospun nanofibres. Here we show that electrospun piezoelectric nanofibre webs have a strong acoustic-to-electric conversion ability. Using poly(vinylidene fluoride) as a model polymer and a sensor device that transfers sound directly to the nanofibre layer, we show that the sensor devices can detect low-frequency sound with a sensitivity as high as 266 mV Pa −1 . They can precisely distinguish sound waves in low to middle frequency region. These features make them especially suitable for noise detection. Our nanofibre device has more than five times higher sensitivity than a commercial piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) film device. Electrospun piezoelectric nanofibres may be useful for developing high-performance acoustic sensors. Polymer nanofibres can be used to detect mechanical motion. Here, the authors use electrospun piezoelectric nanofibre webs to detect acoustic waves at frequencies below 500 Hz with a good sensitivity at low pressure levels, and study the impact of the fibres morphology and crystalline phase.

Quantum transducers that can convert quantum signals from the microwave to the optical domain are a crucial optical interface for quantum information technology. Coherent microwave-to-optics conversions have been realized with various physical platforms, but all of them are limited to low efficiencies of less than 50%—the threshold of the no-cloning quantum regime. Here we report coherent microwave-to-optics transduction using Rydberg atoms and off-resonant scattering technique with an efficiency of 82 ± 2% and a bandwidth of about 1 MHz. The high conversion efficiency is maintained for microwave photons ranging from thousands to about 50, suggesting that our transduction is readily applicable to the single-photon level. Without requiring cavities or aggressive cooling for the quantum ground states, our results would push atomic transducers closer to practical applications in quantum technologies.The demonstration of high-efficiency coherent microwave-to-optics conversion could push atomic transducers closer to practical applications in quantum technologies.

Many persistent transmitted plant viruses, including rice stripe virus (RSV), cause serious damage to crop production worldwide. Although many reports have indicated that a successful insect-mediated virus transmission depends on a proper interaction between the virus and its insect vector, the mechanism(s) controlling this interaction remained poorly understood. In this study, we used RSV and its small brown planthopper (SBPH) vector as a working model to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the entrance of RSV virions into SBPH midgut cells for virus circulative and propagative transmission. We have determined that this non-enveloped tenuivirus uses its non-structural glycoprotein NSvc2 as a helper component to overcome the midgut barrier(s) for RSV replication and transmission. In the absence of this glycoprotein, purified RSV virions were unable to enter SBPH midgut cells. In the RSV-infected cells, this glycoprotein was processed into two mature proteins: an amino-terminal protein (NSvc2-N) and a carboxyl-terminal protein (NSvc2-C). Both NSvc2-N and NSvc2-C interact with RSV virions. Our results showed that the NSvc2-N could bind directly to the surface of midgut lumen via its N-glycosylation sites. Upon recognition, the midgut cells underwent endocytosis followed by compartmentalization of RSV virions and NSvc2 into early and then late endosomes. The NSvc2-C triggered cell membrane fusion via its highly conserved fusion loop motifs under the acidic condition inside the late endosomes, leading to the release of RSV virions from endosomes into cytosol. In summary, our results showed for the first time that a rice tenuivirus utilized its glycoprotein NSvc2 as a helper component to ensure a proper interaction between its virions and SBPH midgut cells for its circulative and propagative transmission.

G protein-coupled receptor 35 (GPR35), a member of the largest druggable gene family, has emerged as a critical regulator of tumor metabolism and immune modulation. Aberrant expression of GPR35 is frequently observed in digestive system malignancies and is associated with poor prognosis. This review comprehensively explores GPR35's role in metabolic reprogramming, highlighting its regulatory functions in glucose, lipid, amino acid, and microbial metabolite metabolism. GPR35 shapes the tumor microenvironment through modulation of metabolite signaling, influencing angiogenesis, immune cell infiltration, and inflammation. It also acts as a key interface between host cells and the gut microbiota, contributing to cancer progression via microbial-derived metabolites. Pharmacological targeting of GPR35 shows promise, with several agonists and antagonists advancing through preclinical and early clinical development. However, challenges such as species-specific pharmacodynamics, ligand selectivity, and receptor isoform variability complicate drug development. Recent advances, including the creation of humanized GPR35 models, have facilitated translational research. Targeting GPR35-mediated metabolic reprogramming represents a novel therapeutic strategy, particularly for metabolically active digestive cancers. Future studies should focus on clarifying the metabolic pathways governed by GPR35 and optimizing receptor-specific therapeutics for clinical application.

In modern applications, the shrinking available space on terminals coupled with the increasing number of frequency bands has prompted the greatest demand for antenna miniaturization and multi-band features. This work introduces an innovative method for designing a dual-band planar antenna with an exceptionally compact size, addressing the pressing requirement. Two half-mode patches, both operating in two modes (TM 0.5,0 of 3.5 GHz frequency band and TM 0.5,2 of 4.9 GHz frequency band) are placed back-to-back. The dual-mode operation in the 3.5 GHz band is achieved using the two TM 0.5,0 modes and the dual-mode operation in the 4.9 GHz band is obtained from the TM 0.5,2 and strip modes. Then, based on the elementary antenna design, a 4 × 4 MIMO system is designed and measured. The isolation between the elements is found to be greater than 15.5 dB. The proposed antenna achieves a bandwidth coverage of 3.36–3.70 GHz and 4.79–5.01 GHz, corresponding to N78 and N79 frequency bands of the fifth generation (5G) wireless communication systems, respectively. The proposed antenna, based on a single-layer design without any air spacing, features a compact size and high integration density, making it an interesting solution for 5G terminals.

Background Adzuki bean ( Vigna angularis ) rust, caused by the fungus Uromyces vignae , is an important disease affecting adzuki bean yield and quality. Previously, several NAC transcription factors (TFs) were induced by rust infection in a resistant adzuki bean variety, suggesting that NAC TF members may play important roles in rust resistance. Results To further explore the functions of NAC TFs in rust resistance and to provide a reference for resistant varietal breeding, 101 NAC TFs were identified from the adzuki bean genome. The synteny analysis revealed 25 pairs of VaNAC s in the genome, which exhibited whole-genome/segmental duplication. Based on the phylogenetic relationships and conserved motif characteristics, the NAC TFs of V. angularis can be divided into 16 subfamilies. Previous transcriptome data showed that nine VaNAC s are significantly induced by rust infection. Here, a cis -acting element analysis of these nine genes revealed that most contain hormone responsive elements, such as abscisic acid and methyl jasmonate (MeJA). The expression levels of these nine VaNAC s were dynamically regulated in response to exogenous MeJA treatment, as revealed by quantitative real-time PCR analysis. Among them, seven VaNAC s exhibited significantly upregulated expression, peaking at 12 h post treatment (hpt) and remaining significantly higher than that of the untreated control group for 48 hpt. These results suggest that these VaNAC s are responsive to MeJA signaling and may play roles in the early and sustained transcriptional regulation of stress-related pathways. The exogenous MeJA decreased rust severity on adzuki bean leaves by 45.68%. Additionally, the expression levels of these nine genes in adzuki bean leaves in response to rust infection after pretreatment with MeJA were investigated. The expression of VaNAC002 rapidly peaked at 24 h post inoculation (hpi) and remained significantly higher than the control from 120 to 192 hpi. Subsequently, transient overexpression of VaNAC002 significantly enhanced the resistance of tobacco to Botrytis cinerea , indicating that VaNAC002 positively regulates plant disease resistance. Conclusion These findings suggest that adzuki bean NAC family members may play important roles in disease resistance through JA signaling, with VaNAC002 having a positive regulatory role in plant immunity.

The NOTCH2 gene plays a role in the development of many tumors. Deltex E3 ubiquitin ligase 3 (DTX3) was identified as a novel E3 ligase for NOTCH2 and as a potential therapeutic target for esophageal cancer. However, whether DTX3 could regulate NOTCH2 to suppress the progression of esophageal carcinoma remains unknown. In our study, NOTCH2 had higher expression in human esophageal carcinoma cell lines compared to normal human esophageal epithelial cell line, and ablation of NOTCH2 suppressed the proliferation and migration of esophageal carcinoma cells. A novel E3 ligase for NOTCH2 was identified by yeast two‐hybrid (Y2H) screening, and DTX3 promoted the ubiquitination and degradation of NOTCH2. Further study showed that DTX3 overexpression suppressed the proliferation and tumorigenicity of human oesophageal carcinoma cells. The analysis of tissue samples from patients revealed that the expression of NOTCH2 was high while the expression of DTX3 was low in esophageal cancer. Furthermore, the expression of DTX3 and NOTCH2 showed a significant negative correlation in human oesophageal cancer samples. Our study suggested that the DTX3‐NOTCH2 axis plays an important role in the progression of esophageal cancer, and DTX3 acts as an anti–oncogene in esophageal carcinoma, potentially offering a therapeutic target for esophageal cancer. The DTX3‐NOTCH2 axis plays an important role in the progression of esophageal cancer, and DTX3 acts as an anti–oncogene in esophageal carcinoma, potentially offering a therapeutic target for esophageal cancer.