Lotus Leaf‑Derived Gradient Hierarchical Porous C/MoS2 Morphology Genetic Composites with Wideband and Tunable Electromagnetic Absorption Performance

Inspired by the nature,lotus leaf-derived gradient hierarchical porous C/MoS2 morphology genetic composites(GHPCM)were successfully fabricated through an in situ strategy.The biological microstructure of lotus leaf was well preserved after treatment.Different pores with gradient pore sizes ranging from 300 to 5μm were hierarchically distributed in the composites.In addition,the surface states of lotus leaf resulted in the Janus-like morphologies of MoS2.The GHPCM exhibit excellent electromagnetic wave absorption performance,with the minimum reflection loss of−50.1 dB at a thickness of 2.4 mm and the maximum effective bandwidth of 6.0 GHz at a thickness of 2.2 mm.The outstanding performance could be attributed to the synergy of conductive loss,polarization loss,and impedance matching.In particularly,we provided a brand-new dielectric sum-quotient model to analyze the electromagnetic performance of the non-magnetic material system.It suggests that the specific sum and quotient of permittivity are the key to keep reflection loss below−10 dB within a certain frequency range.Furthermore,based on the concept of material genetic engineering,the dielectric constant could be taken into account to seek for suitable materials with designable electromagnetic absorption performance.

Characterization of Micro-Morphology and Wettability of Lotus Leaf, Waterlily Leaf and Biomimetic ZnO Surface

The aim of this paper is to characterize the microrelief and wettability of lotus leaf, waterlily leaf and biomimic ZnO surface with potential engineering applications. The characterizations of morphologies reveal that the top surface of lotus leaf is textured with 4 μm - 10 μm size protrusions and 70 nm - 100 nm nanorods, while the top surface of waterlily leaf is textured with wrinkle and decorated with concave coin-shaped geometric structure. The wettabilities of water and oil on lotus leaf and waterlily leaf under different surroundings were systematically researched. It is indeed interesting that the leaves of the two typical plants both living in the aquatic habitats possess opposite wettabilities： superhydrophobicity for top surface of lotus leaf （156°） while quasi-superhydrophilicity for top surface of waterlily leaf （15°）. We have succeeded in fabricating the superhy- drophobic ZnO nanorods semiconductor material （151°） employing a simple method inspired by the detailed structures and chemical composition of lotus leaf.

The inhibitory effect of lotus leaf extract on hyperuricemia and its potential mechanism

Objective:Lotus leaf is a traditional Chinese herb that has been used successfully for centuries for relieving edema by inducing diuresis.Based on its good clinical evidence and anti-hypertensive effectiveness,this study aimed to investigate the potential mechanism of the hyperuricemic inhibitory effects of lotus leaf crude extract(LL)and lotus leaf total alkaloids fraction(LA).Methods:The xanthine oxidase(XOD)inhibitory effect of LL and LA was analyzed in vitro by determining mRNA expression and protein expression levels of hepatic XOD.The hyperuricemic inhibitory effect of the lotus leaf was analyzed in vivo in a potassium oxonate(PO)-induced rat model by determining mRNA expression for renal urate transporters.Results:At a concentration of 40mg/mL,LL and LA suppressed XOD enzymatic activity by 37.35%±9.50%and 47.73%±8.32%,respectively.Both LL and LA administration significantly reduced the concentration of uric acid in the serum and liver of PO-induced hyperuricemic rats.Both LL and LA administration could inhibit XOD mRNA and protein expression,activate renal organic anion transporter 1/3 mRNA expression,and inhibit renal urate reabsorption by decreasing renal GLUT9 and renal urate transporter 1.Conclusions:Insight was gained into the mechanism behind the hyperuricemic inhibitory effects of LL and LA.Our results suggest that they act on two targets:decreasing the production of uric acid by inhibiting mRNA and protein expression of XOD in the liver,and regulating the mRNA expression of renal urate transporters in the kidneys.

Bio-Adhesives Combined with Lotus Leaf Fiber to Prepare Bio-Composites for Substituting the Plastic Packaging Materials

This work was aim to prepare a packing material from natural resources to reduce the environment pollution caused by plastics.Four bio-adhesives(guar gum,sodium alginate,agar and chitosan)were combined with lotus leaf fibers to prepare degradable composites,respectively.The mechanical properties,moisture absorption profiles and the thermal conductivity of the composites were studied and the cross section morphology and the thermal properties of the composites were analyzed.The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR)results showed that the polar groups such as–OH and–COO^(–)in bio-adhesives can form hydrogen bond with–OH in lotus leaf fibers to connect the two components.The combination of agar and lotus leaf fiber was good,and their composite had the best mechanical properties,with the tensile strength,flexural strength and impact strength of 2.05,5.9 MPa and 4.29 kJ·m_(−2),respectively,and the composite had a low moisture absorption profile,and the equilibrium moisture absorption rate was 32.32%.The lotus leaf fiber/agar composite(LAC)had an excellent comprehensive performance and it was non-toxic,degradable and thermal insulating,which indicated that it had the potential to use in packaging field to substitute plastics.

A Preliminary Investigation of Pathogenic Fungi from Lotus(Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn)in Nanchang City

[Objectives]Lotus(Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn)is an economically important aquatic plant in China.Fungal disease is a serious problem in lotus cultivation.In this study,the pathogenic fungi on lotus in Nanchang City were investigated to lay the foundation for the disease control.[Methods]Lotus leaves and stems in ponds of Nanchang City were collected,the fungi on leave/stem spots were isolated and purified.Colonies morphological characters and ITS sequences were used to identify the strains.[Results]49 strains were isolated and identified to 20 species,belonging to 12 genera.[Discussion]15 species may firstly be reported on lotus in this study,i.e.,Alternaria angustiovoidea,Alternaria compacta,Alternaria ricini,Alternaria tenuissima,Arthrinium arundinis,Botryosphaeria dothidea,Curvularia spicifera,Diaporthe australiana,Diaporthe eres,Diaporthe tectonae,Epicoccum nigrum,Fusarium fujikuroi,Neofusicoccum parvum,Nigrospora sphaerica,and Phomopsis eucommii.

Microscopic Observations of the Lotus Leaf for Explaining the Outstanding Mechanical Properties

The leaf of lotus （Nelumbo nucifera） exhibits exceptional ability to maintain the opening status even under adverse weather conditions, but the mechanism behind this phenomenon is less investigated. In this paper, lotus leaves were investigated using environmental scanning electron microscopy in order to illustrate this mechanism. The macro-observations show that the primary veins are oriented symmetrically from leaf center and then develop into fractal distribution, with net-shaped arrangement of the side veins. Further micro-observations show that all the veins are composed of honeycomb micro-tubes viewed from cross section, the inner of micro-tubes are patterned with extended closed-hexagons from vertical section. Different positions of leaf possess diverse mechanical properties by size variation of diameter and inner hexagons of veins, which is theoretically analyzed by building a regular honeycomb model. Specifically, the central area of lotus tends to be stiffer while its margin be softer. These special distribution and composition of the veins mainly account for the distinct behavior of lotus.

Fabrication of Biomimetic Surface for Hydrophobic and Anti-icing Purposes via the Capillary Force Lithography

In this paper,inspired by lotus leaf surfaces,we fabricated biomimetic multi-scale micro-nano-structures by Two-Step Capillary Force Lithography(TS-CFL)and UV-assisted Capillary Force Lithography(UV-CFL).The experimental results indicated that TS-CFL was unfitted to fabricate large-area multi-scale micro-nano-structures.Conversely,UV-CFL can fabricate large-area multi-scale micro-nano-structures.We discussed the hydrophobic and anti-icing properties of the biomimetic surfaces fabricated by these two technologies.We found that small structures are significant for improving the hydrophobic anti-icing properties of single-structured or structureless surfaces.We believe that these results can complement the experimental details of both technologies and enable the development of more interesting micro-nano-structures biomimetic surfaces by both technologies in the future.

Nuciferine protects against high-fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance via activating TFEB-mediated autophagy——lysosomal pathway

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) is characterized by hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance and there are currently no approved drugs for its treatment.Hyperactivation of mTOR complex1(mTORCl) and subsequent impairment of the transcription factor EB(TFEB)-mediated autophagy-lysosomal pathway(ALP) are implicated in the development of NAFLD.Accordingly,agents that augment hepatic TFEB transcriptional activity may have therapeutic potential against NAFLD.The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of nuciferine,a major active component from lotus leaf,on NAFLD and its underlying mechanism of action.Here we show that nuciferine activated ALP and alleviated steatosis,insulin resistance in the livers of NAFLD mice and palmitic acid-challenged hepatocytes in a TFEB-dependent manner.Mechanistic investigation revealed that nuciferine interacts with the Ragulator subunit hepatitis B X-interacting protein and impairs the interaction of the Ragulator complex with Rag GTPases,thereby suppressing lysosomal localization and activity of mTORC1,which activates TFEB-mediated ALP and further ameliorates hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance.Our present results indicate that nuciferine may be a potential agent for treating NAFLD and that regulation of the mTORCl-TFEB-ALP axis could represent a novel pharmacological strategy to combat NAFLD.