Akita Prefectural University

With the escalating demand for safe, sustainable, and high-performance energy storage systems, hydrogel electrolytes have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional liquid electrolytes in zinc-ion batteries. By integrating the high ionic conductivity of liquid electrolytes with the mechanical robustness of solid frameworks, hydrogel electrolytes offer distinct advantages in suppressing zinc dendrite formation, enhancing interfacial stability, and enabling reliable operation under extreme environmental conditions. This review systematically summarizes the fundamental characteristics and design criteria of hydrogel electrolytes, including mechanical flexibility, ionic transport capabilities, and environmental adaptability. It further explores various compositional design strategies involving natural polymers, synthetic polymers, and composite systems, as well as the incorporation of electrolyte salts and functional additives. In addition, recent advances in functional optimization, such as anti-freezing properties, self-healing abilities, thermal responsiveness, and biocompatibility, are comprehensively discussed. Finally, the review outlines the current challenges and proposes potential directions for future research.

Abstract Iron-loaded Japanese cedar (JC) charcoal adsorbents were synthesized under various conditions to investigate their ability to adsorb 3d-block metal ions. The metal ions (M n+ ) examined in this study were Cr 3+ , Co 2+ , Ni 2+ , Cu 2+ , and Zn 2+ . Ordinary JC charcoal adsorbents used as references were also prepared under the same synthetic conditions. The aqueous M n+ solutions were prepared using metal chlorides and deionized water, and the concentration of M n+ was set to 2.5 × 10 − 2 mmol/L or 2.5 mmol/L. Fe(NO 3 ) 3 was used to synthesize iron-loaded charcoal. The Fe 3+ content in JC wood, which was the crude material for iron-loaded charcoal, was set to 3 or 7% w/w by adding an appropriate amount of aqueous Fe(NO 3 ) 3 solution. JC wood powder impregnated with Fe 3+ was heated at 600 or 800 °C for 1.0 h under a N 2 gas flow. The charcoal adsorbents were analyzed using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry. The adsorption abilities of the JC charcoal adsorbents for M n+ ions were assessed based on adsorption isotherms, which consisted of double logarithmic plots of the adsorbed M n+ concentrations on charcoal versus the dissolved M n+ concentrations in aqueous solution.

Infrastructure safety inspections typically rely on visual inspections and hammering tests conducted by inspectors. However, an important challenge is variation of inspection results caused by differences in inspectors' technical expertise. To address this variation, we propose an inspection method and preventive work using a coating-type resin sensor combined with an infrared camera. Thermography is increasingly popular as a nondestructive evaluation technique for maintaining concrete structures. Most inspections evaluate only the locations of surface shapes and defects. No report has described assessment of defect depth.

Nicotianamine synthasesregulate the biosynthesis of two mineralchelators key for rice grain biofortification, nicotianamine (NA)and 2′-deoxymugineic acid (DMA). We produced transgenic riceexpressing OsNAS2 under the OsRCc3 promoter (RcN2) and mutated OsLpa1 in these (lpa1 RcN2) and the wild-type (lpa1) to enhance essential mineral accumulation in grainswhile lowering phytic acid (PA) levels. NA and DMA contents were higherin the brown grains of RcN2, lpa1 RcN2, and lpa1 plants. The grains of these lines accumulatedincreased levels of essential minerals, with lpa1 RcN2 exhibiting the greatest increases. PA-bound iron and zinc levelswere lower in lpa1 and lpa1 RcN2 grains, while NA- and DMA-bound iron and zinc levels were higherin RcN2, lpa1 RcN2, and lpa1 grains. Field-grown RcN2 plants showedno significant growth penalties, unlike lpa1 and lpa1 RcN2. Furthermore, lpa1 and lpa1 RcN2 grains were chalky, a property that facilitatesrice flour production.

Wood is formed as plants expand in thickness through radial growth, which initiates after apical growth. At the onset of radial growth, dormant procambial cells in the vasculature become active and act as bifacial cambium stem cells, which produce xylem (wood) inward and phloem outward. Cytokinin has been implicated in radial growth initiation; however, its precise mechanisms, especially at the cellular level, remain unclear. Here we show a switching mechanism of radial growth, in which a cytokinin response maximum (CRM) transiently appearing in roots beyond the meristem induces stem cell activation. Manipulation of the CRM revealed that procambial cells primarily retain phloem differentiation competence but newly acquire xylem differentiation and self-renewal capabilities upon experiencing the CRM. Transcriptome analysis and mathematical modelling showed that the CRM is driven by cytokinin production and subsequent positive and negative signalling feedback loops. Our findings therefore demonstrate that a dynamic hormone response establishes multipotent stem cells de novo by providing proper competences to undifferentiated cells arising from the meristematic tissue, enabling the post-embryonic growth transition. This mechanism may serve as the basis for the vitality of plants, which continue to grow vigorously even after embryogenesis.

Arabidopsis thaliana zygotes form a circumferential cortical microtubule (CMT) band that moves upward along the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical cell; however, how and why this CMT band moves remain unknown. Based on several recently proposed feedback mechanisms of CMT reorientation, we hypothesized that a directional cue (DC) changes CMT orientation. We constructed an agent-based simulation model with a DC to observe what happens during CMT formation using different parameters. We determined that the output CMT band can become larger than the input DC zone and identified two types of self-organization processes depending on the parameters used. Furthermore, using well-defined parameters that form a static CMT band, we artificially changed the position of the input DC zone, revealing that CMT band movement requires a DC to move at an appropriate speed.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-11078-8.