King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

About: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology is a education organization based out in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Membrane & Catalysis. The organization has 6221 authors who have published 22019 publications receiving 625706 citations. The organization is also known as: KAUST.

A Nucleus-Localized Long Non-Coding RNA Enhances Drought and Salt Stress Tolerance.

Abstract: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) affect gene expression through a wide range of mechanisms and are considered as important regulators in many essential biological processes. A large number of lncRNA transcripts have been predicted or identified in plants in recent years. However, the biological functions for most of them are still unknown. In this study, we identified an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) lncRNA, DROUGHT INDUCED lncRNA (DRIR), as a novel positive regulator of the plant response to drought and salt stress. DRIR was expressed at a low level under nonstress conditions but can be significantly activated by drought and salt stress as well as by abscisic acid (ABA) treatment. We identified a T-DNA insertion mutant, drirD, which had higher expression of the DRIR gene than the wild-type plants. The drirD mutant exhibits increased tolerance to drought and salt stress. Overexpressing DRIR in Arabidopsis also increased tolerance to drought and salt stress of the transgenic plants. The drirD mutant and the overexpressing seedlings are more sensitive to ABA than the wild type in stomata closure and seedling growth. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the expression of a large number of genes was altered in drirD and the overexpressing plants. These include genes involved in ABA signaling, water transport, and other stress-relief processes. Our study reveals a mechanism whereby DRIR regulates the plant response to abiotic stress by modulating the expression of a series of genes involved in the stress response.

Hydrophilic Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, and Performance in Forward Osmosis Processes

Abstract: Forward osmosis (FO) is an emerging technology for desalination and water reuse. However, a big challenge is finding suitable draw solutes. In this work, we have synthesized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), investigated their potential as draw solutes in FO systems, and explored their recovery and reusability. A series of poly(ethylene glycol)diacid-coated (PEG−(COOH)2-coated) MNPs with different size distributions have been synthesized by means of the thermal decomposition method. The physical properties and chemical compositions of the resultant MNPs are fully characterized. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses show the characteristics of spherical morphology with narrow size distribution, and a mean size from 4.2 to 17.5 nm depending on the ratio of the two starting materials of PEG−(COOH)2 to ferric triacetylacetonate (Fe(acac)3). Vibrating sample magnetometer analyses confirm the magnetic behavior of the PEG−(COOH)2 MNPs. The PEG−(COOH)2 layer on the MNPs ascertained from Fourier transform i...

MXene Printing and Patterned Coating for Device Applications

Abstract: As a thriving member of the 2D nanomaterials family, MXenes, i.e., transition metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides, exhibit outstanding electrochemical, electronic, optical, and mechanical properties. They have been exploited in many applications including energy storage, electronics, optoelectronics, biomedicine, sensors, and catalysis. Compared to other 2D materials, MXenes possess a unique set of properties such as high metallic conductivity, excellent dispersion quality, negative surface charge, and hydrophilicity, making them particularly suitable as inks for printing applications. Printing and pre/post-patterned coating methods represent a whole range of simple, economically efficient, versatile, and eco-friendly manufacturing techniques for devices based on MXenes. Moreover, printing can allow for complex 3D architectures and multifunctionality that are highly required in various applications. By means of printing and patterned coating, the performance and application range of MXenes can be dramatically increased through careful patterning in three dimensions; thus, printing/coating is not only a device fabrication tool but also an enabling tool for new applications as well as for industrialization.

Joint Trajectory and Precoding Optimization for UAV-Assisted NOMA Networks

Abstract: The explosive data traffic and connections in 5G networks require the use of non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) to accommodate more users. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can be exploited with NOMA to improve the situation further. In this paper, we propose a UAV-assisted NOMA network, in which the UAV and base station (BS) cooperate with each other to serve ground users simultaneously. The sum rate is maximized by jointly optimizing the UAV trajectory and the NOMA precoding. To solve the optimization, we decompose it into two steps. First, the sum rate of the UAV-served users is maximized via alternate user scheduling and UAV trajectory with its interference to the BS-served users below a threshold. Then, the optimal NOMA precoding vectors are obtained using two schemes with different constraints. The first scheme intends to cancel the interference from the BS to the UAV-served user, while the second one restricts the interference to a given threshold. In both schemes, the non-convex optimization problems are converted into tractable ones. An iterative algorithm is designed. Numerical results are provided to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms for the hybrid NOMA and UAV network.