Through systematic
molecular dynamics simulations we theoretically investigate the potential
applications of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) for seawater desalination.
Our results indicate that the rationally designed h-BN membranes have
great permeability, selectivity, and controllability for water desalination.
The size and chemistry of the pores are shown to play an important
role in regulating the water flux and salt rejection. Pores with only
nitrogen atoms on the edges have higher fluxes than the boron-lined
pores. In particular, two-dimensional h-BN with medium-sized N4 pores
show 100% salt rejection with outstanding water permeability, which
is several orders of magnitude higher than that of conventional reverse
osmosis membranes. Furthermore, we study the mechanical strain effect
on the desalination performance of monolayer h-BN with relatively
small N3 pores, suggesting that water flux and salt rejection can
be precisely tuned by tensile strain. The findings in the present
work unambiguously propose that porous boron nitride nanosheets are
quite promising as new functional membranes for water desalination.
The major participants of the Ras/ERK and PI3-kinase (PI3K) pathways are well characterized. The cellular response to activation of these pathways, however, can vary dramatically. How differences in signal strength, timing, spatial location, and cellular context promote specific cell-fate decisions remains unclear. Nuclear transport processes can have a major impact on the determination of cell fate; however, little is known regarding how nuclear transport is regulated by or regulates these pathways. Here we show that RSK and Akt, which are activated downstream of Ras/ERK and PI3K, respectively, modulate the Ran gradient and nuclear transport by interacting with, phosphorylating, and regulating Ran-binding protein 3 (RanBP3) function. Our findings highlight an important link between two major cell-fate determinants: nuclear transport and the Ras/ERK/RSK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.