Advanced Electro-active Dry Adhesive Actuated by an Artificial Muscle Constructed from an Ionic Polymer Metal Composite Reinforced with Nitrogen-doped Carbon Nanocages

An advanced electro-active dry adhesive,which was composed of a mushroom-shaped fibrillar dry adhesive array actuated by an Ionic Polymer Metal Composite (IPMC) artificial muscle reinforced with nitrogen-doped carbon nanocages (NCNCs),was developed to imitate the actuation of a gecko's toe.The properties of the NCNC-reinforced Nafion membrane,the electromechanical properties of the NCNC-reinforced IPMC,and the related electro-active adhesion ability were investigated.The NCNCs were uniformly dispersed in the 0.1 wt％ NCNC/Nafion membrane,and there was a seamless connection with no clear interface between the dry adhesive and the IPMC.Our 0.1 wt％ NCNC/Nafion-IPMC actuator shows a displacement and force that are 1.6-2 times higher than those of the recast Nafion-IPMC.This is due to the increased water uptake (25.39％) and tensile strength (24.5 MPa) of the specific 3D hollow NCNC-reinforced Nafion membrane,as well as interactions between the NCNCs and the sulfonated groups of the Nafion.The NCNC/Nafion-IPMC was used to effectively actuate the mushroom-shaped dry adhesive.The normal adhesion forces were 7.85 mN,12.1 mN,and 51.7 mN at sinusoidal voltages of 1.5 V,2.5 V,and 3.5 V,respectively,at 0.1 Hz.Under the bionic leg trail,the normal and shear forces were approximately 713.5 mN (159 mN·cm-2) and 1256.6 mN (279 mN·cm-2),respectively,which satisfy the required adhesion.This new electro-active dry adhesive can be applied for active,distributed actuation and flexible grip in robots.     

Application of Rice-Straw Biochar and Microorganisms in Nonylphenol Remediation: Adsorption-Biodegradation Coupling Relationship and Mechanism

Biochar adsorption presents a potential remediation method for the control of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) pollution in the environment. It has been found that HOCs bound on biochar become less bioavailable, so speculations have been proposed that HOCs will persist for longer half-life periods in biochar-amended soil/sediment. To investigate how biochar application affects coupled adsorption-biodegradation, nonylphenol was selected as the target contaminant, and biochar derived from rice straw was applied as the adsorbent. The results showed that there was an optimal dosage of biochar in the presence of both adsorption and biodegradation for a given nonylphenol concentration, thus allowing the transformation of nonylphenol to be optimized. Approximately 47.6% of the nonylphenol was biodegraded in two days when 0.005 g biochar was added to 50 mg/L of nonylphenol, which was 125% higher than the relative quantity biodegraded without biochar, though the resistant desorption component of nonylphenol reached 87.1%. All adsorptive forms of nonylphenol (f _rap, f _slow, f _r) decreased gradually during the biodegradation experiment, and the resistant desorption fraction of nonylphenol (f _r) on biochar could also be biodegraded. It was concluded that an appropriate amount of biochar could stimulate biodegradation, not only illustrating that the dosage of biochar had an enormous influence on the half-life periods of HOCs but also alleviating concerns that enhanced HOCs binding by biochar may cause secondary pollution in biochar-modified environment.     

FlhF regulates the number and configuration of periplasmic flagella in Borrelia burgdorferi

The Lyme disease bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi has 7–11 periplasmic flagella (PF) that arise from the cell poles and extend toward the midcell as a flat-ribbon, which is distinct from other bacteria. FlhF, a signal recognition particle (SRP)-like GTPase, has been found to regulate the flagellar number and polarity; however, its role in B. burgdorferi remains unknown. B. burgdorferi has an FlhF homolog (BB0270). Structural and biochemical analyses show that BB0270 has a similar structure and enzymatic activity as its counterparts from other bacteria. Genetics and cryo-electron tomography studies reveal that deletion of BB0270 leads to mutant cells that have less PF (4 ± 2 PF per cell tip) and fail to form a flat-ribbon, indicative of a role of BB0270 in the control of PF number and configuration. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that BB0270 localizes at the cell poles and controls the number and position of PF via regulating the flagellar protein stability and the polar localization of the MS-ring protein FliF. Our study not only provides the detailed characterizations of BB0270 and its profound impacts on flagellar assembly, morphology and motility in B. burgdorferi, but also unveils mechanistic insights into how spirochetes control their unique flagellar patterns.     

Screening of significant biomarkers related with prognosis of liver cancer by lncRNA-associated ceRNAs analysis

This study aimed to identify significant biomarkers related to the prognosis of liver cancer using long noncoding RNA (lncRNA)-associated competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) analysis. Differentially expressed mRNA and lncRNAs between liver cancer and paracancerous tissues were screened, and the functions of these mRNAs were predicted by gene ontology and pathway enrichment analyses. A ceRNA network consisting of differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs was constructed. LncRNA FENDRR and lncRNA HAND2-AS1 were hub nodes in the ceRNA network. A risk score assessment model consisting of eight genes (PDE2A, ESR1, FBLN5, ALDH8A1, AKR1D1, EHHADH, ADRA1A, and GNE) associated with prognosis were developed. Multivariate Cox regression suggested that both pathologic_T and risk group could be regarded as independent prognostic factors. Furthermore, a nomogram model consisting of pathologic_T and risk group showed a good prediction ability for predicting the survival rate of liver cancer patients. The nomogram model consisting of pathologic_T and a risk score assessment model could be regarded as an independent factor for predicting prognosis of liver cancer.     

酵母海藻糖酶缺失突变株的构建及其耐性

[目的]构建酵母海藻糖酶缺失突变株,并进行耐性分析,进一步研究海藻糖与酵母耐性之间的关系,为商业生产打下一定的基础.[方法]利用同源重组的方法,敲除了编码酸性海藻糖酶的ATH1基因和中性海藻糖酶的NTH1基因,构建了酸性海藻糖酶缺失突变株(△ath1)、中性海藻糖酶缺失突变株(△nth1)和双缺失突变株(△ath1△nth1),并进行了耐性分析.[结果]结合PCR和Southernblot的结果,验证了突变株构建的正确.所有突变株的海藻糖积累量和细胞密度均高于亲本,冷冻、高温、高糖和酒精耐性提高了.[结论]说明海藻糖含量与酵母耐性有一定的相关性.突变株耐性的改善,表明它们在酿造和烘焙产业中具有潜在的商业价值.     

四川阿坝州大花红景天的生境调查与植物群落特点

为研究四川阿坝州野生大花红景天的生态环境及其分布,解决其种质资源的有效保护和可持续利用问题,采用野外样方调查方法,对大花红景天资源的分布和生境及其植物群落特点进行了调查研究.通过调查发现,大花红景天适宜在阿坝州地区生长,土壤主要为亚高山草甸土和高山草甸土.在亚高山草甸区的植物群落特点主要为:禾本草+嵩草+杂类草型,高山草甸区主要以莎草和垫状杂草构成,草群低矮,平均高度22 cm,植物盖度不及45%.     

小立碗藓冷驯化相关基因Pp-LIM only A的克隆与表达

植物经历冷驯化后抗冻能力会有所提高.利用cDNA-AFLP方法从经过0℃冷驯化处理的小立碗藓中筛选到差异表达的Pp-LIM only A基因片段.cDNA和基因序列比较分析表明此基因含有7个内含子和8个外显子,编码由345个氨基酸残基组成的蛋白质,其中只含有一个LIM结构域,与动物蛋白质PDZ/LIM家族有很高的同源性,推测是一种新的植物LIM蛋白.实时定量PCR分析显示其在冷驯化6 h后表达量即开始明显增加,并随着冷驯化时间的延长表达量大幅度提高.Pp-LIM only A蛋白可能通过LIM结构域对细胞骨架的作用而影响了细胞膜的稳定性,本研究对其在抗冻中的作用作了进一步讨论.     

Administration of signalling molecules dictates stem cell homing for in situ regeneration

Ex vivo‐expanded stem cells have long been a cornerstone of biotherapeutics and have attracted increasing attention for treating intractable diseases and improving tissue regeneration. However, using exogenous cellular materials to develop restorative treatments for large numbers of patients has become a major concern for both economic and safety reasons. Advances in cell biological research over the past two decades have expanded the potential for using endogenous stem cells during wound healing processes, and in particular, recent insight into stem cell movement and homing has prompted regenerative research and therapy based on recruiting endogenous cells. Inspired by the natural healing process, artificial administration of specific chemokines as signals systemically or at the injury site, typically using biomaterials as vehicles, is a state‐of‐the‐art strategy that potentiates stem cell homing and recreates an anti‐inflammatory and immunomodulatory microenvironment to enhance in situ tissue regeneration. However, pharmacologically coaxing endogenous stem cells to act as therapeutics in the field of biomedicine remains in the early stages; its efficacy is limited by the lack of innovative methodologies for chemokine presentation and release. This review describes how to direct the homing of endogenous stem cells via the administration of specific signals, with a particular emphasis on targeted signalling molecules that regulate this homing process, to enhance in situ tissue regeneration. We also provide an outlook on and critical considerations for future investigations to enhance stem cell recruitment and harness the reparative potential of these recruited cells as a clinically relevant cell therapy.