Superhydrophobic surfaces combining hierarchical micro/nanostructures were fabricated on zinc substrates by etching, electrodeposition of ZnO coatings and annealing. Such superhydrophobic surfaces ...offer possibilities for chemical, biological, electronic and microfluidic applications.
Superhydrophobic surface was fabricated via electrodeposition of ZnO and annealing.The ZnO hierarchical micro/nanostructures contribute to the surface superhydrophobicity.Surface wettability and morphology can be controlled by varying process conditions.The anti-icing properties and reversible wetting behaviors of the ZnO coatings were studied.
Superhydrophobic surfaces combining hierarchical micro/nanostructures were fabricated on zinc substrates by etching in hydrochloric acid solution, electrodeposition of ZnO coatings and subsequent thermal annealing. The optimal coatings were electrodeposited at ⿿1.25V for 900s on the etched zinc substrates and then annealed at 200°C for 60min, which could achieve a maximum water contact angle of 170±2° and an ultra-low sliding angle of approximately 0°. By conducting SEM and water CA analysis, we found that the morphology and wettability of prepared samples were controllable by the fabrication process. Interestingly, even without any additional modification, the samples prepared under different electrodeposition conditions (including Zn(CH3COO)2 concentration from 5mM to 40mM and deposition time from 300s to 1500s) exhibited superhydrophobic character. The influences of the Zn(CH3COO)2 concentration, deposition time, annealing temperature and annealing time on the wetting behaviors were also discussed in detail. Such superhydrophobic surfaces possess long-term stability, and good corrosion resistance as well as self-cleaning ability. In addition, the anti-icing properties of the ZnO films were investigated. These surfaces could be rapidly and reversibly switched between superhydrophobicity and superhydrophilicity by alternating UV illumination and dark storage or thermal annealing. The intelligent switchable surfaces with controllable wettability and morphology offer possibilities for chemical, biological, electronic and microfluidic applications.
The creation of new soybean varieties has been limited by genomic duplication and redundancy. Efficient multiplex gene editing and large chromosomal segment deletion through clustered regularly ...interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR‐associated protein (Cas) systems are promising strategies for overcoming these obstacles. CRISPR/Cpf1 is a robust tool for multiplex gene editing. However, large chromosomal excision mediated by CRISPR/Cpf1 has been reported in only a few non‐plant species. Here, we report on CRISPR/LbCpf1‐induced large chromosomal segment deletions in soybean using multiplex gene targeting. The CRISPR/LbCpf1 system was optimized for direct repeat and guide RNA lengths in crispr RNA (crRNA) array. The editing efficiency was evaluated using LbCpf1 driven by the CaMV35S and soybean ubiquitin promoter. The optimized system exhibited editing efficiencies of up to 91.7%. Our results showed eight gene targets could be edited simultaneously in one step when a single eight‐gRNA‐target crRNA array was employed, with an efficiency of up to 17.1%. We successfully employed CRISPR/LbCpf1 to produce small fragments (<1 Kb) and large chromosomal segment deletions (10 Kb–1 Mb) involving four different gene clusters in soybean. Together, these data demonstrate the power of the CRISPR/LbCpf1 platform for multiplex gene editing and chromosomal segment deletion in soybean, supporting the use of this technology in both basic research and agricultural applications.
Using CRISPR/LbCpf1 for large chromosomal segment deletions and multiplex gene editing with a single simple crRNA array in soybean successfully produced a 1‐Mb chromosomal segment deletion and simultaneously edited eight targets, supporting the use of this technology in soybean research and breeding.
This study aimed to investigate the effects of Circ_101064 on glioma cell proliferation, invasion, migration and explore the underlying mechanisms. The expression levels of Circ_101064 in ...glioma/para-carcinoma tissues and glioma cells were analyzed using RT-qPCR. Moreover, U251 and U87 cells were transfected with si-Circ_101064 or miR-154–5p mimics. Cell proliferation rate was determined by CCK-8 assay; the invasion and migration activities were examined using Transwell assay; the expression levels of PIWIL1 were evaluated by RT-qPCR and western blotting. The expression level of Circ_101064 was significantly upregulated in glioma tissues compared with control, and was closely associated with tumor grading and diameter. Furthermore, increased Circ_101064 expression was detected in human glioma cell lines. In addition, knockdown of Circ_101064 remarkably suppressed cell proliferation, invasion and migration in glioma cells in vitro. Moreover, microRNA-154–5p (miR-154–5p) could be a target of Circ_101064. Additionally, PIWIL1 is a putative downstream molecule of miR-154–5p, and its expression was downregulated by knockdown of Circ_101064. The effects on cell growth and metastasis caused by si-Circ_101064 were notably enhanced by miR-154–5p mimics. However, the influences of miR-154-5p-suppressed proliferation, migration and invasion of glioma cells could be abolished by overexpressed PIWIL1. In summary, our findings provided novel insight into the regulatory functions of Circ_101064 during tumor development in glioma. More importantly, Circ_101064/miR-154–5p/PIWIL1 axis could be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of this disease.
•We reported Circ_101064 was upregulated in glioma tissues and cells for the first time.•Circ_101064 could regulate miR-154–5p through the ceRNA mechanism.•PIWIL1 is a novel downstream target of miR-154–5p.•We provided the regulatory functions of Circ_101064 during tumor development in glioma through miR-154–5p/PIWIL1 axis.
Alginate lyases are important tools for oligosaccharide preparation, medical treatment, and energy bioconversion. Numerous alginate lyases have been elucidated. However, relatively little is known ...about their substrate degradation patterns and product-yielding properties, which is a limit to wider enzymatic applications and further enzyme improvements. Herein, we report the characterization and module truncation of Aly5, the first alginate lyase obtained from the polysaccharide-degrading bacterium Flammeovirga. Aly5 is a 566-amino-acid protein and belongs to a novel branch of the polysaccharide lyase 7 (PL7) superfamily. The protein rAly5 is an endolytic enzyme of alginate and associated oligosaccharides. It prefers guluronate (G) to mannuronate (M). Its smallest substrate is an unsaturated pentasaccharide, and its minimum product is an unsaturated disaccharide. The final alginate digests contain unsaturated oligosaccharides that generally range from disaccharides to heptasaccharides, with the tetrasaccharide fraction constituting the highest mass concentration. The disaccharide products are identified as ΔG units. While interestingly, the tri- and tetrasaccharide fractions each contain higher proportions of ΔG to ΔM ends, the larger final products contain only ΔM ends, which constitute a novel oligosaccharide-yielding property of guluronate lyases. The deletion of the noncatalytic region of Aly5 does not alter its M/G preference but significantly decreases the enzymatic activity and enzyme stability. Notably, the truncated protein accumulates large final oligosaccharide products but yields fewer small final products than Aly5, which are codetermined by its M/G preference to and size enlargement of degradable oligosaccharides. This study provides novel enzymatic properties and catalytic mechanisms of a guluronate lyase for potential uses and improvements.
Egg-laying mammals (monotremes) are the only extant mammalian outgroup to therians (marsupial and eutherian animals) and provide key insights into mammalian evolution
. Here we generate and analyse ...reference genomes of the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) and echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), which represent the only two extant monotreme lineages. The nearly complete platypus genome assembly has anchored almost the entire genome onto chromosomes, markedly improving the genome continuity and gene annotation. Together with our echidna sequence, the genomes of the two species allow us to detect the ancestral and lineage-specific genomic changes that shape both monotreme and mammalian evolution. We provide evidence that the monotreme sex chromosome complex originated from an ancestral chromosome ring configuration. The formation of such a unique chromosome complex may have been facilitated by the unusually extensive interactions between the multi-X and multi-Y chromosomes that are shared by the autosomal homologues in humans. Further comparative genomic analyses unravel marked differences between monotremes and therians in haptoglobin genes, lactation genes and chemosensory receptor genes for smell and taste that underlie the ecological adaptation of monotremes.
Based on upper echelons, paradox, and social capital theory, this study extends the association of CEO vision articulation and feedback-seeking behavior with firm sustainability by identifying the ...mediating role of eco-innovation and top management team (TMT) boundary-spanning behavior as a moderator. By analyzing the data of mid-sized to large Chinese firms using hierarchical regression and bootstrapping-based moderated path analysis, we found that product and process eco-innovation mediates the link between CEO vision articulation and firm sustainability while CEO feedback-seeking behavior enhances firm's sustainability through product eco-innovation only. Finally, conditional indirect effects show the vital role of TMT boundary-spanning behavior in facilitating CEOs to improve the firm's long-term sustainability through eco-innovation.
A simple and efficient method for the synthesis of pyrazoles through a silicotungstic acid (H4SiW12O40)-catalyzed cyclization of epoxides/aldehydes and sulfonyl hydrazides has been developed. Various ...epoxides/aldehydes were smoothly reacted with sulfonyl hydrazides to furnish regioselectivity 3,4-disubstituted 1H-pyrazoles. The application of such an earth-abundant, readily accessible, and nontoxic catalyst provides a green approach for the construction of 3,4-disubstituted 1H-pyrazoles. A plausible reaction mechanism has been proposed on the basis of control experiments, GC-MS and DFT calculations.
A simple and efficient method for the regioselective synthesis of 3,4-disubstituted 1H-pyrazoles through a silicotungstic acid (H4SiW12O40)-catalyzed cyclization of epoxides/aldehydes and sulfonyl hydrazides has been developed. Display omitted
Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation is a widely used and efficient technique for gene functional research in crop breeding and plant biology. While in some plant species, including soybean, ...genetic transformation is still recalcitrant and time-consuming, hampering the high-throughput functional analysis of soybean genes. Thus we pursue to develop a rapid, simple, and highly efficient hairy root system induced by Agrobacterium rhizogenes (A. rhizogenes) to analyze soybean gene function.
In this report, a rapid, simple, and highly efficient hairy root transformation system for soybean was described. Only sixteen days were required for the whole workflow and the system was suitable for various soybean genotypes, with an average transformation frequency of 58-64%. Higher transformation frequency was observed when wounded cotyledons from 1-day-germination seeds were inoculated and co-cultivated with A. rhizogenes in 1/2 B5 (Gamborg' B-5) medium. The addition of herbicide selection to root production medium increased the transformation frequency to 69%. To test the applicability of the hairy root system for gene functional analysis, we evaluated the protein expression and subcellular localization in transformed hairy roots. Transgenic hairy roots exhibited significantly increased GFP fluorescence and appropriate protein subcellular localization. Protein-protein interactions by BiFC (Bimolecular Fluorescent Complimentary) were also explored using the hairy root system. Fluorescence observations showed that protein interactions could be observed in the root cells. Additionally, hairy root transformation allowed soybean target sgRNA screening for CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing. Therefore, the protocol here enables high-throughput functional characterization of candidate genes in soybean.
A rapid, simple, and highly efficient A. rhizogenes-mediated hairy root transformation system was established for soybean gene functional analysis, including protein expression, subcellular localization, protein-protein interactions and gene editing system evaluation.
In this paper, a novel event-triggered optimal control method is developed for nonlinear discrete-time systems with constrained inputs. First, a non-quadratic utility function is constructed to ...overcome the challenge caused by saturating actuators. Second, a novel triggering condition is designed to reduce computational burden. Difference from other triggering conditions, fewer assumptions are required to guarantee asymptotic stability. Then, the optimal cost function and control law are obtained by constructing the action-critic network. Convergence analysis of the system is provided in the consideration of the system state and neural network weight estimation errors. Finally, the effectiveness and correctness of the proposed method are verified by two numerical examples.
Abstract Carbon chain elongation (CCE) is normally carried out using either chemical catalysts or bioenzymes. Herein we demonstrate a catalyst-free approach to promote demethylation C–C coupling ...reactions for advanced CCE constructed with functional groups under ambient conditions. Accelerated by the electric field, two organic cations containing a methyl group (e.g., ketones, acids, and aldehydes) approach each other with such proximity that the energy of the repulsive Coulomb interaction between these two cations exceeds the bond energy of the methyl group. This results in the elimination of a methyl cation and the coupling of the residual carbonyl carbon groups. As confirmed by high-resolution mass spectrometry and isotope-labeling experiments, the C–C coupling reactions (yields up to 76.5%) were commonly observed in the gas phase or liquid phase, for which the mechanism was further studied using molecular dynamics simulations and stationary-point calculations, revealing deep insights and perspectives of chemistry.
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