A Golden2-like transcription factor, BnGLK1a, improves chloroplast development, photosynthesis, and seed weight in rapeseed

Enhancing photosynthetic efficiency is a major goal for improving crop yields under agricultural field conditions and is associated with chloroplast biosynthesis and development.In this study,we demonstrate that Golden2-like 1a(BnGLK1a)plays an important role in regulating chloroplast development and photosynthetic efficiency.Overexpressing BnGLK1a resulted in significant increases in chlorophyll content,the number of thylakoid membrane layers and photosynthetic efficiency in Brassica napus,while knocking down BnGLK1a transcript levels through RNA interference(RNAi)had the opposite effects.A yeast two-hybrid screen revealed that BnGLK1a interacts with the abscisic acid receptor PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE 1-LIKE 1-2(BnPYL1-2)and CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 9 SIGNALOSOME 5A subunit(BnCSN5A),which play essential roles in regulating chloroplast development and photosynthesis.Consistent with this,BnGLK1a-RNAi lines of B.napus display hypersensitivity to the abscisic acid(ABA)response.Importantly,overexpression of BnGLK1a resulted in a 10%increase in thousand-seed weight,whereas seeds from BnGLK1a-RNAi lines were 16%lighter than wild type.We propose that BnGLK1a could be a potential target in breeding for improving rapeseed productivity.Our results not only provide insights into the mechanisms of BnGLK1a function,but also offer a potential approach for improving the productivity of Brassica species.

右美托咪定联合罗哌卡因程控硬膜外间歇脉冲注入对妊娠期糖尿病产妇血糖的影响

目的 探讨右美托咪定联合低剂量罗哌卡因程控硬膜外间歇脉冲注入(PIEB)对妊娠期糖尿病产妇围术期血糖的影响。方法 选取2020年6月至2022年2月广州中医药大学第一附属医院收治的80例妊娠期糖尿病待产产妇为研究对象,根据使用不同硬膜外镇痛方法,将其随机分为PIEB组与持续背景输注(CEI)组,两组各40例,均采用右美托咪定联合低剂量罗哌卡因进行分娩镇痛。比较两组产妇临床资料和围术期的血糖浓度、血浆皮质醇浓度、肾上腺素浓度;采用视觉模拟评分法(VAS)评估产妇不同时间的镇痛效果;比较两组产妇围术期镇痛的满意效果和不良反应的发生情况,以及两组新生儿出生时的血糖浓度和出生1min、5min时的Apgar评分。结果 PIEB组产妇的胰岛素使用量和自控镇痛按压次数均明显低于CEI组(t值分别为10.882、5.889,P<0.05)。PIEB组产妇T1、T3、T4、T5时点的血糖浓度及T1~T5时点的血浆皮质醇浓度和肾上腺素浓度均明显低于CEI组(t=2.084~21.299,P<0.05);PIEB组产妇T2时点的血糖浓度和肾上腺素浓度均明显高于T0时(t值分别为18.552、2.467,P<0.05);CEI组产妇T1~T5时点的血糖浓度(t=2.963~16.757,P<0.05)、血浆皮质醇浓度(t=2.562~4.328,P<0.05)、肾上腺素浓度(t=2.123~3.896,P<0.05)均明显高于T0时。PIEB组产妇T4、T5时点的VAS评分均明显低于CEI组(t值分别为12.764、18.692,P<0.05);两组产妇在实施镇痛后T1~T5时点的VAS评分均明显低于T0时(t=13.679~27.784,P<0.05)。PIEB组产妇围术期镇痛满意率明显高于CEI组(χ^(2)=5.000,P<0.05),PIEB组产妇不良反应总发生率明显低于CEI组(χ^(2)=4.021,P<0.05)。PIEB组新生儿出生即刻的血糖浓度明显高于CEI组(t=7.013,P<0.05),两组新生儿出生1min、5min Apgar评分比较差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论 右美托咪定联合低剂量罗哌卡因PIEB对妊娠期糖尿病产妇围术期镇痛效果明显,有利于维持其分娩过程血糖的稳定,降低不良反应发生率。

Ph-C≡C-Cu基新型功能材料的结构-性质-效能关系探究

为了培养本科生综合运用所学知识分析和解决问题的能力,本文基于最新研究成果,深入挖掘其中所涉及的本科基础化学知识,设计了探究苯乙炔铜(Ph-C≡C-Cu)基新型功能材料结构-性质-效能关系的综合实验。本实验通过光热合成法制备了三种含不同官能团的Ph-C≡C-Cu基新型功能材料,利用红外(FT-IR)光谱、紫外-可见吸收(UV-Vis Abs)光谱和稳态水接触角表征了其结构和相关物理化学性质,并研究了其结构对于有机染料甲基橙(MO)的吸附和降解效能的影响。作为本科生基础教学实验,本实验考查了学生对有机化学中不同官能团的电子效应和物理化学中液-固界面相互作用、固体在溶液中的吸附、催化反应动力学以及反应级数的判定等知识的理解、掌握和应用。通过进一步总结与讨论Ph-C≡C-Cu基新型功能材料的结构-性质-效能关系,启发并引导学生以实际问题为导向,根据所学理论和知识,从源头上出发,对功能材料的结构进行设计,培养了本科生的逆向思维方式,提升了本科生理论与实践相结合的能力。

Effects of polyamines on the early development of cystocarps,spore release,survival,and germination rate of Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis

Three polyamines(PAs)(spermidine(Spd),spermine(Spm),and putrescine(Put))were used as growth regulators to the marine macroalgae Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis and to female gametophyte and reproductive tissues(cystocarps were constructed),which led to early maturation of cystocarps and spore release.Laboratory cultivation revealed that exogenous PA application accelerated the development of cystocarps,and the mean sporeling growth rate was 20%–50%/d during the initial week of cultivation.The spore count(SC),survival rate(SR),and germination rate(GR)of G.lemaneiformis showed different responses to PA(10-6 mol/L and 10-3 mol/L)treatments under different temperatures(18,26,and 34℃),light intensities(30,60,and 90μmol photons/(m^(2)·s)),salinities(25,30,and 35),and nutrient levels(25꞉2.5,50꞉5.0,and 75꞉7.5μmol/L NH4Cl꞉K2HPO4),and the optimal conditions were 26℃,light intensity of 60μmol/(m^(2)·s),salinity of 35,and nutrient level of 50꞉5.0μmol/L NH4Cl꞉K2HPO4.Under the optimum conditions,the SC per cystocarp increased by 82.38%,and the spore SR and GR increased by 33.07%and 46.44%,respectively.Each experiment lasted for 7 days,with the highest SC on Day 4 and plateauing on Day 7.The results indicate that PAs could promote the early maturation,spore release,survival,and germination of G.lemaneiformis under laboratory conditions.

Filling the“vertical gap”between canopy tree species and understory shrub species:biomass allometric equations for subcanopy tree species

Subcanopy tree species are an important component of temperate secondary forests.However,their biomass equations are rarely reported,which forms a“vertical gap”between canopy tree species and understory shrub species.In this study,we destructively sampled six common subcanopy species(Syringa reticulate var.amurensis(Rupr.)Pringle,Padus racemosa(Lam.)Gilib.,Acer ginnala Maxim.,Malus baccata(Linn.)Borkh.,Rhamnus davurica Pall.,and Maackia amurensis Rupr.et Maxim.)to establish biomass equations in a temperate forest of Northeast China.The mixed-species and species-specifi c biomass allometric equations were well fi tted against diameter at breast height(DBH).Adding tree height(H)as the second predictor increased the R^(2)of the models compared with the DBH-only models by–1%to+3%.The R^(2)of DBH-only and DBH-H equations for the total biomass of mixed-species were 0.985 and 0.986,respectively.On average,the biomass allocation proportions for the six species were in the order of stem(45.5%)>branch(30.1%)>belowground(19.5%)>foliage(4.9%),with a mean root:shoot ratio of 0.24.Biomass allocation to each specifi c component diff ered among species,which aff ected the performance of the mixed-species model for particular biomass component.When estimating the biomass of subcanopy species using the equations for canopy species(e.g.,Betula platyphylla Suk.,Ulmus davidiana var.japonica(Rehd.)Nakai,and Acer mono Maxim.),the errors in individual biomass estimation increased with tree size(up to 68.8%at 30 cm DBH),and the errors in stand biomass estimation(up to 19.2%)increased with increasing percentage of basal area shared by subcanopy species.The errors caused by selecting such inappropriate models could be removed by multiplying adjustment factors,which were usually power functions of DBH for biomass components.These results provide methodological support for accurate biomass estimation in temperate China and useful guidelines for biomass estimation for subcanopy species in other regions,which can help to improve estimates of forest biomass and carbon stocks.

A novel multimodal prediction model based on DNA methylation biomarkers and low-dose computed tomography images for identifying early-stage lung cancer

Objective:DNA methylation alterations are early events in carcinogenesis and immune signalling in lung cancer.This study aimed to develop a model based on short stature homeobox 2 gene (SHOX2)/prostaglandin E receptor 4gene (PTGER4) DNA methylation in plasma,appearance subtype of pulmonary nodules (PNs) and low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) images to distinguish early-stage lung cancers.Methods:We developed a multimodal prediction model with a training set of 257 individuals.The performance of the multimodal prediction model was further validated in an independent validation set of 42 subjects.In addition,we explored the association between SHOX2/PTGER4 DNA methylation and driver gene mutations in lung cancer based on data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) portal.Results:There were significant differences between the early-stage lung cancers and benign groups in the methylation levels.The area under a receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) of SHOX2 in patients with solid nodules,mixed ground-glass opacity nodules and pure ground-glass opacity nodules were 0.693,0.497 and 0.864,respectively,while the AUCs of PTGER4 were 0.559,0.739 and 0.619,respectively.With the highest AUC of0.894,the novel multimodal prediction model outperformed the Mayo Clinic model (0.519) and LDCT-based deep learning model (0.842) in the independent validation set.Database analysis demonstrated that patients with SHOX2/PTGER4 DNA hypermethylation were enriched in TP53 mutations.Conclusions:The present multimodal prediction model could more efficiently distinguish early-stage lung cancer from benign PNs.A prognostic index based on DNA methylation and lung cancer driver gene alterations may separate the patients into groups with good or poor prognosis.

Analysis of the mechanism of aldo-keto reductase dependent cis-platin resistance in HepG2 cells based on transcriptomic and NADH metabolic state

Background:Aldo-keto oxidoreductase(AKR)inhibitors could reverse the resistance of several cancer cells to cis-platin,but their role in resistance remains unclear.Methods:We verified the difference of AKR1Cs expression by Western blot,RNA sequencing and qRT-PCR.The differences of AKR1Cs expression were analyzed and inferred.Use Assay of NADH and NAD^(+)content to verify the inference.The Docking experience was used to verify the affinity between MPA,MCFLA,MLS and AKR1C3.Results:Our RNA-seq results showed de novo NAD biosynthesis-related genes and NAD(P)H-dependent oxidoreductases were significantly upregulated in cis-platin-resistant HepG2 hepatic cancer cells(HepG2-RC cells)compared with HepG2 cells.At least 63 NAD(P)H-dependent reductase/oxidases were upregulated in HepG2-RC cells at least twofold.Knockdown of AKR1Cs could increase cis-platin sensitivity in HepG2-RC cells about two-fold.Interestingly,the AKR1C inhibitor meclofenamic acid could increase the cis-platin sensitivity of HepG2-RC cells about eight-fold,indicating that the knockdown of AKR1Cs only partially reversed the resistance.Meanwhile,the amount of total NAD and the ratio of NADH/NAD^(+)were increased in HepG2-RC cells compared with HepG2 cells.The ratio of NADH/NAD^(+)in HepG2-RC cells was almost seven-fold higher than in HepG2 or HL-7702 cells.Increased NADH expression could be explained as a directly operating antioxidant to scavenge cis-platin-induced radicals.Conclusion:We report here that NADH,which is produced by NAD(P)Hdependent oxidoreductases,plays a key role in the AKR-associated cis-platin resistance of HepG2 hepatic cancer cells.

Integrating network pharmacology and molecular docking to explore the potential mechanism of Zanthoxylum bungeanum against gout

Background:Gout is an inflammatory joint disease.Modern pharmacological studies have shown that Zanthoxylum bungeanum(Z.bungeanum)has significant anti-inflammatory and osteoprotective effects.This study is aimed to explore the therapeutic effect of Z.bungeanum on gouty arthritis.Methods:Firstly,the compounds in the water extract of Z.bungeanum(WZB)were analyzed by UPLC-QE-Orbitrap-MS/MS.The compounds and disease targets were predicted using SwissTargetPrediction platform and GeneCards database,and the candidate targets were acquired by taking the intersection.Next,the protein interaction network was constructed and the hub genes were screened using String platform and Cytoscape software.Gene Ontology enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis of hub genes were performed using Metascape platform.Finally,the disease-pathway-target-drug-component network diagram was constructed to obtain the active components and targets for treating disease,and the affinity between components and targets were predicted by applying Discovery Studio software.In vitro,using an acute gout model of RAW 264.7 macrophages induced by Monosodium Urate to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of WZB on Gout.Meanwhile,we established a mice model of hyperuricemia and measured the serum xanthine oxidase(XOD)activity and uric acid(UA)contents.Results:A total of 20 chemical components were identified from WZB,mainly alkaloid components.The network pharmacology results showed that Dihydrobungeanool,Quercetin,Hydroxy-α-sanshool and Hydroxy-ɛ-sanshool were the main active components of WZB against gout.MAPK1,PIK3CA,EGFR and TLR1 proteins were the main targets of WZB in the treatment of gout.Pathways in cancer,PI3K/Akt signaling pathway,Th17 cell differentiation and MAPK signaling pathway were closely related to anti-gout.Molecular docking results have shown that Dihydrobungeanool may be the main active ingredient of WZB for gout treatment,and PIK3CA is the main potential target.The cellular gout model showed that WZB significantly reduced IL-1βand TNF-αinflammatory factor levels and influenced the expression of PI3K protein.In addition,WZB administration effectively reduced UA levels and XOD activity in the serum of mice with hyperuricemia.Conclusion:Our study results suggest that WZB could treat gout by acting on PIK3CA gene target to reduce the level of inflammatory factors,and reduce XOD activity to lower UA levels.

无序Ru-O构型对电化学析氢催化性能研究

相工程被认为是调节催化剂电子结构和催化活性的有效方法。非晶材料的无序构型允许表面电子结构的灵活重整,显示出其作为析氢反应(HER)催化剂的吸引力。在此,我们设计并开发了一种具有无序Ru-O构型的非晶催化剂(a-RuO_(2))。结合先进的电镜技术和详细的电化学测试,建立了Ru-O有序性与HER性能的构效关系。具体来说,无序的Ru-O配位显著增强了酸性和碱性HER中的催化活性,最终使经济性更高的a-RuO_(2)催化性能接近商业Pt/C。此外,在10 mA·cm^(-2)下进行10 h电流-时间(i-t)测试后,a-RuO_(2)表现出极好的稳定性。进一步的理论模拟显示a-RuO_(2)较低的d带中心和优化的电子输运调制了活性位点对中间反应物的吸附强度,促进了HER动力学。这项工作为通过相工程探索高活性HER催化剂提供了新的观点。

同步辐射表征技术在金属空气电池研究中的应用

电动汽车的快速发展迫切需要高能量密度的电池。近年来,金属空气电池由于其超高的理论能量密度,在工业和学术领域引起了广泛的关注。然而,其副反应严重、能量效率低、循环寿命有限等诸多缺点严重阻碍了其实际应用的可行性。了解电池反应机理并进一步制定有效的策略有利于金属-空气电池的实际应用。在过去十年中,先进的表征技术加速了金属空气电池的发展。特别是基于同步加速器的表征技术因其无损检测能力和高分辨率已被广泛应用于金属空气电池的机理理解。在这篇综述中,我们系统地总结了各种用于分析金属空气电池局部结构和化学特性的同步辐射表征技术,特别关注于这些先进的表征技术如何帮助理解电池降解机理和优化策略的本质。本进展报告旨在强调同步辐射表征在金属空气电池机理理解的关键作用。

Adsorption removal of o-nitrophenol and p-nitrophenol from wastewater by metal–organic framework Cr-BDC

In the present paper, a metal–organic framework Cr-BDC was prepared and used as adsorbent for adsorption of o-nitrophenol(ONP) and p-nitrophenol(PNP) from aqueous solutions. Cr-BDC was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and BET methods. The results indicate that Cr-BDC gets a very large specific surface area of 4128 m^2·g^(-1)and pore sizes are concentrated in 1 nm, which is a benefit for using for wastewater treatment. The influences of the adsorption conditions, such as temperature,solution concentration, adsorption time and reusability on adsorption performance were investigated. Cr-BDC exhibited an encouraging uptake capacity of 310.0 mg·g^(-1)for ONP, and adsorption capacity of Cr-BDC for ONP is significantly higher than that for PNP under suitable adsorption conditions. The characterizations of adsorption process were examined with the Lagergren pseudo-first-order, the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the intra-particular diffusion model. Kinetics experiments indicated that the pseudo-second-order model displayed the best correlation with adsorption kinetics data. Furthermore, our adsorption equilibrium data could be better described by the Freundlich equation. The results indicate that the as-prepared Cr-BDC is promising for use as an effective and economical adsorbent for ONP removal.

Sodium acetate can promote the growth and astaxanthin accumulation in the unicellular green alga Haematococcus pluvialis as revealed by a proteomics approach

Haematococcus pluvialis is an ideal natural source of strong antioxidant astaxanthin.Sodium acetate(NaAc)was proven an effective organic carbon source for improving algal growth and astaxanthin production;however,the underlying mechanism remains obscure.To reveal the mechanism of NaAc at the green vegetative stage of H.pluvialis,the physiochemical characteristics and the global protein expression profiles obtained using a tandem mass tag labeling approach were compared between the control(CK)and two NaAc-addition groups.Results show that after NaAc addition,the biomass,nitrate consumption rate,and activities of three carbohydrate metabolism enzymes of H.pluvialis were significantly increased,and the net photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll content decreased.In addition,astaxanthin,total carbohydrates,and total lipids were accumulated,and some red cells appeared in the NaAc5 group.Moreover,317 differentially expressed proteins(DEPs)with the most altered expression patterns were screened out in the CK vs.NaAc5 comparison in our proteomics study.All the DEPs involved in carbohydrate metabolism and lipid metabolism were significantly increased,while most of the photosynthesis-related proteins were depressed in the two NaAc-treated groups.The proteomics results were verified and supported by parallel reaction monitoring approach and physiochemical data.Our findings demonstrate that NaAc promoted the tricarboxylic acid cycle,glyoxylate cycle,and amino acid and lipid synthesis,and inhibited the photo synthe sis-related activities,which consequently speeded up the growth and astaxanthin accumulation in this alga.

An Improved Gorilla Troops Optimizer Based on Lens Opposition-Based Learning and Adaptive β-Hill Climbing for Global Optimization

Gorilla troops optimizer(GTO)is a newly developed meta-heuristic algorithm,which is inspired by the collective lifestyle and social intelligence of gorillas.Similar to othermetaheuristics,the convergence accuracy and stability of GTOwill deterioratewhen the optimization problems to be solved becomemore complex and flexible.To overcome these defects and achieve better performance,this paper proposes an improved gorilla troops optimizer(IGTO).First,Circle chaotic mapping is introduced to initialize the positions of gorillas,which facilitates the population diversity and establishes a good foundation for global search.Then,in order to avoid getting trapped in the local optimum,the lens opposition-based learning mechanism is adopted to expand the search ranges.Besides,a novel local search-based algorithm,namely adaptiveβ-hill climbing,is amalgamated with GTO to increase the final solution precision.Attributed to three improvements,the exploration and exploitation capabilities of the basic GTOare greatly enhanced.The performance of the proposed algorithm is comprehensively evaluated and analyzed on 19 classical benchmark functions.The numerical and statistical results demonstrate that IGTO can provide better solution quality,local optimumavoidance,and robustness compared with the basic GTOand five other wellknown algorithms.Moreover,the applicability of IGTOis further proved through resolving four engineering design problems and training multilayer perceptron.The experimental results suggest that IGTO exhibits remarkable competitive performance and promising prospects in real-world tasks.

Role of Yanghe Huayan Decoction in ER-PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway of endocrine-resistant breast cancer cells with low mTOR expression

Objective:To study the mechanism of action of Yanghe Huayan Decoction on endocrine-resistant cells(MCF-7R/mTOR cells)with low expression of mTOR;Methods:CCK-8 assay and cell clone assay were used to detect cell proliferation and clonal ability,and flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis.The changes of cytokines in ER-PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway were analyzed by blot and QPCR.Results:Yanghe Huayan Decoction could significantly affect the proliferation(p<0.05)and cloning ability(p<0.05)of MCF-7R/mTOR cells,promote cell apoptosis(p<0.01),and downregulate the expression of ER,PI3K,AKT,mTOR and p-mTOR(p<0.05).Conclusion:Yanghe Huayan Decoction can regulate the ER-PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway with multiple targets,and the use of combined mTOR inhibitors can regulate the ER-PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway more significantly.

N-glycans released from glycoproteins using a commercial kit and comprehensively analyzed with a hypothetical database

The glycosylation of proteins is responsible for their structural and functional roles in many cellular activities.This work describes a strategy that combines an efficient release, labeling and liquid chromatography–mass spectral analysis with the use of a comprehensive database to analyze N-glycans. The analytical method described relies on a recently commercialized kit in which quick deglycosylation is followed by rapid labeling and cleanup of labeled glycans. This greatly improves the separation, mass spectrometry（MS） analysis and fluorescence detection of N-glycans. A hypothetical database, constructed using Glyc Resoft, provides all compositional possibilities of N-glycans based on the common sugar residues found in N-glycans. In the initial version this database contains ＆gt; 8,700 N-glycans, and is compatible with MS instrument software and expandable. N-glycans from four different well-studied glycoproteins were analyzed by this strategy. The results provided much more accurate and comprehensive data than that had been previously reported. This strategy was then used to analyze the N-glycans present on the membrane glycoproteins of gastric carcinoma cells with different degrees of differentiation. Accurate and comprehensive N-glycan data from those cells was obtained efficiently and their differences were compared corresponding to their differentiation states. Thus, the novel strategy developed greatly improves accuracy, efficiency and comprehensiveness of N-glycan analysis.

Effects of dual antiplatelet therapy de-escalation on the prognosis of acute coronary syndrome patients at high risk of ischemia who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention

To the Editor:Current guidelines recommend that for patients with acute coronary syndrome(ACS)undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI),dual antiplatelet therapy(DAPT),preferably involving powerful P2Y_(12) receptor inhibitors,including ticagrelor or prasugrel,should be used for at least 12 months.^([1–3])However,there is a lack of relevant evidence regarding the feasibility of de-escalation treatment and specific DAPT treatment regimens for ACS patient populations with high ischemic risk.

KH550-SiO_(2)/polyimide insulating paper preparation and characterisation

Oil-paper insulation material is an essential component for oil-filled transformers,and polyimide(PI)insulation paper is a novel material in the field of electricity.The improvement of insulation class for insulation paper has gained significant attention in recent years.In this study,SiO_(2)nanoparticles were modified with a silane coupling agent(KH550),and the KH550-SiO_(2)was added to the fibre membrane through in situ poly-merisation.The chemical composition and microcosmic characteristics of the PI porous fibre membrane were characterised using FT-IR and SEM FT-IR and SEM.Conse-quently,the dielectric constant of the composite paper was reduced to 2.3 upon adding 3 wt%of KH550-SiO_(2),and the dielectric strength reached its maximum value of 85 kV/mm.The results demonstrate that the insulation performance of the KH550-SiO_(2)/PI composite was significantly improved due to the incorporation of nano-SiO_(2).This establishes an efficient approach for achieving excellent electrical and thermal properties in practical applications using the KH550-SiO_(2)/PI fibre membrane.

Removal of gaseous volatile organic compounds via vacuum ultraviolet photodegradation: Review and prospect

Volatile organic compounds(VOCs) have attracted much attention for decades as they are the precursors of photochemical smog and are harmful to the environment and human health. Vacuum ultraviolet(VUV) photodegradation is a simple and effective method to decompose VOCs (ranging from tens to hundreds of ppmV) without additional oxidants or catalysts in the air at atmospheric pressure. In this paper, we review the research progress of VOCs removal via VUV photodegradation. The fundamentals are outlined and the key operation factors for VOCs degradation, such as humidity, oxygen content, VOCs initial concentration, light intensity, and flow rate, are discussed. VUV photodegradation of VOCs mixture is elucidated. The application of VUV photodegradation in combination with ozoneassisted catalytic oxidation(OZCO) and photocatalytic oxidation(PCO) systems, and as the pre-treatment technique for biological purification are illustrated. Based on the summary,we propose the challenges of VUV photodegradation and perspectives for its future development.

Structural characterization of SARS-CoV-2 dimeric ORF9b reveals potential fold-switching trigger mechanism

The constant emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)variants indicates the evolution and adaptation of the virus.Enhanced innate immune evasion through increased expression of viral antagonist proteins,including ORF9b,contributes to the improved transmission of the Alpha variant;hence,more attention should be paid to these viral proteins.ORF9b is an accessory protein that suppresses innate immunity via a monomer conformation by binding to Tom70.Here,we solved the dimeric structure of SARS-CoV-2 ORF9b with a long hydrophobic tunnel containing a lipid molecule that is crucial for the dimeric conformation and determined the specific lipid ligands as monoglycerides by conducting a liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry analysis,suggesting an important role in the viral life cycle.Notably,a long intertwined loop accessible for host factor binding was observed in the structure.Eight phosphorylated residues in ORF9b were identified,and residues S50 and S53 were found to contribute to the stabilization of dimeric ORF9b.Additionally,we proposed a model of multifunctional ORF9b with a distinct conformation,suggesting that ORF9b is a fold-switching protein,while both lipids and phosphorylation contribute to the switching.Specifically,the ORF9b monomer interacts with Tom70 to suppress the innate immune response,whereas the ORF9b dimer binds to the membrane involving mature virion assembly.Our results provide a better understanding of the multiple functions of ORF9b.

Geometrically compatible integrated design method for conformal rotor and nacelle of distributed propulsion tilt-wing UAV

The inner rotors of distributed propulsion tilt-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAVs)are often folded in the cruising state and deployed in vertical take-off and landing to cope with the huge difference in thrust requirements.However,the blades of the conventional rotor have poor conformality with the nacelle profile,which will greatly increase the drag of the UAV after folding.This paper proposes an integrated method for the design of rotor and nacelle considering geometric compatibility to reduce the drag of the folded rotor and nacelle,so as to further improve the aerodynamic efficiency in cruise while ensuring the rotor efficiency in the vertical flight mode.A geometric mapping model based on nacelle design parameters and rotor design parameters is established,and a parametric model and aerodynamic optimization model of the outer arc airfoil family are developed.In addition,a rotor performance analysis model and a neural network response surface model for nacelle drag prediction that meet the requirements of confidence level are established.Based on the oblique inflow blade element momentum theory method,numerical simulation method,and genetic algorithm,an integrated optimization framework of the design of the conformal rotor and nacelle is built.Then,a geometrically compatible integrated optimization for the rotor and nacelle is carried out with the objective of maximizing energy efficiency in the full mission profile.Finally,a conformal rotor and nacelle design solution is obtained,which satisfies geometric compatibility and thrust constraints while providing high thrust efficiency and low cruising drag.A comparison of the results of the integrated design and the conventional rotor optimization design shows that the drag of the conventional rotor is 3.45 times that of the conformal integrated design in the cruising state,which proves the effectiveness and necessity of the proposed method.