Microbiome Engineering:A Promising Approach to Improve Coral Health

The world’s coral reefs are threatened by the cumulative impacts of global climate change and local stressors.Driven largely by a desire to understand the interactions between corals and their symbiotic microorganisms,and to use this knowledge to eventually improve coral health,interest in coral microbiology and the coral microbiome has increased in recent years.In this review,we summarize the role of the coral microbiome in maintaining a healthy metaorganism by providing nutrients,support for growth and development,protection against pathogens,and mitigation of environmental stressors.We explore the concept of coral microbiome engineering,that is,precise and controlled manipulation of the coral microbiome to aid and enhance coral resilience and tolerance in the changing oceans.Although coral microbiome engineering is clearly in its infancy,several recent breakthroughs indicate that such engineering is an effective tool for restoration and preservation of these valuable ecosystems.To assist with identifying future research targets,we have reviewed the common principles of microbiome engineering and its applications in improving human health and agricultural productivity,drawing parallels to where coral microbiome engineering can advance in the not-too-distant future.Finally,we end by discussing the challenges faced by researchers and practitioners in the application of microbiome engineering in coral reefs and provide recommendations for future work.

Affinity-Engineered Flexible Scaffold toward Energy-Dense, Highly Reversible Na Metal Batteries

The practical deployment of metallic anodes in the energy-dense batteries is impeded by the thermodynamically unstable interphase in contact with the aprotic electrolyte,structural collapse of the substrates as well as their insufficient affinity toward the metallic deposits.Herein,the mechanical flexible,lightweight(1.2 mg cm^(−2))carbon nanofiber scaffold with the monodispersed,ultrafine Sn_(4)P_(3) nanoparticles encapsulation(Sn_(4)P_(3)NPs@CNF)is proposed as the deposition substrate toward the high-areal-capacity sodium loadings up to 4 mAh cm^(−2).First-principles calculations manifest that the alloy intermediates,namely the Na_(15)Sn_(4) and Na_(3)P matrix,exhibit the intimate Na affinity as the“sodiophilic”sites.Meanwhile,the porous CNF regulates the heterogeneous alloying process and confines the deposit propagation along the nanofiber orientation.With the precise control of pairing mode with the NaVPO4F cathode(8.7 mg cm^(−2)),the practical feasibility of the Sn_(4)P_(3) NPs@CNF anode(1^(*)Na excess)is demonstrated in 2 mAh single-layer pouch cell prototype,which achieves the 95.7%capacity retention for 150 cycles at various mechanical flexing states as well as balanced energy/power densities.

Quantitative tracing of bioprobes by simultaneously monitoring radiative and nonradiative relaxations

Bioprobe based on fluorescence is widely used in biological and medical research due to its high sensitivity and selectivity.Yet,its quantification in vivo is complicated and often compromised by the interaction between the fluorophore with the environmental factors,as well as the optical scattering and absorption by the tissue.A high florescence quantum yield and minimal interference by the environment are key requirements for designing an effective bioprobe,and the prerequisitions severely limit the available options.We propose that a comprehensive evaluation of potential bioprobe can be achieved by simultaneously measuring both radiative and nonradiative transitions,the two fundamental and complementary pathways for the energy de-excitation.This approach will not only improve the accuracy of the quantification by catching the information from a broader spectrum of the energy,but also provide additional information of the probe environment that often impacts the balance between the two forms of the energy transition.This work first analyzes the underlying mechanism of the hypothesis.The practical feasibility is then tested by means of simultaneous measurements of photoacoustic signal for the non-radiative and fluorescence for the radiative energy processes,respectively.It is demonstrated that the systematic evaluation of the probe energy de-excitation results in an improved quantitative tracing of a bioprobe in complex environment.

Microwave-induced thermoacoustic imaging with functional nanoparticles

As an emerging hybrid imaging modality,microwave-induced thermoacoustic imaging(MTAI),using microwaves as the excitation source and ultrasonic signals as the information carrier for combining the characteristics of high contrast of electromagnetic imaging and high resolution of ultrasound imaging,has shown broad prospects in biomedical and clinical applications.The imaging contrast depends on the microwave-absorption coe±cient of the endogenous imaged tissue and the injected MTAI contrast agents.With systemically introduced functional nanoparticles,MTAI contrast and sensitivity can be further improved,and enables visualization of biological processes in vivo.In recent years,functional nanoparticles for MTAI have been developed to improve the performance and application range of MTAI in biomedical applications.This paper reviews the recent progress of functional nanoparticles for MTAI and their biomedical applications.The challenges and future directions of microwave thermoacoustic imaging with functional nanoparticles in theeld of translational medicine are discussed.

Process operation performance of PDMS membrane pervaporation coupled with fermentation for efficient bioethanol production

There would be strong product inhibition on ethanol fermentation process if ethanol is not removed in situ from broth. PDMS membrane pervaporation coupled with fermentation is a promising process for efficient bioethanol production since ethanol inhibition is relieved or eliminated. From the perspective of process operation, membrane separation performance, ethanol fermentation performance and the subsequent processing on membrane downstream are the three key issues. This review aims at contributing a comprehensive overview on the operation performance of the integrated process. The state-of-the-art of the three key issues related to the operation performance is focused. Finally, the tentative perspective on the possible future prospects of the integrated process is briefly presented.

Molecular cloning and characterization of human age-related NADH oxidase (arNOX) proteins as members of the TM9 superfamily of transmembrane proteins

Age-related NADH oxidase (arNOX = ENOX3) proteins are superoxide-generating cell surface oxidases that increase in activity with age beginning at about 30 y. A soluble and truncated exfoliated form of the activity is present in blood and other body fluids. The activity was purified to apparent homogeneity from human urine and resolved by 2-D gel electrophoresis into a series of 24 to 32 kDa components of low isoelectric point. The purified proteins were resistant both to N-terminal sequencing and trypsin cleavage. Cleavage with pepsin revealed peptides corresponding to the TM9 family of transmembrane proteins. Peptide antisera raised to all five members of the human TM9 family sequentially blocked the arNOX activity of human saliva and sera. The soluble truncated N-terminus of the human homolog TM9SF4 was expressed in bacteria. The recombinant protein was characterized biochemically and exhibited ar-NOX activity. The findings identify five arNOX isoforms each of which correspond to one of the five known TM9 family members. The exfoliated soluble arNOX forms are derived from the 24 to 32 kDa N-termini exposed to the cell’s exterior at the cell surface. Each of the shed forms contain putative functional motifs characteristic of ECTO-NOX (ENOX) proteins despite only minimal sequence identity. Our findings identify arNOX as having functional characteristics of ENOX proteins and the TM9 superfamily of proteins as the genetic origins of the five known arNOX isoforms present in human sera, plasma and other body fluids1.

Simultaneous recovery of phosphorus and nitrogen from liquid digestate by vacuum membrane distillation with permeate fractional condensation

A vacuum membrane distillation(VMD)process with permeate fractional condensation on membrane downstream has been developed for simultaneous recovery of phosphorus and nitrogen from liquid digestate.The polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE)membrane flux could reach 6000 g·m-2·h-1 with the rejection efficiency of total phosphorus(TP)over 0.99,under the condition of flowrate being 120 L·h-1 and temperature being 40°C.Membrane fouling occurred with a film of organics and microorganism deposited on the surface of the membrane.Membrane flux could be reversed after the membrane was rinsed by water.Higher feed temperature and flowrate could improve the membrane flux,while hardly affect the rejection efficiency of total phosphorus.The concentration of TP could reach 1600 mg·L-1 after membrane distillation,which is about 5 times of that in initial liquid digestate.On the downstream of the membrane,some of the permeate vapor was condensed under the vacuum condition and most of water was collected here.The remaining vapor enriched with total nitrogen(TN)was compressed and pumped to the atmospheric condition to condense.The TN concentration in atmospheric condensate was as high as 7000 mg·L-1 with the process separation factor for ammonia being enhanced to 114.

Molecular Cloning and Characterization of a Candidate Plant Growth-Related and Time-Keeping Constitutive Cell Surface Hydroquinone (NADH) Oxidase (ENOX1) from <i>Arabidopsis lyrata</i>

ENOX (ECTO-NOX) proteins are proteins of the external surface of the plasma membrane that catalyze oxidation of both NADH and hydroquinones as well as carry out protein disulfidethiol interchange. They exhibit both prion-like and time-keeping (clock) properties. The oxidative and interchange activities alternate to generate a regular period of 24 min in length. Here we report the cloning, expression, and characterization of a plant candidate constitutive ENOX (CNOX or ENOX1) protein from Arabidopsis lyrata. The gene encoding the 335 (165) amino acid protein is found in accession XP-002882467. Functional motifs characteristics of ENOX proteins previously identified by site-directed mutagenesis and present in the candidate ENOX1 protein from plants include adenine nucleotide and copper binding motifs along with essential cysteines. However, the drug binding motif (EEMTE) sequence of human ENOX2 is absent. The activities of the recombinant protein expressed in E. coli were unaffected by capsaicin, EGCg, and other ENOX2-inhibiting substances. Periodic oxidative activity was exhibited both with NAD(P)H and reduced coenzyme Q as substrate. Bound copper was necessary for activity and activity was inhibited by the ENOX1-specific inhibitor simalikalactone D. Addition of melatonin phased the 24-min period such that the next complete period began 24 min after the melatonin addition as appeared to be characteristic of ENOX1 activities in general. Periodic protein disulfide-thiol interchange activity also was demonstrated along with the 2 oxidative plus 3 interchange activity pattern characteristics of the 24-min ENOX1 protein period. Concentrated solutions of the purified plant ENOX1 protein formed insoluble aggregates, devoid of enzymatic activity, resembling amyloid. Activity was restored to aggregate preparations by isoelectric focusing.

Synthetic biology to revive microbial natural product discovery

Microbial natural products(MNPs)and their derivatives have historically played critical roles in drug discovery.However,the discovery of novel MNPs over the last 60 years,through traditional strategies,has declined significantly.Advances in genome sequencing technologies have rapidly changed the direction of natural product research in recent years,providing opportunities to revive the natural product discovery pipeline.Here,I highlight several paradigms combining genomics with synthetic biology to enable MNP discovery and envision future opportunities.

A nonlinear wake model of a wind turbine considering the yaw wake steering

Duo to fluctuations in atmospheric turbulence and yaw control strategies,wind turbines are often in a yaw state.To predict the far wake velocity field of wind turbines quickly and accurately,a wake velocity model was derived based on the method of momentum conservation considering the wake steering of the wind turbine under yaw conditions.To consider the shear effect of the vertical incoming wind direction,a two-dimensional Gaussian distribution function was introduced to model the velocity loss at different axial positions in the far wake region based on the assumption of nonlinear wake expansion.This work also developed a“prediction-correction”method to solve the wake velocity field,and the accuracy of the model results was verified in wake experiments on the Garrad Hassan wind turbine.Moreover,a 33-kW two-blade horizontal axis wind turbine was simulated using this method,and the results were compared with the classical wake model under the same parameters and the computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulation results.The results show that the nonlinear wake model well reflected the influence of incoming flow shear and yaw wake steering in the wake velocity field.Finally,computation of the wake flow for the Horns Rev offshore wind farm with 80 wind turbines showed an error within 8%compared to the experimental values.The established wake model is less computationally intensive than other methods,has a faster calculation speed,and can be used for engineering calculations of the wake velocity in the far wakefield of wind turbines.

智能时代的中小学人工智能教育:总体定位与核心内容领域

随着智能时代的到来,人工智能在多个领域日益发挥其重要的应用价值,我国也积极倡导和支持开展多层次的人工智能教育。然而,在基础教育领域,人工智能教育仍然面临课程定位模糊、教学内容分化、课程体系与资源庞杂等诸多现实问题。本研究面向中小学教育阶段,对国内外人工智能教育的现状进行了深入调研和总结,将人工智能教育与现有的相关教育进行了系统比较和辨析,明确了中小学阶段人工智能教育的总体定位。针对当前人工智能教育中缺乏对内容领域进行科学界定和清晰完整的描述,本研究提出了六个核心内容领域并进一步阐述了基于内容领域的课程设计基本原则。本研究有助于进一步推动当前人工智能教育的深入探索,促进我国中小学人工智能教育持续、健康地发展。

HDL quality features revealed by proteome–lipidome connectivity are associated with atherosclerotic disease

Lipoprotein,especially high-density lipoprotein(HDL),particles are composed of multiple heterogeneous subgroups containing various proteins and lipids.The molecular distribution among these subgroups is closely related to cardiovascular disease(CVD).Here,we established high-resolution proteomics and lipidomics(HiPL)methods to depict the molecular profiles across lipoprotein(Lipo-HiPL)and HDL(HDL-HiPL)subgroups by optimizing the resolution of anion-exchange chromatography and comprehensive quantification of proteins and lipids on the omics level.Furthermore,based on the Pearson correlation coefficient analysis of molecular profiles across high-resolution subgroups,we achieved the relationship of proteome–lipidome connectivity(PLC)for lipoprotein and HDL particles.By application of these methods to high-fat,high-cholesterol diet-fed rabbits and acute coronary syndrome(ACS)patients,we uncovered the delicate dynamics of the molecular profile and reconstruction of lipoprotein and HDL particles.Of note,the PLC features revealed by the HDL-HiPL method discriminated ACS from healthy individuals better than direct proteome and lipidome quantification or PLC features revealed by the Lipo-HiPL method,suggesting their potential in ACS diagnosis.Together,we established HiPL methods to trace the dynamics of the molecular profile and PLC of lipoprotein and even HDL during the development of CVD.

Effect of Microwave Irradiation on Dipeptides and Proteins Derived from Silk During Solvation

Silkworm silk and spider silk have been attracting numerous interests.Rapid solvation of silkworm silk protein and spider silk protein without hydrolysis of peptide bonds is highly desirable.Microwave irradiation has been proposed for facile extraction of water-soluble silk protein by various liquid media.However,microwave exposure can cause hydrolysis of peptide bonds,leading to irreversible degradation of silk protein.In this study,a series of representative dipeptides and a rationally designed recombinant protein derived from silk protein is employed to investigate the efect of microwave on the stability of the peptide bonds during a long time dissolution process,i.e.,heating at 60℃in a CaCl_(2):CH_(3)CH_(2)OH:H_(2)O(1:2:8)solution.Results demonstrate that microwave irradiation imposes a minor damage and a negligible cleavage of the peptide bonds,compared with the conventional heating method.The microwave irradiation treatment suggested in this is suitable for dissolution of silk protein.It is anticipated that this approach can be developed to a commercial level commercially.

Transition metal-free catalytic formylation of carbon dioxide and amide with novel poly(ionic liquid)s

Functionalised mesoporous poly(ionic liquid)s are valuable carbon dioxide capture and conversion materials.Here,an imidazole poly(ionic liquid)PIL-s1-HCO_(3) with a mesoporous structure was formed by the copolymerisation of vinyl-modified ionic liquids and crosslinking agents.The material has excellent adsorption properties for carbon dioxide.Using it as the catalyst,the formylation of carbon dioxide with various amides was realised at room temperature and pressure without metal participation.In addition,the material is stable in performance,easily separated,and has good reusability.In this work,relying on the new PIL as a multi-functional platform,carbon dioxide capture and the transformation to high-value-added chemicals were completed simultaneously.