Biomimetic photoelectric conversion systems based on artificial membranes

Biological light-driven proton pumps which could transfer light energy to electrical energy have aroused intense interest in the past years.Many related researches have been conducted to mimic this process in vitro because of its potential significant applications.This review describes the progress in biomimetic photoelectric conversion systems based on different kinds of promising artificial membranes.Both biological bacteriorhodopsin and the photosensitive chemical molecules which could be used to achieve the photoelectric conversion function are discussed.Also a short outlook in this field is demonstrated at the end.

Comfortable Lifestyle-induced Imbalance of Neuro-endocrine-immunity Network:A Possible Mechanism of Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction

Objective： To observe the changes of vascular endothelial functions and general neuroendocrine-immunity （NEI） network under the state of qi-deficiency syndrome induced by excessive idleness and to approach their internal relevance and illuminate initially the pathophysiological mechanism of vascular lesion induced by excessive idleness. Methods： A total of 100 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the control group and the qi-deficiency syndrome model group, 50 rats in each group. The qi-deficiency syndrome model was established by feeding the animals with hyper-alimentation diet in combination with restricting movement for 10 weeks. Changes of common chemical signal molecules related to NEI and vascular endothelial functions were measured by the end of the experiment. Furthermore, their internal relevance was analyzed by the method of canonical correlation analysis. Results： The vascular endothelial structure and function were obviously injured in the model group. Compared with the control group, the chemical signal molecules, such as 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）, corticosterone （CORT）, triiodothyronine （T3）, tetraiodothyronine （T4）, angiotensin Ⅱ （Ang Ⅱ）, interleukin-1 （IL-1）, and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in peripheral blood of the model group （n=43） were changed significantly （P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）. Canonical correlation analysis showed that vascular endothelial dysfunction was correlated to the changes of these signal molecules in the NEI network. Conclusions： Comfortbased lifestyle induced not only vascular endothelial dysfunction but also an imbalance of the NEI network. Vascular endothelial dysfunction and the imbalanced NEI network interacted with each other, and an imbalance of the NEI network may be the pathophysiologic basis for the genesis and development of vascular endothelial dysfunction, even diseases of the blood vessel.

Molecular characterization of organic matter transformation mediated by microorganisms under anoxic/hypoxic conditions

Dissolved organic matter(DOM) in the ocean is one of the largest carbon pools on Earth. Microbial metabolism is an important process that shapes the marine DOM pool. Current studies on the interactions between microorganisms and DOM focus mainly on oxic environments. Few studies have addressed the molecular characteristics of DOM in microbial-mediated transformation under anoxic/hypoxic conditions. As a result of deteriorating water quality due to eutrophication and global warming, anoxia occurs frequently in coastal waters. In this study, we performed an experiment to investigate changes in microbial community responses and the molecular characteristics of DOM in microbial-mediated transformation under hypoxic conditions. We compared microbial-mediated DOM transformation at different dissolved oxygen levels(7, 5, and 2 mg L^(-1)) and in different media(natural and artificial seawater with and without laminarin). We also investigated differences in DOM composition between groups using spectroscopic analysis and ultrahigh-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. The results showed decreased microbial metabolic activity and delayed community succession at low oxygen(≤2 mg L^(-1)) in natural seawater supplemented with laminarin. The growth of strictly aerobic bacteria such as Pseudomonadaceae and Sphingomonadaceae was inhibited and the total organic carbon utilization rate was reduced by 36.9–46.7% from 4 to 32days. Moreover, tyrosine-like and tryptophan-like components were preserved, while DOM humification and modified aromaticity indices were significantly reduced under low oxygen conditions. This experiment provides justification for further study of the processes and mechanisms of improved labile DOM preservation in anoxic estuarine and coastal waters.