Immobilization of mushroom polyphenol oxidase on poly(allyl glycidyl ether-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) macroporous beaded copolymers

Functional, macroporous, beaded copolymers containing epoxy groups were synthesized for immobilization of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) from edible mushroom (Agaricus bisporus). The effect of incorporation of two different sets of monomers such as glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and allyl glycidyl ether (AGE) and the effect of cross-linking agent ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDM) with varying cross-link densities on binding and expression of mushroom PPO activity were studied. The effect of porogen viz. cyclohexanol and hexanol on PPO immobilization was studied. AGE copolymers with hexanol as a porogen were found to give higher binding and expression of PPO activity than GE polymers. Cross-linking of amino groups of enzyme with 5% glutaraldehyde for 6 h gave a stable binding of PPO on AGE-75(Hex) polymer with storage half-life of approximately 25 days. Under optimum conditions, AGE-75(Hex) polymer gave 70.3% of activity yield while percent retention of PPO activity was found to be 83.5%. Immobilized PPO showed a broader pH, higher temperature and excellent storage stability.     

Development of an index based on fish,macroinvertebrates, phytoplankton,and physicochemical properties to assess urban aquatic ecosystems in Jinan,China

Because of the rapid growth in urbanization over recent decades, urban aquatic ecosystems have been subjected to unprecedented threats and challenges. In this study, we visited 48 sites, of which 14 were reservoir sites, in water bodies in Jinan, China, on six occasions in May, August, and October of 2014 and 2015. We sampled fish, macroinvertebrates, and phytoplankton assemblages and physicochemical factors at each site. We used the richness and diversity of fish, macroinvertebrates, and phytoplankton to evaluate the condition of the aquatic ecosystems of the river sites. We also evaluated the water quality of the reservoir sites using the physicochemical factors of the State Environmental Protection Administration of China. We classified the results into five levels—excellent, good, moderate, poor, and bad—with the comprehensive evaluation index (CEI). More than 40% of the sampling sites were in either poor or bad condition. Nearly half of the excellent or good sites were in the south of Jinan. The CEI was significantly different between the reference and impaired sites; it was significantly and positively correlated with the qualitative habitat evaluation index and was significantly and negatively correlated with conductivity, total alkalinity, and ammonia nitrogen.     

Biomolecules-Incorporated Metal-Organic Frameworks Gated Light-Sensitive Organic Photoelectrochemical Transistor for Biodetection

Incorporating biomolecules into metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as exoskeletons to form biomolecules-MOFs biohybrids has attracted great attention as an emerging class of advanced materials. Organic devices have been shown as powerful platforms for next-generation bioelectronics, such as wearable biosensors, tissue engineering constructs, and neural interfaces. Herein, biomolecules-incorporated MOFs as innovative gating module is realized for the first time, which is exemplified by biocatalytic precipitation (BCP)-oriented horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-embedded zeolitic imidazolate framework-90 (HRP@ZIF-90)/CdIn₂S₄ gated organic photoelectrochemical transistor under light illumination. In connection to a sandwich immunocomplexing targeting the model analyte human IgG, the IgG-dependent generation of H₂O₂ and the tandem HRP-triggered BCP reaction can cause the in situ blocking of the pore network of ZIF-90, leading to variant gating effect with corresponding responses of the device. This representative biodetection achieved good analytical performance with a wide linear range and a low detection limit of 100 fg mL⁻¹. In the view of the plentiful biomolecule-MOF complexes and their potential interactions with organic systems, this study provides a proof-of-concept study for the generic development of biomolecules-MOFs-gated electronics and beyond.     

Deformation effect of lateral roof roadway in close coal seams after repeated mining

This paper analyzed the deformation mechanism in lateral roof roadway of the Ding Wu-3 roadway which was disturbed by repeated mining of close coal seams Wu-8 and Wu-10 in Pingdingshan No. 1 Mine. To determine the strata disturbance scope, the strata displacement angle was used to calculate the protection pillar width. A numerical model was built considering the field geological conditions. In simulation, the mining stress borderline was defined as the contour where the induced stress is 1.5 times of the original stress. Simulation results show the mining stress borderline of the lateral roadway extended 91.7 m outward after repeated mining. Then the original stress increased, deforming the roadway of interest. This deformation agreed with the in situ observations. Moreover, the strata displacement angle changed due to repeated mining. Therefore, reselection of the displacement angle was required to design the protective pillar width. Since a constant strata displacement angle was used in traditional design, the proposed method was beneficial in field cases.     

Spinel CoFe2O4 supported by three dimensional graphene as high-performance bi-functional electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction and evolution reaction

Spinel CoFe₂O₄ supported on three dimensional graphene (3DG) is prepared by hydrothermal reaction, which is denoted as CoFe₂O₄/3DG. The 3DG is prepared by the templated method, where coal tar pitch (CTP) and MgO are used as the carbon source and the template, respectively. The microstructure and composition of the resultant have been investigated by X-ray diffraction as well as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicating the formation of spinel CoFe₂O₄ and composite of CoFe₂O₄/3DG. The multilayer structure of 3DG and CoFe₂O₄/3DG is also examined by the Raman spectra. Electrochemically, CoFe₂O₄/3DG shows high-performance half-wave potential is 0.80 V vs. RHE in O₂-saturated 0.1 M KOH, which is compared to 20 wt% Pt/C. When evaluated for OER activity, CoFe₂O₄/3DG obtains a low overpotential 1.63 V vs. RHE (at j = 10 mA cm⁻²), which is 180 mV better than 20 wt% Pt/C. Moreover, it possesses excellent durability superior to 20 wt% Pt/C.     

Theoretical investigations of elastic and thermodynamic properties of LiXH4 compounds for hydrogen storage

The clean and environmentally friendly energy demand increases rapidly over the years. Hydrogen has been recognised as one of the best options to satisfy this demand. Utilisation of hydrogen as an energy carrier requires a number of steps especially for on-board applications, namely, production, transportation and storage. Storage of hydrogen brings a great challenge for the researchers among others. Current technologies include high-pressure compression, liquefaction and solid state storage of hydrogen. Solid state storage of hydrogen seems to be more applicable due to being much safer and denser. Metal hydrides are accepted as good candidates for solid state storage of hydrogen. In this regard, this study focuses on revealing dynamical and mechanical properties of new hydrogen reservoirs with high gravimetric hydrogen density, Li-X-H (X = C, N) using first principle calculations. First principle calculations have been proven to be a great tool to reveal extensive physical and chemical properties of the materials as well as mechanical and dynamical stability without synthesising them. Thus, this study adopts this tool to compute several physical and thermodynamic properties of Li-X-H such as bulk modulus, Young Modules, Shear Modulus, elastic constants, Poisson's ratio, Debye Temperature and so on for the first time. Based on the mechanical stability evaluation of compounds using elastic constants, both compounds are found to be mechanically stable. In addition, according to Pugh's criteria, the compounds have ductile nature. The computation of anisotropy revealed that the compounds are anisotropic at all planes. Also, the specific heat capacities of compounds seem to reach to Dulong-Petit limit at high temperatures.     

The Conserved and Specific Roles of the LUX ARRHYTHMO in Circadian Clock and Nodulation

LUX ARRHYTHMO (LUX) plays a key role in circadian rhythms and flowering. Here, we identified the MtLUX gene which is the putative ortholog of LUX in Medicago truncatula. The roles of MtLUX, in both the nodulation belowground and leaf movement aboveground, were investigated by characterizing a loss-of-function mtlux mutant. MtLUX was required for the control of flowering time under both long-day and short-day conditions. Further investigations showed that the early flowering in the mtlux mutant was correlated with the elevated expression level of the MtFTa1 gene but in a CO-like independent manner. MtLUX played a conserved role in the regulatory interactions with MtLHY, MtTOC1, and MtPRR genes, which is similar to those in other species. Meanwhile, the unexpected functions of MtLUX were revealed in nodule formation and nyctinastic leaf movement, probably through the indirect regulation in MtLHY. Its participation in nodulation is of interest in the context of functional conservation and the neo-functionalization of the products of LUX orthologs.     

纳滤法制备高纯度雪莲果低聚果糖及其结构表征

采用纳滤分离技术以雪莲果为原料纯化低聚果糖,通过Box-Behnken中心组合设计（CCD）及响应面分析（RSM）建立预测低聚果糖纯度的二次多项数学模型,优化分离纯化工艺。结果表明：操作压力0.15 MPa,循环流量5.3 mL/min,pH值2.7时,纯化倍数为5,实际低聚果糖纯度为95.1%,达到P级产品标准。通过应用HPLC-MS、IR、¹H NMR及¹³C NMR等对雪莲果低聚果糖组分的纯度、组成、结构进行表征,结果表明：分离纯化得到的雪莲果低聚果糖由蔗果三糖、蔗果四糖和蔗果五糖组成,纯度为95.1%,平均包含5个果糖单元,主要是由β-呋喃构型的果糖组成。     

Cu^2＋、Cd^2＋和Cr^6＋对孔雀鱼的单一与联合毒性效应

采用静水生物测试法研究了Cu、Cd和Cr等重金属对孔雀鱼的单一与联合毒性效应。单一毒性试验结果表明：暴露时间为24,48,72和96h时,Cu^2＋对孔雀鱼的LC50分别为5．70,4．02,2．95和2．36mg／L,Cd^2＋对孔雀鱼的LC50分别为23．24,20．15,18．07和17．71mg／L,Cr^6＋对孔雀鱼的LC50分别为88．56,65．21,47．81和43．40mg／L。3种重金属离子对孔雀鱼均为高毒性,毒性大小为Cu^2＋〉Cdh〉Cr^6＋。联合毒性试验表明：当浓度比为1：1或1：1：1,Cu^2＋与Cd^2＋、Cu^2＋与Cr6＋、Cd^2＋与Cr^6＋以及Cu^2＋、Cd^2＋与Cr^6＋共存时的联合毒性均为毒性增强的协同作用．     

儿童排铅食品问题的研究

列举了铅的毒性和作用机制，尤其是对儿童健康的影响，并对排铅的功能性成分进行了论述，提出研制生产儿童排铅食品势在必行。