An archaeal virus-encoded anti-CRISPR protein inhibits type III-B immunity by inhibiting Cas RNP complex turnover.

CRISPR-Cas systems are widespread in prokaryotes and provide adaptive immune against viral infection. Viruses encode a type of proteins called anti-CRISPR to evade the immunity. Here, we identify an archaeal virus-encoded anti-CRISPR protein, AcrIIIB2, that inhibits Type III-B immunity.

Aqueous microdroplets promote C-C bond formation and sequences in the reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle.

The reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle (rTCA) is a central anabolic network that uses carbon dioxide (CO) and may have provided complex carbon substrates for life before the advent of RNA or enzymes. However, non-enzymatic promotion of the rTCA cycle, in particular carbon fixation, remains challenging, even with primordial metal catalysis. Here, we report that the fixation of CO by reductive carboxylation of succinate and α-ketoglutarate was achieved in aqueous microdroplets under ambient conditions without the use of catalysts.

Integration of Cobalt Phthalocyanine, Acetylene Black and Cu O Nanocubes for Efficient Electroreduction of CO to C H.

Suppressing side reactions and simultaneously enriching key intermediates during CO reduction reaction (CO RR) has been a challenge. Here, we propose a tandem catalyst (Cu O NCs-C-Copc) consisting of acetylene black, cobalt phthalocyanine (Copc) and cuprous oxide nanocubes (Cu O NCs) for efficient CO -to-ethylene conversion. Density-functional theory (DFT) calculation combined with experimental verification demonstrated that Copc can provide abundant CO to nearby copper sites while acetylene black successfully reduces the formation energies of key intermediates, leading to enhanced C H selectivity.

CuO Nanoparticles Wrapped by N-Doped Carbon Nanotubes for Efficient Electroreduction of CO to C Products.

Electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO) to C products (ethylene and ethanol) using efficient catalysts is a feasible approach to alleviate the climate crisis. Cuprous oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) are a promising catalyst for C production but suffer from inherent selectivity and durability. To address this challenge, a CuO NPs-nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube (CuO NPs-NCNT) composite was prepared with carbon nanotubes (CNTs), CuO NPs, and phthalocyanine (Pc).

Electrochemiluminescence Distance and Reactivity of Coreactants Determine the Sensitivity of Bead-Based Immunoassays.

Herein we report the study of electrochemiluminescence (ECL) generation by tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium (Ru(bpy) ) and five tertiary amine coreactants. The ECL distance and lifetime of coreactant radical cations were measured by ECL self-interference spectroscopy. And the reactivity of coreactants was quantitatively evaluated in terms of integrated ECL intensity.

Development and Optimization of a Prognostic Model Associated with Stemness Genes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide, which is associated with a variety of risk factors. Cancer stem cells are self-renewal cells, which can promote the occurrence and metastasis of tumors and enhance the drug resistance of tumor treatment. This study aimed to develop a stemness score model to assess the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients for the optimization of treatment.

DNA Motifs and an Accessory CRISPR Factor Determine Cas1 Binding and Integration Activity in .

CRISPR-Cas systems empower prokaryotes with adaptive immunity against invasive mobile genetic elements. At the first step of CRISPR immunity adaptation, short DNA fragments from the invaders are integrated into CRISPR arrays at the leader-proximal end. To date, the mechanism of recognition of the leader-proximal end remains largely unknown.

Early Age Shrinkage and Mechanical Effect of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete Composite Deck: A Case Study with In Situ Test and Numerical Simulation.

For the Honghe Bridge project located in Yunnan Province, Southwest China, a steel/ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) composite deck is used in the suspension bridge with a 700 m main span, and the steel stud connectors are used in the 50 mm-thick UHPC layer. To investigate the shrinkage behavior of UHPC and the relevant influence, the in situ time-dependent strain is measured continuously, and within the 20-day curing time, the material behavior is summarized based on test results. This paper proposes a prediction model for UHPC shrinkage which is refined from the widely used B3 model for normal concrete material, and the parameter values are modified and optimized by experimental comparison.

Effect of the Flame Retardants and Glass Fiber on the Polyamide 66/Polyphenylene Oxide Composites.

In this work, polyamide 66/polyphenylene oxide (PA66/PPO) composites, including the flame retardants 98 wt% aluminum diethylphosphinate + 2 wt% polydimethylsiloxane (P@Si), Al(OH)-coated red phosphorus (RP*), and glass fiber (GF), were systematically studied, respectively. The limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL-94 vertical burning level, and thermal and mechanical properties of the PA66/PPO composites were characterized. The results showed that the P@Si and RP flame retardants both improved the LOI value and UL-94 vertical burning level of the PA66/PPO composites, and PA66/PPO composites passed to the UL-94 V-0 level when the contents of P@Si and RP* flame retardants were 16 wt% and 8 wt%.

Mass spectrometric observation on free radicals during electrooxidation of dopamine.

It has been challenging to directly observe the o-semiquinone radicals and transient intermediates produced during the oxidation of dopamine (DA). To achieve this goal, we developed an electrochemistry-neutral reionization-mass spectrometry (EC-NR-MS) technique for online studying the electrooxidation process of DA. The EC-NR device mainly composed by a self-designed EC flow cell, a sonic spray ionization source, a heating tube, an ion deflector and an electrospray ionization source.

Correction: Mass spectrometric detection of fleeting neutral intermediates generated in electrochemical reactions.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D1SC01385H.].

Mass spectrometric detection of fleeting neutral intermediates generated in electrochemical reactions.

Towards the goal of on-line monitoring of transient neutral intermediates during electrochemical reactions, an electrochemistry-neutral reionization-mass spectrometry (EC-NR-MS) technique was developed in this work. The EC-NR setup consisted of a customized EC flow cell, a sonic spray ionization source, a heating tube, an ion deflector and an electrospray ionization source, which were respectively used for the precise control of the electrochemical reaction, solution nebulization, droplet desolvation, ion deflection and neutral intermediate ionization. Based on the EC-NR-MS approach, some long-sought neutral radicals including TPrA˙, DBAE˙ and TEOA˙, which belong to important reductive intermediates in electrochemiluminescence (ECL) reactions, were successfully identified which helps to clarify the previously unproven ECL reaction mechanism.

CRISPR-Associated Factor Csa3b Regulates CRISPR Adaptation and Cmr-Mediated RNA Interference in .

Acquisition of spacers confers the CRISPR-Cas system with the memory to defend against invading mobile genetic elements. We previously reported that the CRISPR-associated factor Csa3a triggers CRISPR adaptation in . However, a feedback regulation of CRISPR adaptation remains unclear.

A CRISPR-associated factor Csa3a regulates DNA damage repair in Crenarchaeon Sulfolobus islandicus.

CRISPR-Cas system provides acquired immunity against invasive genetic elements in prokaryotes. In both bacteria and archaea, transcriptional factors play important roles in regulation of CRISPR adaptation and interference. In the model Crenarchaeon Sulfolobus islandicus, a CRISPR-associated factor Csa3a triggers CRISPR adaptation and activates CRISPR RNA transcription for the immunity.

Thermally stable monolithic Doppler asymmetric spatial heterodyne interferometer: optical design and laboratory performance.

We report on a thermally stable monolithic Doppler asymmetric spatial heterodyne (DASH) interferometer with field-widening prisms for thermospheric wind measurements by observing the Doppler shift of the airglow emission. Analytical deduction and numerical simulation are applied to determine the central optical path difference, the thermal compensation condition and the field-widening design. A monolithic interferometer with optimized configuration was built and tested in the laboratory.

Preparation and application of a highly sensitive conjugated polymer-copper (Ⅱ) composite fluorescent sensor for detecting hydrazine in aqueous solution.

At first, a conjugated polymer (poly(2,5-bis(4-(bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino) butoxyl)-1,4-Phenylethynylene-1,4-poly(phenylene ethynylene), PPE-DPA) was synthesized based on our earlier report. In this work, a highly selective and sensitive composite fluorescent sensor (PPE-DPA-Cu), which was PPE-DPA complexed with copper ions, has been developed and used to measure trace amounts of hydrazine in environmental water samples. The experiment conditions were investigated.

Ocular Inflammatory Response to Intravitreal Injection of Adeno-Associated Virus Vector: Relative Contribution of Genome and Capsid.

Both subretinal dosing and intravitreal (IVT) dosing of adeno-associated virus (AAV) in higher species induce mild and transient inflammatory responses that increase with dose. Foreign protein and foreign DNA are known inducers of inflammation, which is also true in the immune-privileged ocular environment. We explored which component(s) of AAV vectors, viral capsid, or viral DNA drive inflammatory responses.

Developed a novel sensor based on fluorescent graft conjugated polymer for the determination of aristolochic acid in traditional Chinese medicine.

A novel fluorescent graft conjugated polymer (poly (2, 5-bis (Polyethylene glycol oxybutyrate)-1, 4-phenylethynylene-alt-1, 4-phenyleneethynylene, PPE-OB-PEG) has been designed and synthesized for the determination of aristolochic acid (AA). The detection conditions and detection characters of PPE-OB-PEG were systematically explored in this work. The fluorescence intensity of PPE-OB-PEG changes with the different concentration of AA.

Analysis and correction of distortions in a spatial heterodyne spectrometer system.

In this paper a method for correcting the radial distortion of interferograms generated by a spatial heterodyne spectrometer system is presented. Instead of utilizing calibration patterns, the distortion model parameters are estimated based on the distorted fringe features generated by projecting the straight interference stripes onto the detector. Comparisons between polynomial models and division models indicate that division models can deliver competitive performance on the reconstructed image with fewer parameters.

A Conjugated Polymer Fluorescent Sensor for Continuous Identification of Copper(II) and Pyrophosphate in Blood Serum and Synovial Fluid.

A novel "on-off-on" super-sensitive conjugated polymer fluorescence sensor (PPE-DPA) was developed and it was applied to realize the continuous recognition of Cu and pyrophosphate (PPi). The fluorescence intensity decreased linearly with the change of Cu from 0.05 to 5.

Effective wind and temperature retrieval from Doppler asymmetric spatial heterodyne spectrometer interferograms.

This paper presents a method for wind velocity and Doppler temperature retrieval from interferograms of a Doppler asymmetric spatial heterodyne spectrometer. This method is based on the analytic representation of the signal and the subsequent algorithms. It turns out to be more robust than the conventional Fourier transform method at low SNR.

Fluorescence chemical sensor for determining trace levels of nitroaromatic explosives in water based on conjugated polymer with guanidinium side groups.

A novel fluorescent conjugated polymer (poly(2-amino-N-(2-((4-ethynylphenyl) ethynyl) phenyl)-5-guanidinopentanamide)-1,4-phenylethynylene-1,4-phenyleneethynylene, PPE-Arg) was synthesized in this paper. We found that PPE-Arg could be quenched by picric acid (PA). Photoinduced electron transfer (PET) mechanism can be used to describe the fluorescence quenching of PPE-Arg.

Synthesis, characterization, and anticancer activity of two mixed ligand copper(ii) complexes by regulating the VEGF/VEGFR2 signaling pathway.

The single crystals of two novel mixed-ligand copper(ii)-based complexes were obtained and characterized. These complexes can remarkably induce apoptosis, inhibit proliferation, suppress migration and metastasis, and inhibit angiogenesis to inhibit the growth of cervical cancer by down-regulating the expressions of the important proteins FAK, Akt and Erk1/2 or their phosphorylated proteins p-FAK, p-Akt, and p-Erk1/2 downstream of the VEGF/VEGFR2 signaling pathway.

Correction: The Dkk3 gene encodes a vital intracellular regulator of cell proliferation.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Project DRIVE: A Compendium of Cancer Dependencies and Synthetic Lethal Relationships Uncovered by Large-Scale, Deep RNAi Screening.

Elucidation of the mutational landscape of human cancer has progressed rapidly and been accompanied by the development of therapeutics targeting mutant oncogenes. However, a comprehensive mapping of cancer dependencies has lagged behind and the discovery of therapeutic targets for counteracting tumor suppressor gene loss is needed. To identify vulnerabilities relevant to specific cancer subtypes, we conducted a large-scale RNAi screen in which viability effects of mRNA knockdown were assessed for 7,837 genes using an average of 20 shRNAs per gene in 398 cancer cell lines.