Hierarchically Periodic Macroporous Niobium Oxide Architecture for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution.

The fabrication of periodic macroporous (PM) in NbO via morphological control is crucial for improving the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution efficiency. In this study, NbO with PM is synthesized using a straightforward colloidal crystal templating approach. This material features an open, interconnected macroporous architecture with nanoscale walls, high crystallinity, and substantial porosity.

[Relationship Between Urban Spatial Pattern and Thermal Environment Response in Summer: A Case Study of Hefei City].

With the continuous expansion of cities, the land cover type of the region is transformed, a large number of natural landscapes are replaced by man-made landscapes, and the environmental temperature rises. The study of the response relationship between urban spatial pattern and thermal environment provides some guidance for improving the ecological environment and optimizing the urban spatial layout. Based on the Landsat 8 series remote sensing image data of Hefei City in 2020 and analysis platforms such as ENVI and ARCGIS, Pearson correlation and profile lines were used to reflect the correlation between the two.

Dynamic monitoring and analysis of factors influencing ecological environment quality in northern Anhui, China, based on the Google Earth Engine.

Monitoring the ecological environment quality is an important task that is often connected to achieving sustainable development. Timely and accurate monitoring can provide a scientific basis for regional land use planning and environmental protection. Based on the Google Earth Engine platform coupled with the greenness, humidity, heat, and dryness identified in remote sensing imagery, this paper constructed a remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) covering northern Anhui and quantitatively analyzed the characteristics of the spatiotemporal changes in the ecological environment quality from 2001 to 2020.

Distribution of SOCD along different offshore distances in China's fresh-water lake-Chaohu under different habitats.

Carbon storage in wetland ecosystems is an important part of the carbon cycle of terrestrial ecosystems and provides important ecosystem services. Chaohu Wetland is a typical freshwater lake wetland in China. In this study, soil and plant samples were collected every 500 m through three sample lines of different vegetation habitats (estuarine banks, woodlands and shrub beaches) and different offshore distances, revealing the spatial distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon density (SOCD) in Chaohu wetland.

Research disciplinary interactions on scientific collaboration network in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution: Characteristics and dynamics.

Interdisciplinary scientific collaboration promotes the innovative development of scientific research. Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (PHE) is a typical interdisciplinary subject. This study aims to explore the characteristics of discipline interaction and the temporal evolution in the field.

Acupuncture Reduces the Risk of Dysphagia in Stroke Patients: A Propensity Score-Matched Cohort Study.

Post-stroke dysphagia (PSD) affects the quality of life in stroke patients, impairs their rehabilitation ability, and causes other complications following stroke. Currently, there is currently some understanding of PSD risk factors, but its protective factors remain largely unknown. To analyze the effects of acupuncture (AP) on dysphagia in stroke patients and explore its potential as a preventive therapy.

Machine Learning for Prioritization of Thermostabilizing Mutations for G-Protein Coupled Receptors.

Although the three-dimensional structures of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest superfamily of drug targets, have enabled structure-based drug design, there are no structures available for 87% of GPCRs. This is due to the stiff challenge in purifying the inherently flexible GPCRs. Identifying thermostabilized mutant GPCRs via systematic alanine scanning mutations has been a successful strategy in stabilizing GPCRs, but it remains a daunting task for each GPCR.

Copper is required for oncogenic BRAF signalling and tumorigenesis.

The BRAF kinase is mutated, typically Val 600→Glu (V600E), to induce an active oncogenic state in a large fraction of melanomas, thyroid cancers, hairy cell leukaemias and, to a smaller extent, a wide spectrum of other cancers. BRAF(V600E) phosphorylates and activates the MEK1 and MEK2 kinases, which in turn phosphorylate and activate the ERK1 and ERK2 kinases, stimulating the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway to promote cancer. Targeting MEK1/2 is proving to be an important therapeutic strategy, given that a MEK1/2 inhibitor provides a survival advantage in metastatic melanoma, an effect that is increased when administered together with a BRAF(V600E) inhibitor.

GPCR engineering yields high-resolution structural insights into beta2-adrenergic receptor function.

The beta2-adrenergic receptor (beta2AR) is a well-studied prototype for heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein)-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that respond to diffusible hormones and neurotransmitters. To overcome the structural flexibility of the beta2AR and to facilitate its crystallization, we engineered a beta2AR fusion protein in which T4 lysozyme (T4L) replaces most of the third intracellular loop of the GPCR ("beta2AR-T4L") and showed that this protein retains near-native pharmacologic properties. Analysis of adrenergic receptor ligand-binding mutants within the context of the reported high-resolution structure of beta2AR-T4L provides insights into inverse-agonist binding and the structural changes required to accommodate catecholamine agonists.

A monoclonal antibody for G protein-coupled receptor crystallography.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute the largest family of signaling proteins in mammals, mediating responses to hormones, neurotransmitters, and senses of sight, smell and taste. Mechanistic insight into GPCR signal transduction is limited by a paucity of high-resolution structural information. We describe the generation of a monoclonal antibody that recognizes the third intracellular loop (IL3) of the native human beta(2) adrenergic (beta(2)AR) receptor; this antibody was critical for acquiring diffraction-quality crystals.

Coupling ligand structure to specific conformational switches in the beta2-adrenoceptor.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) regulate a wide variety of physiological functions in response to structurally diverse ligands ranging from cations and small organic molecules to peptides and glycoproteins. For many GPCRs, structurally related ligands can have diverse efficacy profiles. To investigate the process of ligand binding and activation, we used fluorescence spectroscopy to study the ability of ligands having different efficacies to induce a specific conformational change in the human beta2-adrenoceptor (beta2-AR).

A fluorescent probe designed for studying protein conformational change.

The usefulness of fluorescence in studying protein motions derives from its sensitivity, kinetic resolution, and compatibility with both live cells and physiological assays. Recent advances in microscopy and membrane protein purification have permitted the observation of fluorescence changes that accompany the functional transitions of complex eukaryotic membrane proteins. These techniques rely on probes that can clearly report the environmental changes of specific residues, but most commonly available side-chain-reactive probes are not well suited for this purpose.

Multiple sugar binding sites in alpha-glucosidase.

Twenty-five analogs of D-glucose were examined as reversible inhibitors of yeast alpha-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.