Scanning the active center of formolase to identify key residues for enhanced C1 to C3 bioconversion.

Background: Formolase (FLS) is a computationally designed enzyme that catalyzes the carboligation of two or three C1 formaldehyde molecules into C2 glycolaldehyde or C3 dihydroxyacetone (DHA). FLS lays the foundation for several artificial carbon fixation and valorization pathways, such as the artificial starch anabolic pathway. However, the application of FLS is limited by its low catalytic activity and product promiscuity.

KIF15 promotes the development and progression of chordoma via activating PI3K-AKT signalling pathway.

Aims: Despite its implication in various human cancers, the expression and functional significance of Kinesin family member 15 (KIF15) in chordomas remain unexplored.

Main Methods: The evaluation of KIF15 protein levels was conducted through immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining and Western blot analysis. Cell proliferation was quantified using MTT and CCK8 assays, whereas cell migration was examined using wound healing and Transwell assays.

Engineering allosteric inhibition of homoserine dehydrogenase by semi-rational saturation mutagenesis screening.

Allosteric regulation by pathway products plays a vital role in amino acid metabolism. Homoserine dehydrogenase (HSD), the key enzyme for the biosynthesis of various aspartate family amino acids, is subject to feedback inhibition by l-threonine and l-isoleucine. The desensitized mutants with the potential for amino acid production remain limited.

Duration perception in peripheral vision: Underestimation increases with greater stimuli eccentricity.

Duration perception plays a fundamental role in our daily visual activities; however, it can be easily distorted, even in the retinal location. While this topic has been extensively investigated in central vision, similar exploration in peripheral vision is still at an early stage. To investigate the influence of eccentricity, a commonly used indicator for quantifying retinal location, on duration perception in peripheral vision, we conducted two psychophysical experiments.

Development of a growth-coupled selection platform for directed evolution of heme biosynthetic enzymes in .

Heme is an important tetrapyrrole compound, and has been widely applied in food and medicine industries. Although microbial production of heme has been developed with metabolic engineering strategies during the past 20 years, the production levels are relatively low due to the multistep enzymatic processes and complicated regulatory mechanisms of microbes. Previous studies mainly adopted the strategies of strengthening precursor supply and product transportation to engineer microbes for improving heme biosynthesis.

Directed evolution of a neutrophilic and mesophilic methanol dehydrogenase based on high-throughput and accurate measurement of formaldehyde.

Methanol is a promising one-carbon feedstock for biomanufacturing, which can be sustainably produced from carbon dioxide and natural gas. However, the efficiency of methanol bioconversion is limited by the poor catalytic properties of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent methanol dehydrogenase (Mdh) that oxidizes methanol to formaldehyde. Herein, the neutrophilic and mesophilic NAD-dependent Mdh from DSM 2334 (Mdh) was subjected to directed evolution for enhancing the catalytic activity.

Nitrogen and sulfur co-doped TiCT MXenes for high-rate lithium-ion batteries.

The electrification of heavy-duty transport and aviation urgently requires new strategies to develop high-rate lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) whose performance fundamentally relies on electrode materials. However, commercially available graphite anodes still suffer from slow kinetics of lithium-ion diffusion and severe safety concerns of lithium plating when achieving the high-rate use goal. Herein, taking TiCT as an example, it is demonstrated that N and S co-doping in TiCT results in a high-rate MXene anode for LIBs.

sEMG-Based Continuous Hand Action Prediction by Using Key State Transition and Model Pruning.

Conventional classification of hand motions and continuous joint angle estimation based on sEMG have been widely studied in recent years. The classification task focuses on discrete motion recognition and shows poor real-time performance, while continuous joint angle estimation evaluates the real-time joint angles by the continuity of the limb. Few researchers have investigated continuous hand action prediction based on hand motion continuity.

Controlled Hydrothermal/Solvothermal Synthesis of High-Performance LiFePO for Li-Ion Batteries.

The sluggish Li-ion diffusivity in LiFePO , a famous cathode material, relies heavily on the employment of a broad spectrum of modifications to accelerate the slow kinetics, including size and orientation control, coating with electron-conducting layer, aliovalent ion doping, and defect control. These strategies are generally implemented by employing the hydrothermal/solvothermal synthesis, as reflected by the hundreds of publications on hydrothermal/solvothermal synthesis in recent years. However, LiFePO is far from the level of controllable preparation, due to the lack of the understanding of the relations between the synthesis condition and the nucleation-and-growth of LiFePO .

[Percutaneous fixation with helical bridge combined fixation system for long split fractures involving the middle and upper humerus].

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of percutanous fixation with helical bridge combined fixation system (BCFS) for treatment of long split fractures involving the middle and upper humerus.

Methods: Between February 2018 and February 2020, 15 patients of long split fractures involving the middle and upper humerus were treated. There were 6 males and 9 females, with an average age of 62 years (range, 37-82 years).

Understanding charge storage in NbCT MXene as an anode material for lithium ion batteries.

MXenes represent an emerging family of two-dimensional materials of transition metal carbides/carbonitrides terminated with functional groups like -O, -OH, and -F on the chemically active surface of MX slabs. As a member of the family, NbCT exhibits superior lithium storage capacity over most of the other MXenes as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, an in-depth understanding of the charge storage mechanism is still lacking so far.

Zero Lithium Miscibility Gap Enables High-Rate Equimolar Li(MnFe)PO Solid Solution.

Forming olivine-structured Li(Mn,Fe)PO solid solution is theoretically a feasible way to improve the energy density of the solid solutions for lithium ion batteries. However, the Jahn-Teller active Mn in the solid solution restricts their energy density and rate performance. Here, as demonstrated by operando X-ray diffraction, we show that equimolar LiMnFePO solid solution nanocrystals undergo a single-phase transition during the whole (de)lithiation process, with a feature of zero lithium miscibility gap, which endows the nanocrystals with excellent electrochemical properties.

Knockdown of TMED3 inhibits cell viability and migration and increases apoptosis in human chordoma cells.

Chordoma is a rare low‑grade tumor of the axial skeleton. Over previous decades, a range of targeted drugs have been used for treating chordoma, with more specific and effective therapies under investigation. Transmembrane Emp24 protein transport domain containing 3 (TMED3) is a novel gene reported to be a regulator of oncogenesis, cancer development and metastasis; however, its role in chordoma remains unclear.

Unique chemical activity in porous YbBC ceramics with high porosity and high compressive strength.

High purity layered YbBC powder is synthesized by a boro/carbothermic reduction method using YbBO, BC and graphite powders as raw materials. Its X-ray diffraction data are presented, and the space group P4/mbm (No. 127) is confirmed.

Seasonal characterization of aerosol composition and sources in a polluted city in Central China.

We characterized the aerosol composition and sources of particulate matter (PM) in Sanmenxia, a polluted city located in the Fen-Wei Plain region of Central China. The PM concentration decreased by 18% from 72 μg m in 2014 to 59 μg m in 2019. All chemical species presented pronounced seasonal variations, with their highest concentrations in winter due to enhanced emissions and the frequent stagnant meteorological conditions.

Quantifying the rigidity of 2D carbides (MXenes).

MXenes represent a family of surface-functionalized two-dimensional (2D) carbides and nitrides with potential applications in the field of flexible electronics, which rely on their elasticity and flexibility. However, the knowledge on such aspects is rather limited. Here, taking the four most typical MXenes, namely, TiCT, TiCT, NbCT and NbCT (T = O, OH and F) as examples, we evaluate their intrinsic in-plane stiffness and out-of-plane rigidity at the nanoscale with respect to their functional groups, chemical components and thickness by first-principles calculations.

Functional Reconstruction of Hindfoot With Total Calcaneus and Talus Loss by Ilizarov Technique: A Case Report.

Total calcaneus and talus loss in the hindfoot is an unusual but severe condition encountered in clinical settings. This condition affects lower-extremity function and poses a significant challenge to limb salvage. We present a case of a 43-year-old man with total calcaneus and talus loss in the right foot treated by Ilizarov technique.

Interlayer engineering of TiCT MXenes towards high capacitance supercapacitors.

Electrochemical pseudocapacitors store energy via intercalation or electrosorption and faradaic charge transfer with redox reactions. MXenes represent the promising intercalation pseudocapacitive electrode materials for supercapacitors due to their ultrahigh theoretical capacitances. Achieving a high capacitance will greatly advance the large-scale applications as in power grids.

High-Energy-Density Hydrogen-Ion-Rocking-Chair Hybrid Supercapacitors Based on TiC T MXene and Carbon Nanotubes Mediated by Redox Active Molecule.

MXenes have emerged as promising high-volumetric-capacitance supercapacitor electrode materials, whereas their voltage windows are not wide. This disadvantage prevents MXenes from being made into aqueous symmetric supercapacitors with high energy density. To attain high energy density, constructing asymmetric supercapacitors is a reliable design choice.