Differential Mechanisms of Microbial As(III) and Sb(III) Oxidation and Their Contribution to Tailings Reclamation.

Mine tailings are extremely oligotrophic environments frequently contaminated with elevated As and Sb, making As(III) and Sb(III) oxidation potentially important energy sources for the tailing microbiome. Although they have been proposed to share similar metabolic pathways, a systemic comparison of the As(III) and Sb(III) oxidation mechanisms and energy utilization efficiencies requires further elucidation. In this study, we employed a combination of physicochemical, molecular, and bioinformatic analyses to compare the kinetic and genetic mechanisms of As(III) and Sb(III) oxidation as well as their respective energy efficiencies for fueling the key nutrient acquisition metabolisms.

Short term grazing increased growing-season NO production and decreased its reduction potential by reducing the abundance and expression of nosZ clade II gene in a semi-arid steppe.

Understanding nitrous oxide (NO) production as well as reduction in response to grazing and mowing is essential for designing better management strategies to improve sustainability of grassland ecosystems. We evaluated how four years of grazing or mowing altered NO production and reduction potential, gene abundance, and expression of microbial functional groups pertinent to NO production in situ on a typical grassland in Inner Mongolia. In our study, we found that grazing dramatically raised soil ammonium (NH-N) and nitrate (NO-N) concentrations, AOB gene abundance and potential of NO production through nitrification (N) and denitrification (D) in summer, but lessened the expression of nosZ clade II gene in all seasons.

Phytoplasma-induced Changes in the Acetylome and Succinylome of Provide Evidence for Involvement of Acetylated Proteins in Witches' Broom Disease.

Lysine acetylation and succinylation are post-translational modifications of proteins that have been shown to play roles in plants response to pathogen infection. Phytoplasma infection can directly alter multiple metabolic processes in the deciduous plant Paulownia and lead to Paulownia witches' broom (PaWB) disease, the major cause of Paulownia mortality worldwide. However, the extent and function of lysine aceylation and succinylation during phytoplasma infection have yet to be explored.

Bio-inspired enhancement of friction and adhesion at the polydimethylsiloxane-intestine interface and biocompatibility characterization.

An active navigation of self-propelled miniaturized robot along the intestinal tract without injuring the soft tissue remains a challenge as yet. Particularly in this case an effective control of the interfacial friction and adhesion between the material used and the soft tissue is crucial. In the present study, we investigated the frictional and adhesive properties between polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS, microscopically patterned with micro-pillar arrays and non-patterned with a flat surface) and rabbit small intestinal tract using a universal material tester.

Wastewater treatment by sonophotocatalysis using PEG modified TiO film in a circular Photocatalytic-Ultrasonic system.

TiO photocatalyst film recently has been utilized as the potential candidate for the wastewater treatment, due to its high stability and low toxicity. In order to further increase the photocatalytic ability and stability, different molecular weight of polyethylene glycol (PEG) were used to modify TiO structure to synthesize porous thin film used in the developed Photocatalytic-Ultrasonic system in this work. The results showed that PEG2000 modified TiO calcinated under 450°C for 2h exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity, attributed to the smallest crystallite size and optimal particle size.

Friction Enhancement between Microscopically Patterned Polydimethylsiloxane and Rabbit Small Intestinal Tract Based on Different Lubrication Mechanisms.

A control of friction characteristics between self-propelled robotic system and gastrointestinal tissues plays a key role in achieving active locomotion. Fabrication of micropatterns on soft polymers has been proposed to enhance frictional traction. In the present study, micropillar arrays with different diameters of 60-140 μm were prepared on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) by soft lithography, and a series of friction tests were performed between microscopically patterned/nonpatterned PDMS and rabbit small intestinal tract (SIT) on a universal material tester, with the record of friction coefficient under various experimental conditions (sliding speed: 0.