Reconfigurable origami-inspired multistable metamorphous structures.

Origami-inspired metamorphous structures can adjust their shapes and mechanical behaviors according to operational requirements. However, they are typically composed of nonrigid origami, where required facet deformation complicates actuation and makes them highly material dependent. In this study, we present a type of origami metamorphous structure composed of modular bistable units, each of which is a rigid origami. The elasticity within the origami creases and switching of mountain and valley crease lines enable it to have bistability. The resultant metamorphous structure has multistability, allowing it to switch among multifarious configurations with programmable profiles. This concept was validated by potential energy analysis and experiments. Using this concept, we developed a robotic limb capable of both lifting and gripping through configuration changes. Furthermore, we used the origami units to construct a metamaterial whose properties could change with the variation of configurations. These examples demonstrate the concept's remarkable versatility and potential for many applications.

Why are graminoid species more dominant? Trait-mediated plant-soil feedbacks shape community composition.

Species traits may determine plant interactions along with soil microbiome, further shaping plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs). However, how plant traits modulate PSFs and, consequently, the dominance of plant functional groups remains unclear. We used a combination of field surveys and a two-phase PSF experiment to investigate whether forbs and graminoids differed in PSFs and in their trait-PSF associations. When grown in forb-conditioned soils, forbs experienced stronger negative feedbacks, while graminoids experienced positive feedbacks. Graminoid-conditioned soil resulted in neutral PSFs for both functional types. Forbs with thin roots and small seeds showed more-negative PSFs than those with thick roots and large seeds. Conversely, graminoids with acquisitive root and leaf traits (i.e., thin roots and thin leaves) demonstrated greater positive PSFs than graminoids with thick roots and tough leaves. By distinguishing overall and soil biota-mediated PSFs, we found that the associations between plant traits and PSFs within both functional groups were mainly mediated by soil biota. A simulation model demonstrated that such differences in PSFs could lead to a dominance of graminoids over forbs in natural plant communities, which might explain why graminoids dominate in grasslands. Our study provides new insights into the differentiation and adaptation of plant life-history strategies under selection pressures imposed by soil biota.

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Drought-Responsive Pathways and Key Genes of Two Oat (Avena sativa) Varieties.

To cope with the yield loss caused by drought stress, new oat varieties with greater drought tolerance need to be selected. In this study, two oat varieties with different drought tolerances were selected for analysis of their phenotypes and physiological indices under moderate and severe soil drought stress. The results revealed significant differences in the degree of wilting, leaf relative water content (RWC), and SOD and CAT activity between the two oat genotypes under severe soil drought stress; moreover, the drought-tolerant variety exhibited a significant increase in the number of stomata and wax crystals on the surface of both the leaf and guard cells; additionally, the morphology of the guard cells was normal, and there was no significant disruption of the grana lamella membrane or the nuclear envelope. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis revealed that the expression of genes related to the biosynthesis of waxes and cell-wall components, as well as those of the WRKY family, significantly increased in the drought-tolerant variety. These findings suggest that several genes involved in the antioxidant pathway could improve drought tolerance in plants by regulating the increase/decrease in wax and cell-wall constituents and maintaining normal cellular water potential, as well as improving the ability of the antioxidant system to scavenge peroxides in oats.

Single-cell sequencing reveals the immune microenvironment landscape related to anti-PD-1 resistance in metastatic colorectal cancer with high microsatellite instability.

BACKGROUND: The objective response rate of microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients with first-line anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) monotherapy is only 40-45%. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) enables unbiased analysis of the full variety of cells comprising the tumor microenvironment. Thus, we used scRNA-seq to assess differences among microenvironment components between therapy-resistant and therapy-sensitive groups in MSI-H/mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) mCRC. Resistance-related cell types and genes identified by this analysis were subsequently verified in clinical samples and mouse models to further reveal the molecular mechanism of anti-PD-1 resistance in MSI-H or dMMR mCRC. METHODS: The response of primary and metastatic lesions to first-line anti-PD-1 monotherapy was evaluated by radiology. Cells from primary lesions of patients with MSI-H/dMMR mCRC were analyzed using scRNA-seq. To identify the marker genes in each cluster, distinct cell clusters were identified and subjected to subcluster analysis. Then, a protein‒protein interaction network was constructed to identify key genes. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were applied to verify key genes and cell marker molecules in clinical samples. Immunohistochemistry, quantitative real-time PCR, and western blotting were performed to examine the expression of IL-1ß and MMP9. Moreover, quantitative analysis and sorting of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and CD8+ T cells were performed using flow cytometry. RESULTS: Tumor responses in 23 patients with MSI-H/dMMR mCRC were evaluated by radiology. The objective response rate was 43.48%, and the disease control rate was 69.57%. ScRNA-seq analysis showed that, compared with the treatment-resistant group, the treatment-sensitive group accumulated more CD8+ T cells. Experiments with both clinical samples and mice indicated that infiltration of IL-1ß-driven MDSCs and inactivation of CD8+ T cells contribute to anti-PD-1 resistance in MSI-H/dMMR CRC. CONCLUSIONS: CD8+ T cells and IL-1ß were identified as the cell type and gene, respectively, with the highest correlation with anti-PD-1 resistance. Infiltration of IL-1ß-driven MDSCs was a significant factor in anti-PD-1 resistance in CRC. IL-1ß antagonists are expected to be developed as a new treatment for anti-PD-1 inhibitor resistance.

Reference genome assemblies reveal the origin and evolution of allohexaploid oat.

Common oat (Avena sativa) is an important cereal crop serving as a valuable source of forage and human food. Although reference genomes of many important crops have been generated, such work in oat has lagged behind, primarily owing to its large, repeat-rich polyploid genome. Here, using Oxford Nanopore ultralong sequencing and Hi-C technologies, we have generated a reference-quality genome assembly of hulless common oat, comprising 21 pseudomolecules with a total length of 10.76 Gb and contig N50 of 75.27 Mb. We also produced genome assemblies for diploid and tetraploid Avena ancestors, which enabled the identification of oat subgenomes and provided insights into oat chromosomal evolution. The origin of hexaploid oat is inferred from whole-genome sequencing, chloroplast genomes and transcriptome assemblies of different Avena species. These findings and the high-quality reference genomes presented here will facilitate the full use of crop genetic resources to accelerate oat improvement.

Thiolate-Bridged Dicobalt Complexes Bearing Hydrazine, Hydrazido, and Diazenido Ligands: Synthesis, Structural Characterization, and Interconversion.

Synthetic di- or multimetallic complexes bearing NxHy nitrogenous ligands in a sulfur-rich coordination environment have attracted considerable attention due to their importance in evaluating the complex mechanism of biological nitrogen fixation. Herein, we report a series of thiolate-bridged dicobalt NxHy species obtained by treatment of CoIIICoIII precursor with hydrazine and its substituted derivatives at ambient temperature. Remarkably, when the substituent is the cyclohexyl group, the resulting species can interconvert through different pathways. This Co2S2 skeleton provides a new model system for obtaining valuable information about the early N2Hx-bound intermediate species during the catalytic cycle of nitrogenase.

Response of Arthrobacter QD 15-4 to dimethyl phthalate by regulating energy metabolism and ABC transporters.

Ubiquitous dimethyl phthalate (DMP) has severely threatened environmental safety and the health of organisms. Therefore, it is necessary to degrade DMP, removing it from the environment. Microbiological degradation is an efficient and safe method for degrading DMP. In this study, the response of Arthrobacter QD 15-4 to DMP was investigated. The results showed that the growth of Arthrobacter QD 15-4 was not impacted by DMP and Arthrobacter QD 15-4 could degrade DMP. RNA-Seq and RT-qPCR results showed that DMP treatment caused some changes in the expression of key genes in Arthrobacter QD 15-4. The transcriptional expressions of pstSCAB and phoU were downregulated by DMP. The transcriptional expressions of potACD, gluBC, oppAB, pdhAB, aceAF, gltA were upregulated by DMP. The genes are mainly involved in regulating energy metabolism and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters. The increasing of pyruvic acid and citrate in Arthrobacter QD 15-4 further supported the energy metabolism was improved by DMP. It was clearly shown that Arthrobacter QD 15-4 made response to dimethyl phthalate by regulating energy metabolism and ABC transporters.

Response of Pseudomonas fluorescens to dimethyl phthalate.

Dimethyl phthalate (DMP) is a ubiquitous pollutant that is very harmful to organisms due to its mutagenicity, teratogenicity and carcinogenicity. Pseudomonas fluorescens (P. fluorescens) is one of the most important bacteria in the environment. In this study, the response of P. fluorescens to DMP was investigated. It was found that DMP greatly inhibited the growth and glucose utilization of P. fluorescens when the concentration of DMP was ranged from 20 to 40 mg/l. The surface hydrophobicity and membrane permeability of P. fluorescens were also increased by DMP. DMP could lead to the deformations of cell membrane and the mis-opening of membrane channels. RNA-Seq and RT-qPCR results showed that the expression of some genes in P. fluorescens were altered, including the genes involved in energy metabolism, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporting and two-component systems. Additionally, the productions of lactic acid and pyruvic acid were reduced and the activity of hexokinase was inhibited in P. fluorescens by DMP. Clearly, the results suggested that DMP contamination could alter the biological function of P. fluorescens in the environment.

Phthalic acid esters disturbed the genetic information processing and improved the carbon metabolism in black soils.

Phthalic acid esters (PAEs), such as dimethyl phthalate (DMP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), are widely distributed as environmental pollutants. In this study, the effects of these chemicals were investigated in black soils using a metagenomics approach. The results clearly showed that DMP or DBP increased the abundance of genes involved in transcription, replication and repair in black soils. In addition, the abundances of genes associated with metabolic functions was improved following treatment with DMP or DBP, including those involved in lipid transport and metabolism, carbohydrate transport and metabolism, and energy production and conversion. There could be many reasons for these observed changes. First, the DMP or DBP treatments increased the abundances of genes associated with the LuxR family, the UvrABC repair system, DNA replication pathways, the RNA polymerase complex and base excision repair. Second, the abundances of genes associated with isocitrate lyase regulator (IclR) family transcriptional regulators, lipid metabolism and carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZys) were altered by the DMP or DBP treatments. Finally, the DMP or DBP treatments also increased the emission load of CO2 and altered the fluorescence intensity of humic acid. Therefore, the results of this study suggested that DMP and DBP contamination altered the abundances of genes associated with genetic information processing and improved the carbon metabolism in black soils.

[Research on rapid determination of organic matter concentration in aquaculture water based on ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy].

Ultraviolet/visible (UV/Vis) spectroscopy was investigated for the rapid determination of chemical oxygen demand (COD) which was an indicator to measure the concentration of organic matter in aquaculture water. A total number of 135 collected turtle breeding water samples were scanned for UV/Vis spectrum, uninformative variable elimination (UVE) and successive projections algorithm (SPA) were combined as a mixed variable selection method to perform characteristic wavelength selection from the full wavelength spectrum, 7 characteristic wavelengths were selected from full 201 UV/Vis spectral variables, which were just 3.48% number of the full range spectrum, and the calibration time and complexity of the modeling were greatly reduced. The predicted results which were obtained by using least squares-support vector machine (LS-SVM) calibration showed that the characteristic wavelengths achieved better results (0.89 for correlation coefficient (r), 15.46 mg x L(-1) for root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP)) than full wavelengths did (0.88 for r and 15.71 mg x L(-1) for RMSEP). The comprehensive results revealed that the UV/Vis characteristic wavelengths which were obtained by UVE-SPA variable selection method, combined with LS-SVM calibration could apply to the rapid and accurate determination of COD in aquaculture water. Moreover, this study laid the foundation for further implementation of online analysis of aquaculture water and rapid determination of other water quality parameters.

[The method of phytoplankton photosynthesis activity in-situ measurement based on light induced fluorescence].

According to the phytoplankton fluorescence induction characteristics under different light conditions, chlorophyll fluorescence as a probe for analysis of phytoplankton photosynthesis was studied. The present paper proposed a in-situ measurement method based on the chlorophyll fluorescence values Ft and Fm to get phytoplankton photosynthesis activity, Chlorella vulgaris, microcystis aeruginosa and Cyclotella meneghiniana Kiits were selected as experimental subjects, a comparison test was done between self-developed in-situ measurement system and Water PAM in lab, and the results showed that coefficients between the two methods were 0.9778, 0.8786 and 0.7953. This work provides a rapid and in-situ measurement method for phytoplankton photosynthesis activity.

[Application of internal standard to analysis of the metal Ni element in soils by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy].

We quantitatively analyzed the content of the element Ni in the national standard soil samples by the method of X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy through using EDXRF metal experimental platform in ambient environment of the laboratory. Studying the characteristics of X-ray fluorescence of element Ni in the experiment, the calibration curve of element Ni was measured by using the adding internal standard method and the method of how to select the internal standard element was analysed according to the experimental results. The experimental results demonstrate that the matrix suitable element can be selected as the internal standard element to analyse the soil samples; using Pb L(alpha) line, Cu, Fe and K(alpha) lines as internal standard lines, the relative deviation of element from the standard value is 6.24%, 5.24% and 5.22%, which indicates that selecting the appropriate characteristic line of the matrix major element as the internal standard line can effectively improve measurement accuracy of the results.

[Study on the automatic recognition method of elemental spectra in laser induced breakdown spetroscopy].

According to the spectral line broadening mechanism of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy, the emission lines from the standard spectral database of NIST were simulated, and they were compared with the spectral data of experiment. In the process of comparison similarity measure was used to measure the similarity between the simulative spectra and the experimental spectra. The automatic recognition method of elemental spectra was studied, and the spectral data of soil between 340 and 345 nm was recognized by computing the proportional coefficients of the spectral lines. Using principle of nonlinear least squares, the recognition process was completed. The feasibility and the advantage of the method were proved by the results of experiment.

[Study on measurement of trace heavy metal Ni in water by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy technique].

The spectroscopy emission characteristics and the detection limit of trace heavy metal nickel in water was studied based on laser induced breakdown spectroscopy technique, with a 1,064 nm wavelength Nd : YAG laser as excitation source, and the echelle spectrometer and ICCD detector were used for spectral separation and high sensitive detection with high resolution and wide spectral range. A round flat solid state graphite as matrix was used for element enrichment for reducing water splashing, extending the plasma lifetime and improving the detection sensitivity, and the experimental sample was prepared by titrating a fixed volume of nickel nitrate solution of different concentrations on a fixed area of the graphite matrix. The results show that the better detection delay time is about 700 ns, the spectrum intensity raises with the concentration increase, a good linear relationship is presented at low concentration with a correlation coefficient 0.996 1, and the lower limit of detection of nickel in water with 0.28 mg x L(-1) was retrieved. A measurement method for further study of trace heavy metals in water is provided with laser induced breakdown spectroscopy technique.

[Detection of sinus arrhythmias and atrial arrhythmias based on multiscale time irreversibilty].

Time irreversibility is a fundamental property of nonequilibrium systems. It is significant to measure the trend of change of time irreversible index under different physiological and pathological state of electrocardiosignal. We analyzed and tested the heart rate variability (HRV) signals of the normal sinus rhythm, atrial contraction, sinus bradycardia in the MIT-BIH standard database using the multiscale time irreversiblity method. It was shown that the time irreversiblity index of the normal heart rhythm, atrial premature beats and bradycardia were in the decreasing trend. The results would be helpful to clinical diagnosis as a secondary means.

[Detrended fluctuation analysis of pathological cardiac signals].

The analysis of pathological electrocardiogram (ECG) signals is of importance for aided clinical diagnosis. We analyzed the self-similarity of normal heart rhythm, congestive heart failure and sudden cardiac death signal in the present paper using detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), in order to achieve these two pathological ECG signal detection. The scale index(alpha) was achieved by analyzing and detecting normal heart rhythm, congestive heart failure and sudden cardiac death in the MIT-BIH standard database. Analysis of variance showed that the scale index could distinguish between congestive heart failure and sudden cardiac death accordingly.

[Study on the automatic extraction method of spectral data features in laser induced breakdown spectroscopy].

According to that the spectral line broadening of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was lorentz nonlinear function model, using Levenberg-Marquardt (L-M) agorithm to optimally estimate the undetermined parameter in the function, the continuum background radiation and peak position and peak intensity were corrected, and the method of data points automatic extraction for fitting was analysed. Automatic fitting and feature parameter extraction for spectral data of LIBS based on L-M algorithm that was hybrid programming with matrixVB and VB were accomplished,and the result was compared with the origin 7.5 data analysis software which was manual and commonly used and verified its stability and reliability.

[Effect of surface modification on surface energy of lactose and performance of dry powder inhalations].

AIM: To investigate the effects of surface modification of lactose carrier on performance of dry powder inhalations (DPIs). METHODS: Modified lactose surface was prepared using a "particle smoothing" process to obtain smooth carrier surface and low surface energy with the presence of magnesium stearate, colloidal silica dioxide and talc. Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) was used to assess the surface energy of treated lactose, and the in vitro deposition of carrier-based IFNa-2b DPIs was evaluated with twin stage impinger. RESULTS: The flowing property of lactose was greatly improved and the surface energy decreased by the "particle smoothing" process. Decreasing surface energy resulted in greater aspiration fraction of IFNa-2b. CONCLUSION: IGC is a potentially useful tool for rapid formulation design and screening.