Assembly of a DNA Origami Chinese Knot by Only 15% of the Staple Strands

As a giant leap in DNA self-assembly, DNA origami has exhibited an unprecedented ability to construct nanostructures with arbitrary shapes and sizes. In typical DNA origami, hundreds of short DNA staple strands fold a long, single-stranded (ss) DNA scaffold cooperatively into designed nanostructures. However, large numbers of DNA strands are expensive and would hinder applications such as pharmaceutical investigations because of the complicated components. Therefore, one challenge is how to reduce the number of staple strands needed to construct DNA origami. For a DNA origami structure, the scale-free folding pattern of the scaffold strand is determined by staple strands at the branching vertexes. Simple duplex regions help to define the size-related features of the origami geometry. In this study, we hypothesized that a scaffold strand can be correctly folded into a designed topology by using only staple strands involved in branching vertexes. After assembly, any remaining, flexible, single-stranded regions of the scaffold could be converted into rigid duplexes by DNA polymerase to achieve the designed geometric structures. To demonstrate the concept, we used only 18 staple strands (covering 15 % of the scaffold strand) to assemble a porous DNA nanostructure, which was visualized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). This study helps understanding of the role of cooperativity in origami folding, and provides a cost-effective approach for small-scale prototyping DNA origami.     

多肽N端修饰方法研究进展

多肽是源于生物体内的一类重要的生物活性物质,但由于稳定性差等原因,大大限制了其应用。通过对多肽进行结构修饰,可以改变其理化性质,进而提高其稳定性及生物活性。综述了近年来多肽N端修饰方法的研究进展,包括乙酰化、PEG(聚乙二醇)修饰、荧光试剂修饰、多肽N端亲水性基团修饰、NCL及EPL连接反应等,介绍了2-氨基辛酸、丁烯酶1、N-脒基-焦谷氨酰苯丙氨酸、N-terminal caps等多肽N端修饰实例。     

Photopolymerization synthesis of polyacrylic acid dispersant with methoxysilicon end groups and its application in a nano‐SiO2 aqueous system

In order to improve the dispersity and stability of the nano‐SiO₂ aqueous system with high solid content, a kind of polyacrylic acid dispersant with methoxysilicon end groups (KH590‐PAA) was synthesized by photopolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) initiated with (3‐mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (KH590). After adding KH590‐PAA into the nano‐SiO₂ aqueous dispersion system (20 wt% solid content), the viscosity and the curing time of the system were measured with a rotational viscometer and the inverted bottle method. Moreover, the dispersion mechanism of KH590‐PAA for the nano‐SiO₂ aqueous system was researched by measuring the adsorption capacity, the particle size and the zeta potential of the nanoparticles with a conductivity meter, dynamic light scattering, SEM and TEM, respectively. The results showed that the methoxysilicon groups in KH590‐PAA could react with hydroxyl groups on the surface of nano‐SiO₂ in the process of stirring, which enhanced the adsorption capacity of the dispersant and then increased the surface charge of the particles. Therefore, electrostatic repulsion and steric hindrance effects between the SiO₂ nanoparticles could be further enhanced by adding the KH590‐PAA dispersant, and then the nano‐SiO₂ aqueous system exhibited better dispersity and stability. Besides, the dispersion properties of SiO₂ nanoparticles in water were closely related to the addition amount and the molecular weight of the KH590‐PAA dispersant. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

A novel temperature-tolerant foamed resin for enhanced oil recovery

The synthesis and performance of a novel temperature-tolerant foamed resin for enhanced oil recovery were investigated using various methods, including infrared, NMR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and displacement experiments. Polycondensation of furfuryl alcohol prepolymers was confirmed by the infrared and NMR results. The poor temperature tolerance of furfuryl alcohol prepolymers after gelation at high temperatures is mainly due to the fracture of furan rings. The addition of ester additives is an effective method of increasing the temperature tolerance of the prepared foamed resins and can effectively reduce the weight-loss rate of the polycondensation products. The SEM results show that the skeleton structure of the foamed resin remains intact after high-temperature treatment. Thus, the novel plugging agent system has excellent thermal stability and still has a high strength (>0.8 MPa) after high-temperature aging treatment for 40 days, giving the prepared foamed resin a good plugging performance (plugging rate > 91%) at 250 °C. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47161.     

Silver-plated polyamide fabrics with high electromagnetic shielding effectiveness performance prepared by in situ reduction of polydopamine and chemical silvering

In this article, the silver-plated polyamide fabrics (SPPAFs) with high electroconductibility and shielding effectiveness were fabricated by using in situ reduction of polydopamine and chemical silvering. The effects of SPPAFs dopamine (C₈H₁₁O₂N) and silver nitrate (AgNO₃) concentration on surface resistivity and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness were studied. The results showed that the surface resistivity of SPPAFs can reach a minimum value of 0.06 ± 0.014 Ω cm⁻¹, when C₈H₁₁O₂N concentration is 4 g L⁻¹ and the AgNO₃ concentration is 120 g L⁻¹. The shielding effectiveness of SPPAFs in the wide frequency range of 10–3000 MHz increases with the increase in the concentration of AgNO₃, and increases first and stabilizes afterward with increasing C₈H₁₁O₂N concentration. When the concentration of C₈H₁₁O₂N and AgNO₃ is 3 and 120 g L⁻¹, respectively, mean shielding effectiveness values in the low-, medium-, and high-frequency bands are 71.3, 73.8, and 76.1 dB, respectively. Moreover, the mean shielding effectiveness values is 83.79 dB in the frequency range of 1.2–2.3 GHz. The dominant shielding mechanism of SPPAFs is the reflected electromagnetic waves and the absorption shielding effectiveness is less than 2 dB. The average electromagnetic shielding values of SPPAFs are above 67 dB after 16 weeks of storage, when C₈H₁₁O₂N concentration is 4 g L⁻¹ and the AgNO₃ concentration is 80 and 100 g L⁻¹. The prepared SPPAFs show promising applications in military textiles and smart wearable clothing. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 48227.     

基于机器视觉的运煤车车号识别技术研究

在铁路运煤装车过程中为了快速、准确地识别车号,提出一种基于机器视觉的运煤车车号识别技术。将连通区域提取与投影分割法结合,实现车号的粗定位、细分割,并对图像中的断裂字符进行二次分割,构建了基于BP神经网络的分类模型进行车号识别,提升了煤炭装车的效率和精度。     

A new perspective of co-doping and Nd segregation effect on proton stability and transportation in Y and Nd co-doped BaCeO3

Bulk and surface properties of proton stability and transportation in Y and Nd co-doped BaCeO₃ (BCYN), especially the effect of Nd segregation, were investigated by first-principles calculations. Since the structure of doped BaCeO₃ at the operating temperature of proton-conducting has been unclear for a long time, we have summarized the latest experimental results and calculated the structure of the asymmetric BCYN for the first time. The results show that compared with Y, Nd doping promotes oxygen vacancy formation, however reduces proton stability. Our calculation can also provide a possible explanation for the formation of space charge layer at the grain boundary of doped BaCeO₃ in experiment. Unlike the stable Y in BCYN, Nd is calculated to be easily segregated, which can facilitate both proton hydration and proton transportation near the surface. Moreover, Nd segregation at the grain boundary is predicted to be beneficial for proton transportation between grains.     

Rapid screening of DON contamination in whole wheat meals by Vis/NIR spectroscopy and computer vision coupling technology

This work intends to develop an online experimental system for screening of deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination in whole wheat meals by visible/near-infrared (Vis/NIR) spectroscopy and computer vision coupling technology. Spectral and image information of samples with various DON levels was collected at speed of 0.15 m s⁻¹ on a conveyor belt. The two-type data were then integrated and subjected to chemometric analysis. Discriminant analysis showed that samples could be classified by setting 1000 μg kg⁻¹ as the cut-off value. The best correct classified rate obtained in prediction was 93.55% based on fusion of spectral and image features, with reduced prediction uncertainty as compared to single feature. However, quantification of DON by quantitative analysis was not successful due to poor model performance. These results indicate that, although not accurate enough to provide conclusive result, this coupling technology could be adopted for rapid screening of DON contamination in cereals and feeds during processing.     

Ni-Foam Structured Ni-Phyllosilicate Ensemble as an Efficient Monolithic Catalyst for CO2 Methanation

This work proposed a new path to synthesize Ni-phyllosilicate through the reaction of nickel hydroxide and silica sol on the surface of Ni-foam to form the monolithic Ni-phyllosilicate/Ni-foam catalyst. Ni-phyllosilicate could reprint the morphology of nickel hydroxid and firmly anchor on the framework of Ni-foam, which obtained fine Ni particles of 2.8 nm after reduction in H₂ at 650 °C, resulting in high catalytic activity for CO₂ methanation. In addition, the Ni-phyllosilicate/Ni-foam catalyst showed high long-term stability in a 100 h-lifetime test owing to the combined effects of surface confinement of Ni-phyllosilicate, firm anchoring between Ni-phyllosilicate and Ni-foam, as well as the high heat transfer property of Ni-foam.

Graphical Abstract