Direct and label‐free detection of the human growth hormone in urine by an ultrasensitive bimodal waveguide biosensor

A label‐free interferometric transducer showing a theoretical detection limit for homogeneous sensing of 5 × 10^–8 RIU, being equivalent to a protein mass coverage resolution of 2.8 fg mm^–2, is used to develop a high sensitive biosensor for protein detection. The extreme sensitivity of this transducer combined with a selective bioreceptor layer enables the direct evaluation of the human growth hormone (hGH) in undiluted urine matrix in the 10 pg mL^–1 range.

     

氮硅添加对高寒草甸垂穗披碱草叶片全氮含量及净光合速率的影响

该文以青藏高原高寒草甸优势种垂穗披碱草(Elymus nutans)为研究对象, 探究不同水平氮肥与硅肥混合添加后对其叶片全氮含量和净光合速率的影响, 以期对高寒草甸牧场施肥提供一定的理论依据。研究发现: 氮、硅单独添加时, 均可提高垂穗披碱草叶片全氮含量以及净光合速率; 氮、硅配施处理对叶片全氮含量和净光合速率均存在显著的交互作用; 低(N₁)、中(N₂)、高(N₃) 3种不同浓度的氮肥处理下, 低硅(Si₁)添加对垂穗披碱草叶片全氮含量以及净光合速率没有显著的促进作用, 而添加中浓度硅肥(Si₂)可显著提高垂穗披碱草叶片全氮含量; 低、中浓度施氮水平下, 中浓度硅肥可显著促进垂穗披碱草光合作用; 叶片全氮含量和净光合速率最大平均值均出现在中浓度氮、硅肥配施下, 与不施肥相比分别提高了119.99%和85.70%; 就该试验而言, 施加氮肥的同时, 适当添加一些硅肥能够更好地提高垂穗披碱草叶片全氮含量和净光合速率, 且硅的添加量为8 g·m^-2时效果较好。     

Enzymes and proteins from extremophiles as hyperstable probes in nanotechnology: the use of D-trehalose/D-maltose-binding protein from the hyperthermophilic archaeon <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thermococcus litoralis</Emphasis> for sugars monitoring

The D-trehalose/D-maltose-binding protein (TMBP), a monomeric protein of 48 kDa, is one component of the trehalose and maltose (Mal) uptake system. In the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus litoralis, this is mediated by a protein-dependent ATP-binding cassette system transporter. The gene coding for a thermostable TMBP from the archaeon T. litoralis has been cloned, and the recombinant protein has been expressed in E. coli. The recombinant TMBP has been purified to homogeneity and characterized. It exhibits the same functional and structural properties as the native one. In fact, it is highly thermostable and binds sugars, such as maltose, trehalose and glucose, with high affinity. In this work, we have immobilized TMBP on a porous silicon wafer. The immobilization of TMBP to the chip was monitored by reflectivity and Fourier Transformed Infrared spectroscopy. Furthermore, we have tested the optical response of the protein-Chip complex to glucose binding. The obtained data suggest the use of this protein for the design of advanced optical non-consuming analyte biosensors for glucose detection. The authors wish to dedicate this work to Prof. Ignacy Gryczynski, University of North Texas, TX, USA, for his outstanding contribution to the development of new sensing methodologies.     

人类TECTB基因的电子克隆

用小鼠和鸡的β-tectorin基因（Tectb)的编码区序列对NCBI数据库进行Blastn比较,得到一个相似性很高的人的gDNA序列（GenBank:AL157786),用GENSCAN、MZEF程序和Blast 2 sequence程序分析AL157786,推测AL157786中包含一个编码区由10个外显子构成的基因－TECTB基因。人TECTB基因的开放阅读框为990bp,推测编码329个氨基酸。人TECTB基因与小鼠的Tectb基因在900bp有88.1%的一致性,在329个氨基酸有94.2%的一致性。用Electronic-PCR将人TECTB基因定位于10q25。     

HvLsi1 is a silicon influx transporter in barley

Most plants accumulate silicon in their bodies, and this is thought to be important for resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses; however, the molecular mechanisms for Si uptake and accumulation are poorly understood. Here, we describe an Si influx transporter, HvLsi1, in barley. This protein is homologous to rice influx transporter OsLsi1 with 81% identity, and belongs to a Nod26-like major intrinsic protein sub-family of aquaporins. Heterologous expression in both Xenopus laevis oocytes and a rice mutant defective in Si uptake showed that HvLsi1 has transport activity for silicic acid. Expression of HvLsi1 was detected specifically in the basal root, and the expression level was not affected by Si supply. There was a weak correlation between Si uptake and the expression level of HvLsi1 in eight cultivars tested. In the seminal roots, HvLsi1 is localized on the plasma membrane on the distal side of epidermal and cortical cells. HvLsi1 is also located in lateral roots on the plasma membrane of hypodermal cells. These cell-type specificity of localization and expression patterns of HvLsi1 are different from those of OsLsi1. These observations indicate that HvLsi1 is a silicon influx transporter that is involved in radial transport of Si through the epidermal and cortical layers of the basal roots of barley.     

氮、硅限制对赤潮藻扁面角毛藻休眠孢子形成的影响

休眠孢子的形成对于赤潮藻种群的保存、延续以及分布扩散等均具有重要的意义。通过单因子营养限制研究氮、硅对赤潮藻扁面角毛藻（Chaetoceros compressus）休眠孢子形成的影响,结果表明：培养基中氮的初始浓度对休眠孢子的出现时间有一定影响。氮的初始浓度越低,休眠孢子出现的时间越早：反之,氮的初始浓度越高,休眠孢子出现的时间越晚。氮缺乏是硅藻形成休眠孢子的必需条件之一,当培养基中氮含量低于10μmol·L^-1时,扁面角毛藻可以形成休眠孢子。氮缺乏诱发的休眠孢子的形成需要大量的硅,当培养基中硅含量低于23μmol·L^-1时,即使氮缺乏,扁面角毛藻也几乎不再继续形成休眠孢子。这说明硅藻休眠孢子的形成不仅受氮浓度的影响,还与硅浓度有关。     

Prospective Life Cycle Assessment of Epitaxial Graphene Production at Different Manufacturing Scales and Maturity

Epitaxial growth is a potential production process for the new material graphene, where it is grown on silicon carbide (SiC) wafers at high temperatures. We provide first estimates of the life cycle cumulative energy demand, climate change, terrestrial acidification, and eco‐toxicity of this production. For this purpose, we applied prospective life cycle assessment (LCA) for three production scenarios (lab, pilot, and an industrial scenario), which reflect different production scales and technological maturity. The functional unit was one square centimeter of graphene. Results show that the three scenarios have similar impacts, which goes against previous studies that have suggested a decrease with larger production scale and technological maturity. The reason for this result is the dominance of electricity use in the SiC wafer production for all impacts (>99% in the worst case, >76% in the best case). Only when assuming thinner SiC wafers in the industrial scenario is there a reduction in impacts by around a factor of 10. A surface‐area–based comparison to the life cycle energy use of graphene produced by chemical vapor deposition showed that epitaxial graphene was considerably more energy intensive—approximately a factor of 1,000. We recommend producers of epitaxial graphene to investigate the feasibility of thinner SiC wafers and use electricity based on wind, solar, or hydropower. The main methodological recommendation from the study is to achieve a temporal robustness of LCA studies of emerging technologies, which includes the consideration of different background systems and differences in production scale and technological maturity.     

Designing Active and Stable Silicon Photocathodes for Solar Hydrogen Production Using Molybdenum Sulfide Nanomaterials

Silicon is a promising photocathode for tandem photoelectrochemical water splitting devices, but efficient catalysis and long term stability remain key challenges. Here, it is demonstrated that with appropriately engineered interfaces, molybdenum sulfide nanomaterials can provide both corrosion protection and catalytic activity in silicon photocathodes. Using a thin MoS₂ surface protecting layer, MoS₂‐n⁺p Si electrodes that show no loss in performance after 100 h of operation are created. Transmission electron microscopy measurements show the atomic structure of the device surface and reveal the characteristics of the MoS₂ layer that provide both catalytic activity and excellent stability. In spite of a low concentration of exposed catalytically active sites, these electrodes possess the best performance of any precious metal‐free silicon photocathodes with demonstrated long term stability to date. To further improve efficiency, a second molybdenum sulfide nanomaterial, highly catalytically active [Mo₃S₁₃]^2? clusters, is incorporated. These photocathodes offer a promising pathway towards sustainable hydrogen production.     

Very High Surface Capacity Observed Using Si Negative Electrodes Embedded in Copper Foam as 3D Current Collectors

Cu foam is evaluated as a replacement for metal foil current collectors to create 3D composite electrodes with the objective to produce Si‐based anodes with high loadings. The electrodes are prepared by casting the slurry into the porosity of the foam. With such a design, the loading and the surface capacity can reach values as high as 10 mg cm^?2 and 10 mAh cm^?2. Compared to the common 2D design, the 3D copper framework shows a great advantage in the cycle life (more than 400 cycles at a Si loading of 10 mg cm^?2 with commercial micrometric particles) and power performance. The thinness of the composite coating on the foam walls favors a better preservation of the electronic wiring upon cycling and fast lithium ion diffusion. A higher coulombic efficiency in half cells with lithium metal as the counter electrode is achieved by using carbon nanofibers (CNF) rather than carbon black (CB). The possibility to reach, in practice, higher surface capacity could allow a significant increase in both the volumetric and gravimetric energy densities by 23% and 19%, respectively, for the Cu foam‐silicon//LiFePO₄ stack compared to the graphite/LiFePO₄ stack of traditional design.