Search for Majoron at the COMET experiment

A new Goldstone particle named Majoron is introduced in order to explain the origin of neutrino mass via some new physics models assuming that neutrinos are Majorana particles. By expanding the signal region and using likelihood analysis, it becomes possible to search for Majoron using experiments originally designed to search for \begin{document}$ \mu-e $\end{document} conversion. For the COMET experiment, the sensitivity of process \begin{document}$ \mu \rightarrow eJ $\end{document} is able to reach \begin{document}$ {\cal{B}}(\mu \rightarrow eJ)=2.3\times 10^{-5} $\end{document} in Phase-I and \begin{document}$ O(10^{-8}) $\end{document} in Phase-II. Meanwhile, the sensitivities to search for Majoron in future experiments are also discussed in this article.     

Western blot normalization: Time to choose a proper loading control seriously

Recent research has questioned the validity of housekeeping proteins in Western blot. Our present study proposed new ideas for Western blot normalization that improved the reproducibility of scientific research. We used the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and the web tool GEO2R to exclude unstable housekeeping genes quickly. In ischemic heart tissues, actin and tubulin changed significantly, whereas no statistically significant changes were observed in the expression of genes relative to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). Besides, the reliability of GAPDH was further examined by Western blot. Additionally, unstable housekeeping genes were found in other animal models of cardiovascular medicine. We also found that sodium dodecyl sulfate and temperature significantly impacted the results of Ponceau S staining. Membranes stained with Ponceau S after immunodetection could avoid this interference, and the coefficients of variation for post-immunodetection staining are lower than those produced by GAPDH immunodetection. Overall, we described a new use of differential gene expression analysis and proposed a modified Ponceau S staining method, which provided researchers with a proper loading control for Western blot and hence could improve reproducibility in research.     

Efficient Conversion of Biomass to Formic Acid Coupled with Low Energy Consumption Hydrogen Production from Water Electrolysis

The development of a new electrolytic water hydrogen production coupling system is the key to realize efficient and low-cost hydrogen production and promote its practical application. Herein, a green and efficient electrocatalytic biomass to formic acid (FA) coupled hydrogen production system has been developed. In such a system, carbohydrates such as glucose are oxidized to FA using polyoxometalates (POMs) as the redox anolyte, while H₂ is evolved continuously at the cathode. Among them, the yield of glucose to FA is as high as 62.5 %, and FA is the only liquid product. Furthermore, the system requires only 1.22 V to drive a current density of 50 mA cm⁻², and the Faraday efficiency of hydrogen production is close to 100 %. Its electrical consumption is only 2.9 kWh Nm⁻³ (H₂), which is only 69 % of that of traditional electrolytic water. This work opens up a promising direction for low-cost hydrogen production coupled with efficient biomass conversion.