Programmable mismatch-fueled high-efficiency DNA signal amplifier

Herein, by introducing mismatches, a high-efficiency mismatch-fueled catalytic multiple-arm DNA junction assembly (M-CMDJA) with high-reactivity and a high-threshold is developed as a programmable DNA signal amplifier for rapid detection and ultrasensitive intracellular imaging of miRNA. Compared with traditional nucleic acid signal amplification (NASA) with a perfect complement, the M-CMDJA possesses larger kinetic and thermodynamic favorability owing to the more negative reaction standard free energy (ΔG) as driving force, resulting in much higher efficiency and rates. Once traces of the input initiator react with the mismatched substrate DNA, it could be converted into amounts of output multiple-arm DNA junctions via the M-CMDJA as the functional DNA conversion nanodevice. Impressively, the mismatch-fueled catalytic four-arm DNA junction assembly (M-CFDJA) exhibits high conversion efficiency up to 1.05 × 10⁸ in 30 min, which is almost ten times more than those of conventional methods. Therefore, the M-CMDJA could easily address the challenges of traditional methods: slow rates and low efficiency. In application, the M-CFDJA as a DNA signal amplifier was successfully used to develop a biosensing platform for rapid miRNA detection with a LOD of 6.11 aM and the ultrasensitive intracellular imaging of miRNA, providing a basis for the next-generation of versatile DNA signal amplification methods for ultimate applications in DNA nanobiotechnology, biosensing assay, and clinical diagnoses.

We proposed an ingenious mismatch-enhanced catalytic multiple-arm DNA junction assembly (M-CMDJA) which possesses more negative reaction standard free energy (ΔG) as the driving force, resulting in quite high conversion efficiency and much faster reaction speed.     

Robust Superhydrophobic Brass Mesh with Electrodeposited Hydroxyapatite Coating for Versatile Applications

A robust superhydrophobic brass mesh was fabricated based on a low-energy surface and a roughness on the nano/micro-meter scale. It was carried out by the forming of hydroxyapatite (HP) coatings on its surface through a constant current electro-deposition process, followed by immersion in fluoroalkylsilane solution. Surface morphology, composition and wetting behavior were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high speed camera, and contact angle goniometer. Under optimal conditions, the resulting brass mesh exhibited superhydrophobicity, excellent anti-corrosion (η = 91.2%), and anti-scaling properties. While the surfactant liquid droplets of tetradecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (TTAB) with different concentration were dropped on the superhydrophobic surface, maximum droplet rebounding heights and different contact angles (CAs) were observed and measured from side-view imaging. The plots of surfactant-concentration−maximum bounding height/CA were constructed to determine its critical-micelle-concentration (CMC) value. Close CMC results of 1.91 and 2.32 mM based on the determination of maximum rebounding height and CAs were obtained. Compared with its theoretical value of 2.1 mM, the relative errors are 9% and 10%, respectively. This indicated that the novel application based on the maximum rebounding height could be an alternative approach for the CMC determination of other surfactants.     

Machine Learning for Evaluating the Cytotoxicity of Mixtures of Nano-TiO2 and Heavy Metals: QSAR Model Apply Random Forest Algorithm after Clustering Analysis

With the development and application of nanomaterials, their impact on the environment and organisms has attracted attention. As a common nanomaterial, nano-titanium dioxide (nano-TiO₂) has adsorption properties to heavy metals in the environment. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) is often used to predict the cytotoxicity of a single substance. However, there is little research on the toxicity of interaction between nanomaterials and other substances. In this study, we exposed human renal cortex proximal tubule epithelial (HK-2) cells to mixtures of eight heavy metals with nano-TiO₂, measured absorbance values by CCK-8, and calculated cell viability. PLS and two ensemble learning algorithms are used to build multiple QSAR models for data sets, and the test set R² is increased from 0.38 to 0.78 and 0.85, and RMSE is decreased from 0.18 to 0.12 and 0.10. After selecting the better random forest algorithm, the K-means clustering algorithm is used to continue to optimize the model, increasing the test set R² to 0.95 and decreasing the RMSE to 0.08 and 0.06. As a reliable machine algorithm, random forest can be used to predict the toxicity of the mixture of nano-metal oxides and heavy metals. The cluster analysis can effectively improve the stability and predictability of the model, and provide a new idea for the prediction of cytotoxicity model in the future.     

静电纺丝法制备柔性SERS基底及性能研究

利用静电纺丝技术制备了聚乙烯醇(PVA)/银纳米粒子高活性SERS柔性基底。将硝酸银、聚乙烯醇按照一定比例混合配置纺丝溶液,纺丝成膜后采用紫外光照射还原法得到纳米纤维基底。采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM),透射电子显微镜(TEM),傅立叶红外光谱(FT-IR),拉曼光谱(Raman),紫外可见光谱(UV-Vis)等技术,对合成的纳米纤维基底进行表征。研究表明,银纳米颗粒呈球形分布在复合纤维中,粒径小于10 nm。以罗丹明为探针分子,硝酸银含量16wt%,紫外光照射3 h制备的基底具备最优的SERS性能。同时将此基底应用于烟酸药品检测,拉曼检测极限可达10^-5 mol·L^-1。     

Klein–Nishina Effect and the Cosmic Ray Electron Spectrum

Radiative energy losses are very important in regulating the cosmic ray electron and/or positron(CRE) spectrum during their propagation in the Milky Way. Particularly, the Klein–Nishina(KN) effect of the inverse Compton scattering(ICS) results in less efficient energy losses of high-energy electrons, which is expected to leave imprints on the propagated electron spectrum. It has been proposed that the hardening of CRE spectra around 50 GeV observed by Fermi-LAT, AMS-02, and DAMPE could be due to the KN effect. We show in this work that the transition from the Thomson regime to the KN regime of the ICS is actually quite smooth compared with the approximate treatment adopted in some previous works. As a result, the observed spectral hardening of CREs cannot be explained by the KN effect. It means that an additional hardening of the primary electrons spectrum is needed. We also provide a parameterized form for the accurate calculation of the ICS energy-loss rate in a wide energy range.     

Combining Metabolic Alkyne Labeling and Click Chemistry for Secretome Analysis of Serum-Containing Conditioned Medium

Main observation and conclusion Bioorthogonal click chemistry has emerged as a powerful tool for the specific modification of proteins in complex mixtures.Metab...     

赝随机扩散体吸声性能的数值分析与实验研究

本文根据前文[3]提出的理论,通过数值计算以及实验研究,进一步分析了赝随机扩散体整体结构表面的平均声压与振速,得出了结构表面处的平均声阻抗率,着重分析了非线性耦合声阻率的影响。实验采用二维声学结构,在低频驻波管中测得法向吸声系数,实验结果与理论计算相吻合。这为解释伪随机扩散体的吸声规律提供了有力的依据,并为今后指导工程设计提供了理论基础。     

Carbon nanotube supported PtOx nanoparticles with hybrid chemical states for efficient hydrogen evolution

Efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline solution are highly required for water splitting.Here we design an ultra-small PtOx...     

静电放电火花产生的电磁场特征分析

静电放电(ESD)产生的电磁脉冲(EMP)会对电子系统的正常工作造成严重的干扰,甚至造成系统的损伤.故提出了一种修正的ESD火花电偶极子模型,并用此模型定性地分析了ESD火花产生的电磁场的特征,得出的-些结论对进一步研究ESD的电磁防护措施提供了有益指导.     

From Polymerization Inhibition to Controlled Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization of Macromonomers with Tertiary Amine Groups:The Effect of Spacer Chain

Main observation and conclusion Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) is a powerful toolbox in preparation of bottlebrush polymers for its high activity...