Zn2+‐Regulated Self‐Sorting and Mixing of Phosphates and Carboxylates on the Surface of Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles

Herein, we describe the self‐sorting of phosphate‐ and carboxylate‐containing molecules on the surface of monolayer‐protected gold nanoparticles. Self‐sorting is driven by selective interactions between the phosphate probe and Zn²⁺ complexes in one monolayer; these interactions force the carboxylate probe to move to a second type of nanoparticle. This process effectively separates the probes and causes their localization in well‐defined spaces surrounding the nanoparticles. The removal/addition of Zn²⁺ metal ions from the system is used to convert the system from an ordered to a disordered state and vice versa. The possibility to control the location and transport of populations of molecules in a complex mixture creates new perspectives for the development of innovative complex catalytic systems that mimic nature.     

Polymersomes Prepared from Thermoresponsive Fluorescent Protein–Polymer Bioconjugates: Capture of and Report on Drug and Protein Payloads

Polymersomes provide a good platform for targeted drug delivery and the creation of complex (bio)catalytically active systems for research in synthetic biology. To realize these applications requires both spatial control over the encapsulation components in these polymersomes and a means to report where the components are in the polymersomes. To address these twin challenges, we synthesized the protein–polymer bioconjugate PNIPAM‐b‐amilFP497 composed of thermoresponsive poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and a green‐fluorescent protein variant (amilFP497). Above 37 °C, this bioconjugate forms polymersomes that can (co‐)encapsulate the fluorescent drug doxorubicin and the fluorescent light‐harvesting protein phycoerythrin 545 (PE545). Using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy and Förster resonance energy transfer (FLIM‐FRET), we can distinguish the co‐encapsulated PE545 protein inside the polymersome membrane while doxorubicin is found both in the polymersome core and membrane.     

Evidence of vacuolar compartmentalization of arsenic in the hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata

Pteris vittata can hyperaccumulate arsenic （As） to 〉1% of its dry weight without showing any signs of toxicity, indicating the existence of effective plant-internal detoxificaUon mechanisms. Although vacuolar compartmentalization is known to play an important role in heavy metal detoxification and tolerance, direct evidence of arsenic compartmentalization in this hyperaccumulator was lacking. Here we report the subcellular localization of As in the callus of P. vittata. The callus induced from gametophytes of P. vittata exposed to 0.2 mmol/L arsenate for 20 days were examined by directly isolating cell walls, protoplasts and vacuoles, and determining arsenic concentrations. Of the total As in the callus, about 94% was in the protoplast, and of that, 91% was present in the vacuoles, indicating that vacuoles are a major storage site for As in P. vittata. In addition, the changes in the chemical components of vacuoles were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）.     

自组织竞争神经网络及其在社会经济区划中的应用

在MATLAB6.5软件的支持下,利用人工神经网络中"自组织竞争神经网络"的原理及聚类功能,选取耕地面积、人均耕地、农业总产值、乡镇企业产值、财政收入、农民人均收入等6项社会经济相关指标,较为客观地将宝兴县11个乡(镇)划分为3类社会经济区域,并对其分类结果进行了分析.结果表明,该网络能很好地反映并提取样本间复杂的信息,实现科学合理的社会经济区划.相比传统的系统聚类法,自组织竞争神经网络由于在运行过程中人为主观因素介入少,因此分类结果具有更大的可靠性,适于在社会经济分区中应用.     

Vesicles in Nature and the Laboratory: Elucidation of Their Biological Properties and Synthesis of Increasingly Complex Synthetic Vesicles

The important role of vesicles in many aspects of cell function is well‐recognized, but only recently have sophisticated imaging techniques begun to reveal their ubiquity in nature. While we further our understanding of the biological properties of vesicles and their physiological functions, increasingly elegant artificial vesicles are being developed for a wide range of technological applications and basic research. Herein, we examine the state of the art of biological and synthetic vesicles and place their biological features in the context of recent synthetic developments, thus providing a unique overview of these complex and rapidly developing fields. The challenges and opportunities associated with future biological and synthetic studies of vesicles are also presented.