Metagenomic research on the structural difference of plaque microbiome from different caries stages and the construction of a caries diagnostic model.

Development of dental caries is a dynamic process; yet, there is limited knowledge on microbial differences at various stages of caries at higher resolution. To investigate the shifting microbiome profiles across different caries stages, 30 children were enrolled in this study, including 15 caries-active patients and 15 caries-free individuals. Plaque samples were collected from the buccal surface of caries-free subjects, defined as confident health (CH; = 15).

Measurement of protein non-covalent interactions in buffer and cells.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) serves as a powerful tool for studying both the structure and dynamics of proteins. The NOE method, alongside residual dipolar; coupling, paramagnetic effects, -coupling, and other related techniques, has reached a level of maturity that allows for the determination of protein structures. Furthermore, NMR relaxation methods prove to be highly effective in characterizing protein dynamics across various timescales.

Filamentous Microalgae Screening for Carotenoid and Lipid Production: A Promising Candidate with High Ammonium Tolerance for Wastewater Treatment.

High-ammonium wastewater can be simultaneously remediated and valorized through phototrophic cultivation of stress-resilient microalgae. This study evaluated the growth performance of 16 microalgae strains (specific growth rate μ = 0.108-0.

The WRKY76-miR528-SOD2 module: regulating submergence tolerance through ROS scavenging in sorghum.

Flooding significantly threatens global agricultural productivity, especially under the pressures of climate change. To address this urgent environmental challenge, the development of flooding-tolerant crops is imperative. However, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying flooding tolerance in plants, particularly in crops, remains limited.

DDM1-Mediated DNA Methylation Regulates Leaf Serration in Arabidopsis thaliana.

DNA methylation is a crucial epigenetic modification that is stably inherited across both mitotic and meiotic cell divisions in plants. It is regulated by multiple epigenetic pathways, and alterations in methylation can lead to phenotypic variation independent of changes in the DNA sequence. In this study, changes in DNA methylation triggered by the chromatin remodeler DDM1 (DECREASE IN DNA METHYLATION 1) were found to influence leaf phenotypes in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Correction: Unveiling the role of cobalt in the product regulation for CO hydrogenation to light olefins over alumina-supported Co-Fe catalysts.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D5SC04407C.].

Stabilized FeC catalyst with K-Mg dual promotion for robust CO hydrogenation to high-value olefins.

Iron carbide catalysts, particularly the FeC phase, hold significant potential for efficient CO hydrogenation to olefins, yet stabilizing this phase under reactive conditions remains a major challenge. Herein, we report a robust and efficient synthesis of nearly phase-pure FeC catalysts derived from Prussian blue analogues, whose stability is significantly enhanced by strategically incorporating K and Mg promoters. Comprehensive characterization reveals that K accelerates the carbonization process and markedly enhances olefin selectivity, whereas Mg effectively suppresses water-induced oxidation, preserving the structural integrity of the FeC phase.

3D printable phase change information storage label films for dynamic and multi-level anti-counterfeiting.

Anti-counterfeiting technology demands continuous innovation to address escalating global counterfeiting challenges. This study introduces 3D printable phase change information storage label films for dynamic, multi-level anti-counterfeiting applications. Utilizing extrusion-based 3D printing, customizable anti-counterfeiting labels with complex encrypted information such as barcodes and QR codes were fabricated.

Enhanced production of sabinene by engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae from corn hydrolysates.

Sabinene is a type of monoterpene that is widely used in flavors, fragrances and pharmaceuticals. Though sabinene biosynthesis has been investigated in a variety of microorganisms, application of sabinene is still limited due to its high production cost and lesser yielding strains. The baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is generally recognized as safe (GRAS), is a suitable cell factory for the food and beverage industries.

A Green Carbon-Based Cellulose Formate Film Bioplastic with High Wet Strength, Excellent Heat Sealability, and Recyclability Fabricated Under Ambient Conditions.

Cellulose-based bioplastics have great potential to replace petroleum-based plastics due to their renewability and biodegradability. However, developing cellulose-based bioplastics still faces significant challenges due to their low water resistance and lack of heat sealability. Herein, a robust and water-resistant cellulose formate film (CFF) bioplastic is prepared via LiBr hydrate pretreatment followed by formic acid esterification under ambient conditions.

Fate and carbon sequestration potential of sunken macroalgae in coastal oceans from long-term microbial degradation perspective.

Although deep-sea macroalgae sinking as a carbon sequestration strategy remains controversial, natural sinking of massive macroalgae frequently occurs in coastal oceans. In the Yellow Sea, millions of tons of the macroalga sink to the seafloor annually following green tides, yet their ultimate fate and carbon sequestration potential remain poorly understood. Microbial communities play a crucial role in decomposing organic matter and determining the fate of sunken macroalgae.

Maximizing volatile fatty acid yields from sewage sludge: Electrodialysis with bipolar membranes enhanced fermentation driven by heat-alkali pretreatment and pH optimization.

The recovery of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from waste-activated sludge (WAS) is crucial for sustainable bio-based systems; however, low substrate degradability limits this process. This study combines heat-alkali pretreatment, NaSiO buffering for pH stabilization, and electrodialysis with bipolar membranes (EDBM) to enhance VFAs production and alkali recovery. Semi-continuous fermentation with ultrafiltration pretreatment achieved a maximum VFAs yield of 8.

Advances and challenges in bioproduction of microbial exopolysaccharides: Synthesis mechanisms, engineering strategies, and future perspectives.

Concerns over environmental sustainability, climate change, and energy crisis have significantly increased attention to chemicals and polymers produced by microorganisms. Microbial exopolysaccharides (EPS) are high molecular-weight polysaccharides with diverse structures secreted by bacteria, fungi, and algae. A broad variety of EPS have been reported and attracted wide interest, especially in the industrial, medical, packaging, and agricultural sectors.

Hofmeister "Salting-In" Assisted Slurry Homogenization for Ultra-Thin Sulfide Solid-State Electrolytes.

Sulfide-based all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) demand ultra-thin electrolytes to achieve low impedance and high energy density, yet scalable fabrication remains bottlenecked by the incompatibility between binder/ solvent and sulfide solid-state electrolytes (SSEs). Here, we introduce a pioneering slurry-based strategy leveraging Hofmeister "salting-in" effect to disperse binders in a poor-solvent environment, dramatically expanding the applicable binder spectrum. The copolymer poly(vinylidenefluoride-trifluoroethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene) (PVTC) was uniformly dispersed in tetrahydrofuran via Li-salts mediation, reducing chain aggregate to hundreds of nanometers.

Chiral BN-Heteroacenes Embedded with B←N Coordination: Acid-Triggered Reversible Bond Switching and Optical Limiting Behavior.

Boron-nitrogen coordination (B←N) bonds have emerged as a versatile motif for engineering π-conjugated systems with tunable optoelectronic properties. Herein, we report the synthesis, structures, and properties of chiral heteroacenes (-) featuring B←N coordination within highly twisted π-frameworks. - were synthesized via a four-step approach, where the final cyclization simultaneously forged six- and five-membered rings bearing both B-N covalent and B←N dative bonds.

The Nature of Oxidized Oxygen in Oxygen Redox Cathodes.

Oxygen redox cathodes (ORCs) are expected to surpass the capacity limits of conventional batteries. However, the commercialization of ORCs has suffered from severe voltage decay due to irreversible structural reconstructions, which are related to the evolution of oxidized oxygen upon charging. Several models have been proposed to elucidate the relationship between oxygen redox and cathode failures.

High Performance Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells via Heteroatom-Containing Multifunctional Spiro Self-Assembled Monolayers.

In inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs), the arrangement of self-assembled hole-transporting monolayers (SAMs) on substrates and their interaction with perovskite layer are critical for device efficiency and stability. Herein, two spiro SAMs are developed by introducing O and S atoms into the structure, named Spiro-O and Spiro-S, respectively. On one hand, the unique orthogonal molecular configuration of the spiro structure weakens intermolecular π-π interactions, thereby inhibiting molecular aggregation.

Universal Electrode Based on Ferredoxin-NADP Oxidoreductase Enables Enzymatic Biofuel Cells With Broad Substrate Spectrum.

Enzymatic biofuel cells face substrate limitations due to enzyme specificity of the electrode. A universal electrode was designed by immobilizing ferredoxin-NADP oxidoreductase (FNR) with bacterial cellulose (BC), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and silver nanowires (AgNWs). The electrode coupled with NADPH-dependent malic enzyme or glucose dehydrogenase generated electricity using malic acid and glucose, respectively.

Metaproteomic Insights into Bioenergy Conversion Enzymes of Bathypelagic Microbial Communities in the South China Sea.

Marine microorganisms inhabiting the bathypelagic zone (1000-4000 m) exhibit distinctive environmental adaptability and serve as a valuable reservoir of bioenzymes. However, a limited understanding of deep-sea microbial community composition and metabolic activities hinders the broad application of their enzymatic potential. In this study, we employed a metaproteomic approach to investigate the protein profiles of microbial communities in the bathypelagic layers of the South China Sea (SCS), and we compared them with the corresponding metagenomic data.

Sustainable production through spatial niche partitioning in engineered light-driven microbial community.

Light-driven microbial communities consisting of phototrophs and heterotrophs represent an emerging frontier for biochemicals production from carbon dioxide (CO). However, the construction of stable and robust light-driven artificial microbial communities remains challenging because the dominant strain wins the competition for nutrient and leads to the instability of subpopulations. Inspired by natural ecosystems, one promising approach to assemble stable consortia is to construct spatial niches partitioning subpopulations-that is, physically separating different microbial members into distinct microenvironments to reduce competition and enable stable coexistence.

Directional Depolymerization of Poly(ε-caprolactone) with High Monomer Selectivity.

Chemical recycling to monomer (CRM) is the most attractive method for achieving the closed-loop usage of polymers, in which polymers are recycled back to their starting monomers and then used to produce new polymers without loss of the virgin material properties. However, during the CRM process, the depolymerized products are usually accompanied by the formation of byproducts (e.g.

Mining UDP-Glucosyltransferases to Develop High-Efficiency Production Strategies for Emodin Glucosides.

Emodin-6--β-d-glucoside (E6G) and Emodin-8--β-d-glucoside (E8G) are promising plant-derived bioactive compounds with significant pharmaceutical potential. However, their large-scale production is hindered by low natural abundance and complex extraction processes. In this study, the biosynthesis of emodin glucosides in filamentous fungi was comprehensively investigated using synthetic biology approaches.

Nanobodies in Immunoanalysis: From Molecular Engineering to Advanced Detection Strategies for Foodborne Natural Toxins.

Natural toxins in food pose significant health risks, such as cancer, deformities, etc., demanding efficient and accurate surveillance techniques. Immunoassays become reliable alternatives to traditional chromatographic technologies for rapid, routine, and large-scale detection of natural toxins, but their performance depends highly on antibodies used, which are limited by stability issues and productions challenge.

Artificial-intelligence-assisted design principle for developing high-performance single-atom catalysts.

Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted approaches are powerful means for advancing catalyst design, as they can significantly accelerate the development of novel catalysts. However, the underlying mechanisms of these approaches often remain elusive, which may lead to unreliable results due to a lack of clear understanding of the involved processes. Herein, we present an AI strategy that combines machine learning (ML) and data mining (DM) to identify high-performance catalysts while elucidating the key factors that govern catalytic performance in complex reactions.