Cas5d Protein Processes Pre-crRNA and Assembles into a Cascade-like Interference Complex in Subtype I-C/Dvulg CRISPR-Cas System

Nam, K.,Haitjema, C.,Liu, X.,Ding, F.,Wang, H.,DeLisa, Matthew P.,Ke, A. Current Biology 2012 Structure Vol.20 No.9

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs), together with an operon of CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins, form an RNA-based prokaryotic immune system against exogenous genetic elements. Cas5 family proteins are found in several type I CRISPR-Cas systems. Here, we report the molecular function of subtype I-C/Dvulg Cas5d from Bacillus halodurans. We show that Cas5d cleaves pre-crRNA into unit length by recognizing both the hairpin structure and the 3' single stranded sequence in the CRISPR repeat region. Cas5d structure reveals a ferredoxin domain-based architecture and a catalytic triad formed by Y46, K116, and H117 residues. We further show that after pre-crRNA processing, Cas5d assembles with crRNA, Csd1, and Csd2 proteins to form a multi-sub-unit interference complex similar to Escherichia coli Cascade (CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense) in architecture. Our results suggest that formation of a crRNA-presenting Cascade-like complex is likely a common theme among type I CRISPR subtypes.

Preparation of Nd-doped manganese-zinc-ferrite/polyaniline composite materials

Yan, S. F.,Xie, Y.,Liu, J. M.,Pan, J. F.,Yu, Y. F.,Shi, L.,Zhang, K.,Lai, Q.,Liu, F. M.,Gao, Y. H.,Ling, Y. Informa UK (TaylorFrancis) 2014 Materials research innovations Vol.18 No.2

Chemical composition of giants from two moving groups

Liu, F.,Chen, Y. Q.,Zhao, G.,Han, I.,Lee, B. C.,Kim, K. M.,Zhao, Z. S. Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2012 Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Vol.422 No.4

<P><B>ABSTRACT</B></P><P>We present the stellar parameters of 19 K‐type giants and their abundances for 13 chemical elements (Al, Ba, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Sc, Si, Ti and V), selected from two moving groups, covering the metallicity range of −0.6 < [Fe/H] < 0.2, based on high‐resolution spectra. Most of the elemental abundances show similar trends as in previous studies, except for Al, Na and Ba, which are seriously affected by evolution. The abundance ratios of [Na/Mg] increase smoothly with higher [Mg/H], and those of [Al/Mg] decrease slightly with increasing [Mg/H]. The abundance ratios of [Mg/Ba] show a distinction between these two moving groups, which is mainly induced by chemical evolution and also partly by kinematic effects. The inhomogeneous metallicity of each star from the moving groups demonstrates that these stars had different chemical origins before they were kinematically aggregated. This favours a dynamical resonant theory.</P>

Structural, electrical, and optical properties of Na-doped ZnO thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition.

Shan, F K,Liu, G X,Lee, W J,Bae, K R,Shin, B C,Kim, H S American Scientific Publishers 2008 Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Vol.8 No.10

<P>Na-doped ZnO thin films were deposited on quartz substrates at various temperatures by using pulsed laser deposition technique. An X-ray diffractometer and an atomic force microscope were used to investigate the structural and morphological properties of the thin films. A Hall effect measurement system was used to investigate the electrical properties of the thin films. A spectrophotometer was used to measure the transmittances of the thin films. The band gap energies of the thin films were calculated by linear fitting the sharp absorption edge for high-quality thin film. The band gap energies of the Na-doped ZnO thin films are nearly the same as the pure ZnO. A spectrometer was used to investigate the luminescent properties of the thin films. The thin film deposited at 200 degrees C had no near band edge emission and no deep-level emission. The NBE emission appeared and increased with increasing the growth temperature.</P>

Fabrication of free-standing graphene composite films as electrochemical biosensors

Liu, F.,Piao, Y.,Choi, K.S.,Seo, T.S. Pergamon Press ; Elsevier Science Ltd 2012 Carbon Vol.50 No.1

We report a simple fabrication method for large-scale free-standing graphene-gold nanoparticle and graphene-single wall carbon nanotube composite films by using a centrifugal vacuum evaporation followed by a thermal reduction process. The homogeneous mixture of a graphene oxide (GO) suspension with gold nanoparticle (Au NP) or single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) is self-assembled at the air/liquid interface, resulting in the multilayered GO-Au NP and GO-SWCNT composite films. The cross-sectional image reveals that the graphene layers are orderly stacked in the reduced GO-Au NP film, while the reduced GO-SWCNT film shows a randomly packed morphology due to the dominant π-π interaction between the side wall of SWCNTs and the GO surfaces. In particular, the reduced GO-Au NP film shows an increased electrode kinetics and cyclic voltammetric response in proportion to the amount of Au NPs, and 3-fold enhancement of anodic peak current was observed compared with that of the reduced GO films. We employed the reduced GO-Au NP film as a matrix to immobilize tyrosinase enzyme for phenol detection, and the phenol-induced electrochemical catalytic reaction can be monitored with 3-fold higher sensitivity than the reduced GO film, demonstrating great potential of graphene composite as an electrochemical enzyme biosensor for environmental pollutant screening.

New Evidence of Alleles (V199I and G52S) at the PRKAG3 (RN) Locus Affecting Pork Meat Quality

Chen, J.F.,Dai, L.H.,Peng, J.,Li, J.L.,Zheng, R.,Zuo, B.,Li, F.E.,Liu, M.,Yue, K.,Lei, M.G.,Xiong, Y.Z.,Deng, C.Y.,Jiang, S.W. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2008 Animal Bioscience Vol.21 No.4

The porcine PRKAG3 (RN) gene encodes the regulatory gamma subunit of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is a good candidate gene affecting meat quality. In this study, the effects of two missense mutations A595G (Ile199Val) and G154A (Gly52Ser) in porcine PRKAG3 gene on meat quality traits were studied in M. Longissimus dorsi (LD), M. Semispinalis capitis (SC) and M. Biceps femoris (BF) from different populations of 326 pigs. The PRKAG3 alleles 199I, 199IV, 52S and 52G were identified with PCR-RFLPs and all genotypes - 199I/199I, 199I/199V, 199V/199V, 52S/52S, 52S/52G and 52G/52G - were found. The frequency of V allele was larger than that of I allele in all populations. I allele frequency was zero in Chinese Meishan pigs (population D) especially. G allele frequency was larger than that of S allele in all populations except Large White (population A). Both variations at the PRKAG3 locus significantly affected these meat quality traits. The pork meat quality has not previously been established in Meishan or crosses thereof. The results suggested that generally pH of LD, SC and BF was higher in Meishan pigs than that in other populations. Moreover, Meishan pigs showed higher water-holding capacity and intramuscular fat (IMF), lower water content and water loss percentage compared to other populations in terms of the two variations. The results present here supply new evidence that alleles V199I and G52S at the PRKAG3 locus affect pork meat quality and provide useful information on pork production.

Pulsed Laser Deposition and Characterization of InZnO Alloyed Thin Film

Shan, F.K.,Liu, G.X.,Shin, Byoung Chul,Lee, Won Jae,Oh, W.T. Trans Tech Publications, Ltd. 2008 Key Engineering Materials Vol.368 No.-

<P>High-quality In2O3 powder and ZnO powder had been used to make the ceramic target and the atomic ratio of 1 to 1 of indium and zinc had been prepared in this study. The alloyed thin films had been deposited on sapphire (001) substrates at different temperatures (100-600°C) by using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. An x-ray diffractometer and an atomic force microscope were used to investigate the structural and morphological properties of the alloyed thin films. It was observed that the alloyed thin films deposited at the temperatures lower than 300°C were amorphous, and the alloyed thin films deposited at high temperatures were crystallized. A spectrophotometer was used to investigate the transmittances of the alloyed thin films. It was found that the alloyed thin films were of high quality. The band gap energies of the alloys were calculated by linear fitting the sharp absorption edges of the transmittance spectra. The Hall measurements were also carried out to identify the electrical properties of the thin films.</P>

The Metabolizable Energy Value, Standardized Ileal Digestibility of Amino Acids in Soybean Meal, Soy Protein Concentrate and Fermented Soybean Meal, and the Application of These Products in Early-weaned Piglets

Zhang, H.Y.,Yi, J.Q.,Piao, X.S.,Li, P.F.,Zeng, Z.K.,Wang, D.,Liu, L.,Wang, G.Q.,Han, X. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2013 Animal Bioscience Vol.26 No.5

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the metabolizable energy (ME) value, standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AA) of soybean meal (SBM), soy protein concentrate (SPC) and fermented soybean meal (FSBM), and the application of these products in early-weaned piglets. In Exp. 1, four barrows with initial body weight (BW) of $14.2{\pm}1.4$ kg were used in a $4{\times}4$ Latin square design. The diet 1 contained corn as the only energy source. The other three diets replaced 25% of corn in diet 1 with one of the three soybean products, and the digestable energy (DE) and ME contents were determined by difference. In Exp. 2, four barrows (initial BW of $18.2{\pm}1.5$ kg) were fitted with ileal T-cannulas and allotted to a $4{\times}4$ Latin square design. Three cornstarch-based diets were formulated using each of the soybean products as the sole source of AA. A nitrogen-free diet was also formulated to measure endogenous losses of AA. In Exp. 3, ninety six piglets (initial BW of $5.6{\pm}0.9$ kg) weaned at $21{\pm}2$ d were blocked by weight and assigned to one of three treatments for a 21-d growth performance study. The control diet was based on corn and SBM, the two treatments' diets contained either 10% SPC or FSBM and were formulated to same SID lysine to ME ratio of 3.6 g/Mcal. The results showed that the ME content of SPC was greater than SBM (p<0.05). The SID of most AA in SPC was greater than the SID of AA in SBM (p<0.05). For the essential AA, the SID of histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine and threonine in FSBM were greater than in SBM (p<0.05). Even though they were fed same SID lysine to ME ratio of 3.6 g/Mcal diets, pigs fed SPC and FSBM diets had greater weight gain, G:F (p<0.05) and better fecal score (p<0.05) than pigs fed SBM diet. In conclusion, SPC showed a higher ME content and SID of AA than the SBM. SID of some essential AA in FSBM was higher than SBM and was similar with SPC. But the lower antigenic proteins and anti-nutritional factors content in SPC and FSBM may be the main factors affecting the performance of early-weaned piglets rather than the increased ME content and SID of AA.

Prediction of Digestible and Metabolizable Energy Content of Rice Bran Fed to Growing Pigs

C.X. Shi,Z.Y. Liu,M. Shi,P. Li,Z.K. Zeng,L. Liu,C.F. Huang,Z.P. Zhu,D.F. Li 아세아·태평양축산학회 2015 Animal Bioscience Vol.28 No.5

Two experiments were conducted to determine the digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) content of 19 rice bran samples and to develop prediction equations for DE and ME based on their chemical composition. The 19 rice bran samples came from different rice varieties, processing methods and regions. The basal diet was formulated using corn and soybean meal (74.43% corn and 22.91% soybean meal and 2.66% vitamins and minerals). The 19 experimental diets based on a mixture of corn, soybean meal and 29.2% of each source of rice bran, respectively. In Exp. 1, 108 growing barrows (32.1±4.2 kg) were allotted to 1 of 18 treatments according to a completely randomized design with 6 pigs per treatment. The treatment 1 was the control group which was fed with basal diet. The treatments 2 to 18 were fed with experimental diets. In Exp. 2, two additional rice bran samples were measured to verify the prediction equations developed in Exp. 1. A control diet and two rice bran diets were fed to 18 growing barrows (34.6±3.5 kg). The control and experimental diets formulations were the same as diets in Exp. 1. The results showed that the DE ranged from 14.48 to 16.85 (mean 15.84) MJ/kg of dry matter while the ME ranged from 12.49 to 15.84 (mean 14.31) MJ/kg of dry matter. The predicted values of DE and ME of the two additional samples in Exp. 2 were very close to the measured values.

Improvement of lower hybrid current drive systems for high-power and long-pulse operation on EAST

Wang M.,Liu L.,Zhao L.M.,Li M.H.,Ma W.D.,Hu H.C.,Wu Z.G.,Feng J.Q.,Yang Y.,Zhu L.,Chen M.,Zhou T.A.,Jia H.,Zhang J.,Cao L.,Zhang L.,Liang R.R.,Ding B.J.,Zhang X.J.,Shan J.F.,Liu F.K.,Ekedahl A.,Gonich 한국원자력학회 2022 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.54 No.11

Aiming at high-power and long-pulse operation up to 1000 s, some improvements have been made for both 2.45 GHz and 4.6 GHz lower hybrid (LH) systems during the recent 5 years. At first, the guard limiters of the LH antennas with graphite tiles were upgraded to tungsten, the most promising material for plasma facing components in nuclear fusion devices. These new guard limiters can operate at a peak power density of 12.9 MW/m2 . Strong hot spots were usually observed on the old graphite limiters when 4.6 GHz system operated with power >2.0 MW [B. N. Wan et al., Nucl. Fusion 57 (2017) 102019], leading to a reduction of the maximum power capability. With the new limiters, 4.6 GHz LH system, the main current drive (CD) and electron heating tool for EAST, can be operated with power >2.5 MW routinely. Long-pulse operation up to 100 s with 4.6 GHz LH power of 2.4 MW was achieved in 2021 and the maximal temperature on the guard limiters measured by an infrared (IR) camera was about 540 C, much below the permissible value of tungsten material (~1200 C). A discharge with a duration of 1056 s was achieved and the 4.6 GHz LH energy injected into the plasma was up to 1.05 GJ. Secondly, the fully-activemultijunction (FAM) launcher of 2.45 GHz system was upgraded to a passive-active-multijunction (PAM), for which the density of optimum coupling was relatively low (below the cut-off value). Good coupling with reflection coefficient ~3% has been achieved with plasma-antenna distance up to 11 cm for the new PAM. Finally, in order to eliminate the effect of ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) wave on 4.6 GHz LH wave coupling, the location of the ICRF launcher was changed to a port that is located 157.5 toroidally from the 4.6 GHz LH system and is not magnetically connected