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While epigamic traits likely evolve via sexual selection, the mechanism whereby internal sexual dimorphism arises remains less well understood. Seeking clues as to how the internal sexual dimorphism evolved, we compared the abdominal musculature of 41 Drosophila montium group species, to determine whether any of these species carry a male-specific muscle of Lawrence (MOL). Our quantitative analysis revealed that the size of a sexually dimorphic MOL analog found in 19 montium group species varied widely from species to species, suggesting the gradual evolution of this sexually dimorphic neuromuscular trait. We attempted the ancestral state reconstitution for the presence or absence of the neuromuscular sexual dimorphism in the A5 segment; the neuromuscular sexual dimorphism existed in an old ancestor of the montium group, which was lost in some of the most recent common ancestors of derived lineages, and subsequently some species regained it. This loss-and-gain history was not shared by evolutionary changes in the courtship song pattern, even though both traits were commonly regulated by the master regulator male-determinant protein FruM. It is envisaged that different sets of FruM target genes may serve for shaping the song and MOL characteristics, respectively, and, as a consequence, each phenotypic trait underwent a distinct evolutionary path.

Recently, the recurrence of positive SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in recovered COVID-19 patients is receiving more attention. Herein we report a cohort study on the follow-up of 182 recovered patients under medical isolation observation. Twenty (10.99%) patients out of the 182 were detected to be SARS-CoV-2 RNA positive (re-positives), although none showed any clinical symptomatic recurrence, indicating that COVID-19 responds well to treatment. Patients aged under 18 years had higher re-positive rates than average, and none of the severely ill patients re-tested positive. There were no significant differences in sex between re-positives and non-re-positives. Notably, most of the re-positives turned negative in the following tests, and all of them carried antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. This indicates that they might not be infectious, although it is still important to perform regular SARS-CoV-2 RNA testing and follow-up for assessment of infectivity. The findings of this study provide information for improving the management of recovered patients, and for differentiating the follow-up of recovered patients with different risk levels.

Although traditional allele-specific PCR (tAS-PCR) is a common screening method for BRAF V600E mutations, its lower amplification specificity and mutation selectivity have limited its clinical applications. We hypothesize that these limitations are associated with the weaker specificities of allele-specific primers and the thermodynamic driving forces of DNA polymerase. We used three strategies to circumvent these limitations, namely, modifying allele-specific primers, introducing a competitive external allele-specific controller (i.e., cAS-PCR), and introducing a referenced internal positive controller in the cAS-PCR (i.e., rcAS-PCR). The amplification sensitivities and specificities were influenced by the position of the artificially introduced mismatched nucleotide in the allele-specific primers. Moreover, both cAS-PCR and rcAS-PCR could detect single-copy BRAF V600E alleles with higher mutation selectivity (0.1%) than tAS-PCR. In addition, cAS-PCR eliminated false-negative results caused by various PCR inhibitors that might be present in the DNA solutions. The rcAS-PCR could also be employed to avoid the false-negative results caused by low-abundance input templates in cAS-PCR. In conclusion, rcAS-PCR provides a rapid, simple, and low-cost method for detecting low levels of the mutated BRAF V600E gene.

The discharge of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) into environment is raising widespread concern not only due to their direction bio-toxicity but also their bio-concentration and bio-magnification through food web. However, the transformation and distribution of ENMs during food-chain transport are poorly understood, due to lack of accurate, reliable analytical methods. In this study, by using a suite of advanced spectrum techniques, we successfully tracked the distribution and biotransformation dynamics of CdSe quantum dots (QDs) during their transport from Shewanella onedensis to Caenorchabditis elegans in predation. Fluorescence microscopy and Raman mapping showed that the ingested QDs by C. elegans were located at the gut lumen and subcutaneous tissue, and were partially excreted from the nematode body over time. Micro-X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) spectroscopy and Se K-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) results further revealed the changed distribution of Se element over time, and a shift in the major Se species from CdSe to Se0 and Na2SeO3IV. This work demonstrates the utility of advanced spectral techniques for characterizing QDs in vivo, and may facilitate a better understanding on the environmental transformation and fates of ENMs.

Organisms served as factories of bio-assembly of nanoparticles attracted a lot of attentions due to the safe, economic and environmental-benignity traits, especially the fabrication of the super fluorescence properties quantum dots (QDs). However, information about the developmental dynamics of QDs in living organisms is still lacking. In this work, we synthesized cadmium-selenium (CdSe) QDs in Candida utilis WSH02-08, and then tracked and quantitatively characterized the developmental dynamics (photoactivation, photostable and photobleaching processes) of bio-QDs by translating fluorescence microscopy movies into visual quantitative curve. These findings shed light on the fluorescence properties of the bio-assembled QDs and are expected to accelerate the applications of the synthesized QDs in vivo. It provided a new way to screen bio-QDs and monitor the quality of QDs in vivo.

How reduced graphene oxide (RGO) mediates the reductive transformation of nitroaromatic pollutants by mixed cultures and the role of its surface characteristics were evaluated in this study. Different electron donors were applied to investigate the interaction between RGO and anaerobic microbes. Moreover, the influence of the surface properties of RGO on biological nitroaromatic removal was further elucidated. The results show that RGO could achieve an approximate one-fold rate increase of nitrobenzene reduction by mixed culture with glucose as an electron donor. Selective elimination of oxygen moieties on the RGO surface, such as quinone groups, decreased the nitrobenzene transformation rate, whereas doping nitrogen into the RGO framework exhibited a positive effect. The study indicates that graphene-based carbon nanomaterials have the potential to accelerate the biological transformation of nitroaromatic compounds and that the functionalization of these carbon nanomaterials, especially through surface modification, would further enhance the conversion efficiency of contaminants.

Soluble microbial products (SMPs) are of significant concern in the natural environment and in engineered systems. In this work, poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA), which is predominantly produced by Bacillus sp., was investigated in terms of pH-induced conformational changes and molecular interactions in aqueous solutions; accordingly, its sedimentation coefficient distribution and viscosity were also elucidated. Experimental results indicate that pH has a significant impact on the structure and molecular interactions of γ-PGA. The conformation of the γ-PGA acid form (γ-PGA-H) is rod-like while that of the γ-PGA sodium form (γ-PGA-Na) is sphere-like. The transformation from α-helix to random coil in the γ-PGA secondary structure is primarily responsible for this shape variation. The intramolecular hydrogen bonds in the γ-PGA-H structure decrease and intramolecular electrostatic repulsion increases as pH increases; however, the sedimentation coefficient distributions of γ-PGA are dependent on intermolecular interactions rather than intramolecular interactions. Concentration has a more substantial effect on intermolecular electrostatic repulsion and chain entanglement at higher pH values. Consequently, the sedimentation coefficient distributions of γ-PGA shift significantly at pH 8.9 from 0.1 to 1.0 g/L, and the viscosity of γ-PGA (5% w/v) significantly increases as pH increases from 2.3 to 6.0.

Although the capacity for electroactive bacteria to convert environmental metallic minerals and organic pollutants is well known, the role of the redox properties of microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in this process is poorly understood. In this work, the redox properties of EPS from two widely present electroactive bacterial strains (Shewanella oneidensis and Pseudomonas putida) were explored. Electrochemical analysis demonstrates that the EPS extracted from the two strains exhibited redox properties. Spectroelectrochemical and protein electrophoresis analyses indicate that the extracted EPS from S. oneidensis and P. putida contained heme-binding proteins, which were identified as the possible redox components in the EPS. The results of heme-mediated behavior of EPS may provide an insight into the important roles of EPS in electroactive bacteria to maximize their redox capability for biogeochemical cycling, environmental bioremediation and wastewater treatment.

Elucidation of the metabolic pathways determining pigmentation and their underlying regulatory mechanisms in maize kernels is of high importance in attempts to improve the nutritional composition of our food. In this study, we compared dynamics in the transcriptome and metabolome between colored SW93 and white SW48 by integrating RNA-Seq and non-targeted metabolomics. Our data revealed that expression of enzyme coding genes and levels of primary metabolites decreased gradually from 11 to 21 DAP, corresponding well with the physiological change of developing maize kernels from differentiation through reserve accumulation to maturation, which was cultivar independent. A remarkable up-regulation of anthocyanin and phlobaphene pathway distinguished SW93 from SW48, in which anthocyanin regulating transcriptional factors (R1 and C1), enzyme encoding genes involved in both pathways and corresponding metabolic intermediates were up-regulated concurrently in SW93 but not in SW48. The shift from the shikimate pathway of primary metabolism to the flavonoid pathway of secondary metabolism, however, appears to be under posttranscriptional regulation. This study revealed the link between primary metabolism and kernel coloration, which facilitate further study to explore fundamental questions regarding the evolution of seed metabolic capabilities as well as their potential applications in maize improvement regarding both staple and functional foods.

A series of BiOBrxI1−x solid solutions were explored as novel visible light-sensitive photocatalysts. These BiOBrxI1−x solid-solution photocatalysts grew into two-dimensional nanoplates with exposed (001) facets and possessed continuously modulated band gaps from 2.87 to 1.89 eV by decreasing the Br/I ratio. The photocatalytic activities of these samples were measured and the samples exhibited visible light-driven activities for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB). In particular, BiOBr0.8I0.2 exhibited the highest activity for the degradation of RhB. This result could be attributed to the balance between the effective light absorption and adequate redox potential. Additionally, investigations into the photocatalytic mechanism showed that the photodegradation of RhB over BiOBr0.8I0.2 solid-solution photocatalysts involved direct holes oxidation, in which the reaction that dominated during photocatalysis was determined by the potential of the valence band. Furthermore, a high stability in the photocatalytic activity of BiOBr0.8I0.2 was demonstrated by the cycling photocatalytic experiment and long-term irradiation, which might offer opportunities for its practical application as a catalyst.

A p-i-n junction diode based on the selectively doped single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) had been investigated, in which two opposite ends of individual SWCNT channel were doped into the p- and n-type SWCNT respectively while the middle segment of SWCNT was kept as the intrinsic. The symmetric and asymmetric contacts were used to fabricate the p-i-n junction diodes respectively and studied the effect of the contact on the device characteristics. It was shown that a low reverse saturation current of ~20 pA could be achieved by these both diodes. We found that the use of the asymmetric contact can effectively improve the performance of the p-i-n diode, with the rectification ratio enhanced from ~102 for the device with the Au/Au symmetric contact to >103 for the one with the Pd/Al asymmetric contact. The improvement of the device performance by the asymmetric-contact structure was attributed to the decrease of the effective Schottky-barrier height at the contacts under forward bias, increasing the forward current of the diode. The p-i-n diode with asymmetric contact also had a higher rectification ratio than its counterpart before doping the SWCNT channel, which is because that the p-i-n junction in the device decreased the reverse saturated current.

The surface phase junction of nanocrystalline TiO2 plays an essential role in governing its photocatalytic activity. Thus, facile and simple methods for preparing phase-junction TiO2 photocatalysts are highly desired. In this work, we show that phase-junction TiO2 is directly synthesized from Ti foil by using a simple calcination method with hydrothermal solution as the precursor below the phase transition temperature. Moreover, the ratio of rutile to anatase in the TiO2 samples could be readily tuned by changing the ratio of weight of Ti foil to HCl, which is used as the hydrothermal precursor, as confirmed by the X-ray diffraction analysis. In the photocatalytic reaction by the TiO2 nanocomposite, a synergistic effect between the two phases within a certain range of the ratio is clearly observed. The results suggest that an appropriate ratio of anatase to rutile in the TiO2 nanocomposite can create more efficient solid-solid interfaces upon calcination, thereby facilitating interparticle charge transfer in the photocatalysis.

Photodegradation in the absence of externally added chemicals could be an attractive solution for the removal of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in aqueous environment, but the low decomposition rate presents a severe challenge and the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that PFOS could be effectively degraded in a catalyst-free aqueous solution via a reduction route. Under appropriate pH and temperature conditions, a rapid PFOS photodegradation, with a pseudo-first-order decomposition rate constant of 0.91 h−1, was achieved. In addition, hydrated electrons were considered to be the major photo-generated reductive species responsible for PFOS photodegradation in this system. Its production and reduction ability could be significantly affected by the environmental conditions such as pH, temperature and presence of oxidative species. This study gives insights into the PFOS photodegradation process and may provide useful information for developing catalyst-free photodegradation systems for decomposing PFOS and other persistent water contaminants.

An electrochemical membrane bioreactor (EMBR) has recently been developed for energy recovery and wastewater treatment. The hydrodynamics of the EMBR would significantly affect the mass transfers and reaction kinetics, exerting a pronounced effect on reactor performance. However, only scarce information is available to date. In this study, the hydrodynamic characteristics of the EMBR were investigated through various approaches. Tracer tests were adopted to generate residence time distribution curves at various hydraulic residence times and three hydraulic models were developed to simulate the results of tracer studies. In addition, the detailed flow patterns of the EMBR were acquired from a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. Compared to the tank-in-series and axial dispersion ones, the Martin model could describe hydraulic performance of the EBMR better. CFD simulation results clearly indicated the existence of a preferential or circuitous flow in the EMBR. Moreover, the possible locations of dead zones in the EMBR were visualized through the CFD simulation. Based on these results, the relationship between the reactor performance and the hydrodynamics of EMBR was further elucidated relative to the current generation. The results of this study would benefit the design, operation and optimization of the EMBR for simultaneous energy recovery and wastewater treatment.

Increasing evidence points to a negative correlation between KRAS mutations and patients' responses to anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody treatment. Therefore, patients must undergo KRAS mutation detection to be eligible for treatment. High resolution melting analysis (HRM) is gaining increasing attention in KRAS mutation detection. However, its accuracy has not been systematically evaluated. We conducted a meta-analysis of published articles, involving 13 articles with 1,520 samples, to assess its diagnostic accuracy compared with DNA sequencing. The quality of included articles was assessed using the revised Quality Assessment for Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy (QUADAS-2) tools. Random effects models were applied to analyze the performance of pooled characteristics. The overall sensitivity and specificity of HRM were 0.99 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.98–1.00) and 0.96 (95%CI: 0.94–0.97), respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.996. High sensitivity and specificity, less labor, rapid turn-around and the closed-tube format of HRM make it an attractive choice for rapid detection of KRAS mutations in clinical practice. The burden of DNA sequencing can be reduced dramatically by the implementation of HRM, but positive results still need to be sequenced for diagnostic confirmation.

Interactions between metals and activated sludge microorganisms substantially affect the speciation, immobilization, transport, and bioavailability of trace heavy metals in biological wastewater treatment plants. In this study, the interaction of Cu(II), a typical heavy metal, onto activated sludge microorganisms was studied in-depth using a multi-technique approach. The complexing structure of Cu(II) on microbial surface was revealed by X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis. EPR spectra indicated that Cu(II) was held in inner-sphere surface complexes of octahedral coordination with tetragonal distortion of axial elongation. XAFS analysis further suggested that the surface complexation between Cu(II) and microbial cells was the distorted inner-sphere coordinated octahedra containing four short equatorial bonds and two elongated axial bonds. To further validate the results obtained from the XAFS and EPR analysis, density functional theory calculations were carried out to explore the structural geometry of the Cu complexes. These results are useful to better understand the speciation, immobilization, transport, and bioavailability of metals in biological wastewater treatment plants.

In this study, based on a simple, compact and submersible microbial fuel cell (MFC), a novel online monitoring and alert system with self-diagnosis function was established for the activated sludge (AS) process. Such a submersible MFC utilized organic substrates and oxygen in the AS reactor as the electron donor and acceptor respectively, and could provide an evaluation on the status of the AS reactor and thus give a reliable early warning of potential risks. In order to evaluate the reliability and sensitivity of this online monitoring and alert system, a series of tests were conducted to examine the response of this system to various shocks imposed on the AS reactor. The results indicate that this online monitoring and alert system was highly sensitive to the performance variations of the AS reactor. The stability, sensitivity and repeatability of this online system provide feasibility of being incorporated into current control systems of wastewater treatment plants to real-time monitor, diagnose, alert and control the AS process.

Microbial extracellular electron transfer (EET) is critically involved in many pollutant conversion processes in both natural environment and engineered bioelectrochemical systems (BES), but typically with limited efficiency and poor controllability. In this study, we discover an important role of uncouplers in affecting the microbial energy metabolism and EET. Dose of lower-concentration 3,3',4',5-tetrachlorosalicylanilide (TCS) in the anolyte promoted the current generation and substrate degradation of an MFC inoculated with Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. However, higher TCS dosage caused obvious microbial inhibition. Our results suggest a previously unknown role of uncouplers in regulating the microbial EET. In addition, the underlying mechanisms of such processes are investigated. This work broadens our view about the EET behaviors of microorganisms in real water environment where uncouplers are usually present, and suggests a possible new approach to regulate microbial EET in BES.

Fermentative hydrogen production from wastes has many advantages compared to various chemical methods. Methodology for characterizing the hydrogen-producing activity of anaerobic mixed cultures is essential for monitoring reactor operation in fermentative hydrogen production, however there is lack of such kind of standardized methodologies. In the present study, a new index, i.e., the maximum specific hydrogen-producing activity (SHAm) of anaerobic mixed cultures, was proposed, and consequently a reliable and simple method, named SHAm test, was developed to determine it. Furthermore, the influences of various parameters on the SHAm value determination of anaerobic mixed cultures were evaluated. Additionally, this SHAm assay was tested for different types of substrates and bacterial inocula. Our results demonstrate that this novel SHAm assay was a rapid, accurate and simple methodology for determining the hydrogen-producing activity of anaerobic mixed cultures. Thus, application of this approach is beneficial to establishing a stable anaerobic hydrogen-producing system.

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) share the principle of the microbially catalyzed anodic substrate oxidation. Creating an electrode interface to promote extracellular electron transfer from microbes to electrode and understanding such mechanisms are crucial for engineering BESs. In this study, significantly promoted electron transfer and a 10-times increase in current generation in a BES were achieved by the utilization of carbon nanotube (CNT) network, compared with carbon paper. The mechanisms for the enhanced current generation with the CNT network were elucidated with both experimental approach and molecular dynamic simulations. The fabricated CNT network was found to be able to substantially enhance the interaction between the c-type cytochromes and solid electron acceptor, indicating that the direct electron transfer from outer-membrane decaheme c-type cytochromes to electrode might occur. The results obtained in this study will benefit for the optimized design of new materials to target the outer membrane proteins for enhanced electron exchanges.

In situ reduction of selenite to elemental selenium (Se(0)), by microorganisms in sediments and soils is an important process and greatly affects the environmental distribution and the biological effects of selenium. However, the mechanism behind such a biological process remains unrevealed yet. Here we use Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, a widely-distributed dissimilatory metal-reducing bacterium with a powerful and diverse respiration capability, to evaluate the involvement of anaerobic respiration system in the microbial selenite reduction. With mutants analysis, we identify fumarate reductase FccA as the terminal reductase of selenite in periplasm. Moreover, we find that such a reduction is dependent on central respiration c-type cytochrome CymA. In contrast, nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, and the Mtr electron transfer pathway do not work as selenite reductases. These findings reveal a previously unrecognized role of anaerobic respiration reductases of S. oneidensis MR-1 in selenite reduction and geochemical cycles of selenium in sediments and soils.

Both Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 wild type and its mutant ΔomcA/mtrC are capable of transforming Au(III) into Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). Cyclic voltammetry reveals a decrease in redox current after the wild type is exposed to Au(III) but an increase in oxidation current for the mutant. The peak current of the wild type is much higher than that of the mutant before the exposure of Au(III), but lower than that of the mutant after the formation of AuNPs. This suggests that damage to the electron transfer chain in the mutant could be repaired by AuNPs to a certain extent. Spectroscopy and SDS-PAGE analysis indicate a decrease in cell protein content after the formation of AuNPs, which provides a convenient way to detect intracellular information on cells.

Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons and chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons (CHCs) are toxic and carcinogenic contaminants commonly found in environmental samples, and efficient online detection of these contaminants is still challenging at the present stage. Here, we report an advanced Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) sensor for in-situ and simultaneous detection of multiple CHCs, including monochlorobenzene, 1,2-dichlorobenzene, 1,3-dichlorobenzene, trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, and chloroform. The polycrystalline silver halide sensor fiber had a unique integrated planar-cylindric geometry, and was coated with an ethylene/propylene copolymer membrane to act as a solid phase extractor, which greatly amplified the analytical signal and contributed to a higher detection sensitivity compared to the previously reported sensors. This system exhibited a high detection sensitivity towards the CHCs mixture at a wide concentration range of 5~700 ppb. The FTIR-ATR sensor described in this study has a high potential to be utilized as a trace-sensitive on-line device for water contamination monitoring.

In this work, sawdust, a biomass waste, is converted into a magnetic porous carbonaceous (MPC) solid acid catalyst by an integrated fast pyrolysis-sulfonation process. The resultant magnetic solid acid has a porous structure with high surface area of 296.4 m(2) g(-1), which can be attributed to the catalytic effect of Fe. The catalytic activity and recyclability of the solid acid catalyst are evaluated during three typical acid-catalyzed reactions: esterification, dehydration, and hydrolysis. The favorable catalytic performance in all three reactions is attributed to the acid's high strength with 2.57 mmol g(-1) of total acid sites. Moreover, the solid acid can be reused five times without a noticeable decrease in catalytic activity, indicating the stability of the porous carbon (PC)-sulfonic acid group structure. The findings in the present work offer effective alternatives for environmentally friendly utilization of abundant biomass waste.

One possible way to address both water and energy shortage issues, the two of major global challenges, is to recover energy and water resource from wastewater. Herein, a novel electrochemical membrane bioreactor (EMBR) was developed to recover energy from wastewater and meantime harvest clean water for reuse. With the help of the microorganisms in the biocatalysis and biodegradation process, net electricity could be recovered from a low-strength synthetic wastewater after estimating total energy consumption of this system. In addition, high-quality clean water was obtained for reuse. The results clearly demonstrate that, under the optimized operating conditions, it is possible to recover net energy from wastewater, while at the same time to harvest high-quality effluent for reuse with this novel wastewater treatment system.

In bioelectrochemical system (BES) the extracellular electron transfer (EET) from bacteria to anode electrode is recognized as a crucial step that governs the anodic reaction efficiency. Here, we report a novel approach to substantially enhance the microbial EET by immobilization of a small active phenothiazine derivative, methylene blue, on electrode surface. A comparison of the currents generated by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and its mutants as well as the electrochemical analytical results reveal that the accelerated EET was attributed to enhanced interactions between the bacterial outer-membrane cytochromes and the immobilized methylene blue. A further investigation into the process using in situ Raman spectro-electrochemical method coupled with density functional theory calculations demonstrates that the electron shuttling was achieved through the change of the molecule conformation of phenothiazine in the redox process. These results offer useful information for engineering BES.

Electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) are ubiquitous in environment and have important application in the fields of biogeochemistry, environment, microbiology and bioenergy. However, rapid and sensitive methods for EAB identification and evaluation of their extracellular electron transfer ability are still lacking. Herein we report a novel photometric method for visual detection of EAB by using an electrochromic material, WO(3) nanoclusters, as the probe. This method allowed a rapid identification of EAB within 5 min and a quantitative evaluation of their extracellular electron transfer abilities. In addition, it was also successfully applied for isolation of EAB from environmental samples. Attributed to its rapidness, high reliability, easy operation and low cost, this method has high potential for practical implementation of EAB detection and investigations.