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Biofouling has been persisting as a worldwide problem due to the difficulties in finding efficient environment-friendly antifouling coatings for long-term applications. Developing novel coatings with desired antifouling properties has been one of the research goals for surface coating community. Recently hydrogel coating was proposed to serve as antifouling layer, for it offers the advantages of the ease of incorporating green biocides, and resisting attachment of microorganisms by its soft surface. Yet poor adhesion of the hydrogel on steel surfaces is a big concern. In this study, porous matrix aluminum coatings were fabricated by cored wire arc spray, and the sizes of the pores in the aluminum (Al) coatings were controlled by altering the size of the cored powder of sodium chloride. Silicone hydrogel was further deposited on the porous coating. The hydrogel penetrated into the open pores of the porous Al coatings, and the porous Al structure significantly enhanced the adhesion of the hydrogel. In addition, hydrogel coating exhibited very encouraging antifouling properties.

Phage display technology is a unique gene recombination expression technology, and it is also a simple and effective screening tool. Through panning, a protein or peptide with high affinity and selectivity to the target is obtained. Antibody phage display has become the first and most widely used in vitro screening technology. Phage display derivatives play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. This article reviews the phage display system of phage display technology, the size and classification of antibody libraries and their applications, and discusses the application prospects and challenges of phage display technology. This thesis lays the foundation for the theoretical and experimental research of bacteriophages.

In order to understand the variation of FPV strains in the Jinan area, Shandong Province, China, the VP2 gene of 6 FPV strains was sequenced, and the analysis of the genetic relationship, evolution and main functional site variation was carried out. It was found that FPV-XY2, FPV-XY3 and FPV-XY6 were the same strain with 100% homology, and also close to FPV-XY1, and the homology between FPV-XY4 and FPV-XY5 was close. The homology between the reference strain and the test strain was over 99.3%. According to the evolutionary analysis, the genetic relationship among FPV-XY1, FPV-XY2, FPV-XY3, FPV-XY6 was close, and the genetic relationship between FPV-XY4 and FPV-XY5 was close, and the result was similar to the homologous result. Compared with the VP2 amino acid sequence of the standard strain FPV-CU4, the VP2 protein of all the test strains changed from I to t on the 101st Amino acid, this may be the cause of immune failure in these 6 cases; the change of a to s in the 91st amino acid position of FPV-XY1, FPV-XY2, FPV-XY3, FPV-XY6 may be the cause of enhanced virulence of FPV. This study provides a reference for exploring the epidemic law of FP in the Jinan area, the standard of FP treatment plan and the research and development of FPV subunit vaccine.

Electrolytic manganese residue (EMR) is a type of industrial solid waste with a high silicon content. The silicon in EMR can be used as an essential nutrient for plant growth, but most of the silicon is found in silicate minerals with very low water solubility, that is, it is inactive silicon and cannot be absorbed and used by plants directly. Thus, developing a highly effective and environmentally friendly process for the activation of silicon in EMR is important both for reusing solid waste and environmental sustainability. The aim of this study was to investigate the desilication of EMR using cultures of Paenibacillus mucilaginosus (PM) and Bacillus circulans (BC). The results showed that the two types of silicate bacteria and a mixed strain of them were all able to extract silicon from EMR with a high efficiency, but the desilication performance of the mixed PM and BC was the best. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that silicate bacteria can induce a suitable micro-environment near the EMR particles and release Si into the solution through their metabolism. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that layered crystal minerals, such as muscovite and diopside, were more likely to be destroyed by the bacterial action than quartz, which has a frame structure. Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectrometry proved that the silicate structures were destroyed and that Si in the residue was decreased, indicating the dissolution of silicon under the action of these microorganisms. This study suggests that bioleaching may be a promising method for the activation of silicon in EMR.

Electrolytic manganese residue (EMR) is a kind of solid waste generated along with the production of electrolytic manganese, with a high content of quartz and metals. The former can be used as silicon fertilizer for crops after activation, while the latter may cause harm to surrounding environment due to their toxicity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of bacterial on the activation of silicon and fixation of heavy metals in EMR by using microbe-mineral direct contact and indirect contact methods. Mixed cultures of Bacillus mucilaginosus (BM) and Bacillus circulans (BC) were used to achieve activation of silicon in EMR, and the leaching concentration of Mn, Co and Ni and their chemical forms in the leaching residue were also investigated. The results show that the microbe-mineral direct contact method has better performance for the activation of silicon in EMR with the available silicon in the leaching solution up to 163.27 mg L−1 than the indirect contact method. The metals (Mn, Co and Ni) remaining in the residue mainly exist as the stable state after bioleaching, with lower leaching concentration after bioleaching of 20 d. And the effect of silicon bacteria on activation of silicon and the fixation mechanism of metals including the effect of silicate and silicate bacteria is confirmed, and it is verified by the identification of metabolites and the analysis of chemical reaction process. This study investigates the treatment of EMR by using mixed silicate bacteria, and reveals the mechanisms of bacteria on the activation of silicon and fixaion of heavy metals in EMR. The bioleaching method not only provides silicon source for soil but also can realize the reclamation of EMR.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), which leads to tremendous economic losses worldwide, is currently one of the most threatening viruses for the swine industry. However, PRRSV outbreaks in West China are rarely reported, even though the virus has remained active for a long time across the country., Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), which leads to tremendous economic losses worldwide, is currently one of the most threatening viruses for the swine industry. However, PRRSV outbreaks in West China are rarely reported, even though the virus has remained active for a long time across the country. In this study, we report an outbreak of the highly pathogenic PRRSV strain QTX, isolated from a pig farm located in Ningxia, a province in West China.

A moderate heat-resistant lipase gene from Bacillus subtilis FS1403 was cloned. Sequence analysis revealed that the lipase gene encodes a 212-amino-acid protein containing the conserved motif Ala-X-Ser-X-Gly that is present in other Bacillus lipases. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the B. subtilis FS1403 lipase gene belongs to family I.4 of bacterial lipase genes. The lipase gene was inserted in pET-28a(+) and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that the recombinant lipase had a molecular weight of approximately 23 kDa, which corresponded to the predicted size (22.8 kDa) of the deduced protein. The lipase activity was the highest at 50°C and at pH 8.0. The enzyme retained over 70% of the maximal activity at temperatures of 40–60°C and pH 6.0–11.0.

An open reading frame of 1100 bp in the partially sequenced genome sequence of alkaliphilic Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4 was identified as a putative alanine racemase gene (dadX(OF4)), which was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The encoded protein DadX(OF4) was purified to homogeneity by His(6)-tag affinity column, gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. The amino acid sequence has highest identity with the known alanine racemase from Oceanobacillus iheyensis HTE831 (48%). The protein was a dimeric, endogenous PLP-dependent enzyme, which was demonstrated by absorption spectra and enzyme activity with or without PLP. The racemization temperature optimum was 40 degrees C and the optimal pH was 10.5. The kinetic parameters K(m) and V(max) at 40 degrees C of alanine racemase, determined by HPLC analysis, were 41.79 mM, 10,500 units/mg for L-alanine and 14.91 mM, 3708 units/mg for D-alanine, respectively.

Recent studies have shown that the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of ULK1 and ATG13 are related to autophagy activity. Although ATG16L1 is absolutely required for autophagy induction by affecting the formation of autophagosomes, the post-translational modification of ATG16L1 remains elusive. Here, we explored the regulatory mechanism and role of ATG16L1 phosphorylation for autophagy induction in cardiomyocytes. We showed that ATG16L1 was a phosphoprotein, because phosphorylation of ATG16L1 was detected in rat cardiomyocytes during hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). We not only demonstrated that CSNK2 (casein kinase 2) phosphorylated ATG16L1, but also identified the highly conserved Ser139 as the critical phosphorylation residue for CSNK2. We further established that ATG16L1 associated with the ATG12-ATG5 complex in a Ser139 phosphorylation-dependent manner. In agreement with this finding, CSNK2 inhibitor disrupted the ATG12-ATG5-ATG16L1 complex. Importantly, phosphorylation of ATG16L1 on Ser139 was responsible for H/R-induced autophagy in cardiomyocytes, which protects cardiomyocytes from apoptosis. Conversely, we determined that wild-type PPP1 (protein phosphatase 1), but not the inactive mutant, associated with ATG16L1 and antagonized CSNK2-mediated phosphorylation of ATG16L1. Interestingly, one RVxF consensus site for PPP1 binding in the C-terminal tail of ATG16L1 was identified; mutation of this site disrupted its association with ATG16L1. Notably, CSNK2 also associated with PPP1, but ATG16L1 depletion impaired the interaction between CSNK2 and PPP1. Collectively, these data identify ATG16L1 as a bona fide physiological CSNK2 and PPP1 substrate, which reveals a novel molecular link from CSNK2 to activation of the autophagy-specific ATG12-ATG5-ATG16L1 complex and autophagy induction.

An immunochromatographic strip (GICA strip) was developed for the simple and rapid detection of antibodies against classical swine fever virus (CSFV). In the GICA strip, the expressed protein of E2 was labeled with colloidal gold and was used as the detector, and the staphylococcal protein A (SPA) and swine antibody against CSFV blotted on the nitrocellulose membrane were used for the test and control lines, respectively. Conjugation of E2 protein with colloidal gold was optimal at 5.25 μg of protein per mL of colloidal gold. The optimum concentration of the E2 protein applied at the test line was 1.5 mg/mL. The GICA strip was specific for antibodies against CSFV, produced negative results with sera from noninfected pigs or other animals, and was as sensitive or nearly as sensitive as ELISA and HI. According to the comparison of GICA strips with IDEXX ELISA kits, the coincidence rate was 93.26 %. The strips produced results within 5–15 min and can be stored at 4 °C for 3 years or 37 °C 1 year. The strip can be useful for both country veterinarians and field epidemiologists.

To compare the therapeutic effect of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment and pharmacotherapy with that of pharmacotherapy alone in sudden deafness (SD) patients, and to evaluate the impact of therapeutic time window on the therapeutic effect, a total of 264 patients with SD were assigned into HBO group and control group. Patients in the HBO group received routine pharmacotherapy and HBO treatment, and those in the control group were only routinely treated with drugs. Acoustic impedance measurement and pure tone audiometry were performed before and after treatment. The hearing after treatment at different time windows was compared with that before treatment. The overall efficacy in the HBO group was significantly superior to that of the control group (P 0.05). The results demonstrated that the efficacy of HBO combined treatment was superior to that of routine pharmacotherapy for SD patients, and HBO treatment can favorably improve the hearing of these patients. HBO treatment initiated early after symptom onset (