As pet ownership continues to grow,China's cities are taking steps to make daily life more accommodating for both animals and their humans。Ragdoll cats and min iature poodles doze in cafes.Tabby kittens splash on...As pet ownership continues to grow,China's cities are taking steps to make daily life more accommodating for both animals and their humans。Ragdoll cats and min iature poodles doze in cafes.Tabby kittens splash on paddleboards in rivers and lakes.展开更多
Bar-based lecture series are becoming increasingly popular in the capital,attracting students and workers looking to learn and find community outside of traditional educational spaces边喝酒,边听课,这届年轻人爱上“学...Bar-based lecture series are becoming increasingly popular in the capital,attracting students and workers looking to learn and find community outside of traditional educational spaces边喝酒,边听课,这届年轻人爱上“学术酒吧”On a Sunday night in Beijing,doctoral candidate Ding Jiayi stands before an audience of 40 people—all nursing cocktails—and walks them through the particulars of traditional Chinese medicine.Though her slides are dense with historical texts and scientific findings,many of them drawn from her own research,she quips throughout her talk,often pausing to poke fun at the mystique surrounding TCM.展开更多
The feruloyl esterase from Aspergillus terreus(AtFAE)has been identified as a mesophilic and acid-preferring enzyme that primarily hydrolyzes the ester bond between ferulic acid and hemicellulose in plant cell walls.H...The feruloyl esterase from Aspergillus terreus(AtFAE)has been identified as a mesophilic and acid-preferring enzyme that primarily hydrolyzes the ester bond between ferulic acid and hemicellulose in plant cell walls.However,its limited thermostability restricts long-term or high-temperature applications.In this study,we employed a computer-aided rational design strategy involving online prediction of thermostable mutants and multi-parameterΔΔG calculations.Screening results revealed that,compared with the AtFAE(WT),the double mutant Q22M/T63V exhibited a 4.14-fold improvement in half-life at 55℃ and a 1.24-fold improvement in catalytic efficiency.Its optimal pH shifted from 6.0 to 5.0.When used in combination with xylanase,Q22M/T63V released 2.48 mg/g of ferulic acid from destarched wheat bran,representing a 2.73-fold increase compared with WT(0.91 mg/g).Structural analysis and molecular dynamics simulations indicated that enhanced hydro-phobic interactions and the elimination of unfavorable steric clashes accounted for the improved thermostability and acid tolerance.Moreover,the increased flexibility of the lid domain above the active-site pocket,along with strengthened positive correlations within this domain,contributed to the enhanced catalytic efficiency.These findings suggest that computer-aided rational design is an efficient and reliable strategy in enzyme engineering,with potential industrial applications of feruloyl esterases.展开更多
Chinese women are speaking up about pain and shame on the gynecologist’s table In December, 23-year-old Wu Jiayi emerged,shaking, from the hospital. Though her gynecological appointment had only lasted 15 minutes, Wu...Chinese women are speaking up about pain and shame on the gynecologist’s table In December, 23-year-old Wu Jiayi emerged,shaking, from the hospital. Though her gynecological appointment had only lasted 15 minutes, Wu, who agreed to be interviewed under a pseudonym, had spent almost an hour in the hospital bathroom, bleeding into the toilet after an invasive exam.展开更多
Former mines are being turned into public gardens and tourist attractions as China looks to a post-coal future,but the transition has not been smooth Red koi fish dart between lily pads and lotuses.Strangler figs and ...Former mines are being turned into public gardens and tourist attractions as China looks to a post-coal future,but the transition has not been smooth Red koi fish dart between lily pads and lotuses.Strangler figs and mango trees stretch towards a delicately latticed roof.Few would guess that underneath this beautiful botanical garden in Taiyuan,capital of northern China’s Shanxi province,lies an abandoned coal mine.展开更多
As the coastal town of Humen urbanizes,its softshell turtle industry is losing its appeal Business is slow in the turtle industry.Seventy-year-old Chen Zhiman,who began farming softshell turtles in 1992,ceased all ope...As the coastal town of Humen urbanizes,its softshell turtle industry is losing its appeal Business is slow in the turtle industry.Seventy-year-old Chen Zhiman,who began farming softshell turtles in 1992,ceased all operations in 2012.His farm in Humen,a coastal town in southern China’s Guangdong province,bears no trace of the million or so softshell turtles,or bie(鳖),that he raised for over 20 years.展开更多
文摘As pet ownership continues to grow,China's cities are taking steps to make daily life more accommodating for both animals and their humans。Ragdoll cats and min iature poodles doze in cafes.Tabby kittens splash on paddleboards in rivers and lakes.
文摘Bar-based lecture series are becoming increasingly popular in the capital,attracting students and workers looking to learn and find community outside of traditional educational spaces边喝酒,边听课,这届年轻人爱上“学术酒吧”On a Sunday night in Beijing,doctoral candidate Ding Jiayi stands before an audience of 40 people—all nursing cocktails—and walks them through the particulars of traditional Chinese medicine.Though her slides are dense with historical texts and scientific findings,many of them drawn from her own research,she quips throughout her talk,often pausing to poke fun at the mystique surrounding TCM.
基金supported by the Natural Science Research Project for Anhui Universities(KJ2021A0509)the Anhui Natural Science Foundation(2208085MC83).
文摘The feruloyl esterase from Aspergillus terreus(AtFAE)has been identified as a mesophilic and acid-preferring enzyme that primarily hydrolyzes the ester bond between ferulic acid and hemicellulose in plant cell walls.However,its limited thermostability restricts long-term or high-temperature applications.In this study,we employed a computer-aided rational design strategy involving online prediction of thermostable mutants and multi-parameterΔΔG calculations.Screening results revealed that,compared with the AtFAE(WT),the double mutant Q22M/T63V exhibited a 4.14-fold improvement in half-life at 55℃ and a 1.24-fold improvement in catalytic efficiency.Its optimal pH shifted from 6.0 to 5.0.When used in combination with xylanase,Q22M/T63V released 2.48 mg/g of ferulic acid from destarched wheat bran,representing a 2.73-fold increase compared with WT(0.91 mg/g).Structural analysis and molecular dynamics simulations indicated that enhanced hydro-phobic interactions and the elimination of unfavorable steric clashes accounted for the improved thermostability and acid tolerance.Moreover,the increased flexibility of the lid domain above the active-site pocket,along with strengthened positive correlations within this domain,contributed to the enhanced catalytic efficiency.These findings suggest that computer-aided rational design is an efficient and reliable strategy in enzyme engineering,with potential industrial applications of feruloyl esterases.
文摘Chinese women are speaking up about pain and shame on the gynecologist’s table In December, 23-year-old Wu Jiayi emerged,shaking, from the hospital. Though her gynecological appointment had only lasted 15 minutes, Wu, who agreed to be interviewed under a pseudonym, had spent almost an hour in the hospital bathroom, bleeding into the toilet after an invasive exam.
文摘Former mines are being turned into public gardens and tourist attractions as China looks to a post-coal future,but the transition has not been smooth Red koi fish dart between lily pads and lotuses.Strangler figs and mango trees stretch towards a delicately latticed roof.Few would guess that underneath this beautiful botanical garden in Taiyuan,capital of northern China’s Shanxi province,lies an abandoned coal mine.
文摘As the coastal town of Humen urbanizes,its softshell turtle industry is losing its appeal Business is slow in the turtle industry.Seventy-year-old Chen Zhiman,who began farming softshell turtles in 1992,ceased all operations in 2012.His farm in Humen,a coastal town in southern China’s Guangdong province,bears no trace of the million or so softshell turtles,or bie(鳖),that he raised for over 20 years.
