Typical Substrates Research Articles

Biochar granulation, particle size, and vegetation effects on leachate water quality from a green roof substrate.

Biochar, due to its favourable physiochemical properties, has been promoted as an ideal substrate additive on green roofs, with potential benefits to hydrological function. However, biochar is susceptible to water erosion, which may result in biochar loss and water pollution. The use of granulated biochars or biochars in large particle sizes could potentially alleviate biochar erosion loss, but effects on leachate quality have not been investigated. Also, biochar type and particle size influence plant performance, and effects on discharge quality may vary with vegetation. We assessed the effects of unprocessed and granulated biochars at five (0.25-0.5mm, 0.5-1mm, 1-2mm, 2-2.8mm, 2.8-4mm) and four (1-2mm, 2-2.8mm, 2.8-4mm, and 4-6.3mm) particle size ranges, respectively, on leachate quality on a typical green roof substrate, with presence and absence of vegetation (Agastache foeniculum - a drought-tolerant native forb). We evaluated integrated leachate quality using the CCME Water Quality Index (WQI). Unprocessed biochars reduced nutrient leaching due to increased water retention capacity (WRC) and total porosity. In contrast, granulated biochars, although showing less pronounced mitigation of nutrient leaching, reduced total suspended solids (TSS) and improved WQI in leachate due to enhanced plant performance. In addition, small biochar particles better reduced nutrient leaching and particle loss than large biochar particles, possibly due to increased WRC and formation of water-stable aggregates. The presence of vegetation generally reduced the leaching of nutrients and TSS, consistent with plant nutrient uptake and root substrate stabilization. However, plant biomass was correlated with increased total N leaching, likely due to litter inputs and rapid litter decomposition. We conclude that applications of granulated biochars may best improve discharge quality from green roofs through sorption effects and by enhancing plant performance.

Alternative Soil Substrates Addition Cause Deterioration in Reclaimed Soil Macropore Networks at Eastern Mining Area, China

Minesoil profiles are reconstructed by alternative soil substrates worldwide. However, some substrates lack appropriate soil characteristics and negatively affect the minesoil functions, these negative impacts are largely caused by the deterioration of macropore structure. Nevertheless, the differences of typical substrate characteristics and their influence on the deterioration are unclear. Thus, we present a case study to analyze macropore number, size, connectivity, distribution, and soil permeability of RMSs with three substrates (MSW, YRS and RM), respectively, using industrial X-ray computed tomography. The results indicated that (1) filling of substrates made adverse variations for minesoils in macropore number, Ma, ED, τ and size distribution, and the RMS filled with RM had biggest difference in macropore parameters with NCS, followed by the MSW and YRS. (2) The variations of RMSs in macropore parameters were found to be dominated by a synthetic action of substrate texture, SBD and SOM, where SOM showed significant positive correlations with most macropore parameters other than IM, and clay content and SBD showed significant negative correlations. (3) The macropore network can be linked to SP, among various macropore parameters, Ma, AM, and Ma with ED > 600 μm had significant positive correlations with it. It is suggested that the filling substrates need to be reformed from improving the substrate texture, bulk density, and organic matter content.

Mental imagery of whole-body motion along the sagittal-anteroposterior axis

Whole-body motor imagery is conceptualised as a mental symbolisation directly and indirectly associated with neural oscillations similar to whole-body motor execution. Motor and somatosensory activity, including vestibular activity, is a typical corticocortical substrate of body motion. Yet, it is not clear how this neural substrate is organised when participants are instructed to imagine moving their body forward or backward along the sagittal-anteroposterior axis. It is the aim of the current study to identify the fingerprint of the neural substrate by recording the cortical activity of 39 participants via a 32 electroencephalography (EEG) device. The participants were instructed to imagine moving their body forward or backward from a first-person perspective. Principal Component Analysis (i.e. PCA) applied to the neural activity of whole-body motor imagery revealed neural interconnections mirroring between forward and backward conditions: beta pre-motor and motor oscillations in the left and right hemisphere overshadowed beta parietal oscillations in forward condition, and beta parietal oscillations in the left and right hemisphere overshadowed beta pre-motor and motor oscillations in backward condition. Although functional significance needs to be discerned, beta pre-motor, motor and somatosensory oscillations might represent specific settings within the corticocortical network and provide meaningful information regarding the neural dynamics of continuous whole-body motion. It was concluded that the evoked multimodal fronto-parietal neural activity would correspond to the neural activity that could be expected if the participants were physically enacting movement of the whole-body in sagittal-anteroposterior plane as they would in their everyday environment.

Finding CYP2D6 activity biomarkers by correlating MDMA pharmacokinetic parameters to untargeted metabolomics data

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes play a major role in drug metabolism. Many of these enzymes exhibit a huge inter-individual variation in activity, not only attributable to the individual's genotype. Such environmental influences are hardly measurable, let alone their outcome predictable. The actual phenotype is usually determined through administration of well-studied CYP probe substrates – an approach that is obviously unsuitable for forensic investigations, particularly postmortem. Therefore, we aimed at finding alternative biomarkers of the CYP phenotype. Application of metabolomics techniques in theory should reveal endogenous metabolites processed by CYP isoenzymes, which in turn could be indicative for a person's phenotype for particular CYP isoenzymes (e.g. 2D6). In a standard metabolomics approach, features (unidentified metabolites) could be compared between different known CYP genotype/phenotypes. While this approach is most promising, a controlled study needs to be conducted including genotyping and probe-substrate phenotyping. Instead of a new phenotyping study, we aimed to explore the intended approach with a previous crossover study with a typical CYP2D6 substrate (MDMA) and a known inhibitor of CYP2D6 (bupropion) for the general suitability to find endogenous correlates of CYP2D6 activity. Plasma samples of a controlled MDMA/bupropion crossover study with four experimental test sessions (pretreatment – study day as follows: placebo-placebo, bupropion – placebo, placebo-MDMA, and bupropion-MDMA, n = 16 each), initially intended to study pharmacological questions, were reused. Plasma from timepoint 9 from the placebo-placebo and bupropion-placebo session were worked-up by simple protein precipitation and measured with a previously published untargeted metabolomics method (Boxler. Drug Test Anal 2019;11(5):678–696). Briefly, LC-qTOF-MS (Sciex 6600) with reversed-phase (RP) and HILIC chromatography was used in both positive and negative ESI mode. Untargeted data was analysed using msDial 4.8 and a pre-release version of SIRIUS (5.4.1) for structure elucidation and comparison to common databases. Feature peak areas were correlated (spearman) with the ratio of the area under the curve (AUC) of MDMA metabolites/AUC MDMA as determined as the best CYP2D6 correlate in a former targeted analysis (Steuer. Plos One 2016;11:e0150955). Further filter criteria were: fold change between groups of > 2 or < 0.5 and mean S/N > 150. Out of 24858 features found in RP positive mode, by correlation analysis, 27 features with a spearman correlation greater than 0.55 and with assigned MS/MS and 109 features without MS/MS information were found, respectively. As expected, 3 of the features could be unambiguously identified to be bupropion and its known metabolites. Further 10 features indicated a chlorine cluster, not expected endogenously, which pointed to further fragments/metabolites or artifacts of bupropion. The remaining 14 features could be considered as promising biomarker candidates not related to bupropion and as such as tentative indicators of the respective CYP2D6 phenotype. Using the pharmacokinetic parameters of MDMA, acting as a CYP2D6 substrate, with and without CYP2D6 inhibition by bupropion and corresponding metabolomics data, we could show, that the metabolome approach is able to find potential biomarkers for actual CYP2D6 status. As unfortunately typical for untargeted metabolomics, final identification of features still remains the bottleneck and requires further investigation. In addition, the applicability of the found biomarkers of course needs to be tested in a larger independent cohort. Ideally, a ratio of features that are substrate and product of the enzyme could be formed to increase the predictive power of this approach.

Progress in Near-Equilibrium Ammonothermal (NEAT) Growth of GaN Substrates for GaN-on-GaN Semiconductor Devices

This paper reviews the near-equilibrium ammonothermal (NEAT) growth of bulk gallium nitride (GaN) crystals and reports the evaluation of 2″ GaN substrates and 100 mmbulk GaN crystal grown in our pilot production reactor. Recent progress in oxygen reduction enabled growing NEAT GaN substrates with lower residual oxygen, coloration, and optical absorption. The oxygen concentration was approximately 2 × 1018 cm−2, and the optical absorption coefficient was 1.3 cm−1 at 450 nm. Maps of full-width half maximum (FWHM) of X-ray diffraction rocking curveswere generated for grown crystals and finished wafers. The X-ray rocking curve maps confirmed high-quality and uniform microstructure across the entire surface of the bulk crystals and substrates. The average FWHM of the 50 best bulk crystals from the recent batch was 28 ± 4 arcsec for the 002 diffraction and 34 ± 5 arcsec for the 201 diffraction, with an average radius of curvature of 20 m. X-ray topography measured on both sides of the bulk crystals implied that the density of dislocations wasreduced by one order of magnitude during the NEAT growth. A typical NEAT GaN substrate shows dislocation density of about 2 × 105 cm−2.

Robust Natural Polyphenolic Adhesives against Various Harsh Environments.

Although adhesive hydrogels have been extensively explored, the development of adhesives with long-term strong adhesion capacity under various harsh environments is still met with profound challenges such as sophisticated preparation, long-term curing, and low bonding strength. Herein, a series of robust adhesive hydrogels have been developed via the polyphenol-epoxy-cross-linking (PEC) reactions between natural polyphenols (extracts) and epoxy glycidyl ethers. The as-prepared natural polyphenolic adhesive hydrogels could induce strong adhesion onto several kinds of typical substrates (i.e., wood, glass, paper, PET, PMMA, and Fe) under both dry and wet conditions based on multi-interactions. Moreover, those natural polyphenolic adhesives exhibited good low-temperature and solvent resistance performances, which could be widely used in different kinds of device repairment (i.e., chemical, petroleum, wood, metal, glass, plastic, rubber, and other industries) under different conditions. This work could provide new opportunities toward natural-inspired robust adhesives in various fields ranging from chemical transportation, industrial manufacturing, architectural design, and marine engineering to daily life.

The rs35217482 (T755I) single-nucleotide polymorphism in aldehyde oxidase-1 attenuates prot ein dimer formation and reduces the rates of phthalazine metabolism.

Aldehyde oxidase 1 (AOX1) is a molybdenum-containing enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of a range of aldehyde compounds and clinical drugs, including azathioprine and methotrexate. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effects of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the coding regions of the human AOX1 gene on protein dimer formation and metabolic activity. Six variants (Q314R [rs58185012], I598N [rs143935618], T755I [rs35217482], A1083G [rs139092129], N1135S [rs55754655], and H1297R [rs3731722]), with allele frequencies greater than 0.01 in 1 or more population, were obtained from the genome aggregation and 1000 Genomes project databases. Protein expression and dimer formation were evaluated using HEK293T cells expressing the wild-type (WT) or different SNP variants of AOX1. Kinetic analyses of phthalazine oxidation were performed using S9 fractions of HEK293T cells expressing WT or each the different mutant AOX1. Although we detected no significant differences among WT AOX1 and the different variants with respect to total protein expression, native PAGE analysis indicated that one of the SNP variants, T755I, found in East Asian populations, dimerizes less efficiently than the WT AOX1. Kinetic analysis, using phthalazine as a typical substrate, revealed that this mutation contributes to a reduction in the maximal rates of reaction without affecting enzyme affinity for phthalazine. Our observation thus indicates that the T755I variant has significantly negative effects on both the dimer formation and in vitro catalytic activity of AOX1. These findings may provide valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying the inter-individual differences in the therapeutic efficacy or toxicity of AOX1 substrate drugs. Significance Statement The T755l (rs35217482) SNP variant of the AOX1 protein, which is prominent in East Asian populations, suppresses protein dimer formation, resulting in a reduction in the reaction velocity of phthalazine oxidation to less than half of that of wild-type AOX1.

Two-Mask Wafer-Level Vacuum Packaging With Bulk-Si 3D Interconnects for MEMS Devices and Its Package Performances

We present the novel 3D wafer-level vacuum packaging technology for MEMS, which only needs two masks and is realized by Au-Si eutectic bonding with a low-resistivity Si Cap wafer. Wherein, Au-Si bonding pads and rings are formed to accomplish vertical interconnects and a vacuum package respectively. Applied to resonators with two typical substrate wafers of Si and Glass, this 3D package structure has further gone through the systemic characterizations. Specifically, the high-reliable mechanic strengths of device packages are revealed from Au-Si bonding strengths measured as about 20 MPa in tensile tests. Based on analyzing parasitic capacitance networks in device packages, the feed-through effect in resonance tests can be effectively relieved by grounding on each Si layer in device package structures (i.e. the parasitic capacitance reduced from the level of pF to fF). By resonance tests, it is found that increasing the degassing duration (30 min <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\to 60$ </tex-math></inline-formula> min <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\to 100$ </tex-math></inline-formula> min) is beneficial for improving package vacuum degrees as well as consistencies (69% within 4–30 kPa <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\to 88$ </tex-math></inline-formula> % within 0.6-1.2 kPa <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\to 85$ </tex-math></inline-formula> % within 0.6-0.8 kPa), and hermetic package yields (73% <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\to 86$ </tex-math></inline-formula> % <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\to 100$ </tex-math></inline-formula> %). Besides, device packages are verified to have good long-term stability by monitoring quality factor variations in 6 months. Overall, this proposed 3D packaging technology has extensive application prospects in various MEMS devices due to its inherently-simple process, low capacitive feed-through effect, and fine package performances. Also, test results provide instructions on the realization of low-parasitic-capacitance signal interfaces and the optimization of wafer-level vacuum package processes.

Electronic structure, optical properties, and electron dynamics in organic dye-sensitized TiO2 interfaces by local hybrid density functionals

In this work, we present theoretical investigations of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using linear response time-dependent density functional theory (LR-TDDFT) and electron dynamics within the hybrid TDDFT/configuration interaction methodology. To evaluate the potential of local hybrid density functionals for such hybrid systems, we study the electronic properties of two organic dyes, both isolated and anchored on a typical semiconductor substrate (TiO 2 ). The implemented strategies can accurately predict electronic structures, optical properties, and energetic alignments of the investigated dye@TiO 2 systems. The accuracy of charge transfer excited states and the hybridization between the interfacial states depend appreciably on the used exchange correlation functional. This work emphasizes the performance of local hybrid functionals in comparison to the most commonly used global hybrid and range-separated hybrid functionals. Investigation of laser-induced charge migration dynamics sheds light on the effect of hybridization between the dye and the substrate at the interface on both the population transfer dynamics and the charge injection rate.

Population Pharmacokinetic Modelling for Nifedipine to Evaluate the Effect of Parathyroid Hormone on CYP3A in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.

PurposeParathyroid hormone (PTH) can induce the downregulation of CYP3A in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Nevertheless, the effect of PTH on CYP3A-mediated clearance pathways from a clinical perspective remains unclear.MethodsThis study employed population pharmacokinetic (PopPK) modeling to delineate potential changes in CYP3A activity in patients with CKD. Pharmacokinetic data for nifedipine, a typical CYP3A substrate, as well as covariate information, were prospectively collected from 157 patients with a total of 612 concentrations. PopPK data analysis was performed using a nonlinear mixed-effects model.ResultsThe pharmacokinetics of nifedipine were optimally described according to a one-compartment model with zero-order absorption and first-order elimination. The estimated population parameters (and interindividual variability) were apparent clearance (CL/F) 49.61 L/h (58.33%) and apparent volume of distribution (V/F) 2300.26 L (45.62%), and the PTH level negatively correlated with CL/F. In comparison with the reference level, it was observed that the dosage of nifedipine should be reduced with the maximum boundary value of PTH, after a Monte Carlo simulation.ConclusionThis study provides insight into the effects of PTH on CYP3A-mediated clearance pathways. Moreover, PTH could be used as a guide for the appropriate administration of CYP3A eliminated drugs in patients with CKD.

A Comprehensive Investigation of Dog Cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) Reveals a Functional Role of Newly Identified CYP3A98 in Small Intestine.

Dogs are frequently used in drug metabolism studies, and their important drug-metabolizing enzymes, including cytochromes P450 (P450), have been analyzed. In humans, CYP3A4 is an especially important P450 due to its abundance and major roles in liver and intestine. In the present study, dog CYP3A98 and CYP3A99 were identified and characterized, along with previously identified CYP3A12 and CYP3A26. The dog CYP3A cDNAs contained open reading frames of 503 amino acids and shared high sequence identity (78%-80%) with human CYP3As. Among the dog CYP3A mRNAs, CYP3A98 mRNA was expressed most abundantly in small intestine. In contrast, dog CYP3A12 and CYP3A26 mRNAs were expressed in liver, where CYP3A12 mRNA was the most abundant. The four CYP3A genes had similar gene structures and formed a gene cluster in the dog and human genomes. Metabolic assays of dog CYP3A proteins heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli indicated that the dog CYP3As tested were functional enzymes with respect to typical human CYP3A4 substrates. Dog CYP3A98 efficiently catalyzed oxidations of nifedipine, alprazolam, and midazolam, indicating major roles of CYP3A98 in the small intestine. Dog CYP3A12 and CYP3A26 metabolizing nifedipine and/or midazolam would play roles in these reactions in the liver. In contrast, dog CYP3A99 showed minimal mRNA expression and minimal metabolic activity, and its contribution to overall drug metabolism is, therefore, negligible. These results indicated that newly identified dog CYP3A98, a testosterone 6 β - and estradiol 16 α -hydroxylase, was abundantly expressed in the small intestine and is likely the major CYP3A in the small intestine in combination with liver-specific CYP3A12. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Novel dog cytochromes P450 3A98 (CYP3A98) and CYP3A99 were identified and characterized to be functional and highly identical to human CYP3A4. Known CYP3A12 and new CYP3A98 efficiently catalyzed estradiol 16α-hydroxylation and midazolam 1'-hydroxylation. CYP3A98 mRNA was expressed in small intestine, whereas CYP3A12 mRNA was predominant in liver. Dog hepatic CYP3A12 and intestinal CYP3A98 are the enzymes likely responsible for the metabolic clearances of orally administered drugs, unlike human CYP3A4/5, which are in both the liver and intestine.

Molecular and Functional Characterization of N-Acetyltransferases in Common Marmosets and Pigs.

Arylamine N-acetyltransferases (NATs) are drug-metabolizing enzymes that are essential for the metabolism of endogenous substrates and xenobiotics. The molecular characteristics of NATs have been extensively investigated in humans but remain to be investigated in common marmosets and pigs, animal species that are often used in drug metabolism studies. In this study, marmoset NAT1 and pig NAT1 cDNAs were isolated from liver samples and were characterized by molecular analyses and drug-metabolism assays. These NAT genes were intronless and formed gene clusters with one other NAT gene in the genome, just as human NAT genes do. Marmoset NAT1 and pig NAT1 amino acid sequences showed high sequence identities (94% and 85%, respectively) to human NAT1. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that marmoset NAT1 and pig NAT1 were more closely clustered with human NATs than with rat or mouse NATs. Marmoset NAT1 and pig NAT1 mRNAs were expressed in all the tissue types analyzed, with the expression levels being highest in the small intestine. Metabolic assays using recombinant proteins found that marmoset NAT1 and pig NAT1 metabolized human NAT substrates p-aminobenzoic acid, 2-aminofluorene, sulfamethazine, and isoniazid. Marmoset NAT1 and pig NAT1 substantially acetylated p-aminobenzoic acid and 2-aminofluorene relevant human NAT1, but their activities were lower toward sulfamethazine and isoniazid than those of the relevant human NAT2. Therefore, marmoset and pig NATs are functional enzymes with molecular similarities to human NAT1, but their substrate specificities, while similar to human NAT1, differ somewhat from human NAT2. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Marmoset N-acetyltransferase NAT1 and pig NAT1 were identified and showed high sequence identities to human NAT1. These NAT mRNAs were expressed in various tissues. Marmoset and pig NAT1s acetylated typical human NAT substrates, although their substrate specificities differed somewhat from human NAT2. Marmoset NAT1 and pig NAT1 have similarities with human NAT1 in terms of molecular and enzymatic characteristics.

Ultrathin porous Pd metallene as highly efficient oxidase mimics for colorimetric analysis

Pd-based nanomaterials have shown great promise as promising mimic enzymes, but traditional catalysts can only expose only part of the active sites, resulting in low atomic utilization. Herein, we demonstrated that ultrathin Pd metallene with abundant accessible active sites could be served as highly efficient oxidase mimics. Due to their ultrathin porous structure, nearly all the Pd atoms of the Pd metallenezymes could be efficiently utilized during the catalytic process. By using the 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl benzidine (TMB) as a typical chromogenic substrate, the Pd metallenezymes with excellent oxidase-like activity are successfully applied for some colorimetric-based analysis applications. Benefiting from the sensitive Pd metallene/TMB detection system, the TAC of some commercial beverages and vitamin C chewable pieces are proved to meet the description and the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was successfully detected in 0–20 U/L range, achieving a lowest detect limit of 0.41 U/L. This work provides not only one kind of novel nanozymes, but also an effective strategy to maximize the atom utilization as enzyme mimics.

Old dogs, new trick: Classical starch˗sodium iodide reagent as the chromogenic substrate of peroxidase-like nanozymes

2, 2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate (ABTS), 3, 3′, 5, 5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), o-phenylenediamine (OPD) are typical chromogenic substrates to evaluate the activity of peroxidase-like nanozymes. However, these substrates are toxic, unstable, and the coloration reactions are slow. Herein, the classical starch-sodium iodide reagent was utilized as the chromogenic substrate to evaluate peroxidase-like activity of nanozymes. Starch-sodium iodine is less toxic, more stable and faster color reaction than ABTS, TMB and OPD. Under the catalysis of peroxidase-like nanozymes such as Mo5N6 nanosheets, graphene oxide nanosheets, Fe3O4 nanoparticles, CeO2 nanoparticles, iodide ion (I–) is oxidized by H2O2 to produce blue color complex (starch-I2). Taking Mo5N6 nanosheets as the peroxidase-like nanozyme, the color reaction completed within 5 min at room temperature (25 ºC), and the chromogenic substrate remained stable within 30 days. The maximum reaction rate (Vmax) using starch-sodium iodine as the chromogenic substrate was more than 100-fold higher than that of TMB. Based on this, a sensitive colorimetric sensor and facile portable agarose gel test kits were proposed and applied for the detection of H2O2 residue in liquid milk samples with fast response.

Pioneer species of Cyanobacteria in hot springs and their role to travertine formation: The case of Aedipsos hot springs, Euboea (Evia), Greece

AbstractCyanobacteria are considered to be among the first microorganisms to settle in hot springs where they form a favourable environment for further biological establishment. Nevertheless, the exact pioneer species and how early they start participating in the biomineralisation processes remain unknown. The aim of the present study was twofold, that is, to identify the pioneer Cyanobacteria in hot springs (i.e. Aedipsos area, Greece) and to record their early biomineralisation processes. The in situ experimental approach included the setup of sterile glass and/or plexiglass slides in several locations to facilitate colonisation by Cyanobacteria, and removal of slides for study after 48–202 h. Synechococcales (37%) and Oscillatoriales (33%) were the dominant orders, followed by Chroococcales (15%) and Spirulinales (11%); whereas Chroococcidiopsidales (4%) was found only in a few sites. The order Nostocales was not observed at the early stages of colonisation although it was present in mature stages. Forty‐three species of Cyanobacteria were identified as pioneer microorganisms, with Spirulina subtilissima being the most frequently found. The most common pioneers were multicellular filamentous Cyanobacteria, that is, organisms with a large surface area able to form significant amounts of extracellular polymeric substances. Among the pioneers, thermophilic species of Cyanobacteria were typical such as Chroococcidiopsis thermalis, Chroococcus thermalis, Leptolyngbya thermalis, S. subtilissima and Symploca thermalis, as well as typical limestone substrate species such as Chroococcus lithophilus and Leptolyngbya laminosa. Temperature seems to affect biodiversity. Also, pioneers were found to contribute to the biomineralisation processes from their first appearance. In the studied samples, three biomineralisation processes were identified, that is, (i) calcification of cyanobacterial sheaths, (ii) trapping of carbonate crystals on a crystal retention lattice formed by extracellular polymeric substances and filaments and (iii) trapping and confinement of carbonate crystals around filamentous Cyanobacteria.

Cellular Growth in Aerial Roots Differs From That in Typical Substrate Roots.

Background and AimsIn the roots of most vascular plants, the growth zone is small, the meristem and the elongation zone are sharply separated, and only meristematic cells divide. This statement is based almost entirely on studies with soil-rooted plants. Whether aerial roots of structurally dependent (=epiphytic/hemiepiphytic) species differ is virtually unexplored.MethodsGrowth of aerial roots in 20 structurally dependent plant species from eight families was studied ex situ. In 12 species, we studied the anatomical structure and distribution of cortex cell lengths and rhizoderm in the growth zone.Key ResultsAll the studied aerial roots had an open apical meristem, and mitoses were not restricted to the meristem. In contrast to belowground roots, relative growth rate did not strongly increase upon transition to the elongation zone, while elongating growth was often prolonged. Still, the relative growth rate was lower than in belowground roots in soil, and in different species, it did not change considerably compared to each other.ConclusionsA distinct elongation zone with rapid cell growth was missing in the studied aerial roots. Rather, there was a growth zone in which division, growth, and differentiation co-occurred. We observed a generally low relative growth rate in aerial roots and a surprisingly similar initial growth pattern in spite of the diversity in taxonomy and ecology, which resembled initial cellular growth in leaves, stems, and fleshy dicotyledonous fruit.

Ultra‐Strong and Proton Conductive Aqua‐Based Adhesives from Facile Blending of Polyvinyl Alcohol and Tungsten Oxide Clusters

AbstractThe explosive growth of binder industry spurs the development of strong adhesives with the integration of multi‐functionalities as well as cost‐effective and eco‐friendly processability. Here, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sub‐nanoscale metal oxide cluster, phosphotungstic acid (PTA), both with broad commercial availability, are complexed through hydrogen bonding in water. The obtained nanocomposites demonstrate promising light transmittance and proton conductivity, and most importantly, unprecedentedly high adhesive strengths as ≈4 kN m–1 for peeling strength and 8.2 ± 1.7 MPa for single lap shear strength on typical glass substrate. The supramolecular complexation of PVA with PTA can significantly reduce its crystallinity and accelerate PVA chain dynamics for negligible internal stress and membrane shrinkage upon drying, leading to close contact with glass substrates for strong adhesion. Meanwhile, the supramolecular interaction between PVA and PTA contributes to the nanocomposites’ enhanced mechanical strength and resolves the issue of cohesion failure to ensure high adhesive strengths. The fast chain dynamics also benefit rapid proton transportation, contributing to the high proton conductivities. The binder design protocol can be extended to general polymer systems integrated with desired functionalities and allows scale up processing, providing great opportunities for functional adhesives for safety glass and electronic industry.

Bio-Based Polymeric Substrates for Printed Hybrid Electronics

Printed flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) is finding an increasing number of applications in the fields of displays, sensors, actuators and in energy harvesting and storage. The technology involves the printing of conductive and insulating patterns as well as mounting electronic devices and circuits on flexible substrate materials. Typical plastic substrates in use are, for example, non-renewable-based poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) or poly(imides) (PI) with high thermal and dimensional stability, solvent resistance and mechanical strength. The aim of this study was to assess whether renewable-based plastic materials can be applied on sheet-to-sheet (S2S) screen-printing of conductive silver patterns. The selected materials were biaxially oriented (BO) bio-based PET (Bio-PET BO), poly(lactic acid) (PLA BO), cellulose acetate propionate (CAP BO) and regenerated cellulose film, NatureFlex™ (Natureflex). The biaxial orientation and annealing improved the mechanical strength of Bio-PET and PLA to the same level as the reference PET (Ref-PET). All renewable-based substrates showed a transparency comparable to the Ref-PET. The printability of silver ink was good with all renewable-based substrates and printed pattern resistance on the same level as Ref-PET. The formation of the printed pattern to the cellulose-based substrates, CAP BO and Natureflex, was very good, showing 10% to 18% lower resistance compared to Ref-PET and obtained among the bio-based substrates the smallest machine and transverse direction deviation in the S2S printing process. The results will open new application possibilities for renewable-based substrates, and also potentially biodegradable solutions enabled by the regenerated cellulose film and PLA.

Construction of Donor-Acceptor Heteroporous Covalent Organic Frameworks as Photoregulated Oxidase-like Nanozymes for Sensing Signal Amplification.

Nanomaterials with enzyme-like characteristics (called nanozymes) show their extreme potentials as alternatives to natural enzymes. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as metal-free nanozymes have attracted huge attention for catalytic applications due to their flexible molecular design and synthetic strategies and conjugated, porous, and chemically stable architectures. Designing high-performance two-dimensional (2D) porous COF materials embedded with functional building units for modulating nanozymes' catalytic activity is of immense importance in contemporary research. The proper combination of donor-acceptor (D-A) fragments within a porous COF skeleton is an effective strategy to decrease the band gap and provide a strong charge-transfer pathway for highly effective charge separation. Herein, two donor-acceptor heteroporous COFs using an electron-deficient 4,4'-(thiazolo[5,4-d]thiazole-2,5-diyl)dibenzaldehyde (Tz) unit or 4,4'-(benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole-4,7-diyl)dibenzaldehyde (Td) unit and electron-rich tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)ethane (ETTA) linkers were presented. The resulting crystalline and heteroporous COFs showed outstanding oxidase-like activity under light irradiation, which can catalyze the oxidation of typical substrates and corresponding evolution in color and absorption. The light-activatable ETTA-Tz COF with prominent oxidase-like activity can serve as a colorimetric probe for quantitative detection of sulfide ions with a linear range of 1-50 μM and a detection limit of 0.27 μM within 3 min. The colorimetric approach could also be used for sulfide ion detection in human serum samples. The research demonstrated the future potential of D-A motifs within fully conjugated COFs to obtain excellent mimic enzyme activity.

THz Time-Domain Ellipsometer for Material Characterization and Paint Quality Control with More Than 5 THz Bandwidth

Quality control of car body paint in the automotive industry is a promising industrial application of terahertz technology. Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in reflection geometry enables accurate, fast, and nondestructive measurement of individual layer thicknesses of multi-layer coatings. For high precision thickness measurements, the frequency dependent complex refractive index of all layers must be calibrated very accurately. THz time-domain ellipsometry is self-referencing and provides reliable, frequency resolved material properties with high signal-to-noise ratio. The method is characterized by a high sensitivity to optical material properties and layer thicknesses. We present characterization results in the frequency range 0.1–6 THz for typical automotive paints and different substrates such as polypropylene (PP), which features a high material anisotropy. We demonstrate that the broadband material properties derived from ellipsometry allow for inline thickness measurements of multi-layer car body paints with high accuracy.