Ecology and Diversity Editorial

A State-of-the-art Review on the Intelligent Tool Holders in Machining

In the manufacturing process, in addition to the properties of material itself, the quality of a product is directly related to the cutting process. Cutting force and cutting heat are two crucial factors in cutting processing. Researchers can analyze various signals during cutting process, such as cutting force signal, vibration signal, temperature signal, etc., which can regulate force and temperature, optimize the cutting process, and improve product quality. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to various signals in cutting process. Meanwhile, good-quality signal data sets will greatly reduce time, resource and labor costs for subsequent use or analysis of researchers. Therefore, how to collect high-quality signals effectively and accurately is the first step. At present, researchers prefer to use various sensors to collect signals. With the advancement of science and technology, intelligent tool holder appears in researchers’ vision. It integrates multiple systems such as sensors, data collection, data transmission, and power supply on the tool holder. It replaces traditional wired sensors, and it is highly interactive with CNC machine tools. This paper will carry out a systematic review and prospect from three aspects: the structural design of the intelligent tool holder, the signal monitoring technology of the intelligent tool holder, and the tool condition monitoring of the intelligent tool holder.

A Perspective in Future Biomanufacturing: Challenges in Industrial Fermentation—Understanding and Controlling Microbial Lifespan and Aging

Deciphering the Code of Pattern Formation: Integrating In Silico and Wet Lab Approaches in Synthetic Biology

Pattern formation is a fundamental process in biological development, enabling the transformation of initially uniform or random states into spatially ordered structures. A comprehensive understanding of the formation and function of these patterns is crucial for unraveling the underlying principles of biological design and engineering. In recent years, synthetic biology has emerged as a powerful discipline for investigating and manipulating pattern formation in biological systems, involving the design and construction of novel biological components, circuits, and networks with specific functionalities. The integration of computational simulations (in silico) and experimental techniques (wet lab) in synthetic biology has significantly advanced our knowledge of pattern formation and its implications in biological design and engineering. This review provides an overview of the computational simulations employed in studying pattern formation and introduces the representative and cutting-edge experimental methods utilized in wet labs.

The Infrastructure of an Ecological Civilization Cultivates Stewardship and Safety

TANGO1 Dances to Export of Procollagen from the Endoplasmic Reticulum

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to Golgi secretory pathway is an elegantly complex process whereby protein cargoes are manufactured, folded, and distributed from the ER to the cisternal layers of the Golgi stack before they are delivered to their final destinations. The export of large bulky cargoes such as procollagen and its trafficking to the Golgi is a sophisticated mechanism requiring TANGO1 (Transport ANd Golgi Organization protein 1. It is also called MIA3 (Melanoma Inhibitory Activity protein 3). TANGO1 has two prominent isoforms, TANGO1-Long and TANGO1-Short, and each isoform has specific functions. On the luminal side, TANGO1-Long has an HSP47 recruitment domain and uses this protein to collect collagen. It can also tether its paralog isoforms cTAGE5 and TALI and along with these proteins enlarges the vesicle to accommodate procollagen. Recent studies show that TANGO1-Long combines retrograde membrane flow with anterograde cargo transport. This complex mechanism is highly activated in fibrosis and promotes the excessive deposition of collagen in the tissues. The therapeutic targeting of TANGO1 may prove successful in the control of fibrotic disorders. This review focuses on TANGO1 and its complex interaction with other procollagen export factors that modulate increased vesicle size to accommodate the export of procollagen. 

Serine Integrase-based Recombination Enables Direct Plasmid Assembly In Vivo

Serine integrases are emerging as one of the powerful tools for synthetic biology. They have been widely developed across genome engineering, biological part construction, genetic circuit design, and in vitro DNA assembly. However, the strategy of in vivo DNA assembly by serine integrases has not yet been reported. To address this opportunity, here we developed a serine integrase-based in vivo DNA (plasmid) assembly approach. First, we demonstrated that the engineered “Acceptor” plasmids could be assembled with diverse “Donor” plasmids by serine integrases (Bxb1 and phiC31) in Escherichia coli (E. coli). Then, by programming the “Donor” plasmids and the host E. coli cells, we established an assembly cascade procedure and finally constructed plasmids that could constitutively express three different fluorescent proteins. Moreover, we used this approach to assemble different chromoprotein genes and generated colored E. coli cells. We anticipate that this approach will enrich the serine integrase-based biotechnology toolbox, and accelerate multiple plasmid assembly for synthetic biology with broad applications.

Globalization, Urbanization and Rural Transformation

Time-efficient and Semi-automated Production and Screening of Proteins

Fast, flexible and non-randomized modification, production and screening of proteins in fully automated system are of high interest in biological research and applications. The conventional methods for protein engineering and screening, especially for mutations of multiple residues. are time consuming and often unreliable. We demonstrate here a new, fast and flexible protein production and screening method which combines linear expression template (LET) based cell free protein synthesis (CFPS) with specific screening methods. This approach is demonstrated using green fluorescence protein, phosphoserine aminotransferase (serC) and aspartokinase III (AKIII) as model systems. The results show that mutants with changes in different protein properties upon multiple point mutations can be produced and screened within 6 to 15 h. This method can be used further to generate mutants of enzymes and multi-enzyme complexes and be implemented within the workflow of a feedback-guided protein optimization and screening system.

Measurement of Energy Poverty and Influencing Factors of Rural Households in China

Despite being the world’s largest developing country, China faces significant disparities between urban and rural areas, which exacerbates energy poverty in rural regions. This issue of energy poverty is a global concern, as millions of people lack access to modern energy necessary for a decent quality of life. This research aims to analyze the levels and structures of energy consumption in rural Chinese households, using data from the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) conducted in 2015 and 2018. The research employs the poverty line threshold and Theil index methods to comprehensively assess energy poverty in diverse regions. It also examines the economic, social, and familial factors influencing rural energy poverty. The findings reveal a transition in rural energy consumption towards cleaner sources, but energy poverty remains a significant issue. Factors such as energy prices and household size have a positive impact on energy poverty, while per capita income, education level, and social factors exert a negative influence.