Protein engineering overcomes substrate inhibition in industrial biocatalyst
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 4-Jun-2026 06:16 ET (4-Jun-2026 10:16 GMT/UTC)
Researchers have successfully engineered an L-amino acid deaminase to overcome substrate inhibition, a major bottleneck in the biocatalytic production of phenylpyruvic acid. The study demonstrates an approximately 17-fold improvement in productivity at high substrate concentrations through strategic modification of the enzyme’s binding pocket.
New research from Singapore University of Technology and Design and the Singapore-ETH Centre finds that private cooling may protect people from heat while reducing the perceived urgency of broader urban climate solutions — a pattern the researchers call “behavioural insulation”.
Researchers have created an innovative paper-based analytical device that can detect microRNA-21—a biomarker associated with multiple cancers—using only a smartphone camera for readout, demonstrating a cost-effective platform with potential for point-of-care cancer diagnostics.
This study establishes a general design platform for narrowband emitters via precise control over molecular skeletal engineering. By directing π‑electron reorganization, aromaticity is rationally tuned from global delocalization to discrete local localization, which restricts long‑range π‑electron delocalization, suppresses vibrational coupling in the excited state, and diminishes vibronic shoulder features, thereby enabling intrinsically narrowband emission. OLED devices incorporating representative emitter achieve both exceptional color purity and high electroluminescence efficiency, with CIE coordinates that closely match the BT.2020 standard for red emission.
A highly efficient immobilized cell system for continuous production of cadaverine, a key building block for polyamide synthesis was successfully developed, which demonstrated a 19-fold improvement in catalyst productivity compared to free cells, achieving stable operation for 200 hours in a packed-bed reactor.
A code-reuse attack named “Segmentation Fault Oriented Programming (SFOP)” exploits weaknesses in signal handling and Intel CET in Linux systems. SFOP is capable of bypassing Intel CET in any program by producing segmentation faults in sequence. The program under attack is first made to access a restricted area of memory and then repeatedly crashed by executing invalid instructions. Every time it receives a SIGSEGV signal in return, the attacker registers a signal handler that succeeds in crashing the program. Registering a different piece of code every time, the attacker advances step by step, achieving arbitrary code execution. SFOP is enabled by 12 priorly unknown weaknesses that affect Linux signals. It has been discovered by Marcos Bajo, Apostolos Chatzianagnostou, and Christian Rossow at the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security, together with Ritvik Goyal at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
A new review maps out how polymer-based electrodes could help solve persistent safety, stability, and sustainability problems in solid-state metal-ion batteries. Unlike conventional designs that rely on flammable liquid electrolytes and rigid inorganic materials, polymer electrodes offer mechanical flexibility, chemical tunability, and superior interfacial contact. The analysis synthesizes recent advances in conducting and redox-active polymers, highlighting their potential to enable all-organic solid-state batteries that are lightweight, intrinsically safe, and compatible with low-energy manufacturing. The authors also identify key design strategies—including molecular engineering, composite formation, and interface modification—that could accelerate the transition from laboratory prototypes toward practical, scalable energy storage devices.
Aiming at the problems of severe degradation and complex impurities in high-acid-value waste cooking oil, a multi-stage coupled refining process including phosphoric acid degumming, alkali refining deacidification, activated carbon decolorization/deodorization and winterization was established. Waste cooking oil was successfully converted into natural ester insulating oil meeting power industry standards, providing a new pathway for the green and high-value utilization of kitchen waste oil.
Based on the generalized road rights theory, this study establishes an interval calculation model for photovoltaic (PV) power generation potential of expressways, covering service areas, toll stations, maintenance bases, and slopes under multi-credibility confidence levels. Taking Hunan Province in China as an example, we quantify PV potential and energy consumption matching in short-, medium- and long-term periods. Slopes are identified as the largest potential scenario, revealing the evolution from energy consumption to self-sufficiency and surplus power grid connection, supporting the deep integration of transportation and energy.