Chapter 59: Chapter 57 The Big Move of Physics College
In the previous 1665 dungeon, Xu Yun received a conspicuous hint about the Five Dynasties’ imidacloprid formula:
[This is good stuff, but truly mastering it won’t be easy].
Thus, the entire formula is not a fool-proof one-click guide but provides some directions and structural expression diagrams. Many aspects require Xu Yun to personally work and think to solve it—like the previous pheromone, for instance, or the targeted binding method from the fourth to fifth generation.
To put it simply, you cannot have something for nothing.
However, compared to the cyclization breakthrough from the third to fourth generation, the difficulty from the fourth to fifth generation is undoubtedly much smaller, meaning the leap isn’t quite as large.
Fourth-generation determines the structure, fifth-generation supplements the functionality, and the former is the key point of qualitative change.
Thus, after establishing the direction for optimization needed for the fifth generation, Xu Yun began to distribute the tasks for the next phase:
"Old Qiu, next you take Xiaotang, Xiaoli, and the others to work on the development of the homomeric pheromone, leaving the derivation of the sodium ion channel receptor binding method to me. Let’s keep in contact at any time.
There are many existing examples in the homomeric pheromone biosphere; the key is in blocking the conformational changes of the sensing domain, which is not particularly difficult to operate, so let’s set a time.
The usage time of the laboratory is still nine days, so let’s strive for six days... get the pheromone challenge done within six days!"
Upon hearing, Qiu Sheng exchanged a look with Li Yi and the others, then nodded heavily:
"Old Xu, don’t worry, I’ll handle this side just fine."
After delegating the laboratory tasks to Qiu Sheng, Xu Yun tidied up some materials and left the lab in casual attire.
Students not infuriated by biology teachers should all know.
All animal membranes have a channel that allows a small amount of Na ions to enter cells following their electrochemical gradient, which is the sodium ion channel.
Discovered by the British scientists Hodgkin and Huxley, it can be divided into voltage-gated and ligand-gated types.
The sodium ion channel is the main trigger for electrical signals in all animals, and electrical signals are the control basis for a series of physiological processes such as nerve activity and muscle contraction.
Therefore, if it is possible to regulate the inactivation and deactivation of insect sodium ion channels, prolonging the time of transmembrane sodium ion flow to cause nervous excitation conduction blockade, this can also accelerate killing insects.
According to the just-assigned task, the derivation of the sodium ion channel receptor binding method was left for Xu Yun alone to solve, which is not an easy task. Therefore, he planned to check some materials at the West District Library first.
However, as soon as he left the medical center a few steps, the phone in his pocket vibrated.
"If it gets dark before then, I’m going to dig out your eyes~~~"
Xu Yun pulled out his phone to see that the incoming number was marked with a number:
Marshal Pan.
Seeing this, Xu Yun felt a chill in his heart and quickly pressed the call button:
"Director Pan, you looking for me?"
A few seconds later, a robust male voice came from the receiver:
"Hmm, it’s me, Xiaoxu, where are you?"
"I’m in the Central District at the medical center here, planning to go to the West District Library for some research."
"That’s convenient, I just came out from Tongfu Laboratory, shall we meet at the library entrance?"
"Sure, please wait a moment, I’m on my way!"
After hanging up, Xu Yun didn’t dare to delay and quickly took a taxi heading to the West District.
More than ten minutes later, carrying a small bag, Xu Yun arrived alone at the West District AED entrance.
At this moment, there stood a figure at the library entrance, quite familiar to Xu Yun.
The person appeared to be in their early fifties, with a kind face and spirited eyes, a tuft of bangs slanting from left to right on the forehead, wearing brown-framed glasses.
Not particularly tall but with an extremely imposing back.
This person was Xu Yun’s other mentor, the leading figure in domestic quantum communications, Marshal Pan, Academician Pan.
Xu Yun quickly walked over, greeting him:
"Professor, you wanted to see me?"
"Oh, Xiaoxu is here."
Marshal Pan turned and nodded at Xu Yun, casually patting his shoulder and pointing to the side:
"Let’s walk and talk."
Xu Yun obediently followed.
Perhaps because the School of Life Sciences is located here, the greening measures of West Campus of Ke Da are quite perfected, with tree-lined paths everywhere.
West Lake, one of the West District’s attractions, had introduced six black swans from Lu Dong’s breeding base not long ago, making the natural environment more harmonious than the other two campuses.
Xu Yun and Academician Pan walked leisurely down a shady path until Academician Pan started the conversation:
"Xiaoxu, your doctoral thesis defense should be soon, right?"
Xu Yun plucked a dry leaf from his shoulder and replied:
"It’s coming close. It was originally scheduled for next May, but Director Tian helped push it up to March next year, specifically mid-March."
Upon hearing this, Academician Pan nodded thoughtfully.
Generally, domestic part-time graduate thesis defenses are in December, full-time in May or June, but direct Ph.D. programs can sometimes make exceptions and hold defenses in March. Then, he continued to ask:
"Xiaoxu, I remember you’ve published academic papers in biology?"
Xu Yun nodded with a smile:
"Yes, published 5 SCI papers last year, although truly valuable ones are only two, one barely scraped into Zone Two."
"That’s still quite impressive."
Academician Pan praised, then stopped and looked at Xu Yun seriously:
"So, Xiaoxu, in the next half year... are you interested in helping me out?"
"Huh?"
Xu Yun was momentarily stunned but, thanks to two lifetimes of rich research experience, instantly understood what Academician Pan meant:
"Director Pan, is there going to be a big move by the school?"
As a current physics graduate student, being called by Marshal Pan or other bosses to assist is a common occurrence. If it were just ordinary research projects, Marshal Pan wouldn’t need to ask such a question.
It was obviously clear that the research project Marshal Pan hoped he would assist on must be of astonishingly high specifications, even requiring Marshal Pan’s personal ’interview’!
Faced with Xu Yun’s doubts, Marshal Pan nodded slightly:
"Yes, recently we achieved some technical breakthroughs in a... um, a field, so we’re preparing to launch a new project."
Xu Yun curiously glanced at him:
"Director Pan, can you tell me what the project is? Of course, if even the name needs to be kept secret, then just pretend I didn’t ask."
"It’s not that serious; the name can still be mentioned. After all, technology is the core."
Marshal Pan waved his hand confidently:
"If all goes well, we’re about to conduct the fifteen-photon entanglement experiment!"