Inclusion Modes of Berberine with β-Cyclodextrin in Aqueous Solution

The possible inclusion modes of berberine(Berb)with β-cyclodextrin(BCD)in aqueous solution were predicted by molecular docking,molecular dynamics(MD)simulation and binding free energy calculations.Firs...     

A Phase-Controlled Optical Parametric Amplifier Pumped by Two Phase-Distorted Laser Beams

We theoretically study the phase characteristic of optical parametric amplification （OPA） or chirped pulse OPA （OPCPA） pumped by two phase-distorted laser beams. In the two-beam-pumped optical parametric amplification （TBOPA）, due to spatial walk-off, both of the pump phase distortions will be partly transferred to signal in a single crystal so as to degrade the signal beam-quality, which will be more serious in high-energy OPCPA. An OPA configuration with a walkoff-compensated crystal pair is demonstrated for reducing the signal phase distortion experienced in the first stage and ensuring the signal phase independent of two pump phase distortions through the second crystal, hence maintaining the signal beam-quality. Such a TBOPA is similar to the conventional quantum laser amplifier by means of eliminating its sensitivity to the phase and number of the pump beams.     

Cold crystallization behavior of polyamide 6 in PS‐g‐PA6 graft copolymers

TEM micrographs show that the PA grafts of PS‐g‐PA6 graft copolymers, which are obtained directly by extracting homo‐PA6 out from the homo‐PA6/PS‐g‐PA6 blends, are in the form of wormlike structure. The wormlike PA6 domains can shrink into droplets after annealing at 250 °C for 15 min. The diameter of the droplet determined by TEM and SAXS is in the range of 50–60 nm. This article reports on a unique crystallization behavior of the PA6 grafts in PS‐g‐PA6 graft copolymers. In a DSC cooling scan, PA6 grafts do not crystallize from the melt with a cooling rate of 10 °C/min. However, there is a cold crystallization peak around 65 °C in the subsequent heating scan. This cold crystallization phenomenon, which has not yet been reported in the literature till now, follows well the homogeneous nucleation mechanism and is depressed at relatively slow cooling rates (2 °C/min) or even completely eliminated after annealing within a specific temperature range. It may be caused by the slow diffusion or transport rate of the less flexible PA6 grafts to the crystal fronts when crystallization takes place around its glass transition temperature. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 65–73, 2010     

Three Octacyanometallate‐Based LnIII–MV (Ln = La,Ce; M = Mo,W) Bimetallic Assemblies with a One‐Dimensional Rope‐Ladder Chain Structure

Three octacyanometallate‐based hetero‐bimetallic complexes, [Ln(H₂O)₄(CH₃CN)₂][M(CN)₈] · CH₃CN [Ln = La, M = Mo( 1 ), W( 2 ); Ln = Ce, M = W( 3 )], were synthesized and characterized structurally. Single‐crystal X‐ray analysis reveals that 1 – 3 are isomorphous and consist of infinite one‐dimensional (1D) 3,3 rope‐ladder chains, in which the 12‐membered puckered square Ln₂M₂(CN)₄ is the basic building unit. The 1D chains are further linked through interchain hydrogen bonds, resulting in a three‐dimensional (3D) supramolecular network.     

Convergence for a class of non-autonomous Nicholson’s blowflies model with time-varying coefficients and delays

This paper is concerned with a class of the generalized non-autonomous Nicholson’s blowflies model with time-varying coefficients and delays which is defined on the nonnegative function space. Under proper conditions, we employ a novel proof to establish some criteria to ensure that all solutions of this model converge to an equilibrium. Moreover, we give an example to illustrate our main result.     

Ultrastructure of the compound eyes in the hangingfly Bittacus planus Cheng (Mecoptera: Bittacidae)

The ultrastructure of the apposition eyes in the hangingfly Bittacus planus Cheng was investigated using transmission electron microscopy. The compound eyes are composed of approximately 1000 contiguous ommatidia, each of which consists of a biconvex cornea, a crystalline cone, eight retinula cells, two primary pigment cells, and 12 secondary pigment cells. The rhabdom is of fused-type and formed by the rhabdomeres from eight retinula cells that run from the cone to the basal lamina, although the rhabdomere from the basal retinula cell (R8) only contributed to the lowest part of the rhabdom. The pigment granules are spread evenly in the primary pigment cells but are concentrated at the proximal and distal ends in the secondary pigment cells, and close to the rhabdom in retinula cells. The rhabdom is peculiar for the presence of gaps at the outer corner of each two adjoining rhabdomeres in different levels of retinula cell except for the proximal zone.     

Structural Manipulation of Ruthenium(II) Polypyridine Nitrone Complexes to Generate Phosphorogenic Bioorthogonal Reagents for Selective Cellular Labeling

We report a new class of ruthenium(II) polypyridine complexes functionalized with a nitrone group as phosphorogenic bioorthogonal probes. These complexes were very weakly emissive owing to rapid C=N isomerization of the nitrone moiety, but exhibited significant emission enhancement upon strain‐promoted alkyne–nitrone cycloaddition (SPANC) reaction with bicyclo[6.1.0]nonyne (BCN)‐modified substrates. The modification of nitrone with a dicationic ruthenium(II) polypyridine unit at the α‐C‐position and a phenyl ring at the N‐position led to remarkably accelerated reaction kinetics, which are substantially greater (up to ≈278 fold) than those of other acyclic nitrone–BCN systems. Interestingly, the complexes achieved specific cell membrane/cytosol staining upon specific labeling of an exogenous substrate, BCN‐modified decane (BCN‐C10), in live cells. Importantly, the in situ generation of the more lipophilic isoxazoline adduct in the cytoplasm resulted in increased cytotoxicity, highlighting a novel approach to apply the SPANC labeling technique in drug activation.     

Controlling bifurcations and chaos in discrete small-world networks

We propose an impulsive hybrid control method to control the period-doubling bifurcations and stabilize unstable periodic orbits embedded in a chaotic attractor of a small-world network. Simulation results show that the bifurcations can be delayed or completely eliminated. A periodic orbit of the system can be controlled to any desired periodic orbit by using this method.