MALDI MSI Reveals the Spatial Distribution of Protein Markers in Tracheobronchial Lymph Nodes and Lung of Pigs after Respiratory Infection

Respiratory infections are a real threat for humans, and therefore the pig model is of interest for studies. As one of a case for studies, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) caused infections and still worries many pig breeders around the world. To better understand the influence of pathogenic effect of APP on a respiratory system—lungs and tracheobronchial lymph nodes (TBLN), we aimed to employ matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-TOF MSI). In this study, six pigs were intranasally infected by APP and two were used as non-infected control, and 48 cryosections have been obtained. MALDI-TOF MSI and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to study spatial distribution of infectious markers, especially interleukins, in cryosections of porcine tissues of lungs (necrotic area, marginal zone) and tracheobronchial lymph nodes (TBLN) from pigs infected by APP. CD163, interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and a protegrin-4 precursor were successfully detected based on their tryptic fragments. CD163 and IL-1β were confirmed also by IHC. The protegrin-4 precursor was identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF directly on the tissue cryosections. CD163, IL-1β and protegrin-4 precursor were all significantly (p < 0.001) more expressed in necrotic areas of lungs infected by APP than in marginal zone, TBLN and in control lungs.     

新型表面活性剂的合成与表征综合实验设计

将专业综合实验与科研成果相结合,设计了新型表面活性剂的合成与表征综合化学实验。实验涉及含羟基基团的表面活性剂的合成、纯化、结构表征和性能测定等操作。该综合实验将有机化学基础知识、表面活性剂的基本性质与前沿科学研究相结合,从而实现学生实验技能的提升、认知视野的拓展和综合能力培养的目标。     

“多才多艺”的铁元素*

铁在自然界中含量丰富,化学性质活泼,能够形成多种应用广泛的物质及材料,富有发展潜力。简述了铁元素的发现与性质,并重点介绍了铁的功能与应用。其中铁的应用主要围绕铁及其化合物在医学治疗、能源材料和环境保护领域所发挥的重要作用进行了阐述。     

Evaluation of Charged Defect Energy in Two-Dimensional Semiconductors for Nanoelectronics: The WLZ Extrapolation Method

Defects play a central role in controlling the electronic properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials and realizing the industrialization of 2D electronics. However, the evaluation of charged defects in 2D materials within first-principles calculation is very challenging and has triggered a recent development of the WLZ (Wang, Li, Zhang) extrapolation method. This method lays the foundation of the theoretical evaluation of energies of charged defects in 2D materials within the first-principles framework. Herein, the vital role of defects for advancing 2D electronics is discussed, followed by an introduction of the fundamentals of the WLZ extrapolation method. The ionization energies (IEs) obtained by this method for defects in various 2D semiconductors are then reviewed and summarized. Finally, the unique defect physics in 2D dimensions including the dielectric environment effects, defect ionization process, and carrier transport mechanism captured with the WLZ extrapolation method are presented. As an efficient and reasonable evaluation of charged defects in 2D materials for nanoelectronics and other emerging applications, this work can be of benefit to the community.     

Optical Trapping with Focused Surface Waves

Near-field optical trapping can be realized with focused evanescent waves that are excited at the water–glass interface due to the total internal reflection, or with focused plasmonic waves excited on the water–gold interface. Herein, the performance of these two kinds of near-field optical trapping techniques is compared using the same optical microscope configuration. Experimental results show that only a single-micron polystyrene bead can be trapped by the focused evanescent waves, whereas many beads are simultaneously attracted to the center of the excited region by focused plasmonic waves. This difference in trapping behavior is analyzed from the electric field intensity distributions of these two kinds of focused surface waves and the difference in trapping behavior is attributed to photothermal effects due to the light absorption by the gold film.     

Recent Advances in Spatial Self-Phase Modulation with 2D Materials and its Applications

In recent years, spatial self-phase modulation (SSPM) with two-dimensional (2D) materials has attracted the attention of many researchers as an emerging and ubiquitous nonlinear optical effect. In this review, the state of the art of 2D material-based SSPM is summarized. SSPM measures or tunes the nonlinearity of 2D materials, and it is also an effective approach to study the band structure of 2D materials. Several modified forms of SSPM, such as high-order, white-light-excited, vector field excited, and optically nonlinearly enhanced SSPM are also presented. Subsequently, the physical origin of the SSPM formation mechanism is compared and analyzed. Furthermore, the applications of SSPM with 2D materials, including passive photonic devices, generation of Bessel beams, and identifying the mode of the orbital angular momentum, are listed. Finally, several urgent problems of the SSPM with 2D materials, potential applications, and prospects for future development are presented.     

Structured water chains in external electric fields

ABSTRACT

We study the structural, energetic and electronic properties of the structured water chain clusters within the density functional theory. We refer the structured water chains to those water clusters that have specific geometric patterns stretched along one direction. External electric field required to keep the structures open chain, thereby preventing them to form closed structures, is applied along the length of the chain. The structures are essentially periodic with basic repeating unit consisting of the corner- or edge-sharing 4-, 5- or 6-membered ring water clusters. Our calculations underscore the possible existence of such structured water clusters in the electrostatic environments, which we simulate in its simplicity employing a dipolar, uniform and static electric field. Analysis reveals that the 5-membered ring water chain clusters, i.e. the pentamer chain clusters have the lowest average dipole moment per water molecule while the threshold field, that marks the onset of the field-induced closure of the HOMO (highest occupied molecular orbital)-LUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) energy gap, is highest, followed by that for the tetramer and hexamer chains. The results suggest that the pentamer chains are the most stable clusters over a wide range of electric fields.     

Transition probabilities of the X1Σ+, A1Π, B1Δ, C1Σ+, and D1Π states of the AlO+ cation

ABSTRACT

This study computes the potential energy curves of the X¹Σ⁺, A¹Π, B¹Δ, C¹Σ⁺, and D¹Π states of AlO⁺ cation and the transition dipole moments between them. The orders of the rotationless radiative lifetimes are 10–100?μs for the A¹Π state, 1–1000?ms for the B¹Δ state, 10?ns for the first well and 100?ns for the second well of the C¹Σ⁺ state, and 1?μs for the D¹Π state. Emissions of the B¹Δ–A¹Π and D¹Π–C¹Σ⁺ systems are so weak that they are hardly measured via spectroscopy, the emissions of the C¹Σ⁺–X¹Σ⁺, C¹Σ⁺–A¹Π, and D¹Π–X¹Σ⁺ systems are so strong that they can be detected readily, and emissions of the A¹Π–X¹Σ⁺ and D¹Π–A¹Π systems can be observed through spectroscopy only by a significant effort. There is a strong great similarity between spontaneous emissions of the A¹Π–X¹Σ⁺ system of the AlO⁺ cation and the A²Π–X²Σ⁺ system of the AlO radical. The emissions of the A²Π–X²Σ⁺ system of the AlO radical have been measured in outer space Therefore, it is highly possible that the emissions of the A¹Π–X¹Σ⁺ system of the AlO⁺ cation can be detected in the astrophysical media.