Gravitational wave imprint of new symmetry breaking

It is believed that there are more fundamental gauge symmetries beyond those described by the Standard Model of particle physics. The scales of these new gauge symmetries are usually too high to be reachable by particle colliders. Considering that the phase transition (PT) relating to the spontaneous breaking of new gauge symmetries to the electroweak symmetry might be strongly first order, we propose considering the stochastic gravitational waves (GW) arising from this phase transition as an indirect way of detecting these new fundamental gauge symmetries. As an illustration, we explore the possibility of detecting the stochastic GW generated from the PT of \begin{document}$ {\bf{B}}-{\bf{L}}$\end{document} in the space-based interferometer detectors. Our study demonstrates that the GW energy spectrum is reachable by the LISA, Tianqin, Taiji, BBO, and DECIGO experiments only for the case where the spontaneous breaking of \begin{document}$ {\bf{B}}-{\bf{L}}$\end{document} is triggered by at least two electroweak singlet scalars.     

Structure-tuned membrane active Ir-complexed oligoarginine overcomes cancer cell drug resistance and triggers immune responses in mice

The development of chemotherapy, an important cancer treatment modality, is hindered by the frequently found drug-resistance phenomenon. Meanwhile, researchers have been enthused lately by the synergistic use of chemotherapy with emerging immunotherapeutic treatments. In an effort to address both of the two unmet needs, reported herein is a study on a series of membrane active iridium(iii) complexed oligoarginine peptides with a new cell death mechanism capable of overcoming drug resistance as well as stimulating immunological responses. A systematic structure–activity relationship study elucidated the interdependent effects of three structural factors, i.e., hydrophobicity, topology and cationicity, on the regulation of the cytotoxicity of the Ir(iii)-oligoarginine peptides. With the most prominent toxicities, Ir-complexed octaarginines (R8) were found to display a progressive oncotic cell death featuring cell membrane-penetration and eruptive cytoplasmic content release. Consequently, this membrane-centric death mechanism showed promising potential in overcoming multiple chemical drug-resistance of cancer cells. More interestingly, the eruptive mode of cell death proved to be immunogenic by stimulating the dendritic cell maturation and inflammatory factor accumulation in mice tumours. Taking these mechanisms together, this work demonstrates that membrane active compounds may become the next generation chemotherapeutics because of their combined advantages.

Structure optimized Ir-complexed cyclic octa-arginine shows a potential of “one-drug two-effects” for cancer treatment.     

Preparation and characterization of covalently bonded PVA/Laponite/HAPI nanocomposite multilayer freestanding films by layer‐by‐layer assembly

The layer‐by‐layer (LBL) assembly technique is an attractive method to make functional multilayer thin films and has been applied to fabricate a wide range of materials. LBL materials could improve optical transmittance and mechanical properties if the film components were covalently bonded. Covalently bonded nanocomposite multilayer films were prepared by employing hydrophilic aliphatic polyisocyanate (HAPI) as the reactive component, to react with Laponite and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). FT‐IR spectra suggested that HAPI reacted with Laponite and PVA at ambient temperature rapidly. Ellipsometry measurement showed that the film thickness was in linear growth. The influences of HAPI on the optical, mechanical and thermal properties of the films were investigated by UV‐Vis spectroscopy, tensile stress measurement, DSC and TGA. The obtained results showed that the optical transmittance and mechanical strength were enhanced when the film components were covalently bonded by HAPI. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 545–551     

Surface of room temperature ionic liquid [bmim][PF6] studied by polarization- and experimental configuration-dependent sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy

Understanding and control of the surface properties such as molecular orientations are of great importance in numerous applications of ionic liquids. However, there remain discrepancies among the previous experimental and theoretical studies on the surface orientation and structures of room temperature ionic liquids(RTIL) systems. In this article, the orientation of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium([bmin]) cation at the air/liquid interface of a characteristic RTIL, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate([bmim][PF6]), was investigated by the sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy(SFG-VS). Detailed polarization and experimental configuration analyses of the SFG-VS spectra showed the possibility of a small spectral splitting in the CH3 symmetric stretching region, which can be further attributed to the probable existence of multiple orientations for the interfacial [bmim] cations. In addition, the(N)–CH3 vibrations were absent, ruling out the prediction by several recent molecular dynamics simulations which state that portions of the [bmim] cations orient with a standing-up(N)–CH3 group at the ionic liquid surface. Hence, new realistic theoretical models have to be developed to reflect the complex nature of the ionic liquid surface.     

Two homosecoiridoids from the fl ower buds of Lonicera japonica

Two new homosecoiridoids, named loniaceticiridoside (1) and lonimalondialiridoside (2), were isolated from an aqueous extract of the flower buds of Lonicera japonica. Their structures including the absolute configuration were determined by extensive spectroscopic studies, especially by 2D NMR and CD data analysis. A proposed biosynthetic pathway and preliminary investigations of the biological activity of compounds 1 and 2 are also discussed.     

Determination of corilagin in rat plasma using a liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric method

A sensitive and simple liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometric (HPLC‐MS/MS) method for the determination of corilagin in rat plasma has been developed. Samples were prepared with protein precipitation method and analyzed with a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer. We employed negative electrospray ionization as the ionization source and the analytes were detected in multiple reaction monitoring mode. Separation was achieved on a C₈ column eluted with mobile phase consisting of methanol–0.1% formic acid in a gradient mode at the flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The total run time was 7.0 min.This method was proved to have good linearity in the concentration range of 2.5–1000.0 ng/mL. The lower limit of quantification of corilagin was 2.5 ng/mL. The intra‐ and inter‐day relative standard deviationa across three validation runs for four concentration levels were both <9.8%. The relative error was within ±6.0%. This assay offers advantages in terms of expediency and suitability for the analysis of corilagin in rat plasma. The practical utility of this new HPLC‐MS/MS method was confirmed in pilot plasma concentration studies in rats following oral administration. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.