Ultrasound regulated flexible protein materials: Fabrication,structure and physical-biological properties

Ultrasound can be used in the biomaterial field due to its high efficiency, easy operation, no chemical treatment, repeatability and high level of control. In this work, we demonstrated that ultrasound is able to quickly regulate protein structure at the solution assembly stage to obtain the designed properties of protein-based materials. Silk fibroin proteins dissolved in a formic acid-CaCl₂ solution system were treated in an ultrasound with varying times and powers. By altering these variables, the silks physical properties and structures can be fine-tuned and the results were investigated with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), gas permeability and water contact angle measurements. Ultrasonic treatment aids the interactions between the calcium ions and silk molecular chains which leads to increased amounts of intermolecular β-sheets and α-helix. This unique structural change caused the silk film to be highly insoluble in water while also inducing a hydrophilic swelling property. The ultrasound-regulated silk materials also showed higher thermal stability, better biocompatibility and breathability, and favorable mechanical strength and flexibility. It was also possible to tune the enzymatic degradation rate and biological response (cell growth and proliferation) of protein materials by changing ultrasound parameters. This study provides a unique physical and non-contact material processing method for the wide applications of protein-based biomaterials.     

Effect of ultrasound on the properties of rice bran protein and its chlorogenic acid complex

Ultrasound technology was used to treat rice bran protein (RBP), and the structural and functional properties of ultrasonically treated RBP (URBP) and its chlorogenic acid (CA) complex were studied. When ultrasonic power of 200 W was applied for 10 min, the maximum emission peak λ_max of the URBP-CA complex in the fluorescence spectrum was red-shifted by 3.6 nm compared to that of the untreated complex. The atomic force microscope (AFM) analysis indicated that the surface roughness of the complex was minimized (3.89 nm) at the ultrasonic power of 200 W and treatment time of 10 min. Under these conditions, the surface hydrophobicity (H₀) was 1730, the contents of the α-helix and β-sheet in the complex were 2.97% and 6.17% lower than those in the untreated sample, respectively, the particle size decreased from 106 nm to 18.2 nm, and the absolute value of the zeta-potential increased by 11.0 mV. Therefore, ultrasonic treatment and the addition of CA changed the structural and functional properties of RBP. Moreover, when ultrasonic power of 200 W was applied for 10 min, the solubility, emulsifying activity index (EAI), and emulsion stability index (ESI) were 68%, 126 m²/g, and 37 min, respectively.     

Effect of ultrasonic treatment on the structure and functional properties of mantle proteins from scallops (Patinopecten yessoensis)

In this study, scallop mantle protein was treated by ultrasound at different powers, and then analyzed by ANS fluorescent probes, circular dichroism spectroscopy, endogenous fluorescence spectrum, DNTB colorimetry and in-vitro digestion model to elucidate the structure–function relationship. The results indicated that ultrasound can significantly affect the secondary structure of scallop mantle protein like enhancing hydrophobicity, lowering the particle size, increasing the relative contents of α-helix and decreasing contents of β-pleated sheet, β-turn and random coil, as well as altering intrinsic fluorescence intensity with blue shift of maximum fluorescence peak. But ultrasound had no effect on its primary structure. Moreover, the functions of scallop mantle protein were regulated by modifying its structures by ultrasound. Specifically, the protein had the highest performance in foaming property and in-vitro digestibility under ultrasonic power of 100 W, oil binding capacity under 100 W, water binding capacity under 300 W, solubility and emulsification capacity under 400 W, and emulsion stability under 600 W. These results prove ultrasonic treatment has the potential to effectively improve functional properties and quality of scallop mantle protein, benefiting in comprehensive utilization of scallop mantles.     

Experimental Study of Effect of Temperature Variations on the Impedance Signature of PZT Sensors for Fatigue Crack Detection

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is recognized as an efficient tool to interpret the reliability of a wide variety of infrastructures. To identify the structural abnormality by utilizing the electromechanical coupling property of piezoelectric transducers, the electromechanical impedance (EMI) approach is preferred. However, in real-time SHM applications, the monitored structure is exposed to several varying environmental and operating conditions (EOCs). The previous study has recognized the temperature variations as one of the serious EOCs that affect the optimal performance of the damage inspection process. In this framework, an experimental setup is developed in current research to identify the presence of fatigue crack in stainless steel (304) beam using EMI approach and estimate the effect of temperature variations on the electrical impedance of the piezoelectric sensors. A regular series of experiments are executed in a controlled temperature environment (25°C–160°C) using 202 V1 Constant Temperature Drying Oven Chamber (Q/TBXR20-2005). It has been observed that the dielectric constant ε₃₃^T which is recognized as the temperature-dependent constant of PZT sensor has sufficiently influenced the electrical impedance signature. Moreover, the effective frequency shift (EFS) approach is optimized in term of significant temperature compensation for the current impedance signature of PZT sensor relative to the reference signature at the extended frequency bandwidth of the developed measurement system with better outcomes as compared to the previous literature work. Hence, the current study also deals efficiently with the critical issue of the width of the frequency band for temperature compensation based on the frequency shift in SHM. The results of the experimental study demonstrate that the proposed methodology is qualified for the damage inspection in real-time monitoring applications under the temperature variations. It is capable to exclude one of the major reasons of false fault diagnosis by compensating the consequence of elevated temperature at extended frequency bandwidth in SHM.     

Panisuffrutin A,a highly degraded seco-triterpene derivative from Paeonia suffruticosa var. papaveracea (Andr.) Kerner

Panisuffrutin A (1), a highly degraded seco-triterpene derivative, together with the known palbinone, has been isolated from the whole plant Paeonia suffruticosa var. papaveracea (Andr.) Kerner. The structure with absolute configuration of 1 was determined via comprehensive NMR and MS analyses, as well as NMR and ECD calculations. A plausible biosynthetic pathway for 1 was proposed. Compound 1 showed weak cytotoxicity against Hela cancer cell line with an IC₅₀ value of 26.2 μM, while palbinone exhibited a moderate inhibition on NO production with an IC₅₀ of 18.3 μM.     

AuPt Bipyramid Nanoframes as Multifunctional Platforms for In Situ Monitoring of the Reduction of Nitrobenzene and Enhanced Electrocatalytic Methanol Oxidation

Multifunctional metal nanostructures with a hollow feature, especially for nanoframes, are highly attractive owing to their high surface-to-volume ratios. However, pre-grown metal nanocrystals are always involved during the preparation procedure, and a synthetic strategy without the use of a pre-grown template is still a challenge. In this article, a template-free strategy is reported for the preparation of novel AuPt alloy nanoframes through simply mixing HAuCl₄ and H₂PtCl₆ under mild conditions. The alloy nanostructures show a bipyramid-frame hollow architecture with the existence of only the ten ridges and absence of their side faces. This is the first report of bipyramid-like nanoframes and a template-free method under mild conditions. This configuration merges the plasmonic features of Au and highly active catalytic sites of Pt in a single nanostructure, making it an ideal multifunctional platform for catalyzing and monitoring the catalytic reaction in real time. The superior catalytic activity is demonstrated by using the reduction of nitrobenzene to the corresponding aminobenzene as a model reaction. More importantly, the AuPt nanoframes can track the reduction process on the basis of the SERS signals of the reactants, intermediates, and products, which helps to reveal the reaction mechanism. In addition, the AuPt nanoframes show much higher electrocatalytic properties toward the methanol oxidation reaction than commercial Pt/C electrocatalysts.     

Metamorphic InAs(Sb)/InGaAs/InAlAs nanoheterostructures grown on GaAs for efficient mid-IR emitters

High-efficiency semiconductor lasers and light-emitting diodes operating in the 3–5?μm mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral range are currently of great demand for a wide variety of applications, in particular, gas sensing, noninvasive medical tests, IR spectroscopy etc. III-V compounds with a lattice constant of about 6.1?Å are traditionally used for this spectral range. The attractive idea to fabricate such emitters on GaAs substrates by using In(Ga,Al)As compounds is restricted by either the minimum operating wavelength of ～8?μm in case of pseudomorphic AlGaAs-based quantum cascade lasers or requires utilization of thick metamorphic In_xAl_1-xAs buffer layers (MBLs) playing a key role in reducing the density of threading dislocations (TDs) in an active region, which otherwise result in a strong decay of the quantum efficiency of such mid-IR emitters. In this review we present the results of careful investigations of employing the convex-graded In_xAl_1-xAs MBLs for fabrication by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs (001) substrates of In(Ga,Al)As heterostructures with a combined type-II/type-I InSb/InAs/InGaAs quantum well (QW) for efficient mid-IR emitters (3–3.6?μm). The issues of strain relaxation, elastic stress balance, efficiency of radiative and non-radiative recombination at T?=?10–300?K are discussed in relation to molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth conditions and designs of the structures. A wide complex of techniques including in-situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning and transmission electron microscopies, X-ray diffractometry, reciprocal space mapping, selective area electron diffraction, as well as photoluminescence (PL) and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy was used to study in detail structural and optical properties of the metamorphic QW structures. Optimization of the growth conditions (the substrate temperature, the As₄/III ratio) and elastic strain profiles governed by variation of an inverse step in the In content profile between the MBL and the InAlAs virtual substrate results in decrease in the TD density (down to 3?×?10⁷ cm^?2), increase of the thickness of the low-TD-density near-surface MBL region to 250–300?nm, the extremely low surface roughness with the RMS value of 1.6–2.4?nm, measured by AFM, as well as rather high 3.5?μm-PL intensity at temperatures up to 300?K in such structures. The obtained results indicate that the metamorphic InSb/In(Ga,Al)As QW heterostructures of proper design, grown under the optimum MBE conditions, are very promising for fabricating the efficient mid-IR emitters on a GaAs platform.     

A rapid and simple HPTLC assay for therapeutic drug monitoring of capecitabine in colorectal cancer patients

Capecitabine is a prodrug of 5‐flurouracil, employed as a broad spectrum chemotherapeutic agent. It is also used as monotherapy or a combination chemotherapy agent for the treatment of colorectal cancer. Capecitabine is administered in combination with oxaliplatin and hence it is essential to determine that co‐administration does not affect its metabolism. To determine the plasma concentration of capecitabine a simple HPTLC method was developed and validated. Blood samples from 12 patients with colorectal cancer were collected and analyzed by the HPTLC method with a reference internal standard. Out of these 12 patients, six were treated with capecitabine monotherapy and another six were treated with capecitabine + oxaliplatin combination therapy. The results of analysis indicated that there was no significant drug–drug interaction and the co‐administration of oxaliplatin did not affect the metabolism of capecitabine. This method is sensitive, robust and specific and allows analysis of multiple samples simultaneously, making it suitable for therapeutic drug monitoring of capecitabine.     

Weighted Influence Non-linear Gauge System (WINGS) – An analysis method for the systems of interrelated components

The WINGS method has been derived from DEMATEL and can be widely used as a structural model for analysis of intertwined factors and causal relations between them. Its novelty comes from an idea of including in one mathematical mechanism both strength (importance) and influence of the system components. In particular, WINGS can be applied as the MCDA method for evaluating alternatives when interrelations between criteria cannot be neglected. For the problem with independent criteria, WINGS reproduces the additive aggregation of preferences, a classical method in MCDA.     

Monitoring of Airborne Organic Vapors Using Ion Mobility Spectrometry

Abstract

Automated, continuous monitoring of organic vapors in air under three field designs for plume drift was demonstrated using a hand-held ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) in characterizing IMS behavior as a point sensor. In one field study, the IMS was placed 50cm from a 9m² grass plot contaminated with methylsalicylate and response to airborne vapors was recorded during a 13hr period of atmospheric turbulence to illustrate susceptibility of point sensors to wind direction. A similar study under near-quiescent atmospheric conditions was made using dimethylsulfoxide. In a third study, the plume from a point source of dipropyleneglycolmonomethylether was interrogated over a 25m × 12m grid downwind with windspeeds of 6–18km h^?. Laboratory studies were used to measure instrumental response times and influences from potentially interfering atmospheric organic pollutants.