A Direct NMR Method To Measure Self-Diffusion Coefficients in Liquids by Monitoring Diffusing Molecules through One-Dimensional Imaging

Diffusion processes can be followed directly by recording one-dimensional images of a selected slice at variable intervals after selective inversion of the magnetization. The resulting diffusion coefficients of H₂O and DMSO are consistent with earlier studies at different temperatures, obtained by monitoring the attenuation of NMR signals as a function of the gradient amplitude in gradient echo sequences.     

Topical application of zein-silk sericin nanoparticles loaded with curcumin for improved therapy of dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis is characterized by leukocyte migration into the skin dermis and typically driven by excessive chemokine production at the site of inflammation. Conventional topical formulations such as gels, creams, and ointments are insufficient for this treatment because of low penetration of drug molecules into the targeted skin tissues. Herein, using a simple, green, sustainable strategy, we have developed novel primary zein nanoparticles embedded in curcumin (Cur) and coated with silk sericin (ZHSCs) for the topical delivery of Cur to penetrate into the dermis and exercise anti-dermatitis effects on the lesion with minimal side-effects. Transdermal delivery experiments and porcine skin fluorescence imaging indicated that ZHSCs facilitate the penetration of Cur across the epidermis layer of skin to reach deep-seated sites. Notably, ZHSCs = 1:0.25 (zein-to-silk sericin mass ratios of 1:0.25) markedly elevated the skin permeability and cumulative turnover of Cur transferred, which were provided a greater than a 3.8-fold increase relative to free Cur. The special nanoparticles of ZHS = 1:0.25 possessed the deepest localization depth and experience a transition of the particle structure and core-shell separation after penetrating into the dermis of skin. In a cell model of dermatitis induced by tumor necrosis factor α/interferon γ co-stimulation, compared with free Cur, Cur-loaded ZHS nanoparticles down-regulated the generation of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in keratinocytes through suppression of the nuclear translocation of NF-κBp65 and hence exerted an anti-dermatitis effect. This strategy may provide new avenues and direction for the demanding issues of valid topical delivery systems.     

Effect of strain on charge density wave order in α-U

The effect of strain on charge density wave (CDW) order in $\alpha$-U is investigated within the framework of relativistic density-functional theory. The energetical stability of $\alpha$-U with CDW distortion is enhanced by the tensile strain along $a$ and $b$ axes, which is similar to the case of negative pressure and normal. However, the tensile strain along $c$ axis suppresses the energetical stability of CDW phase. This abnormal effect could be understood from the emergence of a new one-dimensional atomic chain along $c$ axis in $\alpha$-U. Furthermore, this effect is supported by the calculations of Fermi surface and phonon mode, in which the topological objects and the dynamical instability show opposite behaviors between strains along $a$/$b$ and $c$ axes.     

Conformational change-modulated spin transport at single-molecule level in carbon systems

Controlling the spin transport at the single-molecule level, especially without the use of ferromagnetic contacts, becomes a focus of research in spintronics. Inspired by the progress on atomic-level molecular synthesis, through first-principles calculations, we investigate the spin-dependent electronic transport of graphene nanoflakes with side-bonded functional groups, contacted by atomic carbon chain electrodes. It is found that, by rotating the functional group, the spin polarization of the transmission at the Fermi level could be switched between completely polarized and unpolarized states. Moreover, the transition between spin-up and spin-down polarized states can also be achieved, operating as a dual-spin filter. Further analysis shows that, it is the spin-dependent shift of density of states, caused by the rotation, that triggers the shift of transmission peaks, and then results in the variation of spin polarization. Such a feature is found to be robust to the length of the nanoflake and the electrode material, showing great application potential. Those findings may throw light on the development of spintronic devices.     

The behavior of capillary suspensions at diverse length scales: From single capillary bridges to bulk

Liquid-liquid-solid systems are becoming increasingly common in everyday life with many possible applications. Here, we focus on a special case of such liquid-liquid-solid systems, namely, capillary suspensions. These capillary suspensions originate from particles that form a network based on capillary forces and are typically composed of solids in a bulk liquid with an added secondary liquid. The structure of particle networks based on capillary bridges possesses unique properties compared with networks formed via other attractive interactions where these differences are inherently related to the properties of the capillary bridges, such as bridge breaking and coalescence between adjacent bridges. Thus, to tailor the mechanical properties of capillary suspensions to specific requirements, it is important to understand the influences on different length scales ranging from the dynamics of the bridges with varying external stimuli to the often heterogeneous network structure.     

Supramolecular Arrangement and DFT analysis of Zinc(II) Schiff Bases: An Insight towards the Influence of Compartmental Ligands on Binding Interaction with Protein

We report, for the first time, a detailed crystallographic study of the supramolecular arrangement for a set of zinc(II) Schiff base complexes containing the ligand 2,6-bis((E)-((2-(dimethylamino)ethyl)imino)methyl)-4-R-phenol], where R=methyl/tert-butyl/chloro. The supramolecular study acts as a pre-screening tool for selecting the compartmental ligand R of the Schiff base for effective binding with a targeted protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA). The most stable hexagonal arrangement of the complex [Zn − Me] (R=Me) stabilises the ligand with the highest FMO energy gap (ΔE=4.22 eV) and lowest number of conformations during binding with BSA. In contrast, formation of unstable 3D columnar vertebra for [Zn − Cl] (R=Cl) tend to activate the system with lowest FMO gap (3.75 eV) with highest spontaneity factor in molecular docking. Molecular docking analyses reported in terms of 2D LigPlot+ identified site A, a cleft of domains IB, IIIA and IIIB, as the most probable protein binding site of BSA. Arg144, Glu424, Ser428, Ile455 and Lys114 form the most probable interactions irrespective of the type of compartmental ligands R of the Schiff base whereas Arg185, Glu519, His145, Ile522 act as the differentiating residues with ΔG=−7.3 kcal mol⁻¹.     

Characterizations of modalities and lex modalities

A reflective subuniverse in homotopy type theory is an internal version of the notion of a localization in topology or in the theory of ∞-categories. Working in homotopy type theory, we give new characterizations of the following conditions on a reflective subuniverse L: (1) the associated subuniverse $L^{\prime }$ of L-separated types is a modality; (2) L is a modality; (3) L is a lex modality; and (4) L is a cotopological modality. In each case, we give several necessary and sufficient conditions. Our characterizations involve various families of maps associated to L, such as the L-étale maps, the L-equivalences, the L-local maps, the L-connected maps, the unit maps ${\eta }_X$, and their left and/or right orthogonal complements. More generally, our main theorem gives an overview of how all of these classes related to each other. We also give examples that show that all of the inclusions we describe between these classes of maps can be strict.     

非线性玻尔兹曼方程的傅里叶谱方法

玻尔兹曼方程作为空气动理学中最基本的方程之一,是连接微观牛顿力学和宏观连续介质力学的重要桥梁.该方程描述了一个由大量粒子组成的复杂系统的非平衡态时间演化:除了基本的输运项,其最重要的特性是粒子间的相互碰撞由一个高维,非局部且非线性的积分算子来描述,从而给玻尔兹曼方程的数值求解带来非常大的挑战.在过去的二十年间,基于傅里叶级数的谱方法成为了数值求解玻尔兹曼方程的一种很受欢迎且有效的确定性算法.这主要归功于谱方法的高精度及它可以被快速傅里叶变换加速的特质.本文将回顾玻尔兹曼方程的傅里叶谱方法,具体包括方法的导出,稳定性和收敛性分析,快速算法,以及在一大类基于碰撞的空气动理学方程中的推广.