Preparation and characterization of dendrimer-star PNIPAAM using dithiobenzoate-terminated PPI dendrimer via RAFT polymerization

Two dendritic reversible addition-fragmentation transfer (RAFT) agents with 8 and 16 terminal dithiobenzoate (DTB) groups on the surface of poly(propylene imine) (PPI) dendrimers (generation 2.0 and 3.0, respectively) were successively prepared, and they were used in the RAFT polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAM). The polymerization kinetics was confirmed to pseudo-first-order behavior. The ¹H NMR and GPC analyses show that the dendrimer-star den (NIPAAM)_x (x = 8 or 16) prepared by RAFT method has well-defined structure, controlled molecular weight and low polydispersities (PDI < 1.3). The aqueous solution prepared from dendrimer-star PNIPAAM showed reversible changes in optical properties: transparent below a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) and opaque above the LCST.     

Butterfly and Nest-Shaped Tp*-W-Cu-S Cluster Monomers and Dimers with Hexamethylenetetramine as Ligand: Anion-Dependent Structures and Nonlinear Optical Properties

The assembly of[Et4N][Tp*WS3](1) with CuX (Tp* =hydridotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)borate;X =Cl,Br,and I) or[Cu(MeCN)4][PF6]in the presence of tetratopic liga...     

Heterogeneous Catalysis of Ozone Using Iron–Manganese Silicate for Degradation of Acrylic Acid

Iron–manganese silicate (IMS) was synthesized by chemical coprecipitation and used as a catalyst for ozonating acrylic acid (AA) in semicontinuous flow mode. The Fe-O-Mn bond, Fe-Si, and Mn-Si binary oxide were formed in IMS on the basis of the results of XRD, FTIR, and XPS analysis. The removal efficiency of AA was highest in the IMS catalytic ozonation processes (98.9% in 15 min) compared with ozonation alone (62.7%), iron silicate (IS) catalytic ozonation (95.6%), and manganese silicate catalytic ozonation (94.8%). Meanwhile, the removal efficiencies of total organic carbon (TOC) were also improved in the IMS catalytic ozonation processes. The IMS showed high stability and ozone utilization. Additionally, H₂O₂ was formed in the process of IMS catalytic ozonation. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis and radical scavenger experiments confirmed that hydroxyl radicals (•OH) were the dominant oxidants. Cl⁻, HCO₃⁻, PO₄³⁻, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺ in aqueous solution could adversely affect AA degradation. In the IMS catalytic ozonation of AA, the surface hydroxyl groups and Lewis acid sites played an important role.     

The Extracts of Polygonum cuspidatum Root and Rhizome Block the Entry of SARS-CoV-2 Wild-Type and Omicron Pseudotyped Viruses via Inhibition of the S-Protein and 3CL Protease

COVID-19, resulting from infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, caused a contagious pandemic. Even with the current vaccines, there is still an urgent need to develop effective pharmacological treatments against this deadly disease. Here, we show that the water and ethanol extracts of the root and rhizome of Polygonum cuspidatum (Polygoni Cuspidati Rhizoma et Radix), a common Chinese herbal medicine, blocked the entry of wild-type and the omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped virus into fibroblasts or zebrafish larvae, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.015 to 0.04 mg/mL. The extracts were shown to inhibit various aspects of the pseudovirus entry, including the interaction between the spike protein (S-protein) and the angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) receptor, and the 3CL protease activity. Out of the chemical compounds tested in this report, gallic acid, a phytochemical in P. cuspidatum, was shown to have a significant anti-viral effect. Therefore, this might be responsible, at least in part, for the anti-viral efficacy of the herbal extract. Together, our data suggest that the extracts of P. cuspidatum inhibit the entry of wild-type and the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, and so they could be considered as potent treatments against COVID-19.     

Structural and Functional Analysis of the Pyridoxal Phosphate Homeostasis Protein YggS from Fusobacterium nucleatum

Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) is the active form of vitamin B6, but it is highly reactive and poisonous in its free form. YggS is a PLP-binding protein found in bacteria and humans that mediates PLP homeostasis by delivering PLP to target enzymes or by performing a protective function. Several biochemical and structural studies of YggS have been reported, but the mechanism by which YggS recognizes PLP has not been fully elucidated. Here, we report a functional and structural analysis of YggS from Fusobacterium nucleatum (FnYggS). The PLP molecule could bind to native FnYggS, but no PLP binding was observed for selenomethionine (SeMet)-derivatized FnYggS. The crystal structure of FnYggS showed a type III TIM barrel fold, exhibiting structural homology with several other PLP-dependent enzymes. Although FnYggS exhibited low (<35%) amino acid sequence similarity with previously studied YggS proteins, its overall structure and PLP-binding site were highly conserved. In the PLP-binding site of FnYggS, the sulfate ion was coordinated by the conserved residues Ser201, Gly218, and Thr219, which were positioned to provide the binding moiety for the phosphate group of PLP. The mutagenesis study showed that the conserved Ser201 residue in FnYggS was the key residue for PLP binding. These results will expand the knowledge of the molecular properties and function of the YggS family.     

Corrosion inhibition of ammonium molybdate for AA6061 alloy in NaCl solution and its synergistic effect with calcium gluconate

The corrosion inhibition of ammonium heltamolybdate (AH) and calcium gluconate (CG) for AA6061 alloy in 3% NaCl solution was investigated by the electrochemical measurements. It indicates that AH inhibits the corrosion of AA6061 alloy and acts as an anodic inhibitor. Maximum inhibition efficiency reaches 74.3% at the concentration of 1 × 10^?4 mol.l^?1 AH. The results of the electrochemical studies reveal AH is physically adsorbed on the AA6061 alloy surface and the adsorption follows Langmuir isotherm. The combination of AH and CG enhances the inhibition efficiency to 95.9%. The enhanced inhibition is attributed to the promotion of AH adsorption by CG. The mixture of AH and CG is a mixed‐type inhibitor and renders the corrosion potential to more positive values. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

脲基衍生化β-环糊精液相色谱键合相拆分和测定苹果中已唑醇对映体

手性农药对映体常具有不同的杀虫活性、人体毒性和环境行为。手性农药的残留也给食品安全带来了新问题。利用自制的脲基衍生化β-环糊精键合SBA-15手性固定相（UCDSP）,采用高效液相色谱法成功地拆分了手性农药己唑醇对映体,并考察了流动相组成、pH值、柱温等对手性分离的影响。结果表明,以甲醇-水（60:40,v/v）为流动相,流速0.5mL·min^-1,柱温20℃,检测波长230nm时,己唑醇对映体的分离度2.26,分析时间在15min内。在优化的色谱条件下建立了快速测定苹果中己唑醇对映体含量的新方法。苹果中的已唑醇用乙腈提取,然后用氨基柱净化。己唑醇对映体在0.5¹25μg·mL^-1浓度范围内呈良好的线性关系（γ≥0.9998）,按3倍于噪声信号推算,苹果中己唑醇最小检出量均小于25μg·kg^-1,两种对映体的加标回收率为88.0%⁹7.2%,相对标准偏差（RSD）分别小于0.98%和1.2%（n=5）。该环糊精柱制备方法简便,成本较低。对已唑醇有较高的手性选择性,不仅分析时间短,且回收率和重现性较高,在果蔬中手性农药对映体残留分析中存在良好的应用前景。 更多     

四值施密特电路设计

本文分析了四值施密特电路工作过程中的时序特征,导出了相应的特征方程,并利用时序电路的设计方法,提出了两种四值施 特电路的设计方案,基于TTL技术设计的四值施密特电路已用PSPICE模拟证明了具有理想的施密特电路功能,讨论表明四值施密特电路的特征方程及电路的逻辑结构与对二值施密特电路及三值施密特电路讨论的结果相同,由此发现各种基的施密特电路具有共性。