Synthesis of Diverse N‐Substituted Muramyl Dipeptide Derivatives and Their Use in a Study of Human NOD2 Stimulation Activity

A flexible synthetic strategy toward the preparation of diverse N‐substituted muramyl dipeptides (N‐substituted MDPs) from different protected monosaccharides is described. The synthetic MDPs include N‐acetyl MDP and N‐glycolyl MDP, known NOD2 ligands, and this methodology allows for structural variation at six positions, including the muramic acid, peptide, and N‐substituted moieties. The capacity of these molecules to activate human NOD2 in the innate immune response was also investigated. It was found that addition of the methyl group at the C1 position of N‐glycolyl MDP significantly enhanced the NOD2 stimulating activity.     

Synthetic preparations,thermal properties and crystallization characterization of PLLA‐PPG block copolymers/clay nanocomposites

In this study, intercalation of the polymer or pre‐polymer from solution was used to blend different proportions of polylactic acid‐propylene glycol (LPG) copolymers (polypropylene glycols (PPG) of : 700, 1000, 2000) and lipophilic montmorillonite (clay) in order to investigate the melting and the crystalline nature of LPG copolymers/clay nanocomposites via a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). In addition, changes in the intermolecular force and crystal morphology of the nanocomposites under different crystallization conditions were also studied. For the results, it was observed from a thermogravimetric analyzer that increasing the clay content elevated the weight loss temperature. In non‐isothermal experiments using a DSC, it was discovered that the melting temperature and crystallization temperature of the LPG copolymers also increased with increasing amounts of added clay. The crystallinity of LPG2000 + 1.5 wt% clay was enhanced by 17.00%; in addition, it was found in the crystallinity study that adding clay slowed down the crystallization rate of the LPG copolymers. Moreover, it was found via X‐ray diffractometer (XRD) that the intensity of the diffraction peaks of the 1.5 wt% specimen was stronger than that of the 0.5 wt% specimens. The results imply that copolymers with a longer chain length provide greater space for the crystals to grow, thus making it easier for larger crystals to grow. Conversely, the added clay generates an inhibitory effect in copolymers, reducing the d‐spacing (d) in the XRD. Therefore, adding clay would change the crystallization behavior and the morphology of the LPG copolymers. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Di­chloro­bis­(tri­methyl­ene­thio­urea‐κS)antimony(III) chloride

In the title compound, [SbCl₂(C₄H₈N₂S)₂]Cl, the coordination around the Sb atom can be described as distorted pseudo‐octahedral. Both rings of the tri­methyl­ene­thio­urea ligands [alternatively 3,4,5,6‐tetrahydropyrimidine‐2(1H)‐thione] adopt an envel­ope conformation. The mol­ecules are connected into dimers in the ab plane by two intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The dimers are arranged into infinite one‐dimensional chains along the a axis as a result of the Cl^? ions forming intermolecular hydrogen bonds with three NH groups.     

The Kinetics of Analcime Synthesis in Alkaline Solution

In this study glass has been used as a starting material in order to increase the resolution of the experiment and establish the kinetics of analcimes during hydrothermal synthesis. The experimental results show that the crystal growth curves represent two‐stage linear growth. The first stage is marked by rapid crystal growth whilst the second stage indicates much slower growth. The nuclei appear before the crystals start growing. The crystal growth rate is dependent on the experimental conditions. The nucleation rate increases as the glass dissolves and reaches a maximum when the glass is completely dissolved. Thereafter, the concentration decreases with the consumption of nutrients, and both nucleation and crystal growth stops when supersaturation occurs.     

Construction of a cryogen‐free thermal desorption gas chromatographic system with off‐the‐shelf components for monitoring ambient volatile organic compounds

An automated gas chromatographic system aimed at performing unattended measurements of ambient volatile organic compounds was configured and tested. By exploiting various off‐the‐shelf components, the thermal desorption unit was easily assembled and can be connected with any existing commercial gas chromatograph in the laboratory to minimize cost. The performance of the complete thermal desorption gas chromatographic system was assessed by analyzing a standard mixture containing 56 target nonmethane hydrocarbons from C₂–C₁₂ at sub‐ppb levels. Particular attention was given to the enrichment efficiency of the C₂ compounds, such as ethane (b.p. = –88.6°C) and ethylene (b.p. = –104.2°C), due to their extremely high volatilities. Quality assurance was performed in terms of the linearity, precision and limits of detection of the target compounds. To further validate the system, field measurements of target compounds in ambient air were compared with those of a commercial total hydrocarbon analyzer and a carbon monoxide analyzer. Highly coherent results from the three instruments were observed during a two‐month period of synchronized measurements. Moreover, the phenomenon of opposite diurnal variations between the biogenic isoprene and anthropogenic species was exploited to help support the field applicability of the thermal desorption gas chromatographic method.     

Targeted exome sequencing resolves allelic and the genetic heterogeneity in the genetic diagnosis of nephronophthisis-related ciliopathy

Nephronophthisis-related ciliopathy (NPHP-RC) is a common genetic cause of end-stage renal failure during childhood and adolescence and exhibits an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance. Genetic diagnosis is quite limited owing to genetic heterogeneity in NPHP-RC. We designed a novel approach involving the step-wise screening of Sanger sequencing and targeted exome sequencing for the genetic diagnosis of 55 patients with NPHP-RC. First, five NPHP-RC genes were analyzed by Sanger sequencing in phenotypically classified patients. Known pathogenic mutations were identified in 12 patients (21.8%); homozygous deletions of NPHP1 in 4 juvenile nephronophthisis patients, IQCB1/NPHP5 mutations in 3 Senior–Løken syndrome patients, a CEP290/NPHP6 mutation in 1 Joubert syndrome patient, and TMEM67/MKS3 mutations in 4 Joubert syndrome patients with liver involvement. In the remaining undiagnosed patients, we applied targeted exome sequencing of 34 ciliopathy-related genes to detect known pathogenic mutations in 7 (16.3%) of 43 patients. Another 18 likely damaging heterozygous variants were identified in 13 NPHP-RC genes in 18 patients. In this study, we report a variety of pathogenic and candidate mutations identified in 55 patients with NPHP-RC in Korea using a step-wise application of two genetic tests. These results support the clinical utility of targeted exome sequencing to resolve the issue of allelic and genetic heterogeneity in NPHP-RC.     

Sensing of picric acid with a glassy carbon electrode modified with CuS nanoparticles deposited on nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide

We describe the preparation of a nanohybrid consisting of nitrogen doped reduced graphene oxide and CuS nanoparticles (N-rGO/CuS) by in-situ microwave irradiation at weight ratios of 25/75, 50/50, and 75/25. The resulting nanohybrids were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, FTIR, spectroscopy, scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy, electrochemically by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance analysis. It is shown that the CuS nanoparticles are evenly decorated onto the N-rGO surface. The nanohybrids was placed on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) where they showed electro-reductive activity towards picric acid, typically at working voltages between ?0.2 and ?0.8 V (vs. SCE). Effects of pH value and scan rate were evaluated, and it is shown that two electrons are involved in electro-reduction. The detection limits of the GCE modified with various N-rGO/CuS hybrids (with 25/75, 50/50, and 75/25 wt%) are 6.2, 3.2, and 0.069 μM respectively. The method demonstrates its applicability in sensing of picric acid with good reproducibility.

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Graphical abstract Nitrogen doped reduced graphene oxide nanohybrids was synthesized for the detection of picric acid. A straightforward and preconcentration free analysis of picric acid was successfully demonstrated at nanomolar levels using the nanohybrids.

     

A method of hard X‐ray phase‐shifting digital holography

A new method of phase‐shifting digital holography is demonstrated in the hard X‐ray region. An in‐line‐type phase‐shifting holography setup was installed in a 6.80 keV hard X‐ray synchrotron beamline. By placing a phase plate consisting of a hole and a band at the focusing point of a Fresnel lens, the relative phase of the reference and objective beams could be successfully shifted for use with a three‐step phase‐shift algorithm. The system was verified by measuring the shape of a gold test pattern and a silica sphere.     

金属碳化钨与液相染料光敏剂协同促进光催化制氢（英文）

使用WC作为光催化材料通过水还原制氢很常见,但它通常需要与有效的光吸收剂协同才能产生有意义的光催化活性。这可归因于WC的窄带隙,导致水的氧化还原能力不足。有趣的是,我们的研究通过一种新型固液光催化体系克服了这种限制,该体系将裸WC光催化剂与液相光敏赤藓红B(Er B)相结合。这种概念的提出消除了将WC耦合到光吸收半导体的需要,这通常需要繁琐的程序来获得适当的功能化光催化复合材料。实验结果表明,在可见光(λ=520 nm)照射下,所提出的固液光催化体系产生了显著的氢气,然而,只有在三乙醇胺(TEOA)作为牺牲试剂的共同存在下。显然,仅加入WC和Er B的空白实验在典型的光催化条件下表现出几乎为零的光催化活性和无法测量的H₂生成。在光照TEOA溶液中仅存在Er B或WC的光反应中也观察到类似的活性。这些空白实验证实了所有三种成分的重要性,即WC、Er B和TEOA,它们分别作为光催化剂、光吸收剂和牺牲试剂,在我们提出的体系中产生有意义的H₂。值得注意的是,在我们的调查中系统地研究了三个关键参数,即p H值、Er B和WC浓度的影响。发现H