Controlled delivery of proteins into bilayer lipid membranes on chip

The study and the exploitation of membrane proteins for drug screening applications requires a controllable and reliable method for their delivery into an artificial suspended membrane platform based on lab-on-a-chip technology. In this work, a polymeric device for forming lipid bilayers suitable for electrophysiology studies and biosensor applications is presented. The chip supports a single bilayer and is configured for controlled protein delivery through on-chip microfluidics. In order to demonstrate the principle of protein delivery, the potassium channel KcsA was reconstituted into proteoliposomes, which were then fused with the suspended bilayer on-chip. Fusion of single proteoliposomes with the membrane was identified electrically. Single channel conductance measurements of KcsA in the on-chip bilayer were recorded and these were compared to previously published data obtained with a conventional planar bilayer system.     

Influence of Phytochemical Reductive Capacity on Ultraviolet–visible Spectroscopic Behavior of Silver Nanoparticles

ABSTRACT

A widely used method for obtaining silver nanoparticles uses plant extracts for reduction because of the presence of phytochemicals such as terpenoids, tannins, and flavonoids. Extracts of Flores sambuci, Hypericum perforatum, Lavandula angustifolia, Origanum vulgare, Rosmarinus officinalis, and Salvia officinalis were used for generating silver nanoparticles. The ultraviolet–visible spectra of silver nanoparticle solutions were correlated with variations of phytochemical characteristics to evaluate the plant extracts. These parameters were the antioxidant activity, total flavonoids, total tannins, total terpenoids, and total phenolics. Correlations between measurements of extracts’ phytoreductive characteristics were explained using Pearson coefficients. The results showed medium linear positive correlations for total tannins with the spectra of silver nanoparticle solutions. The antioxidant activity and total terpenoids presented medium linear negative correlations. Pearson coefficients between total phenolics and relative areas from ultraviolet–visible spectra from 350 to 600?nm were close to zero indicating no linear correlation.     

Actuating Shape Memory Polymer for Thermoresponsive Soft Robotic Gripper and Programmable Materials

For soft robotics and programmable metamaterials, novel approaches are required enabling the design of highly integrated thermoresponsive actuating systems. In the concept presented here, the necessary functional component was obtained by polymer syntheses. First, poly(1,10-decylene adipate) diol (PDA) with a number average molecular weight M_n of 3290 g·mol⁻¹ was synthesized from 1,10-decanediol and adipic acid. Afterward, the PDA was brought to reaction with 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate and 1,4-butanediol. The resulting polyester urethane (PEU) was processed to the filament, and samples were additively manufactured by fused-filament fabrication. After thermomechanical treatment, the PEU reliably actuated under stress-free conditions by expanding on cooling and shrinking on heating with a maximum thermoreversible strain of 16.1%. Actuation stabilized at 12.2%, as verified in a measurement comprising 100 heating-cooling cycles. By adding an actuator element to a gripper system, a hen’s egg could be picked up, safely transported and deposited. Finally, one actuator element each was built into two types of unit cells for programmable materials, thus enabling the design of temperature-dependent behavior. The approaches are expected to open up new opportunities, e.g., in the fields of soft robotics and shape morphing.     

Adding Value in Production of Multifunctional Polylactide (PLA)–ZnO Nanocomposite Films through Alternative Manufacturing Methods

Due to the added value conferred by zinc oxide (ZnO) nanofiller, e.g., UV protection, antibacterial action, gas-barrier properties, poly(lactic acid) (PLA)–ZnO nanocomposites show increased interest for utilization as films, textile fibers, and injection molding items. The study highlights the beneficial effects of premixing ZnO in PLA under given conditions and its use as masterbatch (MB), a very promising alternative manufacturing technique. This approach allows reducing the residence time at high processing temperature of the thermo-sensitive PLA matrix in contact of ZnO nanoparticles known for their aptitude to promote degradation effects onto the polyester chains. Various PLA–ZnO MBs containing high contents of silane-treated ZnO nanoparticles (up to 40 wt.% nanofiller specifically treated with triethoxycaprylylsilane) were produced by melt-compounding using twin-screw extruders. Subsequently, the selected MBs were melt blended with pristine PLA to produce nanocomposite films containing 1–3 wt.% ZnO. By comparison to the more traditional multi-step process, the MB approach allowed the production of nanocomposites (films) having improved processing and enhanced properties: PLA chains displaying higher molecular weights, improved thermal stability, fine nanofiller distribution, and thermo-mechanical characteristic features, while the UV protection was confirmed by UV-vis spectroscopy measurements. The MB alternative is viewed as a promising flexible technique able to open new perspectives to produce more competitive multifunctional PLA–ZnO nanocomposites.     

2,9-Diazadibenzoperylene and 2,9-Dimethyldibenzoperylene-1,3,8,10-tetratriflates: Key to Functionalized 2,9-Diazaperopyrenes

The synthesis of 2,9-diaza-1,3,8,10-tetratriflato-dibenzoperylene (DDP 3 a ) and corresponding 2,9-dimethyl-1,3,8,10-tetratriflato-dibenzoperylene (DBP 3 b ) has been developed at multigram scale via reduction of one of the industrially most important high-performance dyes, perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide (PTCDI), and of the corresponding dihydroxy peropyrenequinone precursor. The focus of this paper is on the reactivity pattern of 3 a as key intermediate towards highly functionalized 2,9-diazadibenzopyrelenes (DDPs) obtained via catalytic substitution of four triflate by aryl, heteroaryl, alkynyl, aminyl, and O-phosphanyl substituents. The influence of electron-donating substituents (OSiMe₃, OPt-Bu₂, N-piperidinyl), electron-withdrawing (OTf, 3,5-bis-trifluoromethyl-phenyl), and of electron-rich π-conjugated (2-thienyl, 4-tert-butylphenyl, trimethylsilyl-ethynyl) substituents on optoelectronic and structural properties of these functionalized DDPs has been investigated via XRD analyses, UV/Vis, PL spectroscopy, and by electroanalytical CV. These results were correlated to results of DFT and TD-DFT calculations. Thus, functionalized DPPs with easily tunable HOMO and LUMO energies and gap became available via a new and reliable synthetic strategy starting from readily available PTCDI.     

The dirichlet problem in lipschitz domains for higher order elliptic systems with rough coefficients

We study the Dirichlet problem, in Lipschitz domains and with boundary data in Besov spaces, for divergence form strongly elliptic systems of arbitrary order with bounded, complex-valued coefficients. A sharp corollary of our main solvability result is that the operator of this problem performs an isomorphism between weighted Sobolev spaces when its coefficients and the unit normal of the boundary belong to the space VMO.     

Consistent implementation of real fluid EOS in pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann models

Pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann models have emerged as successful methods to simulate liquid-vapor coexistence systems. However, the equation of state (EOS) of such systems, which is found to be thermodynamically consistent, is unique and lacks the potential to cover a broad range of physical fluids. In this study, we employ multiple pseudopotentials and extend the consistent EOS to enhance the capability of pseudopotential models in reproducing a wider range of thermodynamic states. The new system has the format which preserves the consistency between the lattice pressure tensor and the free energy density. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The stable set of associated prime ideals of a polymatroidal ideal

The associated prime ideals of powers of polymatroidal ideals are studied, including the stable set of associated prime ideals of this class of ideals. It is shown that polymatroidal ideals have the persistence property and for transversal polymatroids and polymatroidal ideals of Veronese type the index of stability and the stable set of associated ideals is determined explicitly.     

A Graphical Goodness-of-Fit Test for Dependence Models in Higher Dimensions

This article introduces a graphical goodness-of-fit test for copulas in more than two dimensions. The test is based on pairs of variables and can thus be interpreted as a first-order approximation of the underlying dependence structure. The idea is to first transform pairs of data columns with the Rosenblatt transform to bivariate standard uniform distributions under the null hypothesis. This hypothesis can be graphically tested with a matrix of bivariate scatterplots, Q-Q plots, or other transformations. Furthermore, additional information can be encoded as background color, such as measures of association or (approximate) p-values of tests of independence. The proposed goodness-of-fit test is designed as a basic graphical tool for detecting deviations from a postulated, possibly high-dimensional, dependence model. Various examples are given and the methodology is applied to a financial dataset. An implementation is provided by the R package copula. Supplementary material for this article is available online, which provides the R package copula and reproduces all the graphical results of this article.     

Pseudocomplementation in (Normal) Subgroup Lattices

The goal of this article is to study finite groups admitting a pseudocomplemented subgroup lattice (PK-groups) or a pseudocomplemented normal subgroup lattice (PKN-groups). In particular, we obtain a complete classification of finite PK-groups and of finite nilpotent PKN-groups. We also study groups with a Stone normal subgroup lattice, and we classify finite groups for which every subgroup has a Stone normal subgroup lattice. Finally, we obtain a complete classification of finite groups for which every subgroup is monolithic.