Effects of superspreaders in spread of epidemic

Within the standard SIR model with spatial structure, we propose two models for the superspreader. In one model, superspreaders have intrinsically strong infectiousness. In other model, they have many social connections. By Monte Carlo simulation, we obtain the percolation probability, the propagation speed, the epidemic curve, the distribution of secondary infected and the propagation path as functions of population and the density of superspreaders. By comparing the results with the data of SARS in Singapore 2003, we conclude that the latter model can explain the observation.     

Preparation of porous clay minerals with organic-inorganic hybrid pillars using solvent-extraction route

A microporous clay mineral with organic-inorganic hybrid pillars was synthesized using a hydrochloric acid (HCl)/ethanol extraction method after intercalation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) or TEOS/methyltriethoxysilane (MTS) into the cetyltrimetylammonium ion (CTA)-exchanged vermiculite. The products retained their layered structure, due to the formation of stable pillars by the polymerization of hydrolyzed TEOS and MTS during the HCl/ethanol treatment. The BET surface areas, which increased to above 500 m2g(-1) with an increase in the HCl concentration up to 0.4 moldm(-3), are nearly equal to that of the calcined product obtained by the conventional method. However, the pore sizes of HCl/ethanol-treated materials were narrower than those of the calcined product, owing to the formation of the polysiloxane networks in the gallery. A water adsorption study showed that the product treated with a TEOS/MTS mixture had a hydrophobic surface as a result of the successful incorporation of methyl groups at the surface of the pillars. This novel method is advantageous for the synthesis of organophilic pillared clays with different kinds of organic materials in the interlayers.     

(Quasi‐)Racemic X‐ray Structures of Glycosylated and Non‐Glycosylated Forms of the Chemokine Ser‐CCL1 Prepared by Total Chemical Synthesis

Our goal was to obtain the X‐ray crystal structure of the glycosylated chemokine Ser‐CCL1. Glycoproteins can be hard to crystallize because of the heterogeneity of the oligosaccharide (glycan) moiety. We used glycosylated Ser‐CCL1 that had been prepared by total chemical synthesis as a homogeneous compound containing an N‐linked asialo biantennary nonasaccharide glycan moiety of defined covalent structure. Facile crystal formation occurred from a quasi‐racemic mixture consisting of glycosylated L ‐protein and non‐glycosylated‐D ‐protein, while no crystals were obtained from the glycosylated L ‐protein alone. The structure was solved at a resolution of 2.6–2.1 Å. However, the glycan moiety was disordered: only the N‐linked GlcNAc sugar was well‐defined in the electron density map. A racemic mixture of the protein enantiomers L ‐Ser‐CCL1 and D ‐Ser‐CCL1 was also crystallized, and the structure of the true racemate was solved at a resolution of 2.7–2.15 Å. Superimposition of the structures of the protein moieties of L ‐Ser‐CCL1 and glycosylated‐L ‐Ser‐CCL1 revealed there was no significant alteration of the protein structure by N‐glycosylation.     

Functional porous coordination polymers

The chemistry of the coordination polymers has in recent years advanced extensively, affording various architectures, which are constructed from a variety of molecular building blocks with different interactions between them. The next challenge is the chemical and physical functionalization of these architectures, through the porous properties of the frameworks. This review concentrates on three aspects of coordination polymers: 1). the use of crystal engineering to construct porous frameworks from connectors and linkers ("nanospace engineering"), 2). characterizing and cataloging the porous properties by functions for storage, exchange, separation, etc., and 3). the next generation of porous functions based on dynamic crystal transformations caused by guest molecules or physical stimuli. Our aim is to present the state of the art chemistry and physics of and in the micropores of porous coordination polymers.     

High Diastereoselection of a Dissymmetric Capsule by Chiral Guest Complexation

Encapsulation of chiral guests in the dissymmetric capsule 1?4 BF₄ formed diastereomeric supramolecular complexes G ? 1?4 BF₄ ( G : guest). When chiral guests 2 a – q were encapsulated within the dissymmetric space of the self‐assembled capsule 1?4 BF₄, circular dichroism (CD) was observed at the absorption bands that are characteristic of the π–π* transition of the bipyridine moiety of the capsule, which suggests that the P and M helicities of the capsule are biased by the chiral guest complexation. The P helicity of diastereomeric complex (S)‐ 2 l ? 1?4 BF₄ was determined to be predominant, based on CD exciton coupling theory and DFT calculations. The diastereoselectivity was highly influenced by the ester substituents, such that benzyl ester moieties were good for improving the diastereoselectivity. A diastereomeric excess of 98 % was achieved upon the complexation of 2 j . The relative enthalpic and entropic components for the distereoselectivity were obtained from a van’t Hoff plot. The enthalpic components were linearly correlated with the substituent Hammett parameters (σ_p⁺). The electron‐rich benzyl ester moieties generated donor–acceptor π–π stacking interactions with the bipyridine moiety, which resulted in a significant difference in energy between the predominant and subordinate diastereomeric complexes.     

pH-responsive aqueous foams stabilized by ionizable latex particles

We have designed a type of colloidal particle whose surface characteristics are sensitive to the pH of the aqueous phase in which they are dispersed. Particles of polystyrene latex stabilized by poly(acrylic acid) can act as stabilizers of aqueous foams by adsorbing at the air-water surface. Foams can be prepared and stabilized only at pH values below the isoelectric point where particles are either uncharged and flocculated or acquire a positive charge. At high pH where particles are anionic, no foam forms. This influence of pH on foamability and stability applies to both pH-dependent and pH-responsive systems.     

Asymmetric and efficient synthesis of homophenylalanine derivatives via Friedel-Crafts reaction with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid

An efficient Friedel-Crafts reaction of TFA-Asp(Cl)-OMe and stoichiometric amounts of benzene was established by using neat trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TfOH) as solvent and catalyst under a mild condition. This methodology has been applied to many aromatic compounds and enabled synthesis of several homophenylalanine derivatives.     

Dispersion of Carbon Nanotubes with “Green” Detergents

Solubilization of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is a fundamental technique for the use of CNTs and their conjugates as nanodevices and nanobiodevices. In this work, we demonstrate the preparation of CNT suspensions with “green” detergents made from coconuts and bamboo as fundamental research in CNT nanotechnology. Single-walled CNTs (SWNTs) with a few carboxylic acid groups (3–5%) and pristine multi-walled CNTs (MWNTs) were mixed in each detergent solution and sonicated with a bath-type sonicator. The prepared suspensions were characterized using absorbance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Among the eight combinations of CNTs and detergents (two types of CNTs and four detergents, including sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as the standard), SWNTs/MWNTs were well dispersed in all combinations except the combination of the MWNTs and the bamboo detergent. The stability of the suspensions prepared with coconut detergents was better than that prepared with SDS. Because the efficiency of the bamboo detergents against the MWNTs differed significantly from that against the SWNTs, the natural detergent might be useful for separating CNTs. Our results revealed that the use of the “green” detergents had the advantage of dispersing CNTs as well as SDS.     

Chemical and Genetic Study of Ligularia cyathiceps in Yunnan Province of China

Root chemicals and evolutionarily neutral DNA regions in L. cyathiceps samples collected in the Zhongdian (Shangrila) County of Yunnan, P. R. China, were examined. Twenty compounds were isolated, including three new ones, 1β,10β‐epoxy‐6β‐(propionyloxy)furanoeremophilan‐9‐one ( 6 ), 1β,10β‐epoxy‐8α‐ethoxyeremophila‐6,11‐diene ( 14 ), and 11αH‐6β‐isobutyryloxy‐1β,10β,7β,8β‐diepoxyeremophilan‐12,8α‐olide ( 15 ). The chemical diversity was found to be limited, with cacalol ( 1 ) and 6‐(acyloxy)furanoeremophilan‐9‐ones ( 4 and/or 5 ) being major components in all the samples. The nuclear ribosomal RNA gene was also found to harbor little variation, although two distinct sequence types were found for the plastid atpB‐rbcL intergenic region.     

Hardness and slip systems of orthorhombic hen egg-white lysozyme crystals

Hardness and slip systems by an indentation method were investigated on different habit planes of orthorhombic hen egg-white lysozyme (O-HEWL) crystals containing water. A dependence of the hardness on the water-evaporation time exhibits three stages as incubation, transition and saturated ones, as tetragonal (T)-HEWL crystals reported previously. The hardness values of (1 1 0), (0 1 0) and (0 1 1) habit planes of O-HEWL in the incubation stage or wet condition exhibits 6, 8 and 10 MPa, respectively. The hardness depends on indented planes but it is independent of the air-humidity and crystal volumes. These values correspond to the intrinsic hardness for O-HEWL crystals containing water. In the incubation stage, the slip traces are clearly observed around the indentation mark and the corresponding six kinds of slip systems are identified to be {0 1 1}<1 0 0>, {1 1 0}<1 1 0>, {0 1 1}<0 1 1>, {1 1 0}<0 0 1>, {1 0 0}<0 0 1> and {0 1 0}<0 0 1>.