Fluorescence studies on volume phase transition in poly(acrylamide) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels

The changes in microenvironments during the volume phase transition of poly(acrylamide) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels induced by pH change or the change in solvent composition were studied by using dansyl or pyrenyl fluorescent probes.     

Comparative Phosphoproteomic Analysis of Sporulated Oocysts and Tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii Reveals Stage-Specific Patterns

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan of severe threat to humans and livestock, whose life history harbors both gamic and apogamic stages. Chinese 1 (ToxoDB#9) was a preponderant genotype epidemic in food-derived animals and humans in China, with a different pathogenesis from the strains from the other nations of the world. Posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of proteins were critical mediators of the biology, developmental transforms, and pathogenesis of protozoan parasites. The phosphoprotein profiling and the difference between the developmental phases of T. gondii, contributing to development and infectivity, remain unknown. A quantitative phosphoproteomic approach using IBT integrated with TiO₂ affinity chromatography was applied to identify and analyze the difference in the phosphoproteomes between the sporulated oocysts and the tachyzoites of the virulent ToxoDB#9 (PYS) strain of T. gondii. A total of 4058 differential phosphopeptides, consisting of 2597 upregulated and 1461 downregulated phosphopeptides, were characterized between sporulated the oocysts and tachyzoites. Twenty-one motifs extracted from the upregulated phosphopeptides contained 19 serine motifs and 2 threonine motifs (GxxTP and TP), whereas 16 motifs identified from downregulated phosphopeptides included 13 serine motifs and 3 threonine motifs (KxxT, RxxT, and TP). Beyond the traditional kinases, some infrequent classes of kinases, including Ab1, EGFR, INSR, Jak, Src and Syk, were found to be corresponding to motifs from the upregulated and downregulated phosphopeptides. Remarkable functional properties of the differentially expressed phosphoproteins were discovered by GO analysis, KEGG pathway analysis, and STRING analysis. S8GFS8 (DNMT1-RFD domain-containing protein) and S8F5G5 (Histone kinase SNF1) were the two most connected peptides in the kinase-associated network. Out of these, phosphorylated modifications in histone kinase SNF1 have functioned in mitosis and interphase of T. gondii, as well as in the regulation of gene expression relevant to differentiation. Our study discovered a remarkable difference in the abundance of phosphopeptides between the sporulated oocysts and tachyzoites of the virulent ToxoDB#9 (PYS) strain of T. gondii, which may provide a new resource for understanding stage-specific differences in PTMs and may enhance the illustration of the regulatory mechanisms contributing to the development and infectivity of T. gondii.     

Meshfree simulations of large scale ductile fracture of stiffened ship hull plates during ship stranding

Meccanica - In this work, we have developed a systematic computational methodology to directly simulate the ductile fracture of ship hull structure during ship stranding based on the meshfree...     

Nonlinear vibration effects on the fatigue life of fluid-conveying pipes composed of axially functionally graded materials

Nonlinear Dynamics - Fatigue is inevitable in pipes conveying fluid due to unwanted vibration. Internal resonance occurs in such pipes due to pre-pressure. For the first time, the effects of...     

Failure analysis with a focus on thermal aspect towards developing safer Na-ion batteries

Safety requirements stimulate Na-based batteries to evolve from high-temperature Na–S batteries to room-temperature Na-ion batteries(NIBs).Even so,NIBs may still cause thermal runaway due to the external unexpected accidents and internal high activity of electrodes or electrolytes,which has not been comprehensively summarized yet.In this review,we summarize the significant advances about the failure mechanisms and related strategies to build safer NIBs from the selection of electrodes,electrolytes and the construction of electrode/electrolyte interfaces.Considering the safety risk,the thermal behaviors are emphasized which will deepen the understanding of thermal stability of different NIBs and accelerate the exploitation of safe NIBs.     

Strong Pauli paramagnetic effect in the upper critical field of KCa2Fe4As4F2

Recently, 12442 system of Fe-based superconductors has attracted considerable attention owing to its unique double-Fe As-layer structure. A steep increase in the in-plane upper critical field with cooling has been observed near the superconducting transition temperature, Tc, in KCa2Fe4As4F2 single crystals. Herein, we report a high-field investigation on upper critical field of this material over a wide temperature range, and both out-of-plane(H∥c, Hc2c) and in-plane(H∥ab, Hc2ab ) directions have been measured.A sublinear temperature-dependent behavior is observed for the out-of-plane Hc2c , whereas strong convex curvature with cooling is observed for the in-plane Hc2ab . Such behaviors could not be described by the conventional Werthamer-Helfand-Hohenberg(WHH) model. The data analysis based on the WHH model by considering the spin aspects reveals a large Maki parameter α=9,indicating that the in-plane upper critical field is affected by a very strong Pauli paramagnetic effect.     

Existence and Approximate Controllability of Solutions for an Impulsive Evolution Equation with Nonlocal Conditions in Banach Space

In this article, we study the existence of mild solutions and approximate controllability for non-autonomous impulsive evolution equations with nonlocal conditions in Banach space. The existence of mild solutions and some conditions for approximate controllability of these non-autonomous impulsive evolution equations are given by using the Krasnoselskii''s fixed point theorem, the theory of evolution family and the resolvent operator. In particular,the impulsive functions are supposed to be continuous and the nonlocal item is divided into Lipschitz continuous and completely bounded. An example is given as an application of the results.     

4.8 nm Concave {M_(72)}(M=Co,Ni,Fe) metal-organic polyhedra capped by 18 calixarenes

Three 4.8 nm isostructural{M₇₂}(M=Co^Ⅱ for CIAC-128,Ni^Ⅱ for CIAC-129,Fe^Ⅱ for CIAC-130) metal-organic polyhedra(MOPs) are constructed by eighteen M₄-p-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene (M₄-TC4A) units bridged via sixteen four-connected 5,5′-(1H-1,2,4-triazole-3,5-diyl) diisophthalic acid (H₄TADIPA) linkers.These MOPs are featured with a rarely reported concave coordination cage,which can be simplified as a squeezed double-decker hexagonal prism pressed from the top and bottom hexagonal faces.Furthermore,CIAC-128,CIAC-129 and CIAC-130 are the highest nuclearity discrete clusters of Co,Ni and Fe reported so far.CIAC-128 has higher separation selectivity of C₃H₈ than CH₄ under ambient conditions,and also exhibits separation selectivity for C₂H₆/CH₄,C₂H₂/CH₄,and C₂H₄/CH₄.In addition,CIAC-128 can provide the cavity for the confined synthesis of noble metal nanoclusters such as Pd nanoclusters and the resulting Pd@CIAC-128 hybrids show higher electrocatalytic activity than commercial Pt/C towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).     

Kinetic theory of anionic copolymerization with constant monomer ratio, 2 . Molecular weight distribution

The kinetic differential equations for the anionic copolymerization with constant monomer ratio are treated by Laplace transformation and a graphical technique. A theoretical method is established by which all molecular parameters of the copolymers, such as the molecular distribution (MWD), the average molecular weight and the polydispersity, can be calculated from reaction rate constants, initial conditions and polymerization time. Three-dimensional plots obtained by numerical computation are presented to illustrate the influence of the reaction conditions on the MWD's of the copolymers.     

Synergistic Effect of Lithocholic Acid with Gentamicin against Gram-Positive Bacteria but Not against Gram-Negative Bacteria

Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is an important Gram-positive food-borne pathogen that severely threatens public health. A checkerboard microdilution method was performed to evaluate the synergistic effect of lithocholic acid (LCA) with Gentamicin (Genta) against L. monocytogenes. BacLight LIVE/DEAD staining, scanning electron microscopy and biofilm inhibition assays were further used to explore the bactericidal effect and antibiofilm effect of this combination on L. monocytogenes. Additionally, the synergistic effects of LCA derivatives with Genta were also evaluated against L. monocytogenes, S. aureus and S. suis. The results indicated that a synergistic bactericidal effect was observed for the combined therapy of LCA at the concentration without affecting bacteria viability, with Genta. Additionally, LCA in combination with Genta had a synergistic effect against Gram-positive bacteria (L. monocytogenes, S. aureus and S. suis) but not against Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli, A. baumannii and Salmonella). BacLight LIVE/DEAD staining and scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that the combination of LCA with Genta caused L. monocytogenes membrane injury, leading to bacteria death. We found that 8 μg/mL LCA treatment effectively improved the ability of Genta to eradicate L. monocytogenes biofilms. In addition, we found that chenodeoxycholic acid, as a cholic acid derivative, also improved the bactericidal effect of Genta against Gram-positive bacteria. Our results indicate that LCA represents a broad-spectrum adjuvant with Genta for infection caused by L. monocytogenes and other Gram-positive pathogens.