Flat acoustic lens by acoustic grating with curled slits

We design a flat sub-wavelength lens that can focus acoustic wave. We analytically study the transmission through an acoustic grating with curled slits, which can serve as a material with tunable impedance and refractive index for acoustic waves. The effective parameters rely on the geometry of the slits and are independent of frequency. A flat acoustic focusing lens by such acoustic grating with gradient effective refractive index is designed. The focusing effect is clearly observed in simulations and well predicted by the theory. We demonstrate that despite the large impedance mismatch between the acoustic lens and the matrix, the intensity at the focal point is still high due to Fabry–Perot resonance.     

傅里叶变换显微红外光谱技术研究大气SO2/NO2与MgCl2单液滴的非均相氧化反应

硫酸盐是我国大气PM_(2.5)的重要成分之一,当前大气化学模型普遍严重低估雾霾期间大气硫酸盐的浓度,说明我们对SO_2大气转化机制的认识仍然不足。SO_2与NO_2在气溶胶微液滴内的协同氧化,被认定是一种硫酸盐颗粒物的关键额外来源。然而,在变化氛围(反应气体摩尔比、相对湿度)条件下,SO_2/NO_2与微液滴反应的关键动力学参数,目前仍然得不到准确的测定。本研究利用傅里叶变换显微红外光谱技术,在变化SO_2/NO_2摩尔比的条件下,原位测定了海盐气溶胶MgCl_2液滴中SO_4^(2-)与NO_3(2-)与NO_3^-浓度的时间演化。我们发现：MgCl_2单液滴与SO_2/NO_2反应生成了SO_4-浓度的时间演化。我们发现：MgCl_2单液滴与SO_2/NO_2反应生成了SO_4^(2-)和NO_3(2-)和NO_3^-,并且在SO_2/NO_2摩尔比为1∶5时SO_4-,并且在SO_2/NO_2摩尔比为1∶5时SO_4^(2-)的生成速率最快。本研究将为大气模型提供可靠参数,为制定有效的PM_(2.5)防控政策提供支撑。     

Molecular dynamics and structure-based virtual screening and identification of natural compounds as Wnt signaling modulators: possible therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease

Molecular Diversity - Wnt signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved pathway responsible for neurogenesis, axon outgrowth, neuronal polarity, synapse formation, and maintenance....     

Discrete-time sliding mode control for robust tracking and model following of systems with state and input delays

This paper presents a novel robust tracking and model following control scheme for a class of linear systems with mismatched state and input delays. The algorithm is based on discrete-time sliding mode control (SMC) and time-delay control theory. The proposed scheme ensures the stability and robustness against time delays without state transformation, and achieves the ultimate boundedness of the tracking error. The selection of sliding surface and the existence of sliding mode are two important issues, which have been addressed. Chattering phenomenon and reaching phase are avoided. Simulation results demonstrate the validity of the proposed scheme.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Cationic Glycidyl-Based Poly(aminoester)-Folic Acid Targeting Conjugates and Study on Gene Delivery

A new poly(aminoester) (EPAE-FA) containing folic acid and amino groups in the backbone and side chain was synthesized. EPAE-FA self-assembled readily with the plasmid DNA (pCMV-βgal) in HEPES buffer and was characterized by dynamic light scattering, zeta potential, fluorescence images, and XTT cell viability assays. To evaluate the transfection effect of graft ratio of FA on the EPAE system, EPAE-FA polymers with two different graft ratios (EPAE-FA12k and EPAE-FA14k) were also prepared. This study found that all EPAE-FA polymers were able to bind plasmid DNA and yielded positively charged complexes with nano-sized particles ( < 200 nm). To assess the transfection efficiency mediated by EPAE and EPAE-FA polymers, we performed in vitro transfection activity assays using FR-negative (COS-7) and FR-positive (HeLa) cells. The EPAE-FA12k/DNA and EPAE-FA14k/DNA complexes were able to transfect HeLa cell in vitro with higher transfection efficiency than PEI25k/DNA at the similar weight ratio. These results demonstrated that the introduction of FA into EPAE system had a significant effect on transferring ability for FR-positive cells (HeLa). Examination of the cytotoxicity of PEI25k and EPAE-FA system revealed that EPAE-FA system had lower cytotoxicity. In this paper, EPAE-FA seemed to be a novel cationic poly(aminoester) for gene delivery and an interesting candidate for further study.     

Optofluidic integrated cell sorter fabricated by femtosecond lasers

The main trend in optofluidics is currently towards full integration of the devices, thus improving automation, compactness and portability. In this respect femtosecond laser microfabrication is a very powerful technology given its capability of producing both optical waveguides and microfluidic channels. The current challenge in biology is the possibility to perform bioassays at the single cell level to unravel the hidden complexity in nominally homogeneous populations. Here we report on a new device implementing a fully integrated fluorescence-activated cell sorter. This non-invasive device is specifically designed to operate with a limited amount of cells but with a very high selectivity in the sorting process. Characterization of the device with beads and validation with human cells are presented.     

Protein conformational gating of enzymatic activity in xanthine oxidoreductase

In mammals, xanthine oxidoreductase can exist as xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) and xanthine oxidase (XO). The two enzymes possess common redox active cofactors, which form an electron transfer (ET) pathway terminated by a flavin cofactor. In spite of identical protein primary structures, the redox potential difference between XDH and XO for the flavin semiquinone/hydroquinone pair (E(sq/hq)) is ~170 mV, a striking difference. The former greatly prefers NAD(+) as ultimate substrate for ET from the iron-sulfur cluster FeS-II via flavin while the latter only accepts dioxygen. In XDH (without NAD(+)), however, the redox potential of the electron donor FeS-II is 180 mV higher than that for the acceptor flavin, yielding an energetically uphill ET. On the basis of new 1.65, 2.3, 1.9, and 2.2 ? resolution crystal structures for XDH, XO, the NAD(+)- and NADH-complexed XDH, E(sq/hq) were calculated to better understand how the enzyme activates an ET from FeS-II to flavin. The majority of the E(sq/hq) difference between XDH and XO originates from a conformational change in the loop at positions 423-433 near the flavin binding site, causing the differences in stability of the semiquinone state. There was no large conformational change observed in response to NAD(+) binding at XDH. Instead, the positive charge of the NAD(+) ring, deprotonation of Asp429, and capping of the bulk surface of the flavin by the NAD(+) molecule all contribute to altering E(sq/hq) upon NAD(+) binding to XDH.     

Paradigms and paradoxes: what are the 54 electron affinities of O2?

Only one electron affinity of oxygen, 43(1) kJ mol⁻¹ is generally cited since the molecular orbital theory anion bond order [3/4] gives an electron affinity, 14 kJ mol⁻¹. However, electron correlation rules predict 27 bonding and 27 antibonding spin orbital coupling states. The relative bond orders (RBOs), 12/13 to [1/4] and the 13 valence electrons of superoxide are used to calculate electron affinities 103 to −243 kJ mol⁻¹ consistent with experimental and theoretical values. These are used to construct 54 ionic Morse potentials.     

Regulating Effect of Allicin(Diallyldisulfid-S-Oxide) on Respiration Function of Mitochondria from Beef Heart

To probe into regulating functions of allicin, diallyldisulfid-S-oxide, on electron transport in the inner membrane of mitochondria isolated from beef heart, under the anaerobic, hypoxia, and oxygenating conditions in the presence of rotenone(complex I inhibitor) at 37 °C, we optimized the isolation method for isolating mitochondria from beef heart and used the technique for measuring dissolved oxygen content at the right moment so as to investigate the effects of allicin on the respiratory control of mitochondria in state 4 and state 3, P/O ratio, and respiratory control ratio(RCR). The results show that the optimized isolated requirements were that all the operations were always kept at 0―4 °C, the ratio between sample and isolation medium was 1:4, the filter was a four-layer gauze, two centrifugations in different sections. First section: 2500g, 10 min; second section 7000g, 20 min. The results indicate that the capacity of dissolved oxygen in state 3 was increased and that of dissolved oxygen in state 4 was almost stabilized in mitochondria from beef heart.     

Peak effect at microwave frequencies in swift heavy ion irradiated YBa2Cu3O7-δ thin films

The vortex dynamics at microwave frequencies in YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ (YBCO) films have been studied. We observe a peak in the microwave (4.88 and 9.55 GHz) surface resistance in some films in magnetic fields up to 0.8 T. This is associated with the ‘peak-effect’ phenomenon and reflects the order-disorder transformation of the flux line lattice near the transition temperature. Introduction of artificial pinning centers like columnar defects created as a result of irradiation with 200 MeV Ag ion (at a fluence of 4×10¹⁰ ions/cm²) leads to the suppression of the peak in films previously exhibiting ‘peak effect’.