Production, Characterization, and Application of an Organic Solvent-Tolerant Lipase Present in Active Inclusion Bodies

An organic solvent-tolerant lipase from Serratia marcescens ECU1010 (rSML) was overproduced in Escherichia coli in an insoluble form. High concentrations of both biomass (50 g cell wet weight/L culture broth) and inclusion bodies (10.5 g/L) were obtained by applying a high-cell-density cultivation procedure. Activity assays indicated that the enzymatic activity of rSML reached 600 U/L. After treatment with isopropyl ether for 12 h, the maximum lipase activity reached 6,000 U/L. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy revealed the activation mechanism of rSML in the presence of organic solvents. rSML was stable in broad ranges of temperatures and pH values, as well as in a series of organic solvents. Besides, rSML showed the best enantioselectivity for the kinetic resolution of (±)-trans-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)glycidic acid methyl ester. These features render the S. marcescens ECU1010 lipase attractive for biotechnological applications in the field of organic synthesis and pharmaceutical industry.     

Microblogging,friendship maintenance,and life satisfaction among university students: The mediatory role of online self-disclosure

Despite a substantial literature suggests that computer-mediated communication impact individuals’ various psychosocial factors, relatively few studies have elucidated the underlying mechanism behind these associations. Building upon self-disclosure theory and previous studies, the principal purpose of this present research is to systematically explore the relationships among microblog utilization, online self-disclosure, friendship maintenance, and perceived life satisfaction. A web-based survey was implemented using a total of 426 university students in Northwestern China. Structural equation modeling reveals that intensity of microblog use is positively associated with these students’ friendship maintenance and life satisfaction. Additionally, online self-disclosure plays the crucial mediatory role in the relationships between microblog use, quality of relationships, and gratification with life. The results imply that as microbloggers disclosure their inner thoughts or emotional states with other users online, they could foster their friendship maintenance and obtain greater life satisfaction. However, contrary to the expectation, students’ friendship maintenance is not discovered to be a significant predictor of the sense of life satisfaction in the online environment. Overall, these obtained outcomes of the empirical work could offer new insights into the deep comprehending of the social psychological process of microblogging among younger generation in the new media context.     

Nickel Oxide/Graphene Composites: Synthesis and Applications

Nickel oxide (NiO) has emerged as one of the most promising transition-metal oxides (TMOs) for electrochemical capacitors, batteries, catalysis, and electrochromic films, owing to its cost-effectiveness, abundance, and well-defined electrochemical properties. Recent studies have identified that mixing NiO with graphene or graphene derivatives results in novel composites with synergistic effects and superior electrochemical performance. This review summarizes the latest advances in composites of NiO with graphene or graphene derivatives. The synthetic strategies, morphologies, and electrochemical performance of these composites are introduced, as well as their electrochemical applications in supercapacitors, batteries, sensors, catalysis, and so forth. Finally, tentative conclusions and assessments regarding the opportunities and challenges for the future development of these composites and other TMOs/graphene or graphene-derived composites are presented.     

Effects of graft length and density of well‐defined graft polymers on the thermoresponsive behavior and self‐assembly morphology

A series of well‐defined thermoresponsive graft polymers with different lengths and graft densities, poly(glycidyl methacrylate)‐graft‐poly(N‐isopropylacrylate) (PGMA‐g‐PNIPAM), were successfully prepared by combination of controlled/living free radical polymerization and click chemistry. Effects of grafting length and density on the thermoresponsive behavior, aggregating mean diameter, and self‐assembly morphology are systematically investigated. The thermosensitive characteristics of graft polymers in aqueous solution prove that the length and graft density had positive co‐relationship with the lower critical solution temperature value and mean diameter of micelles as well as the size distribution, while the effect of graft length of polymers is more significant than that of density. Transmission electron microscopy analysis shows that the conformations of PGMA₄₅‐g‐PNIPAM₂₀ and PGMA₄₅‐g‐PNIPAM₄₆ with longer length and bigger grafting density in aqueous solutions are spherical nanoparticles with the increasing trend of the diameters, while that of PGMA₄₅‐g‐PNIPAM_{(73, 50%)} shows a spherical‐like morphology, which indicates that the graft length and density have a significant effect on the mean diameter of micelle but not on the self‐assembly morphology. These results reveal that to obtain desired thermoresponsive behavior and self‐assembly morphology of functional polymers, it is essential to design and fabricate the structure of graft polymers with proper length and graft density. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2442–2453     

How does time spent on WeChat bolster subjective well-being through social integration and social capital?

Although WeChat has recently spawned significant resolutions in technology-mediated social contact and interpersonal communication, the research regarding the social and psychological impacts of the newly emerging technology is relatively few. The primary purpose of the current empirical research is to unearth whether and how WeChat interaction could enhance overseas students’ sense of subjective well-being by concentrating on social integration, bridging relationships, and bonding relationships. Using web-based data of 228 Chinese subjects, the obtained results reveal that the time spent on WeChat significantly and directly impacts users’ subjective well-being. Additionally, the findings demonstrate that social integration, bridging relationships, bonding relationships are all significant predictors to subjective well-being. Furthermore, the perceptions of social integration and social capital could play the crucial mediating roles in the connection between WeChat use and the dependent variable of subjective well-being. Therefore, these outcomes may shed light on a more nuanced comprehending of the influence of the new social media interaction on sojourner’s social adaption and overall life quality in the digital age.     

Synthesis of a highly active amino‐functionalized Fe3O4@SiO2/APTS/Ru magnetic nanocomposite catalyst for hydrogenation reactions

An amino‐functionalized silica‐coated Fe₃O₄ nanocomposite (Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/APTS) was synthesized. The Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ microspheres possessed a well‐defined core–shell structure, uniform sizes and high magnetization. An immobilized ruthenium nanoparticle catalyst (Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/APTS/Ru) was obtained after coordination and reduction of Ru³⁺ on the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/APTS nanocomposite. The Ru nanoparticles were not only ultra‐small with nearly monodisperse sizes but also had strong affinity with the surface of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/APTS. The obtained catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic performance for the hydrogenation of a variety of aromatic nitro compounds, even at room temperature. Moreover, Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/APTS/Ru was easily recovered using a magnetic field and directly reused for at least five cycles without significant loss of its activity.     

Quantification of complanatoside A in rat plasma using LC‐MS/MS and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

Complanatoside A is a flavonol glycoside isolated from Astragalus complanatus, and currently it is used as a quality control index for A. complanatus in the 2010 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. For the first time, a simple and sensitive LC‐MS/MS method was developed for the determination of complanatoside A in rat plasma over the range of 2.3–575 ng/mL. Complanatoside A was extracted from plasma by a protein precipitation procedure, separated by LC and detected by MS/MS in positive electrospray ionization mode. The method was validated for selectivity, carryover, sensitivity, linearity, extraction recovery, matrix effect, accuracy, precision and stability studies. The lower limit of quantification was established at 2.3 ng/mL. Intra‐ and inter‐day precisions (LLOQ, low‐QC, med‐QC and high‐QC) were <7.9%, and accuracies were between 94.0 and 105.1%. Matrix effect was acceptable (97.9–103.0%) and extraction recovery was reproducible (88.5–94.4%). Complanatoside A was stable in the investigated conditions. The method was applied to the pharmacokinetics of complanatoside A in rats. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.