Red Blood Cell Stiffness and Adhesion Are Species-Specific Properties Strongly Affected by Temperature and Medium Changes in Single Cell Force Spectroscopy

Besides human red blood cells (RBC), a standard model used in AFM-single cell force spectroscopy (SCFS), little is known about apparent Young’s modulus (Ea) or adhesion of animal RBCs displaying distinct cellular features. To close this knowledge gap, we probed chicken, horse, camel, and human fetal RBCs and compared data with human adults serving as a repository for future studies. Additionally, we assessed how measurements are affected under physiological conditions (species-specific temperature in autologous plasma vs. 25 °C in aqueous NaCl solution). In all RBC types, Ea decreased with increasing temperature irrespective of the suspension medium. In mammalian RBCs, adhesion increased with elevated temperatures and scaled with reported membrane sialic acid concentrations. In chicken only adhesion decreased with higher temperature, which we attribute to the lower AE-1 concentration allowing more membrane undulations. Ea decreased further in plasma at every test temperature, and adhesion was completely abolished, pointing to functional cell enlargement by adsorption of plasma components. This halo elevated RBC size by several hundreds of nanometers, blunted the thermal input, and will affect the coupling of RBCs with the flowing plasma. The study evidences the presence of a RBC surface layer and discusses the tremendous effects when RBCs are probed at physiological conditions.     

Exogenous Sodium Nitroprusside Mitigates Salt Stress in Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) by Affecting the Growth,Yield, and Biochemical Properties

Soil salinity disrupts the physiological and biochemical processes of crop plants and ultimately leads to compromising future food security. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a contributor to nitric oxide (NO), holds the potential to alleviate abiotic stress effects and boost tolerance in plants, whereas less information is available on its role in salt-stressed lentils. We examined the effect of exogenously applied SNP on salt-stressed lentil plants by monitoring plant growth and yield-related attributes, biochemistry of enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD)) amassing of leaf malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Salinity stress was induced by NaCl application at concentrations of 50 mM (moderate salinity) and 100 mM (severe salinity), while it was alleviated by SNP application at concentrations of 50 µM and 100 µM. Salinity stress severely inhibited the length of roots and shoots, the relative water content, and the chlorophyll content of the leaves, the number of branches, pods, seeds, seed yield, and biomass per plant. In addition, MDA, H₂O₂ as well as SOD, CAT, and POD activities were increased with increasing salinity levels. Plants supplemented with SNP (100 µM) showed a significant improvement in the growth- and yield-contributing parameters, especially in plants grown under moderate salinity (50 mM NaCl). Essentially, the application of 100 µM SNP remained effective to rescue lentil plants under moderate salinity by regulating plant growth and biochemical pathways. Thus, the exogenous application of SNP could be developed as a useful strategy for improving the performance of lentil plants in salinity-prone environments.     

Preliminary Investigation of the Antioxidant,Anti-Diabetic,and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Enteromorpha intestinalis Extracts

Marine algae are a promising source of potent bioactive agents against oxidative stress, diabetes, and inflammation. However, the possible therapeutic effects of many algal metabolites have not been exploited yet. In this regard, we explored the therapeutic potential of Enteromorpha intestinalis extracts obtained from methanol, ethanol, and hexane, in contrasting oxidative stress. The total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoids (TFC) content were quantified in all extracts, with ethanol yielding the best values (about 60 and 625 mg of gallic acid and rutin equivalents per gram of extract, respectively). Their antioxidant potential was also assessed through DPPH^•, hydroxyl radical, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide anion scavenging assays, showing a concentration-dependent activity which was greater in the extracts from protic and more polar solvents. The α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities were estimated for checking the antidiabetic capacity, with IC₅₀ values of about 3.8 µg/mL for the methanolic extract, almost as low as those obtained with acarbose (about 2.8 and 3.3 µg/mL, respectively). The same extract also showed remarkable anti-inflammatory effect, as determined by hemolysis, protein denaturation, proteinase and lipoxygenase activity assays, with respectable IC₅₀ values (about 11, 4, 6, and 5 µg/mL, respectively), also in comparison to commercially used drugs, such as acetylsalicylic acid.     

费-托合成制清洁燃料用担载纳米钴基催化剂制备中热处理对其结构和催化性能的影响

" 应用浸渍法在不同的焙烧条件(90~500 ℃)制备了一系列Al2O3担载钴基催化剂(质量含量为15%);采用XRD、XPS、程序升温还原对其进行了结构表征和分析,考察其在一氧化碳选择加氢制备清洁燃料用长链烷烃的反应中的催化性能．XPS结果表明,对于在90~200 ℃焙烧的催化剂,仍可观察到未完全分解的硝酸钴的存在;对于在200~500 ℃焙烧的几个催化剂可观察到Co3O4的物相．对于经过几种热处理制备的氧化铝担载的四个纳米钴基催化剂(200~500 ℃热处理),XRD和XPS结果表明四个样品中主要是9     

低功率超声增强碘帕醇氯氧化的效果和路径

研究了低功率超声(US, <38 W)对NaClO氧化非离子型碘代X射线造影剂—碘帕醇(IPM)的增强作用及机理, 考察了NaClO添加浓度和超声功率的影响, 分析并计算了体系中的主要活性物种及其贡献. 采用高效液相色谱/串联质谱(HPLC/MS/MS)对降解产物进行分析, 推测IPM的降解路径. 结果表明, 低功率US显著增强了NaClO对IPM的氧化效果, 在25 ℃, pH=5.8, NaClO浓度为0.12 mmol/L条件下, 10 mg/L IPM在60 min的降解率达到85.8%. 其中NaClO氧化、 HO·和活性氯自由基(RCSs)是US/NaClO增强IPM降解的主要原因, 自由基分析计算它们的贡献率分别为15.82%, 4.65%和79.53%. NaClO浓度在0~0.24 mmol/L范围内, IPM的降解率随NaClO浓度升高而增加, 60 min后降解率由4.75%增加到91.12%; 超声功率为28.5 W, 降解率达到最高. 在 15~45 ℃温度范围内, IPM的降解过程符合表观一级反应动力学, 反应活化能(E_a)为59.03 kJ/mol. HPLC/MS/MS共检测出5种中间产物, 结合密度泛函理论(DFT)计算结果, 初步推测了IPM在US/NaClO体系中的降解途径和机理.     

Cationic Bismuth Aminotroponiminates: Charge Controls Redox Properties

The behavior of the redox-active aminotroponiminate (ATI) ligand in the coordination sphere of bismuth has been investigated in neutral and cationic compounds, [Bi(ATI)₃] and [Bi(ATI)₂L_n][A] (L=neutral ligand; n=0, 1; A=counteranion). Their coordination chemistry in solution and in the solid state has been analyzed through (variable-temperature) NMR spectroscopy, line-shape analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses, and their Lewis acidity has been evaluated by using the Gutmann–Beckett method (and modifications thereof). Cyclic voltammetry, in combination with DFT calculations, indicates that switching between ligand- and metal-centered redox events is possible by altering the charge of the compounds from 0 in neutral species to +1 in cationic compounds. This adds important facets to the rich redox chemistry of ATIs and to the redox chemistry of bismuth compounds, which is, so far, largely unexplored.     

Incorporation of β-Alanine in Cu(II) ATCUN Peptide Complexes Increases ROS Levels,DNA Cleavage and Antiproliferative Activity**

Redox-active Cu(II) complexes are able to form reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the presence of oxygen and reducing agents. Recently, Faller et al. reported that ROS generation by Cu(II) ATCUN complexes is not as high as assumed for decades. High complex stability results in silencing of the Cu(II)/Cu(I) redox cycle and therefore leads to low ROS generation. In this work, we demonstrate that an exchange of the α-amino acid Gly with the β-amino acid β-Ala at position 2 (Gly2→β-Ala2) of the ATCUN motif reinstates ROS production (^•OH and H₂O₂). Potentiometry, cyclic voltammetry, EPR spectroscopy and DFT simulations were utilized to explain the increased ROS generation of these β-Ala2-containing ATCUN complexes. We also observed enhanced oxidative cleavage activity towards plasmid DNA for β-Ala2 compared to the Gly2 complexes. Modifications with positively charged Lys residues increased the DNA affinity through electrostatic interactions as determined by UV/VIS, fluorescence, and CD spectroscopy, and consequently led to a further increase in nuclease activity. A similar trend was observed regarding the cytotoxic activity of the complexes against several human cancer cell lines where β-Ala2 peptide complexes had lower IC₅₀ values compared to Gly2. The higher cytotoxicity could be attributed to an increased cellular uptake as determined by ICP-MS measurements.     

A domain decomposition method for three species modeling of multi-electrode negative corona discharge – With applications to electrostatic precipitators

The negative corona discharge problem for multi-electrode geometries is modeled by a three species model. The equations are solved using domain decomposition, by recognizing that multiple species are only present in a small part of the domain, and hence only need to be incorporated locally in the model.The method is applied to an industrially relevant three wire electrostatic precipitator geometry. The calculated current density is in good agreement with experimental data. To further illustrate applications of the three species solution, it is used for coupled particle, fluid, and electrostatic simulations to analyze particle collection properties.     

Quantitative analysis of oxidative DNA damage induced by high-voltage pulsed discharge with cavitation

Pulsed discharge is used for sterilization and disinfection, but the details of the molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Since pulsed discharge generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), we analyzed the oxidative DNA damages after pulsed discharge treatment to consider the involvement of ROS in the damaging process. We applied pulsed discharge with cavitation to plasmid DNA molecules and estimated the yields of the damages by agarose gel electrophoresis. The treated DNA contained various oxidative DNA damages, including single and double strand breaks and base lesions. The yields of the damages increased in response to the energy used for pulsed discharge. We also measured the yield of 8-hydroxyguanine (8-OH-G), one of the major oxidative base lesions, in the treated plasmid DNA by mass spectrometry quantitatively and found that the yield of the oxidative base lesion corresponded to the increment of the applied energy. In addition, we observed the involvement of mutM gene, which is responsible for repair of 8-OH-G, in the increased sensitivity of Escherichia coli to pulsed discharge. Therefore, ROS seem to mediate the sterilization ability of pulsed discharge.     

AN INDIVIDUAL‐BASED MODEL FOR FERAL HOGS IN GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK

The expansion of feral hog (Sus scrofa) populations in the United States has resulted in increased efforts to develop and implement control strategies designed to minimize the impacts done by this invasive species. We describe an individual‐based model for feral hogs in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). The objectives of the model are to provide an understanding of the population dynamics of this feral hog population and to determine the efficacy of the annual harvest as a population control method. Results suggest that the dynamics of the population are driven by fall hard mast production and the GSMNP harvests currently limit growth of the population, but these control efforts have not reduced the population.