A Rapid Freeze‐Quench Setup for Multi‐Frequency EPR Spectroscopy of Enzymatic Reactions

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy in combination with the rapid freeze‐quench (RFQ) technique is a well‐established method to trap and characterize intermediates in chemical or enzymatic reactions at the millisecond or even shorter time scales. The method is particularly powerful for mechanistic studies of enzymatic reactions when combined with high‐frequency EPR (ν≥90 GHz), which permits the identification of substrate or protein radical intermediates by their electronic g values. In this work, we describe a new custom‐designed micro‐mix rapid freeze‐quench apparatus, for which reagent volumes for biological samples as small as 20 μL are required. The apparatus was implemented with homemade sample collectors appropriate for 9, 34, and 94 GHz EPR capillaries (4, 2, and 0.87 mm outer diameter, respectively) and the performance was evaluated. We demonstrate the application potential of the RFQ apparatus by following the enzymatic reaction of PpoA, a fungal dioxygenase producing hydro(pero)xylated fatty acids. The larger spectral resolution at 94 GHz allows the discernment of structural changes in the EPR spectra, which are not detectable in the same samples at the standard 9 GHz frequency.     

稻草与煤固定床共热解特性的研究

选取稻草为生物质原料,将其与两种不同煤阶的煤(内蒙褐煤和神府烟煤)分别以0∶100、20∶80、40∶60、60∶40、80∶20、100∶0的干基质量比均匀混合.借助固定床反应器,研究了稻草与两种煤的共热解特性,探讨了共热解过程中可能存在的协同作用.结果表明,稻草添加有利于共热解气体产物的生成,且对神府煤作用更明显;稻草含量越高,热解气体产量的实验值与加权平均计算值的偏差也越大,说明稻草与煤共热解过程发生了协同作用.而共热解所得焦产量的实验值与加权平均计算值基本一致.热解焦傅里叶红外光谱分析结果表明,稻草添加对热解焦的官能团未造成显著影响.     

内蒙五牧场矿区11号煤层原煤大分子结构特征及其形成机制

在对内蒙古自治区呼伦贝尔市伊敏盆地五牧场区11号煤层原煤工业分析、元素分析、¹³C-NMR、FT-IR、XPS等分析基础上,获得了煤大分子结构中碳骨架信息、脂肪结构以及含氧官能团类型及比例、氮原子的存在形式和比例等结构信息。以此为基础,构建了煤的大分子结构模型,并应用 ¹³C-NMR预测软件ACD/CNMR predictor 对其进行了修正, 获得与实验核磁共振谱图吻合较好的大分子结构模型。大分子结构的芳香结构单元以苯、萘、蒽、菲为芳香结构单元,数量分别是1、2、2、1,醚键、氢化芳环以及邻位亚甲基作为连接芳香结构的主要桥键;氧原子以酚羟基、羰基、羧基的形式存在,数量分别是7、3、2;氮原子分别以吡啶和吡咯的形式存在,甲基和脂肪短链分布在芳香单元的边缘。与相邻矿区的褐煤及相近变质程度的神东长焰煤的比较发现,其形成机制主要是在高温低压环境下,热演化过程中快速失去各种含氧官能团,导致短链脂肪类物质的形成,而低压环境则有利于热演化过程中形成的各种小分子物质逸散导致自由基的缩聚,形成较大的芳香结构单元,但是直链脂肪类物质的存在具有位阻效应,不利于芳香结构单元的定向排列,导致所谓的"化学成分成熟超前于其结构成熟"现象。     

具有固定时滞的经济周期模型的动态分析

在经济活动中,投资行为和资本存量存在一定的时滞效应,这会影响经济周期模型的动态行为,进而使得投资政策对经济的稳定调整复杂化.考虑到资本存量的预期时间以及投资时滞对经济活动的影响,采用Hopf分岔理论,研究具有固定时滞的经济周期模型的均衡点的稳定性以及形成经济周期的条件.研究发现,投资过程中的投资时滞,以及投资决策中对于资本存量的预测时间构成经济周期产生的诱因;同时可通过政府投资政策调整达到预期均衡目标,这对保持经济周期稳定及经济政策制定有一定的指导作用.     

关于具有二次相关性收获率的捕食与被捕食系统极限环的存在性分析

讨论了一类两种群具有二次相关性收获率的捕食与被捕食系统,利用常微分定性方法和分支理论,得到了系统平衡点处的性态和极限环的存在性条件,并用Matlab软件对其进行数值模拟,推广了相关文献中两种群捕食模型定性分析的相应结论.     

Consequences of weak Allee effect on prey in the May–Holling–Tanner predator–prey model

In this work, a modified Holling–Tanner predator–prey model is analyzed, considering important aspects describing the interaction such as the predator growth function is of a logistic type; a weak Allee effect acting in the prey growth function, and the functional response is of hyperbolic type. Making a change of variables and time rescaling, we obtain a polynomial differential equations system topologically equivalent to the original one in which the non‐hyperbolic equilibrium point (0,0) is an attractor for all parameter values. An important consequence of this property is the existence of a separatrix curve dividing the behavior of trajectories in the phase plane, and the system exhibits the bistability phenomenon, because the trajectories can have different ω ? limit sets; as example, the origin (0,0) or a stable limit cycle surrounding an unstable positive equilibrium point. We show that, under certain parameter conditions, a positive equilibrium may undergo saddle‐node, Hopf, and Bogdanov–Takens bifurcations; the existence of a homoclinic curve on the phase plane is also proved, which breaks in an unstable limit cycle. Some simulations to reinforce our results are also shown. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

嵌段共聚物薄膜快速自组装方法

嵌段共聚物 (BCP) 薄膜可通过不同的退火方法诱导其微相分离,从而获得大面积圆柱状、层状和球状等纳米图案。这些长程有序的纳米结构形态,已经广泛应用在纳米光刻和电子器件等多个领域中。目前,有效且快速的退火方法仍然是BCP薄膜自组装技术中的研究热点。本文首先介绍了制备BCP薄膜纳米结构图案常用的退火技术,然后综述了三种新型快速退火技术,最后分析总结了这些退火技术的优缺点。     

Brassinin inhibits proliferation and induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in nasopharyngeal cancer C666-1 cells

BackgroundNasopharyngeal cancer is a tumor that occurs in the mucous epithelium of the nasopharynx. Due to its rapid growth and early metastatic nature, the successful treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer is highly challenging.ObjectiveHere, we intended to assess the in vitro anticancer property of brassinin against the nasopharyngeal cancer C666-1 cells.MethodologyThe in vitro free radical scavenging property of the brassinin was assessed by various free radical scavenging activities such as FRAP, DPPH, chemiluminescence (CL), and ORAC assays. The cytotoxic level of the brassinin (1–50 µM) against the nasopharyngeal cancer C666-1 cells and normal Vero cells were assessed by the MTT cytotoxicity assay. The levels of TBARS, GSH, and the SOD activity was assessed using kits. The level of ROS generation, MMP, and apoptosis were investigated by the respective fluorescent staining techniques. The flow cytometry analysis was done to scrutinize the cell cycle arrest. The Bax/Bcl-2 level and caspase activities were examined using respective kits.ResultsThe brassinin treatment effectively scavenged the free radicals, which are assessed by the FRAP, DPPH, chemiluminescence (CL), and ORAC assays. The proliferation of brassinin treated C666-1 cells were decreased remarkably, while the same concentration of brassinin did not disturbed the Vero cell viability. The 30 µM of brassinin effectively increased the ROS production, depleted the MMP, and stimulated the apoptosis in the C666-1 cells. The brassinin increased the TBARS and depleted the GSH and SOD in the C666-1 cells. The flow cytometry analysis revealed that the brassinin administration improved the G0/G1 ratio and decreased the proportion of cells with ‘S’ and ‘G2/M’ phase. The Bax, caspase-3 and ?9 were elevated and Bcl-2 level was decreased in the brassinin administered C666-1 cells.ConclusionOur findings discovered that the brassinin has the capacity to prevent the proliferation and stimulate the apoptotic cell death C666‐1 cells via blocking cell cycle and increasing oxidative stress and apoptotic markers. Hence, it can be a talented therapeutic agent to treat the nasopharyngeal cancer in the future.     

Design,Synthesis and Anticancer Activity of a New Series of N-aryl-N′-[4-(pyridin-2-ylmethoxy)benzyl]urea Derivatives

The development of cancer treatments requires continuous exploration and improvement, in which the discovery of new drugs for the treatment of cancer is still an important pathway. In this study, based on the molecular hybridization strategy, a new structural framework with an N-aryl-N’-arylmethylurea scaffold was designed, and 16 new target compounds were synthesized and evaluated for their antiproliferative activities against four different cancer cell lines A549, MCF7, HCT116, PC3, and human liver normal cell line HL7702. The results have shown seven compounds with 1-methylpiperidin-4-yl groups having excellent activities against all four cancer cell lines, and they exhibited scarcely any activities against HL7702. Among them, compound 9b and 9d showed greatly excellent activity against the four kinds of cells, and the IC₅₀ for MCF7 and PC3 cell lines were even less than 3 μM.