Strengthening biopolymer adhesives through ureolysis-induced calcium carbonate precipitation.

Common adhesives for nonstructural applications are manufactured using petrochemicals and synthetic solvents. These adhesives are associated with environmental and health concerns because of their release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Biopolymer adhesives are an attractive alternative because of lower VOC emissions, but their strength is often insufficient.

A Highly Correlated, Multireference Study of the Lowest Lying Singlet and Triplet States of the Four Thiophene Diradicals.

The energies and geometries of the lowest lying singlet and triplet states of the four diradicals formed by removing two H atoms from thiophene have been characterized. We utilized the highly correlated, multireference methods configuration interaction with single and double excitations with and without the Pople correction for size-extensivity (MR-CISD+Q and MR-CISD) and averaged quadratic coupled cluster theory (MR-AQCC). CAS (8,7) and CAS (10,8) active spaces involving σ, σ*, π, and π* orbitals were employed along with the cc-pVDZ and cc-pVTZ basis sets.

Myosin-based nucleation of actin filaments contributes to stereocilia development critical for hearing.

Assembly of actin-based stereocilia is critical for cochlear hair cells to detect sound. To tune their mechanosensivity, stereocilia form bundles composed of graded rows of ascending height, necessitating the precise control of actin polymerization. Myosin 15 (MYO15A) drives hair bundle development by delivering critical proteins to growing stereocilia that regulate actin polymerization via an unknown mechanism.

Variants and vaccines impact nasal immunity over three waves of SARS-CoV-2.

Viral variant and host vaccination status impact infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), yet how these factors shift cellular responses in the human nasal mucosa remains uncharacterized. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on nasopharyngeal swabs from vaccinated and unvaccinated adults with acute Delta and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 infections and integrated with data from acute infections with ancestral SARS-CoV-2. Patients with Delta and Omicron exhibited greater similarity in nasal cell composition driven by myeloid, T cell and SARS-CoV-2 cell subsets, which was distinct from that of ancestral cases.