Nanofibrous Peptide Hydrogels Leveraging Histidine to Modulate pH-Responsive Supramolecular Assembly and Antibody Release.

In this work, we investigate the pH-responsive behavior of multidomain peptide (MDP) hydrogels containing histidine. Small-angle X-ray scattering confirmed that MDP nanofibers sequester nonpolar residues into a hydrophobic core surrounded by a shell of hydrophilic residues. MDPs with histidine on the hydrophilic face formed nanofibers at all pH values tested, but the morphology of the fibers was influenced by the protonation state and the location of histidine in the MDP sequence.

Optically induced quantum transitions in direct probed mesoscopic NbSe for prototypical bolometers.

Superconducting transition-edge sensors (TES) have emerged as fascinating devices to detect broadband electromagnetic radiation with low thermal noise. The advent of metallic transition metal dichalcogenides, such as NbSe, has also created an impetus to understand their low-temperature properties, including superconductivity. Interestingly, NbSe-based sensor within the TES framework remains unexplored.

An examination of younger and older adults' age preferences.

Research suggests that how people feel about aging can contribute to their later physical, cognitive, and mental health. In two studies, we examined younger (ages 18-30) and older adults' (ages 61-70) views about aging by asking them to rate the extent to which they would find it desirable to be various ages between 0 and 120. Participants also indicated both their ideal age (the age at which they would most like to be) and their subjective age (how old they generally feel).

Dynamic Imine Bonding Facilitates Mannan Release from a Nanofibrous Peptide Hydrogel.

Recently, there has been increased interest in using mannan as an immunomodulatory bioconjugate. Despite notable immunological and functional differences between the reduced (R-Man) and oxidized (O-Man) forms of mannan, little is known about the impact of mannan oxidation state on its persistence or its potential controlled release from biomaterials that may improve immunotherapeutic or prophylactic efficacy. Here, we investigate the impact of oxidation state on the and release of mannan from a biocompatible and immunostimulatory multidomain peptide hydrogel, K(SL)K (abbreviated as K), that has been previously used for the controlled release of protein and small molecule payloads.

Multidomain peptide hydrogel adjuvants elicit strong bias towards humoral immunity.

Adjuvants play a critical role in enhancing vaccine efficacy; however, there is a need to develop new immunomodulatory compounds to address emerging pathogens and to expand the use of immunotherapies. Multidomain peptides (MDPs) are materials composed of canonical amino acids that form injectable supramolecular hydrogels under physiological salt and pH conditions. MDP hydrogels are rapidly infiltrated by immune cells and have previously been shown to influence cytokine production.