Rapid and Green Anion-Assisted Mechanochemical Peptide Cyclization.

A novel mechanochemical approach is described for chloride-templated head-to-tail macrocyclization of a pentapeptide and a hexapeptide. This straightforward method allows the solvent-free preparation of cyclopeptides with yields comparable to solution-based approaches without the need for high dilution of the reaction mixture and with significantly reduced reaction times and organic waste amount.

Compassion Fatigue, Loneliness, and Hopelessness in Healthcare Workers: What Remains of the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Although the end of the critical phase of the COVID-19 pandemic has been declared, its consequences are still observed in the general population and some categories of workers. HCWs have had to face the battle against this disease on the front lines. In our study, we evaluated the current state of the consequences of the pandemic on compassion fatigue, loneliness, empathy, anxiety, and hopelessness in a group of 71 HCWs from a rehabilitation center.

Mechanical properties of freestanding few-layer graphene/boron nitride/polymer heterostacks investigated with local and non-local techniques.

van der Waals two-dimensional materials and heterostructures combined with polymer films continue to attract research attention to elucidate their functionality and potential applications. This study presents the fabrication and mechanical testing of 2D material heterostacks, consisting of few-layer boron nitride and graphene heterostructures synthesized chemical vapor deposition, capped with a polymethyl methacrylate layer and suspended across ∼200 μm wide trenches using a combined wet-dry transfer method. The mechanical characterization of the heterostacks was performed using two independent approaches: (a) non-local testing with a custom-built tensile testing platform and (b) local load-displacement testing employing atomic force microscopy probes, complemented by finite element simulations.

Mechanically Adaptive Metal-Coordinated Electrogel Membranes.

Achieving specific mechanical properties of hydrogels, especially when used as thin films, can be crucial in diverse applications, including tissue engineering and bioelectronics. Here, a novel electrochemical approach for fabricating uniform and robust hydrogel films based on carboxymethyl cellulose cross-linked by Fe ions (Fe-CMC), exhibiting tunable, dynamic properties is introduced. High modulation of the mechanical properties of the film is achieved by applying multiple electrochemical pulses of oxidative voltage during hydrogel deposition.

Anion-Binding Properties of Short Linear Homopeptides.

A comprehensive thermodynamic and structural study of the complexation affinities of tetra (), penta (), and hexaphenylalanine () linear peptides towards several inorganic anions in acetonitrile (MeCN) and ,-dimethylformamide (DMF) was carried out. The influence of the chain length on the complexation thermodynamics and structural changes upon anion binding are particularly addressed here. The complexation processes were characterized by means of spectrofluorimetric, H NMR, microcalorimetric, and circular dichroism spectroscopy titrations.