Modification of Polyamide Resins by Addition of Polyvinylpyrrolidone.

The effect of the addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to polyamide resins was studied using polyamide 6 (PA6) and an amide copolymer with a low melting point (PA-L). For the PA6/PVP blends, the crosslinking reaction occurred during rheology measurements in the molten state. The blends did not show a phase-separated structure.

Hydration and Biodistribution of Zwitterionic Dendrimers Conjugating a Sulfobetaine Monomer and Polymers.

Zwitterionic polymers exhibit strong hydration, high biocompatibility, and antifouling properties. Dendrimers are regularly branched polymers, which are used in the drug delivery system (DDS). In this study, we synthesized zwitterionic monomer- and polymer-conjugated dendrimers as a biocompatible nanoparticle to investigate the relation between the hydration property and biodistribution.

Simultaneous Detection of Multiple Analytes at Ambient Temperature Using Eukaryotic Artificial Cells with Modular and Robust Synthetic Riboswitches.

Cell-free systems, which can express an easily detectable output (protein) with a DNA or mRNA template, are promising as foundations of biosensors devoid of cellular constraints. Moreover, by encasing them in membranes such as natural cells to create artificial cells, these systems can avoid the adverse effects of environmental inhibitory molecules. However, the bacterial systems generally used for this purpose do not function well at ambient temperatures.

Single-Sided Delocalized Polarization of the C Cage and Reduced Infrared Intensities and Dipole Moment of HO@C.

The C fullerene cage can encapsulate a small molecule like water and provides room to leave the encapsulated component rather isolated, but the true nature of the intracomplex interactions should be further elucidated for better understanding and utility of this series of complexes. Here, an analysis toward this goal is conducted for HO@C by infrared spectral measurements and theoretical calculations. It is shown that the response of the π electrons of the C cage upon encapsulating a water molecule is single-sided and delocalized in that the electron density is partially transferred from the - side to the + side of the cage (when the axis is taken along the water dipole) but almost only inside the cage, explaining the significant reduction of the dipole moment and the infrared intensities.

A van der Waals porous crystal featuring conformational flexibility and permanent porosity for ultrafast water release.

Flexibility has been pursued enthusiastically in the field of porous crystals for enhancing their adsorption and separation performances. However, flexibility has never been observed among porous crystals sustained thoroughly by van der Waals interactions since flexible motions readily lead to the collapse of the porous architecture. Here we report a van der Waals crystal featuring conformational flexibility as well as permanent microporosity.

Proton transfer driven by the fluctuation of water molecules in chitin film.

Proton-transfer mechanisms and hydration states were investigated in chitin films possessing the functionality of fuel-cell electrolytes. The absolute hydration number per chitin molecule (N) as a function of relative humidity (RH) was determined from the OH stretching bands of H2O molecules, and the proton conductivity was found to enhance above N = 2 (80%RH). The FIR spectrum at 500-900 cm-1 for 20%RH (N < 1) together with first-principles calculations clearly shows that the w1 site has the same hydration strength as the w2 site.

Hyperconfined bio-inspired Polymers in Integrative Flow-Through Systems for Highly Selective Removal of Heavy Metal Ions.

Access to clean water, hygiene, and sanitation is becoming an increasingly pressing global demand, particularly owing to rapid population growth and urbanization. Phytoremediation utilizes a highly conserved phytochelatin in plants, which captures hazardous heavy metal ions from aquatic environments and sequesters them in vacuoles. Herein, we report the design of phytochelatin-inspired copolymers containing carboxylate and thiolate moieties.

Reconstruction of Chitosan Network Orders Using the Meniscus Splitting Method for Designing pH-Responsive Materials.

Chitosan is a product of deacetylated chitin and a natural polymer that is attractive as a functional and biocompatible material in the pursuit of alternative materials to synthetic plastics for a sustainable society. Although hierarchical architectures, from precise molecular structures to nanofibers and twisted structures, have been clarified, the expansion of the anisotropic microstructures of chitosan into millimeter-scale materials is in the process of development. In this study, a chitosan network was reconstructed from an aqueous solution by using the meniscus splitting method to form a three-dimensionally ordered microstructure.

Excellent capture of NO functioning at RT and lower pressure by utilizing an NaCaA-85 zeolite.

We have found an efficient adsorption feature provided by an NaCaA-85 zeolite for NO even at 298 K and at lower pressures: NO adsorption capacities of 1.33 mmol g and 4.69 mmol g under respective pressures of 0.

Water Adsorption on π-Surfaces of Open-Fullerenes.

Understanding the water adsorptive behavior of fullerenes is of particular importance for their material application in aqueous media. The conventional fullerenols usually provide complex physical pictures of water adsorption due to their uncontrollable hydroxylation degree and substitution pattern. Herein, we focus on poorly hydroxylated fullerenes with well-defined structures.

Correction: Water-dispersible donor-acceptor-donor π-conjugated bolaamphiphiles enabling a humidity-responsive luminescence color change.

Correction for 'Water-dispersible donor-acceptor-donor π-conjugated bolaamphiphiles enabling a humidity-responsive luminescence color change' by Tomoya Enjou , , 2024, https://doi.org/10.1039/d3cc05749f.

Water-dispersible donor-acceptor-donor π-conjugated bolaamphiphiles enabling a humidity-responsive luminescence color change.

Novel water-dispersible donor-acceptor-donor π-conjugated bolaamphiphiles, having dibenzophenazine as the acceptor and heteroatom-bridged amphiphilic diarylamines as the donors, have been developed. The materials displayed a distinct photoluminescence color change in response to humidity in a poly(vinylalcohol) matrix.

Open-[60]fullerenols with water adsorbed both inside and outside.

The water affinity on [60]fullerenols was found to be governed by surface electrostatic potential while water aggregation is initiated by the hydroxy groups attached on the carbon surface. The molecular water adsorption at the internal sphere caused a significnat inhibition of water adsorption at the external carbon surface.

Risk Factors for Alcohol Consumption after Starting Assisted Reproductive Technology Treatment among Japanese Women: Japan-Female Employment and Mental Health in Assisted Reproductive Technology (J-FEMA) Study.

Aims: To determine the association between drinking habits and social factors among women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment in Japan.

Methods: The study participants who provided answers for the questionnaire concerning alcohol consumption were 1017 female patients undergoing ART treatment were enrolled in the Japan-Female Employment and Mental Health in assisted reproductive technology (J-FEMA) study between August and December 2018. Patient characteristics, including demographic, clinical, and socioeconomic status, were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire which was distributed only once during the period, regardless of their first or follow-up examination.

Carboazidation of Terminal Alkenes with Trimethylsilyl Azide and Cyclic Ethers Catalyzed by Copper Powder under Oxidative Conditions.

Copper-catalyzed carboazidation of alkenes with trimethylsilyl azide and cyclic ethers has been achieved. The employment of naturally abundant copper catalysts allowed cyclic ethers to be used as alkylating reagents under oxidative conditions. The use of styrene derivatives and 1,1-diaryl alkenes afforded carboazidation products.

Promotion of glyoxylic acid penetration into human hair by glycolic acid.

Objective: Glyoxylic acid (GA) is widely used as a straight perming agent for hair care products, however, advanced GA penetration-enhancing agents are desired due to the peculiar odour and hair colour fading caused by the continuous use of GA products. Hence, it is important to develop a penetration-enhancing agent that helps minimize the GA concentration. We have found that the combined use of GA and glycolic acid (GCA) has a strong hair straightening effect.

Van der Waals interactions regulating the hydration of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine, the constructing monomer of biocompatible polymers.

Van der Waals (VDW) interactions provide fantastic properties for biological systems that function at room temperature. The VDW interaction, which primarily contributes to weak hydrogen bonding, is expected to play a key role in regulating hydrophobic hydration to express the biologically inert biocompatible function of polymerized MPCs (2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine). This report explores at the molecular level the biologically inert function of polymerized MPCs through an array of vibrational spectroscopic and computational characterization of MPC monomers, as temperature-dependent change of intramolecular weak hydrogen bonding.

Densification in transparent SiO glasses prepared by spark plasma sintering.

Recently, spark plasma sintering (SPS) has become an attractive method for the preparation of solid-state ceramics. As SPS is a pressure-assisted low-temperature process, it is important to examine the effects of temperature and pressure on the structural properties of the prepared samples. In the present study, we examined the correlation between the preparation conditions and the physical and structural properties of SiO glasses prepared by SPS.

Synergetic improvement in the mechanical properties of polyurethanes with movable crosslinking and hydrogen bonds.

Polyurethane (PU) materials with movable crosslinking were prepared by a typical two-step synthetic process using an acetylated γ-cyclodextrin (TAcγCD) diol compound. The soft segment of PU is polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF), and the hard segment consists of hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and 1,3-propylene glycol (POD). The synthesized PU materials exhibited the typical mechanical characteristics of a movable crosslinking network, and the presence of hydrogen bonds from the urethane bonds resulted in a synergistic effect.

Mechanisms of the antiferro-electric ordering in superprotonic conductors CsH(SeO) and CsD(SeO).

Wide ranges of absorbance spectra were measured to elucidate a difference in the antiferro-electric (AF) ordering mechanisms below 50 and 168 K in CsH(SeO) and CsD(SeO), respectively. Collective excitations due to deuterons successfully observed at 610 cm exhibit a remarkable isotope effect. This indicates that the transfer state in the dimer of CsD(SeO) is dominated by a deuteron hopping in contrast to CsH(SeO), where a proton hopping makes a tiny contribution compared to a phonon-assisted proton tunneling (PAPT) associated with 440-cm def .

Infrared Spectra and Hydrogen-Bond Configurations of Water Molecules at the Interface of Water-Insoluble Polymers under Humidified Conditions.

Elucidating the state of interfacial water, especially the hydrogen-bond configurations, is considered to be key for a better understanding of the functions of polymers that are exhibited in the presence of water. Here, an analysis in this direction is conducted for two water-insoluble biocompatible polymers, poly(2-methoxyethyl acrylate) and cyclic(poly(2-methoxyethyl acrylate)), and a non-biocompatible polymer, poly(-butyl acrylate), by measuring their IR spectra under humidified conditions and by carrying out theoretical calculations on model complex systems. It is found that the OH stretching bands of water are decomposed into four components, and while the higher-frequency components (with peaks at ∼3610 and ∼3540 cm) behave in parallel with the C═O and C-O-C stretching and CH deformation bands of the polymers, the lower-frequency components (with peaks at ∼3430 and ∼3260 cm) become pronounced to a greater extent with increasing humidity.

PTCH1-null induced pluripotent stem cells exclusively differentiate into immature ectodermal cells with large areas of medulloblastoma-like tissue.

Nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS) is an autosomal dominant disorder with an increased incidence of tumors, such as basal cell carcinomas and medulloblastomas. The PTCH1 gene, responsible for NBCCS, suppresses the hedgehog signaling pathway, which is recognized as one of the important pathways in tumorigenesis and, thus, is a therapeutic target in cancer. In the present study, we generated PTCH1 induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from NBCCS patient-derived iPSCs (PTCH1) by gene editing.

Postsurgical Intrauterine Adhesions after Hysteroscopic Myomectomy Using the Myoma Pseudocapsule Preservation Technique Evaluated bv Second-look Hysteroscopy: A Retrospective Comparative Study.

Study Objective: To analyze the frequency and risk factors of postsurgical intrauterine adhesions (IUAs) using second-look hysteroscopy (SLH) in patients undergoing hysteroscopic myomectomy performed using the myoma pseudocapsule preservation technique for submucosal myoma.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: University hospital from January 2017 to December 2019.