DFT Study of the Stability and Electronic Properties of Ni-Doped Defected (6,0) and (8,0) Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes.

The interaction of Ni with (6,0) and (8,0) zigzag carbon nanotube exterior surfaces containing two vacancies was studied using density functional theory (DFT). A two-vacancy defect was analysed in order to anchor Ni, and the pristine nanotube was also considered as a reference for each chirality. The adsorbed Ni stability and the nanotube's geometry and electronic structure were analysed before and after the adsorption.

Cold flow properties of biodiesel from waste cooking oil and a new improvement method.

Biodiesel despite its positive advantages when using it as a fuel in replacement of diesel, suffers a major drawback in the cold flow properties (CFP). During winters, plugging of the filters as well as crystallization of the fatty acid are two of the leading problems that makes the fuel to not reach injectors and the combustion chamber and therefore the engine does not start. Cold flow properties of waste cooking oil biodiesel (WCOB) through the reduction of cloud point (CP), pour point (PP) and the cold filter plugging point (CFPP) where investigated in this work.

Invading nonnative frogs use different microhabitats and change physiology along an elevation gradient.

The coqui frog (Eleutherodactylus coqui) was introduced to the island of Hawai'i in the 1980s, and has spread across much of the island. There is concern they will invade higher elevation areas where negative impacts on native species are expected. It is not known if coqui change behavior and baseline physiology in ways that allow them to invade higher elevations.

Expanding the repertoire of human tandem repeat RNA-binding proteins.

Protein regions consisting of arrays of tandem repeats are known to bind other molecular partners, including nucleic acid molecules. Although the interactions between repeat proteins and DNA are already widely explored, studies characterising tandem repeat RNA-binding proteins are lacking. We performed a large-scale analysis of human proteins devoted to expanding the knowledge about tandem repeat proteins experimentally reported as RNA-binding molecules.

Invasive frogs show persistent physiological differences to elevation and acclimate to colder temperatures.

The coqui frog (Eleutherodactylus coqui) was introduced to the island of Hawai'i in the 1980s and has spread across much of the island. Concern remains that this frog will continue to expand its range and invade higher elevation habitats where much of the island's endemic species are found. We determined whether coqui thermal tolerance and physiology change along Hawai'i's elevational gradients.