Towards Sustainable Temperature Sensor Production through CO-Derived Polycarbonate-Based Composites.

The steep increase in carbon dioxide (CO) emissions has created great concern due to its role in the greenhouse effect and global warming. One approach to mitigate CO levels involves its application in specific technologies. In this context, CO can be used for a more sustainable synthesis of polycarbonates (CO-PCs).

Scipion3: A workflow engine for cryo-electron microscopy image processing and structural biology.

Image-processing pipelines require the design of complex workflows combining many different steps that bring the raw acquired data to a final result with biological meaning. In the image-processing domain of cryo-electron microscopy single-particle analysis (cryo-EM SPA), hundreds of steps must be performed to obtain the three-dimensional structure of a biological macromolecule by integrating data spread over thousands of micrographs containing millions of copies of allegedly the same macromolecule. The execution of such complicated workflows demands a specific tool to keep track of all these steps performed.

Protective Strategies of for Acquisition of Freezing Tolerance: Interaction between Dehydration and Low Temperature.

Resurrection plants are able to deal with complete dehydration of their leaves and then recover normal metabolic activity after rehydration. Only a few resurrection species are exposed to freezing temperatures in their natural environments, making them interesting models to study the key metabolic adjustments of freezing tolerances. Here, we investigate the effect of cold and freezing temperatures on physiological and biochemical changes in the leaves of under natural and controlled environmental conditions.

Customized retarders based on waveplates.

Phase control is a critical parameter in polarization measurements. It is well known that a proper combination of wave plates allows to obtain achromatic phase shift, i.e.

Reversible First-Order Single Crystal to Single Crystal Thermal Phase Transition in [(CH)CNH][VO].

The well-known compound tetrakis(tert-butylammonium)-cyclo-tetrametavanadate (V), [(CH)CNH][VO] (1h_RT), which crystallizes in the tetragonal I4/m space group, undergoes an irreversible solid state transformation upon heating, constituting one of the few examples in which the initial and the final stages are structurally characterized by sc-XRD. Now, we observed the ability of the same compound to undergo an additional single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) transformation upon thermal stimuli, but this time at low temperatures (153 K). Compound 1h_RT contains a discrete unprotonated [VO] tetrahedral anion in which V and O bridging atoms are coplanar.

Advances in Xmipp for Cryo-Electron Microscopy: From Xmipp to Scipion.

Xmipp is an open-source software package consisting of multiple programs for processing data originating from electron microscopy and electron tomography, designed and managed by the Biocomputing Unit of the Spanish National Center for Biotechnology, although with contributions from many other developers over the world. During its 25 years of existence, Xmipp underwent multiple changes and updates. While there were many publications related to new programs and functionality added to Xmipp, there is no single publication on the Xmipp as a package since 2013.

Measuring local-directional resolution and local anisotropy in cryo-EM maps.

The introduction of local resolution has enormously helped the understanding of cryo-EM maps. Still, for any given pixel it is a global, aggregated value, that makes impossible the individual analysis of the contribution of the different projection directions. We introduce MonoDir, a fully automatic, parameter-free method that, starting only from the final cryo-EM map, decomposes local resolution into the different projection directions, providing a detailed level of analysis of the final map.

Novel Antibacterial and Toughened Carbon-Fibre/Epoxy Composites by the Incorporation of TiO Nanoparticles Modified Electrospun Nanofibre Veils.

The inclusion of electrospun nanofiber veils was revealed as an effective method for enhancing the mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced epoxy resin composites. These veils will eventually allow the incorporation of nanomaterials not only for mechanical reinforcement but also in multifunctional applications. Therefore, this paper investigates the effect of electrospun nanofibrous veils made of polyamide 6 modified with TiO nanoparticles on the mechanical properties of a carbon-fiber/epoxy composite.

Automatic local resolution-based sharpening of cryo-EM maps.

Motivation: Recent technological advances and computational developments have allowed the reconstruction of Cryo-Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM) maps at near-atomic resolution. On a typical workflow and once the cryo-EM map has been calculated, a sharpening process is usually performed to enhance map visualization, a step that has proven very important in the key task of structural modeling. However, sharpening approaches, in general, neglects the local quality of the map, which is clearly suboptimal.

Hydrogel-based magnetoelectric microenvironments for tissue stimulation.

The development of strategies to mimic the natural environment of tissues with engineered scaffolds remains one of the biggest challenges of tissue engineering. Hydrogels appear as suitable materials for this purpose due to their substantial water content, biocompatibility, and for being able to carry nanomaterials that introduce new functionalities to the hydrogel. The incorporation of magnetically responsive and, in particular, magnetoelectric materials into the hydrogel-based scaffolds are a promising approach for bone tissue engineering applications once it can promote not only tissue regeneration through magnetic to mechanic to electrical conversion/stimuli but also the external control of the scaffold by the application of magnetic fields.

TiO-Doped Electrospun Nanofibrous Membrane for Photocatalytic Water Treatment.

This work has been focused on the one-step fabrication by electrospinning of polyamide 6 (PA6) nanofibre membranes modified with titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO), where these TiO nanoparticles aggregates could induce a photocatalytic activity. The main potential application of these membranes could be the purification of contaminated water. Thus, it is important to analyse the contaminant degradation capability since in these membranes this is based on their photocatalytic activity.

Effect of Different Types of Electrospun Polyamide 6 Nanofibres on the Mechanical Properties of Carbon Fibre/Epoxy Composites.

Delamination and brittle matrix fracture have long since been the biggest problems in fibre-reinforced composites. Recently, the incorporation of electrospun nanofibre veils has been shown to be an effective method for improving the mechanical properties of these composites, without causing process problems and negatively affecting other mechanical properties. Thus, these nanofibres have the potential to be used as thickness-reinforcing materials in composites.

Thermostructural Behavior in a Series of Lanthanide-Containing Polyoxotungstate Hybrids with Copper(II) Complexes of the Tetraazamacrocycle Cyclam: A Single-Crystal-to-Single-Crystal Transformation Study.

A series of 14 isostructural [Cu(cyclam)][{Cu(cyclam)}{(α-GeWO)Ln(HO)(OAc)}]·18HO (1-Ln, where Ln = La-Lu; cyclam = 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane) polyoxometalate-based hybrids reported herein represent (i) the first example of a two-dimensional covalent hybrid lattice involving the [{(α-XWO)Ln(HO)(OAc)}] archetype and (ii) the first structural characterization of such a dimeric polyoxotungste for Ln = La and Pr as well as for the combination of X = Ge and Ln = Ce, Nd, Sm, or Lu. Compounds 1-Ln have been characterized by elemental analyses, infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis, and their thermostructural behavior has been monitored by powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The title compounds undergo two single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformations triggered by thermal dehydration leading to the [{Cu(cyclam)}{(α-GeWO)Ln(HO)(OAc)}]·4HO intermediate (2-Ln, where Ln = Eu or Er) and [Cu(cyclam)][{Cu(cyclam)}{(α-GeWO)Ln(OAc)}] (3-Ln, where Ln = Ce or Eu) final anhydrous phases, the latter evidencing a coordinatively unsaturated derivative of the dimeric archetype for the first time.

Validation of electron microscopy initial models via small angle X-ray scattering curves.

Motivation: Cryo electron microscopy (EM) is currently one of the main tools to reveal the structural information of biological macromolecules. The re-construction of three-dimensional (3D) maps is typically carried out following an iterative process that requires an initial estimation of the 3D map to be refined in subsequent steps. Therefore, its determination is key in the quality of the final results, and there are cases in which it is still an open issue in single particle analysis (SPA).

Tailored Biodegradable and Electroactive Poly(Hydroxybutyrate-Co-Hydroxyvalerate) Based Morphologies for Tissue Engineering Applications.

Polymer-based piezoelectric biomaterials have already proven their relevance for tissue engineering applications. Furthermore, the morphology of the scaffolds plays also an important role in cell proliferation and differentiation. The present work reports on poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), a biocompatible, biodegradable, and piezoelectric biopolymer that has been processed in different morphologies, including films, fibers, microspheres, and 3D scaffolds.

Metal Nanoparticles Embedded in Cellulose Nanocrystal Based Films: Material Properties and Post-use Analysis.

The dispersion of nanoparticles having different size-, shape-, and composition-dependent properties is an exciting approach to design and synthesize multifunctional materials and devices. This work shows a detailed investigation of the preparation and properties of free-standing nanocomposite films based on cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) loaded with three different types of metal nanoparticles. CNC-based nanocomposites having zinc oxide (ZnO), titanium dioxide (TiO), and silver oxide (AgO) have been obtained through evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) in acqueous solution.

Immobilization of Polyoxometalates on Tailored Polymeric Surfaces.

Herein we describe the preparation of hybrid polymer-inorganic interfaces by the immobilization of polyoxometalate nanoclusters on functionalized polymer surfaces. The polymeric surfaces were made of polystyrene--poly(acrylic acid)/polystyrene (PS--PAA/PS) blends by spin coating on a silicon wafer. The functionalization of the polymer film was obtained by interfacial migration of the amphiphilic block copolymer toward the interface upon water vapor annealing.

Formulation of Carbopol/Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)s Mucoadhesive Tablets for Buccal Delivery of Hydrocortisone.

Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) has become an excellent alternative to the use of poly(ethylene glycol) in pharmaceutical formulations due to its valuable physicochemical and biological properties. This work presents a formulation of poorly-water soluble drug, hydrocortisone, using interpolymer complexes and physical blends of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)s and two Carbopols (Carbopol 974 and Carbopol 971) for oromucosal administration. The swelling, hydrocortisone release and mucoadhesive properties of a series of tablet formulations obtained by combination of different Carbopols with poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)s of different molecular weights have been evaluated in vitro.

MonoRes: Automatic and Accurate Estimation of Local Resolution for Electron Microscopy Maps.

Since the beginning of electron microscopy, resolution has been a critical parameter. In this article, we propose a fully automatic, accurate method for determining the local resolution of a 3D map (MonoRes). The foundation of this algorithm is an extension of the concept of analytic signal, termed monogenic signal.

Effects of Graphene Oxide and Chemically-Reduced Graphene Oxide on the Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Epoxy Amine Composites.

Composites based on epoxy/graphene oxide (GO) and epoxy/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) were investigated for thermal-mechanical performance focusing on the effects of the chemical groups present on nanoadditive-enhanced surfaces. GO and rGO obtained in the present study have been characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) demonstrating that materials with different oxidation degrees have been obtained. Thereafter, GO/epoxy and rGO/epoxy nanocomposites were successfully prepared and thoroughly characterized by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Thermally-Triggered Crystal Dynamics and Permanent Porosity in the First Heptatungstate-Metalorganic Three-Dimensional Hybrid Framework.

The hybrid compound [{Cu(cyclam)} (W O )]⋅15.5 H O (1) (cyclam=1,4,8,11-tetraaza-cyclotetradecane) was synthesized by reacting the {Cu(cyclam)} complex with a tungstate source in water at pH 8. Compound 1 exhibits an unprecedented three-dimensional covalent structure built of heptatungstate clusters linked through metalorganic complexes in a POMOF-like framework that displays water-filled channels.

Tuneable hydrolytic degradation of poly(l-lactide) scaffolds triggered by ZnO nanoparticles.

In this work we fabricate porous PLLA and PLLA/ZnO scaffolds with porosities ranging from 10 to 90% and average pore diameter of 125-250μm by solvent casting/particulate leaching method. The structural evolution of PLLA/ZnO scaffolds during their in vitro degradation in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at physiological pH (7.4) has been studied as a function of porosity and obtained results were compared to plain PLLA scaffolds.

Nanopatterned polystyrene-b-poly(acrylic acid) surfaces to modulate cell-material interaction.

In this work we explore the effect of surface nanoarchitecture of polystyrene (PS) and polystyrene-b-poly(acrylic acid) (PS-b-PAA) diblock copolymer films on cell viability. PS and PS-b-PAA have been nanopatterned at temperatures of 110, 120 and 140°C using nanoporous aluminium oxide membranes (AAO) as a template. Surface architecture strongly depends on the infiltration temperature and the nature of the infiltrated polymer.