Phosphate-induced fluorescence of a tetraphenylethene-substituted tripodal tris(urea) receptor.

A tetraphenylethene (TPE)-decorated tripodal tris(urea) ligand was synthesized, which shows large emission enhancement when binding to an orthophosphate anion (PO4(3-)), but exhibits only weak or no fluorescence with other anions. The anion-binding and fluorescence properties were studied by X-ray crystal structure, NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy, and by DFT computations and the results demonstrate that the different fluorescence performance may be determined by the anion-binding modes (i.e.

Facile Synthesis of Fe3O4/GCs Composites and Their Enhanced Microwave Absorption Properties.

Graphene has good stability and adjustable dielectric properties along with tunable morphologies, and hence can be used to design novel and high-performance functional materials. Here, we have reported a facile synthesis method of nanoscale Fe3O4/graphene capsules (GCs) composites using the combination of catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) and hydrothermal process. The resulting composite has the advantage of unique morphology that offers better synergism among the Fe3O4 particles as well as particles and GCs.

[Occupational, educational and residential factors are associated with the outcomes of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer].

Objective: To investigate the associations of occupational, educational and residential factors with the outcomes of in vitro fertilization -embryo transfer (IVF-ET).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted among 3998 patients undergoing the first treatment with IVF-ET and 3064 perinatal infants in our center between January, 2010 and June, 2014. The relation of the patients' occupation, educational background, and residence registry with IVF-ET outcomes was analyzed.

Ferritin has an important immune function in the ark shell Scapharca broughtonii.

Ferritin, the principle cytosolic iron storage protein in the majority of living organisms, has important roles during immune process in invertebrates. Detailed information about ferritin in the ark shell Scapharca broughtonii, however, has been very limited. In this study, full-length ferritin (termed SbFer) was cloned by the rapid amplication of cDNA ends (RACE) method based upon the sequence from the transcriptome library.

α-Diimine nickel complexes of ethylene and related alkenes.

A series of nickel mono(alkene) complexes, [LNi(alkene)], which consist of nickel(0) and neutral α-diimine ligand L (L = [(2,6-iPr2C6H3)NC(Me)]2), have been synthesized. The bonding and structures of the complexes were studied by X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic methods, and DFT computations.

Mono- and Dinuclear Heteroleptic Cobalt Complexes with α-Diimine and Polyarene Ligands.

Reactions of the dimeric cobalt complex [(L(-) Co)2 ] (1, L=[(2,6-iPr2 C6 H3 )NC(Me)]2 ) with polyarenes afforded a series of mononuclear and dinuclear complexes: [LCo(η(4) -anthracene)] (2), [LCo(μ-η(4) :η(4) -naphthalene)CoL] (3), and [LCo(μ-η(4) :η(4) -phenanthrene)CoL] (4). The pyrene complexes [{Na2 (Et2 O)2 }{LCo(μ-η(3) :η(3) -pyrene)CoL}] (5) and [{Na2 (Et2 O)3 }{LCo(η(3) -pyrene)}] (6) were obtained by treating precursor 1 with pyrene followed by reduction with Na metal. These complexes contain three potential redox active centers: the cobalt metal and both α-diimine and polyarene ligands.

Entropy for quantum pure states and quantum H theorem.

We construct a complete set of Wannier functions that are localized at both given positions and momenta. This allows us to introduce the quantum phase space, onto which a quantum pure state can be mapped unitarily. Using its probability distribution in quantum phase space, we define an entropy for a quantum pure state.

Reactions of α-diimine-aluminum complexes with sodium alkynides: versatile structures of aluminum σ-alkynide complexes.

Reaction of AlCl(3) with the monoanionic α-diimine ligand [NaL] yielded the complex [L˙(-)Al(III)Cl(2)(-)] (1, L = [(2,6-iPr(2)C(6)H(3))NC(Me)](2)), and subsequent reduction of by sodium metal afforded the mononuclear [L(2-)Al(III)Cl(-)(THF)] (2) and binuclear [L(2-)(THF)Al(II)-Al(II)(THF)L(2-)] (3). Compounds 2 and 3 exhibit interesting reactivities to sodium alkynides at room temperature. Treatment of dialumane 3 with 1 equiv.

Encapsulation of Halocarbons in a Tetrahedral Anion Cage.

Caged supramolecular systems are promising hosts for guest inclusion, separation, and stabilization. Well-studied examples are mainly metal-coordination-based or covalent architectures. An anion-coordination-based cage that is capable of encapsulating halocarbon guests is reported for the first time.

A manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) from ark shell, Scapharca broughtonii: Molecular characterization, expression and immune activity analysis.

Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is one of the key members of the antioxidant defense enzyme family, however, data regarding to the immune function of MnSOD in mollusks still remain limited now. In this study, a full-length MnSOD cDNA was identified by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) method from cDNA library of ark shell Scapharca broughtonii (termed SbMnSOD). The cDNA contained an open reading frame (ORF) of 696 bp which encoded a polypeptide of 232 amino acids, a 5'-UTR with length of 32 bp and a 3'-UTR of 275 bp.

Inhibition of HIV-1 infection of primary CD4+ T-cells by gene editing of CCR5 using adenovirus-delivered CRISPR/Cas9.

CCR5 serves as an essential coreceptor for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) entry, and individuals with a CCR5(Δ32) variant appear to be healthy, making CCR5 an attractive target for control of HIV-1 infection. The CRISPR/Cas9, which functions as a naturally existing adaptive immune system in prokaryotes, has been recently harnessed as a novel nuclease system for genome editing in mammalian cells. Although CRISPR/Cas9 can be readily delivered into cell lines, due to the large size of the Cas9 protein, efficient delivery of CCR5-targeting CRISPR/Cas9 components into primary cells, including CD4(+) T-cells, the primary target for HIV-1 infection in vivo, remains a challenge.

Pre-existing mutations in reverse transcriptase of hepatitis B virus in treatment-naive Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B.

High rate of viral replication and lacking of proofreading activity in hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase lead to the generation of mutations in HBV virus. Mutations in the reverse transcriptase (RT) region of HBV polymerase are demonstrated to be strongly associated with drug resistance during antiviral treatment. However, the presence of mutations as well as its clinical significance in treatment-naïve hepatitis patients (defined as pre-existing mutations) need to be further investigated.

Gels based on anion recognition between triurea receptor and phosphate anion.

Anion recognition between the triurea receptor and phosphate anion is demonstrated as the cross-linkage to build supramolecular polymer gels for the first time. A novel multi-block copolymer (3) is designed to have functional triurea groups as cross-linking units along the polymer main chain. By virtue of anion coordination between the triurea receptor and phosphate anion with a binding mode of 2:1, supramolecular polymer gels are then prepared based on anion recognition using 3 as the building block.

Comparative transcriptome analyses reveal core parasitism genes and suggest gene duplication and repurposing as sources of structural novelty.

The origin of novel traits is recognized as an important process underlying many major evolutionary radiations. We studied the genetic basis for the evolution of haustoria, the novel feeding organs of parasitic flowering plants, using comparative transcriptome sequencing in three species of Orobanchaceae. Around 180 genes are upregulated during haustorial development following host attachment in at least two species, and these are enriched in proteases, cell wall modifying enzymes, and extracellular secretion proteins.

Binding of HIV-1 virions to α4β 7 expressing cells and impact of antagonizing α4β 7 on HIV-1 infection of primary CD4+ T cells.

HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein is reported to interact with α4β7, an integrin mediating the homing of lymphocytes to gut-associated lymphoid tissue, but the significance of α4β7 in HIV-1 infection remains controversial. Here, using HIV-1 strain BaL, the gp120 of which was previously shown to be capable of interacting with α4β7, we demonstrated that α4β7 can mediate the binding of whole HIV-1 virions to α4β7-expressing transfectants. We further constructed a cell line stably expressing α4β7 and confirmed the α4β7-mediated HIV-1 binding.

The effect of the spacer of bis(biurea) ligands on the structure of A2 L3 -type (A=anion) phosphate complexes.

By tuning the length and rigidity of the spacer of bis(biurea) ligands L, three structural motifs of the A2 L3 complexes (A represents anion, here orthophosphate PO4 (3-) ), namely helicate, mesocate, and mono-bridged motif, have been assembled by coordination of the ligand to phosphate anion. Crystal structure analysis indicated that in the three complexes, each of the phosphate ions is coordinated by twelve hydrogen bonds from six surrounding urea groups. The anion coordination properties in solution have also been studied.

Molecular cloning, expression, purification and characterization of vitellogenin in scallop Patinopecten yessoensis with special emphasis on its antibacterial activity.

Vitellogenin (Vg), the major precursor of the egg-yolk proteins, has been found to play an immune role in fish and protochordate amphioxus, however, no study on the immune function of Vg in invertebrates has ever been studied before. In this study, the complete cDNA of Vg was identified from the scallop Patinopecten yessoensis (termed PyVg). The cDNA contained an open reading frame (ORF) of 6888 bp, encoding a polypeptide of 2295 amino acid protein, which had an N-terminal signal peptide followed by the mature Vg.

Gallium complexes with α-diimine and phenazine in various reduced states.

Reaction of α-diimine-stabilized "digallane" [Ga2L2] with phenazine (Phz) leads to gallium complexes in which Phz and α-diimine show different reduced forms, demonstrating their noninnocence and diverse coordination modes.

Tunneling dynamics and band structures of three weakly coupled Bose-Einstein condensates.

We study the tunneling dynamics and energy bands of three Bose-Einstein condensates which are coupled weakly with each other. The study is carried out with both the mean-filed model and the second-quantized model. The results from these two models are compared and found to agree with each other when the particle number is large.

Dark solitons with Majorana fermions in spin-orbit-coupled Fermi gases.

We show that a single dark soliton can exist in a spin-orbit-coupled Fermi gas with a high spin imbalance, where spin-orbit coupling favors uniform superfluids over nonuniform Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov states, leading to dark soliton excitations in highly imbalanced gases. Above a critical spin imbalance, two topological Majorana fermions without interactions can coexist inside a dark soliton, paving a way for manipulating Majorana fermions through controlling solitons. At the topological transition point, the atom density contrast across the soliton suddenly vanishes, suggesting a signature for identifying topological solitons.

Role of Erbin in ErbB2-dependent breast tumor growth.

ErbB2 (v-erb-b2 avian erythroblastic leukemia viral oncogene homolog 2), a receptor tyrosine kinase of the ErbB family, is overexpressed in around 25% of breast cancers. In addition to forming a heterodimer with other ErbB receptors in response to ligand stimulation, ErbB2 can be activated in a ligand-independent manner. We report here that Erbin, an ErbB2-interacting protein that was thought to act as an antitumor factor, is specifically expressed in mammary luminal epithelial cells and facilitates ErbB2-dependent proliferation of breast cancer cells and tumorigenesis in MMTV-neu transgenic mice.

Chiral superfluidity with p-wave symmetry from an interacting s-wave atomic Fermi gas.

Chiral p-wave superfluids are fascinating topological quantum states of matter that have been found in the liquid (3)He-A phase and arguably in the electronic Sr2RuO4 superconductor. They are fundamentally related to the fractional 5/2 quantum Hall state, which supports fractional exotic excitations. Past studies show that they require spin-triplet pairing of fermions by p-wave interaction.

Complete mitochondrial genome of Ark shell Scapharca subcrenata.

Complete mitochondrial genome of Scapharca subcrenata was determined in this report. It is 48,161 bp in length, being the largest mitochondrial genome among reported shellfish at present. The entire mitochondrial genome consists of 57 genes including 12 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNAs and 41 transfer RNAs.