Tetrandrine (TET) inhibits African swine fever virus entry into cells by blocking the PI3K/Akt pathway.

African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) infection causes an acute and highly contagious disease in swine, resulting in significant economic losses and societal harm worldwide. Currently, there are no effective vaccines or antiviral drugs available for ASFV. Tetrandrine (TET) is extracted from the traditional Chinese herb Stephania tetrandrae, possesses diverse biological functions such as anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and antiviral activities.

Unit-cell-thick zeolitic imidazolate framework films for membrane application.

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) are a subset of metal-organic frameworks with more than 200 characterized crystalline and amorphous networks made of divalent transition metal centres (for example, Zn and Co) linked by imidazolate linkers. ZIF thin films have been intensively pursued, motivated by the desire to prepare membranes for selective gas and liquid separations. To achieve membranes with high throughput, as in ångström-scale biological channels with nanometre-scale path lengths, ZIF films with the minimum possible thickness-down to just one unit cell-are highly desired.

Tracking of Nonthermal Plasma Etching of ZIF-8 Films.

Surface characterization is critical for understanding the processes used for preparing catalysts, sorbents, and membranes. Nonthermal plasma (NTP) is a process that achieves high reactivity at low temperatures and is used to tailor the surface properties of materials. In this work, we combine the capabilities of infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) with NTP for the interrogation of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) thin films to probe modifications in the material induced by oxygen and nitrogen plasmas.

Structural insight into African swine fever virus I73R protein reveals it as a Z-DNA binding protein.

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a highly contagious viral haemorrhagic disease of swine, leading to enormous economic losses in the swine industry. However, vaccines and drugs to treat ASF have yet to be developed. African swine fever virus (ASFV) encodes more than 150 proteins, but 50% of them have unknown functions.

Pseudorabies virus kinase UL13 phosphorylates H2AX to foster viral replication.

The DNA damage response (DDR) pathway is critical for maintaining genomic integrity and sustaining organismal development. Viruses can either utilize or circumvent the DDR to facilitate their replication. Pseudorabies virus (PRV) infection was shown to induce apoptosis via stimulating DDR.

Solvent-free bottom-up patterning of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks.

Patterning metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) at submicrometer scale is a crucial yet challenging task for their integration in miniaturized devices. Here we report an electron beam (e-beam) assisted, bottom-up approach for patterning of two MOFs, zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF), ZIF-8 and ZIF-67. A mild pretreatment of metal oxide precursors with linker vapor leads to the sensitization of the oxide surface to e-beam irradiation, effectively inhibiting subsequent conversion of the oxide to ZIFs in irradiated areas, while ZIF growth in non-irradiated areas is not affected.

Electron beam induced modification of ZIF-8 membrane permeation properties.

Modification of the gas permeation properties of ZIF-8 membranes using electron beam irradiation is reported. 3.8 and 3.

Mechanochemistry of Metal-Organic Frameworks under Pressure and Shock.

ConspectusMetal-organic framework solids (MOFs) are synthetic nanoporous materials that have drawn intense efforts in synthesis and characterization of chemical properties, most notably for their ability to adsorb liquids and gases. They are constructed as "node-spacer" nanostructured materials: metal centers (ions or clusters) connected by organic linkers (commonly containing carboxylate or imidazolate groups) to form crystalline, extended, often highly nanoporous structures. MOFs exhibit a variety of advantages over conventional porous materials: rationally designed synthesis of desired crystal structures and crystal engineering become feasible; great synthetic versatility and ease of incorporating different chemical functionalities are realized; and the use of lightweight organic linkers allows for ultrahigh surface area and porosity previously not accessible to conventional materials (i.

PRV UL13 inhibits cGAS-STING-mediated IFN-β production by phosphorylating IRF3.

Cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) synthase (cGAS) is an intracellular sensor of cytoplasmic viral DNA created during virus infection, which subsequently activates the stimulator of interferon gene (STING)-dependent type I interferon response to eliminate pathogens. In contrast, viruses have developed different strategies to modulate this signalling pathway. Pseudorabies virus (PRV), an alphaherpesvirus, is the causative agent of Aujeszky's disease (AD), a notable disease that causes substantial economic loss to the swine industry globally.

Emergence of a novel pathogenic recombinant virus from Bartha vaccine and variant pseudorabies virus in China.

Pseudorabies virus (PRV), the causative agent of Aujeszky's disease, has resulted in substantial economic losses in the swine industry worldwide. Previous reports have shown that the PRV variant is responsible for the Pseudorabies outbreaks in Bartha-K61-vaccinated farms in China. However, there is limited information about the evolution of recombination of the PRV variant.

Shock Wave Energy Absorption in Metal-Organic Framework.

Recent investigations into the mechanical properties and mechanochemical reactions of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have suggested the potential for energy dissipation by multiple mechanisms. Although the possibility of efficient multifunctional shock dissipation by MOFs was suggested by static high pressure studies, there is little known about MOFs under shock compression. Here, we measure the attenuation of shock wave by the MOF denoted zeolitic-imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) in its desolvated, porous state.

High energy flexible supercapacitors formed via bottom-up infilling of gel electrolytes into thick porous electrodes.

Formation of thick, high energy density, flexible solid supercapacitors is challenging because of difficulties infilling gel electrolytes into porous electrodes. Incomplete infilling results in a low capacitance and poor mechanical properties. Here we report a bottom-up infilling method to overcome these challenges.

Bond breakage under pressure in a metal organic framework.

The internal free volume of porous materials diminishes upon mechanical compression, and such volume collapse can have chemical consequences. We report here the endothermic bond breakage in a metal-organic framework (MOF) during compression-induced collapse. Upon bulk compression at 1.

Age-related changes of corneal endothelial cell in healthy Chinese tree shrew measured by non-contact specular microscope.

Aim: To determine the impact of age on the morphology of endothelial cells and central corneal thickness (CCT) in Chinese tree shrew.

Methods: One-hundred and twenty eyes of 60 healthy Chinese tree shrews were studied. Based on age, the tree shrews were divided into four groups.

Shock Wave Chemistry in a Metal-Organic Framework.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have potential applications as energy absorbing materials for shock wave energy mitigation due to their nanoporosity. Here we have examined km/s laser-driven flyer plate impacts on a prototypical MOF, ZIF-8. We observed particle fragmentation and morphological changes in microcrystals of ZIF-8 at lower shock pressures (≈2.

Energy Storage during Compression of Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Practical applications of metal-organic framework (MOF) materials require an in-depth understanding of their mechanical properties. We have investigated the mechanical properties and energy absorption behavior of single crystals of four isostructural UiO-type MOFs under uniaxial compression. In situ nanocompression experiments were used to measure the mechanical behavior of individual MOF nanocrystals under compression within a transmission electron microscope.

Impact of Shape Persistence on the Porosity of Molecular Cages.

Porous materials provide a plethora of technologically important applications that encompass molecular separations, catalysis, and adsorption. The majority of research in this field involves network solids constructed from multitopic constituents that, when assembled either covalently or ionically, afford macromolecular arrangements with micro- or meso-porous apertures. Recently, porous solids fabricated from discrete organic cages have garnered much interest due to their ease of handling and solution processability.

Compression-induced deformation of individual metal-organic framework microcrystals.

The deformation and mechanical behavior of individual zeolitic-imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) micro- and sub-microcrystals were observed under compression. Young's modulus and volume changes as a function of applied pressure were determined on individual single crystals, offering insights in the relationship among structure, morphology, and mechanical properties. Dramatic volume decreases and amorphization were detected during compression over a pressure range of 0-4 GPa for individual 1.