Thermo-controlled microfluidic generation of monodisperse alginate microspheres based on external gelation.

Droplet-based microfluidic systems have received much attention as promising tools for fabricating monodisperse microspheres of alginate solutions with high accuracy and reproducibility. The immediate and simple ionotropic gelation of alginate, its biocompatibility, and its tunability of mechanical properties make it a favorable hydrogel in the biomedical and tissue engineering fields. In these fields, micron-sized alginate hydrogel spheres have shown high potential as cell vehicles and drug delivery systems.

A focus on molecular representation learning for the prediction of chemical properties.

Molecular representation learning (MRL) is a specialized field in which deep-learning models condense essential molecular information into a vectorized form. Whereas recent research has predominantly emphasized drug discovery and bioactivity applications, MRL holds significant potential for diverse chemical properties beyond these contexts. The recently published study by King-Smith introduces a novel application of molecular representation training and compellingly demonstrates its value in predicting molecular properties (E.

Thermally Conductive Molten Salt for Thermal Energy Storage: Synergistic Effect of a Hybrid Graphite-Graphene Nanoplatelet Filler.

Renewable energy technologies depend, to a large extent, on the efficiency of thermal energy storage (TES) devices. In such storage applications, molten salts constitute an attractive platform due to their thermal and environmentally friendly properties. However, the low thermal conductivity (TC) of these salts (<1 W m K) downgrades the storage kinetics.

Carbon nanowires under compression and their vibrational anomalies.

Anomalous pressure dependence of Raman frequencies of carbon nanowires encapsulated in carbon nanotubes has been recently reported. Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain this phenomenon in linear carbon chains: softening of a carbon bond with pressure or charge transfer to the chain. However, carbon chains bend easily under stress, although stable structures under these conditions have yet to be discovered.

Hyaluronan (HA)-inspired glycopolymers as molecular tools for studying HA functions.

Hyaluronic acid (HA), the only non-sulphated glycosaminoglycan, serves numerous structural and biological functions in the human body, from providing viscoelasticity in tissues to creating hydrated environments for cell migration and proliferation. HA is also involved in the regulation of morphogenesis, inflammation and tumorigenesis through interactions with specific HA-binding proteins. Whilst the physicochemical and biological properties of HA have been widely studied for decades, the exact mechanisms by which HA exerts its multiple functions are not completely understood.

Flat corannulene: when a transition state becomes a stable molecule.

Flat corannulene has been considered so far only as a transition state of the bowl-to-bowl inversion process. This study was driven by the prediction that substituents with strong steric repulsion could destabilize the bowl-shaped conformation of this molecule to such an extent that the highly unstable planar geometry would become an isolable molecule. To examine the substituents' effect on the corannulene bowl depth, optimized structures for the highly-congested decakis(-butylsulfido)corannulene were calculated.

Antioxidant activity of the simulated gastro-intestinal digestion hydrolysate of two edible Nigerian marine molluscs: var radula (L.) and (M.).

The multifunctional nature of antioxidant peptides makes them more attractive candidates as dietary ingredients in health maintenance. Therefore, food protein-derived antioxidant peptides are continuously investigated. This study investigated the antioxidant properties of hydrolysate and ultrafiltered peptide fractions of and var radula-two commonly consumed marine molluscs known as periwinkles in southern Nigeria.

Tyrosine carbon dots inhibit fibrillation and toxicity of the human islet amyloid polypeptide.

Misfolding and aggregation of the human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) are believed to play key roles in the pathophysiology of type-II diabetes. Here, we demonstrate that carbon dots (C-dots) prepared from the amino acid tyrosine inhibit fibrillation of hIAPP, reduce hIAPP-induced cell toxicity and block membrane disruption by the peptide. The pronounced inhibitory effect is traced to the display of ubiquitous aromatic residues upon the C-dots' surface, mimicking the anti-fibril and anti-toxic activity of natural polyphenolic compounds.

Enhancement of photoelectrochemical organics degradation and power generation by electrodeposited coatings of g-CN and graphene on TiO nanotube arrays.

New g-CN coatings obtained electropolymerization (EP) of melamine followed by a heat treatment and graphene oxide (GO) coatings based on combining GO sheets EP of GO phenolic groups are used to improve the performance of photoanodes composed of TiO nanotube arrays towards the photoelectrochemical (PEC) oxidation of methanol. This process, as examined in NaCO solution (pH 11.4) for the two types of coatings and serving as a model for the degradation of an organic pollutant, demonstrates enhanced PEC performance as compared to that obtained using electrochemically reduced GO coatings.

RGD-presenting peptides in amphiphilic and anionic β-sheet hydrogels for improved interactions with cells.

The interest in developing functional biomaterials based on designed peptides has been increasing in recent years. The amphiphilic and anionic β-sheet peptide Pro-Asp-(Phe-Asp)-Pro, denoted FD, was previously shown to assemble into a hydrogel that induces adsorption of calcium and phosphate ions and formation of the bone mineral hydroxyapatite. In this study the integrin binding peptide, Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD), was incorporated into the hydrogel to assess its influence on an osteoblast culture.

Thermal properties of ruthenium alkylidene-polymerized dicyclopentadiene.

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis of ring opening methatesis polymerization (ROMP) derived polydicyclopentadiene (PDCPD) revealed an unexpected thermal behavior. A recurring exothermic signal can be observed in the DSC analysis after an elapsed time period. This exothermic signal was found to be proportional to the resting period and was accompanied by a constant increase in the glass-transition temperature.

Pharmacological study of direction selectivity in the archer fish retina.

Direction selective cells have been found in the retina, the first level of the visual system, in mammals and recently also in the archer fish. These cells are involved in a variety of fast neural computation processes, from the control of eye movements to the detection of prey by the archer fish. The standard model for this mechanism in mammalian retina is well understood and is based on the asymmetry of inhibitory and excitatory inputs to the retinal ganglion cells.

Phase behavior and shear alignment in SWNT-surfactant dispersions.

The effect of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) on the phase behavior of the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) in aqueous solutions is investigated at room temperature. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) are used for characterization of bulk dispersions and nanometrically thin films. Additional carbonaceous additives (fullerenes, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, and carbon black) serve as reference systems.

Drosophila Dynein light chain (DDLC1) binds to gurken mRNA and is required for its localization.

During oogenesis in Drosophila, mRNAs encoding determinants required for the polarization of egg and embryo become localized in the oocyte in a spatially restricted manner. The TGF-alpha like signaling molecule Gurken has a central role in the polarization of both body axes and the corresponding mRNA displays a unique localization pattern, accumulating initially at the posterior and later at the anterior-dorsal of the oocyte. Correct localization of gurken RNA requires a number of cis-acting sequence elements, a complex of trans-acting proteins, of which only several have been identified, and the motor proteins Dynein and Kinesin, traveling along polarized microtubules.

A Lewis Acid Catalyst Anchored on Silica Grafted with Quaternary Alkylammonium Chloride Moieties.

Resistance to leaching and re-usability are characteristic of the novel heterogeneous Lewis acid catalyst that was prepared by anchoring tin(IV) chloride on silica grafted with tetraalkylammonium or pyridinium chloride groups. The catalyst displays high activity and selectivity in the synthesis of 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol by the Prins condensation of isobutene with formaldehyde [Eq. (1)].

Interfacial catalysis by phospholipases at conjugated lipid vesicles: colorimetric detection and NMR spectroscopy.

Background: Self-assembled conjugated polymers are rapidly finding biological and biotechnological applications. This work describes a synthetic membrane system based on self-assembled polydiacetylenes, which are responsive to the enzymatic activity of phospholipases - a ubiquitous class of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of phospholipid molecules embedded in cell membranes.

Results: We show that phospholipases are active at bilayer vesicles composed of the natural enzyme substrate, dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC), and a synthetic pi-conjugated polymerized lipid based on polydiacetylene (PDA).