Synthesis, structural and spectroscopic characterization of defect-rich forsterite as a representative phase of Martian regolith.

Regolith draws intensive research attention because of its importance as the basis for fabricating materials for future human space exploration. Martian regolith is predicted to consist of defect-rich crystal structures due to long-term space weathering. The present report focuses on the structural differences between defect-rich and defect-poor forsterite (MgSiO) - one of the major phases in Martian regolith.

Grain alignment in hexaferrite permanent magnets by compaction at room and elevated temperatures.

Shape-controlled precursors enable grain alignment without using an applied magnetic field in the permanent magnet material strontium hexaferrite. The effect is investigated by conducting four series of experiments using different compaction methods: two cold and two hot compactions. The hypothesis is that magnetic short-circuiting will diminish the grain alignment (texture) in cold compacted samples.

Bugs on Drugs: Paracetamol Exposure Reveals Genotype-Specific Generational Effects on Life History Traits in .

Few investigations have been made to determine whether pharmaceutical drugs cause any generational effects. These effects can be divided into intergenerational and transgenerational effects. In insects, the F1 offspring of exposed individuals are considered to show intergenerational effects (as they have been exposed as germ cells or early embryos), while the F2 generation is fully non-exposed and considered to show transgenerational effects.

Mechanical memory based biofabrication of hierarchical elastic cardiac tissue.

Mimicking the multilayered, anisotropic, elastic structure of cardiac tissues for controlled guidiance of 3D cellular orientation is essential in designing bionic scaffolds for cardiac tissue biofabrication. Here, a hierarchically organized, anisotropic, wavy and conductive polycaprolactone/Au scaffold was created in a facile fashion based on mechanical memory during fabrication. The bionic 3D scaffold shows good biocompatibility, excellent biomimetic mechanical properties that guide myoblast alignment, support the hyperelastic behavior observed in native cardiac muscle tissue, and promote myotube maturation, which holds potential for cardiac muscle engineering and the establishment of anculture platform for drug screening.

Artificial Internalizing Receptors: Intracellular Delivery of Cargo Through Bio-Orthogonal Recognition.

Drug targeting is a methodology that helps to overcome the side effects of therapeutic molecules. However, insufficient targeting specificity and the on-target/off-site delivery leave much room for improvement in the targeting endeavors. One approach to enhance the specificity of drug targeting is to engineer artificial receptors with recognition ligands not observed in nature.

Non-averaged single-molecule tertiary structures reveal RNA self-folding through individual-particle cryo-electron tomography.

Large-scale and continuous conformational changes in the RNA self-folding process present significant challenges for structural studies, often requiring trade-offs between resolution and observational scope. Here, we utilize individual-particle cryo-electron tomography (IPET) to examine the post-transcriptional self-folding process of designed RNA origami 6-helix bundle with a clasp helix (6HBC). By avoiding selection, classification, averaging, or chemical fixation and optimizing cryo-ET data acquisition parameters, we reconstruct 120 three-dimensional (3D) density maps from 120 individual particles at an electron dose of no more than 168 eÅ, achieving averaged resolutions ranging from 23 to 35 Å, as estimated by Fourier shell correlation (FSC) at 0.

A Diketopinic Reagent for the Reversible Bioconjugation to Arginine Residues on Native Antibodies.

Arginine is one of the less commonly targeted amino acids in protein bioconjugation, despite its unique reactivity and abundance on the surface of proteins. In this work, a molecule containing diketopinic acid and an azide handle was developed for the chemo-selective bioconjugation to arginine. This compound proved to be efficient for bioconjugation to IgG1 and IgG4 antibodies, achieving mono- and double-label conversion rates of 37-44 and 12-30%, respectively.

Isolation and characterization of Yersinia phage fMtkYen3-01.

Yersinia enterocolitica causes yersiniosis, the third most common gastrointestinal infection in humans throughout Europe. The emergence of multidrug resistance and the lack of effective new antibiotics have drawn attention to phage therapy as a treatment option. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of phage fMtkYen3-01, which infects Y.

Replication capacity and susceptibility of nirmatrelvir-resistant mutants to next-generation Mpro inhibitors in a SARS-CoV-2 replicon system.

There is an ongoing need to expand the anti-SARS-CoV-2 armamentarium to include agents capable of suppressing replication of drug-resistant mutants emerging during monotherapy with approved direct-acting antivirals. Using a subgenomic SARS-CoV-2 replicon system, we studied the RNA replication capacity of nirmatrelvir (NTV)-resistant mutants and their susceptibility to next-generation Mpro inhibitors, including ibuzatrelvir (ITV), ensitrelvir (ETV), and ML2006a4. Our findings revealed that E166V Mpro mutants reduced viral RNA replication, whereas other Mpro mutations retained or increased the replication capacity, suggesting the potential of the latter to dominate under NTV selective pressure.

Observation of dynamic nuclear polarization echoes.

It is demonstrated that the time evolution of the electron-nuclear polarization transfer process during pulsed dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) can be reversed on a microsecond timescale, leading to the observation of DNP echoes. The DNP echoes are induced by consecutive application of two pulse trains that produce effective Hamiltonians that differ only in the sign of the effective hyperfine coupling. The experiments have been performed on a frozen solution of trityl radicals in water/glycerol on a homebuilt X-band electron paramagnetic resonance/DNP spectrometer at 80 kelvins.

A homoleptic Ag complex stabilized by succinimidate ligands.

Herein, the first example of a homoleptic Ag complex stabilized by a monodentate N-donor ligand is presented. Na[SO] oxidizes the linear Ag complex, Na[Ag(succ)] (1), to form a square planar argentate(iii) ion, [Ag(succ)], which crystallizes with a polymeric chain-structure, M[Ag(succ)] (2), when treated with alkali metal sulfate MSO (M = K, Rb, Cs). A mixed-valent Robin-Day class I system, [(HO)Ag][Ag(succ)] (2), forms in the absence of K/Rb/Cs ion.

Soil Analysis by Mobile Multinuclear NMR: Quantification of Phosphorus, Aluminum, and Sodium.

Soil analyses are essential to ensure economically and environmentally sustainable crop production while maintaining the soil fertile for future use. Unfortunately, common soil analyses may be highly demanding in terms of time, chemicals, and costs. This applies, in particular, when total quantities of elements are desired.

Geometrical perspective on spin-lattice density-functional theory.

A recently developed viewpoint on the fundamentals of density-functional theory for finite interacting spin-lattice systems that centers around the notion of degeneracy regions is presented. It allows for an entirely geometrical description of the Hohenberg-Kohn theorem and v-representability. The phenomena receive exemplification by an Anderson impurity model and other small-lattice examples.

The Influence of Reorientational and Vibrational Dynamics on the Mg Conductivity in Mg(BH)·CHNH.

Reorientational dynamics in solid electrolytes can significantly enhance the ionic conductivity, and understanding these dynamics can facilitate the rational design of improved solid electrolytes. Additionally, recent investigations on metal hydridoborate-based solid electrolytes have shown that the addition of a neutral ligand can also have a positive effect on the ionic conductivity. In this study, we investigate the dynamics in monomethylamine magnesium borohydride (Mg(BH)·CHNH) with quasielastic and inelastic neutron scattering, density functional theory calculations, and molecular dynamics simulations.

Fabrication of Vertically Aligned InGaN/GaN Nanorod Light Emitting Diode Arrays Using Dielectrophoresis.

We report a novel strategy for vertical alignment of nanorod light emitting diodes (NRLs) by introducing dielectrophoresis (DEP) coupled with a nanohole electrode (NHE). The NHE consists of two electrodes placed at the top and the bottom separated by an insulating layer. This electrode structure allows NRLs to align within the nanoholes due to the nonuniform electric field generated across the entire region of the nanohole when a DEP voltage is applied.

A rosin-functionalized plastic surface inactivates African swine fever virus.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes a severe hemorrhagic disease in pigs, leading to up to 100% case fatality. The virus May persist on solid surfaces for long periods; thus, fomites, such as contaminated clothing, footwear, farming tools, equipment, and transport vehicles, May contribute to the indirect transmission of the virus. Here, a plastic surface functionalized with tall oil rosin was tested against ASFV.

Gentle tension stabilizes atomically thin metallenes.

Metallenes are atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials lacking a layered structure in the bulk form. They can be stabilized by nanoscale constrictions like pores in 2D covalent templates, but the isotropic metallic bonding makes stabilization difficult. A few metallenes have been stabilized but comparison with theory predictions has not always been clear.

Effect of solvothermal synthesis parameters on the crystallite size and atomic structure of cobalt iron oxide nanoparticles.

We here investigate how the synthesis method affects the crystallite size and atomic structure of cobalt iron oxide nanoparticles. By using a simple solvothermal method, we first synthesized cobalt ferrite nanoparticles of 2 and 7 nm, characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Small Angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), X-ray and neutron total scattering. The smallest particle size corresponds to only a few spinel unit cells.

Construction of Small Genes with Repetitive Elements Using Oligo Extension and Golden Gate Assembly.

Gene synthesis efficiency has greatly improved in recent years but is limited when it comes to repetitive sequences and results in synthesis failure or delays by DNA synthesis vendors. Here, we describe a method for the assembly of small synthetic genes with repetitive elements: First, a gene of interest is split in silico into small synthons of up to 80 base pairs flanked by Golden Gate-compatible overhangs. Then synthons are made by oligo extension and finally assembled into a synthetic gene by Golden Gate assembly.