A superoleophilic free-standing three-dimensional covalent organic framework membrane for water-oil flush demulsification.

A superoleophilic free-standing three-dimensional covalent organic framework membrane (TAM-DNDC 3D-COFM) with hydroxyl functionalized naphthalene is fabricated interfacially. The enhanced oil-wettability and anti-fouling properties of the 3D-COFM exhibited gravity-based efficient demulsification flux at a four-order magnitude compared to the phenyl cored-congener. The continuous demulsification efficiency (76 400 L m) will inspire large-scale applications.

Conserved and Unique Mitochondrial Target Sequence of TRPV4 Can Independently Regulate Mitochondrial Functions.

Though mitochondria have their own genome and protein synthesis machineries, the majority of the mitochondrial proteins are actually encoded by the nuclear genome. Most of these mitochondrial proteins are imported into specific compartments of the mitochondria due to their mitochondrial target sequence (MTS). Unlike the nuclear target sequence, the MTS of most of the mitochondrial localized proteins remain poorly understood, mainly due to their variability, heterogeneity, unconventional modes of action, mitochondrial potential-dependent transport, and other complexities.

TRPV4 modulation affects mitochondrial parameters in adipocytes and its inhibition upregulates lipid accumulation.

Enhanced lipid-droplet formation by adipocytes is a complex process and relevant for obesity. Using knock-out animals, involvement of TRPV4, a thermosensitive ion channel in the obesity has been proposed. However, exact role/s of TRPV4 in adipogenesis and obesity remain unclear and contradictory.

Cytocompatible Hyperbranched Polyesters Capable of Altering the Ca Signaling in Neuronal Cells In Vitro.

Synthetic hyperbranched polyesters with potential therapeutic properties were synthesized using the bifunctional polyethylene glycol or PEG with different molecular weights, ca., 4000, 6000, and 20,000 g/mol, and the trifunctional -aconitic acid or TAA. During polycondensation, a fixed amount of PEG was allowed to react with varying amounts of TAA (1:1 and 1:3) to control the branching extents.

Ag(I)-Mediated Site-Selective C(sp)-H Chalcogenation of Tryptophan-Peptides with Dichalcogenides at Room Temperature.

This report presents a silver-mediated site-selective chalcogenation of tryptophan-containing peptides with various dichalcogenides (disulfides/diselenides) at room temperature in good to excellent yields. The significant features include broad substrate scope, functional group diversity, late-stage modification of drug molecules (Dopamine and Levodopa), and various valuable postsynthetic transformations under mild conditions.

Bioinspired Diiron Complex with Proton Shuttling and Redox-Active Ligand for Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

A μ-oxo diiron complex, featuring the pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide-based thiazoline-derived redox-active ligand, HL (HL = N,N-bis(4,5-dihydrothiazol-2-yl)pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide), was synthesized and thoroughly characterized. showed electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction activity in the presence of different organic acids of varying p values in dimethylformamide. Through electrochemical analysis, we found that is a precatalyst that undergoes concerted two-electron reduction to generate an active catalyst.

Sperm-Specific CatSper is Not Conserved in All Vertebrates and May Not be the Only Progesterone-Responsive Ion Channel Present in Sperm.

Progesterone (P4) acts as a key conserved signalling molecule in vertebrate reproduction. P4 is especially important for mature sperm physiology and subsequent reproductive success. "CatSpermasome", a multi-unit molecular complex, has been suggested to be the main if not the only P4-responsive atypical Ca-ion channel present in mature sperm.

eIF2β zinc-binding domain interacts with the eIF2γ subunit through the guanine nucleotide binding interface to promote Met-tRNAiMet binding.

The heterotrimeric eIF2 complex consists of a core eIF2γ subunit to which binds eIF2α and eIF2β subunits and plays an important role in delivering the Met-tRNAiMet to the 40S ribosome and start codon selection. The intricacies of eIF2β-γ interaction in promoting Met-tRNAiMet binding are not clearly understood. Previously, the zinc-binding domain (ZBD) eIF2βS264Y mutation was reported to cause Met-tRNAiMet binding defect due to the intrinsic GTPase activity.

Octupolar Cyclotriphosphazene-Cored Self-Standing Covalent Organic Framework Membranes as Nonlinear Optical Materials: Impact of Linkage Types and Material Forms.

Conjugated and processable self-standing vinylene-linked covalent organic framework membranes (COFMs) are highly demanding for photonics and optoelectronics. In this work, we have fabricated the first cyclotriphosphazene (CTP) cored vinylene-linked self-standing COFM (CTP-PDAN). For comparison purposes, we have successfully fabricated the imine-linked congener (CTP-PDA).

Phenomenon of multiple reentrant localization in a double-stranded helix with transverse electric field.

The present work explores the potential for observing multiple reentrant localization behavior in a double-stranded helical (DSH) system, extending beyond the conventional nearest-neighbor hopping (NNH) interaction. The DSH system is considered to have hopping dimerization in each strand, while also being subjected to a transverse electric field. The inclusion of an electric field serves the dual purpose of inducing quasi-periodic disorder and strand-wise staggered site energies.

Magnon bands in pyrochlore slabs with Heisenberg exchange and anisotropies.

The pyrochlore lattice is a versatile venue to probe the properties of magnetically ordered states induced or perturbed by anisotropic terms like the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions or single-ion anisotropy. Several such ordered states have been investigated recently as precursors of topological magnons and the associated surface states. In parallel, there has been recent progress in growing thin films of magnetic materials with this lattice structure along high symmetry directions of the lattice.

Terahertz Conductivity of Free-Standing 3D Covalent Organic Framework Membranes Fabricated via Triple-Layer-Dual Interfacial Approach.

Processable covalent organic framework membranes (COFM) are emerging as potential semiconducting materials for device applications. Nevertheless, the fabrication of crystalline and free-standing 3D COFMs is challenging. In this work, a unique time and solvent-efficient triple-layer-dual interfacial (TLDI) approach for the simultaneous synthesis of two 3D COFMs from a single system is developed.

Correction: Understanding the charge transfer dynamics of the CuWS-CNT-FeOOH ternary composite for photo-electrochemical studies.

Correction for 'Understanding the charge transfer dynamics of the CuWS-CNT-FeOOH ternary composite for photo-electrochemical studies' by Preeti Dagar , , 2023, https://doi.org/10.1039/D3CP03498D.

Understanding the charge transfer dynamics of the CuWS-CNT-FeOOH ternary composite for photo-electrochemical studies.

Ternary transition metal chalcogenide (CuWS) is a semiconductor with a band gap of 2.1 eV and could be a promising candidate for photoelectrochemical water splitting and solar energy conversion applications. Despite numerous reports on ternary transition metal chalcogenides, this semiconductor's ultrafast charge transfer dynamics remain unknown.

Menthol causes mitochondrial Ca-influx, affects structure-function relationship and cools mitochondria.

Menthol is a small bioactive compound able to cause several physiological changes and has multiple molecular targets. Therefore, cellular response against menthol is complex, and still poorly understood. In this work, we used a human osteosarcoma cell line (Saos-2) and analysed the effect of menthol, especially in terms of cellular, subcellular and molecular aspects.

Incorporating ion-specific van der Waals and soft repulsive interactions in the Poisson-Boltzmann theory of electrical double layers.

Electrical double layers (EDLs) arise when an electrolyte is in contact with a charged surface, and are encountered in several application areas including batteries, supercapacitors, electrocatalytic reactors, and colloids. Over the last century, the development of Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) models and their modified versions have provided significant physical insight into the structure and dynamics of the EDL. Incorporation of physics such as finite-ion-size effects, dielectric decrement, and ion-ion correlations has made such models increasingly accurate when compared to more computationally expensive approaches such as molecular simulations and classical density functional theory.

Progesterone interacts with the mutational hot-spot of TRPV4 and acts as a ligand relevant for fast Ca-signalling.

Steroids are also known to induce immediate physiological and cellular response which occurs within minutes to seconds, or even faster. Such non-genomic actions of steroids are rapid and are proposed to be mediated by different ion channels. Transient receptor potential vanilloid sub-type 4 (TRPV4), is a non-specific polymodal ion channel which is involved in several physiological and cellular processes.

TLR4 is one of the receptors for Chikungunya virus envelope protein E2 and regulates virus induced pro-inflammatory responses in host macrophages.

Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4), a pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) receptor, is known to exert inflammation in various cases of microbial infection, cancer and autoimmune disorders. However, any such involvement of TLR4 in Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection is yet to be explored. Accordingly, the role of TLR4 was investigated towards CHIKV infection and modulation of host immune responses in the current study using mice macrophage cell line RAW264.

Insulin fibril inhibition using glycopolymeric nanoassemblies.

To address the obstacles in insulin protein homeostasis leading to the formation of neurotoxic amyloid plaques associated with different diseases, herein we have synthesized block copolymers using the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization method, composed of -butoxycarbonyl (Boc) protected leucine and acetyl (Ac) protected glucose pendant moieties, respectively. Selective or dual deprotection of Boc- and Ac-groups from leucine and/or glucose moieties resulted in amphiphilic polymers, which self-assembled into nanoaggregates in aqueous medium, confirmed by critical aggregation concentration (CAC) determination, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These glycopolymeric nanoassemblies were used to study the inhibition rates of insulin fibrillation and were found to impede the fibrillation of the insulin protein.

Vaccination dilemma in the thermodynamic limit.

The vaccination game is a social dilemma that refers to the conundrum individuals face (to get immunized or not) when the population is exposed to an infectious disease. The model has recently gained much traction due to the COVID-19 pandemic since the public perception of vaccines plays a significant role in disease dynamics. This paper studies the vaccination game in the thermodynamic limit with an analytical method derived from the 1D Ising model called Nash equilibrium mapping.

Highly water-stable, luminescent, and monodisperse polymer-coated CsPbBr nanocrystals for imaging in living cells with better sensitivity.

Recently, CsPbX (X= Cl, Br, I) nanocrystals (NCs) have evolved as a potential contender for various optoelectronic applications due to some of their excellent photophysical properties. Their superior non-linear optical properties enable them to take part in bioimaging applications due to their longer penetration depth and less scattering effect in living cells. However, the poor stability of perovskite NCs in aqueous media still remains a great challenge for practical usage.

TRPV4 regulates mitochondrial Ca-status and physiology in primary murine T cells based on their immunological state.

T cell activation process is critically affected by temperature and intracellular Ca-signalling. Yet, the nature and the key molecules involved in such complex Ca-signalling is poorly understood. It is mostly assumed that ion channels present in the plasma membrane primarily regulate the cytosolic Ca-levels exclusively.

TRPV4 interacts with MFN2 and facilitates endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondrial contact points for Ca-buffering.

Aim: Mitochondrial fission-fusion events, distribution, and Ca-buffering abilities are relevant for several diseases, yet are poorly understood events. TRPV4 channels are a group of thermosensitive ion channel which regulate cellular and mitochondrial Ca-level. The underlying mechanisms of the change in mitochondrial dynamics upon modulation of TRPV4 channel are ill explored.