Titania-based nanoheterostructured microspheres for prolonged visible-light-driven photocatalysis.

Titanium dioxide is a widely used photocatalytic material possessing such advantages as safety, low cost, and high reactivity under the ultraviolet light illumination. However, its applicability in sunlight is limited due to the wide band gap and, as a consequence, the low quantum yield. Doping of titanium dioxide with metal or non-metal atoms and creating heterojunctions based on it are some of the most efficient ways to overcome this drawback.

Transformation of diamond to fullerene-type onions at pressure 70 GPa and temperature 2400 K.

We report the observation of a phase transition of diamond to denser than diamond carbon phase composed from 2 to 3 fullerene-type shells of onions. Raman spectra indicate the fullerene-type of the onions shells. The onions phase is a stable phase in a diamond instability zone of a phase diagram of carbon at pressure 70 GPa and temperature 2400 K.

Self-adaptive STDP-based learning of a spiking neuron with nanocomposite memristive weights.

Neuromorphic systems consisting of artificial neurons and memristive synapses could provide a much better performance and a significantly more energy-efficient approach to the implementation of different types of neural network algorithms than traditional hardware with the Von-Neumann architecture. However, the memristive weight adjustment in the formal neuromorphic networks by the standard back-propagation techniques suffers from poor device-to-device reproducibility. One of the most promising approaches to overcome this problem is to use local learning rules for spiking neuromorphic architectures which potentially could be adaptive to the variability issue mentioned above.

Dynamic properties of asymmetric double Josephson junction stack with quasiparticle imbalance.

We study analytically and numerically the influence of the quasiparticle charge imbalance on the dynamics of the asymmetric Josephson stack formed by two inequivalent junctions: the fast capacitive junction JJ and slow non-capacitive junction JJ . We find, that the switching of the fast junction into resistive state leads to significant increase of the effective critical current of the slow junction. At the same time, the initial switching of the slow junction may either increase or decrease the effective critical current of the fast junction, depending on ratio of their resistances and the value of the capacitance.

Formation free energies of point defects and thermal expansion of bcc U and Mo.

[Formula: see text]-U is a high temperature body-centred cubic (bcc) phase of uranium which is mechanically unstable at T  =  0 K. The point defect properties in pure bcc uranium are not sufficiently well studied. In this work we use classical molecular dynamics simulations with the thermodynamic integration approach to calculate the formation free energies of vacancies and interstitials in bcc uranium and, for comparison, in bcc molybdenum.

Observation of dynamic charge stripes in TmYbB at the metal-insulator transition.

Accurate low temperature charge transport measurements in combination with high-precision x-ray diffraction experiments have allowed detection of the symmetry lowering in the single domain TmYbB crystals that belong to the family of dodecaborides with metal-insulator transition. Based on the fine structure analysis we discover the formation of dynamic charge stripes within the semiconducting matrix of TmYbB. The charge dynamics in these conducting nano-size channels is characterized by broad-band optical spectroscopy that allowed estimating the frequency (~2.

Phase diagram of carbon and the factors limiting the quantity and size of natural diamonds.

Phase diagrams of carbon, and those focusing on the graphite-to-diamond transitional conditions in particular, are of great interest for fundamental and applied research. The present study introduces a number of experiments carried out to convert graphite under high-pressure conditions, showing a formation of stable phase of fullerene-type onions cross-linked by sp-bonds in the 55-115 GPa pressure range instead of diamonds formation (even at temperature 2000-3000 K) and the already formed diamonds turn into carbon onions. Our results refute the widespread idea that diamonds can form at any pressure from 2.

A spatially resolved network spike in model neuronal cultures reveals nucleation centers, circular traveling waves and drifting spiral waves.

We show that in model neuronal cultures, where the probability of interneuronal connection formation decreases exponentially with increasing distance between the neurons, there exists a small number of spatial nucleation centers of a network spike, from where the synchronous spiking activity starts propagating in the network typically in the form of circular traveling waves. The number of nucleation centers and their spatial locations are unique and unchanged for a given realization of neuronal network but are different for different networks. In contrast, if the probability of interneuronal connection formation is independent of the distance between neurons, then the nucleation centers do not arise and the synchronization of spiking activity during a network spike occurs spatially uniform throughout the network.

The influence of energy migration on luminescence kinetics parameters in upconversion nanoparticles.

The mechanism of upconversion at the nanoscale is still under discussion. In this paper, we report on the experimental results of anti-Stokes luminescence kinetics in the upconversion nanoparticles of β-NaYF: 20%Yb; 0.6%Tm.

Structure of purotoxin-2 from wolf spider: modular design and membrane-assisted mode of action in arachnid toxins.

Traditionally, arachnid venoms are known to contain two particularly important groups of peptide toxins. One is disulfide-rich neurotoxins with a predominance of β-structure that specifically target protein receptors in neurons or muscle cells. The other is linear cationic cytotoxins that form amphiphilic α-helices and exhibit rather non-specific membrane-damaging activity.

Formation of the S = 1 paramagnetic centers in the bond-diluted spin-gap magnet.

Electron spin resonance experiment reveals that non-magnetic bond doping of the spin-gap magnet (C4H12N2)Cu2Cl6 (abbreviated PHCC) results in the formation of S  =  1 paramagnetic centers that dominate low-temperature ESR response. We have followed evolution of this signal with doping impurity content and have found that the concentraion of these centers is quadratic over the impurity content. We also observe coexistence of the ESR responses from these local centers and from delocalized triplet excitations over a certain temperature range.

Letter: Supermetallization of peptides and proteins with tetravalent metal Th(IV).

Supermetallization is the recently observed phenomenon of the formation of complex ions of peptide-metal in the gas phase when the peptide accepts an unexpectedly large number of metal atoms. It has been found that supermetallization takes place during electrospray ionization when charged droplets are evaporating at relatively high temperature (ca 400°C). In the present paper, we demonstrate supermetallized complexes of small protein ubiquitin and two peptides with Th(IV).

Letter: Comparison of pyridine and pyrazine derivatives distributions in exhaled breath and exhaled breath condensate after smoking.

Molecular mass distributions of series of compounds found in exhaled breath after smoking are compared between the direct-breath analysis by extractive electrospray ionization and the analysis of exhaled breath condensate by direct-infusion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Although all the analyzed series of compounds are detected by both methods, their relative abundances are different. A number-average mass is used as a quantitative characteristic of the series.

Synthesis of borophenes: Anisotropic, two-dimensional boron polymorphs.

At the atomic-cluster scale, pure boron is markedly similar to carbon, forming simple planar molecules and cage-like fullerenes. Theoretical studies predict that two-dimensional (2D) boron sheets will adopt an atomic configuration similar to that of boron atomic clusters. We synthesized atomically thin, crystalline 2D boron sheets (i.

HOCOMOCO: expansion and enhancement of the collection of transcription factor binding sites models.

Models of transcription factor (TF) binding sites provide a basis for a wide spectrum of studies in regulatory genomics, from reconstruction of regulatory networks to functional annotation of transcripts and sequence variants. While TFs may recognize different sequence patterns in different conditions, it is pragmatic to have a single generic model for each particular TF as a baseline for practical applications. Here we present the expanded and enhanced version of HOCOMOCO (http://hocomoco.

pH-Dependent Formation and Disintegration of the Influenza A Virus Protein Scaffold To Provide Tension for Membrane Fusion.

Unlabelled: Influenza virus is taken up from a pH-neutral extracellular milieu into an endosome, whose contents then acidify, causing changes in the viral matrix protein (M1) that coats the inner monolayer of the viral lipid envelope. At a pH of ~6, M1 interacts with the viral ribonucleoprotein (RNP) in a putative priming stage; at this stage, the interactions of the M1 scaffold coating the lipid envelope are intact. The M1 coat disintegrates as acidification continues to a pH of ~5 to clear a physical path for the viral genome to transit from the viral interior to the cytoplasm.

Transport investigation of branched graphene nanoflakes.

We present a theoretical study of current-voltage characteristics of different junctions of graphene nanoribbons. We considered isolated Y- and T-junctions of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) with various geometry parameters and a graphene Y-junction in the graphane sheet. Our ab initio calculations based on the nonequilibrium Green's functions formalism displayed the influence of the geometry parameters of different ribbons on the I-V curves e.

Ion coalescence in Fourier transform mass spectrometry: should we worry about this in shotgun proteomics?

Coupling of motion of the ion clouds with close m/z values is a well-established phenomenon for ion- trapping mass analyzers. In Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry it is known as ion coalescence. Recently, ion coalescence was demonstrated and semiquantitatively characterized for the Orbitrap mass analyzer as well.

Effect of magnetic field inhomogeneity on ion cyclotron motion coherence at high magnetic field.

A three-dimensional code based on the particle-in-cell algorithm modified to account for the inhomogeneity of the magnetic field was applied to determine the effect of Z(1), Z(2), Z(3), Z(4), X, Y, ZX, ZY, XZ(2) YZ(2), XY and X(2)-Y(2) components of an orthogonal magnetic field expansion on ion motion during detection in an FT-ICR cell. Simulations were performed for magnetic field strengths of 4.7, 7, 14.

Letter: Observation of the 16O/18O exchange during electrospray ionization.

Isotopic exchange approach coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry has become the power analytical approach for a wide range of analytical and bioanalyticall applications. Considerable efforts have been dedicated to developing fast exchange techniques directly in the ionization source. But all such methods are limited to the hydrogen/deuterium exchange approaches.

Hydrogen adsorption study. Formation of quantum dots on graphene nanoribbons within tight-binding approach.

Based on the tight-binding model, we investigate the formation process of quantum dots onto graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) by the sequential adsorption of hydrogen atoms onto the ribbon's surface. We define the difference between hydrogenation processes onto the surface of zigzag (ZGNR) and armchair graphene nanoribbons (AGNR) by calculating the binding energies with respect to the energy of isolated hydrogen atoms for all considered structures.

Regulation of the rplY gene encoding 5S rRNA binding protein L25 in Escherichia coli and related bacteria.

Ribosomal protein (r-protein) L25 is one of the three r-proteins (L25, L5, L18) that interact with 5S rRNA in eubacteria. Specific binding of L25 with a certain domain of 5S r-RNA, a so-called loop E, has been studied in detail, but information about regulation of L25 synthesis has remained totally lacking. In contrast to the rplE (L5) and rplR (L18) genes that belong to the polycistronic spc-operon and are regulated at the translation level by r-protein S8, the rplY (L25) gene forms an independent transcription unit.

Atomistic simulation of ion track formation in UO2.

The atomistic simulation of track formation due to the moving of swift heavy ion is performed for uranium dioxide. The two-temperature atomistic model with an explicit account of electron pressure and electron thermal conductivity is used. This two-temperature model describes a ionic subsystem by means of molecular dynamics while the electron subsystem is considered in the continuum approach.

Interactome analysis of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in murine models of colon and breast cancer.

In solid cancers, myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC) infiltrate (peri)tumoral tissues to induce immune tolerance and hence to establish a microenvironment permissive to tumor growth. Importantly, the mechanisms that facilitate such infiltration or a subsequent immune suppression are not fully understood. Hence, in this study, we aimed to delineate disparate molecular pathways which MDSC utilize in murine models of colon or breast cancer.

The Digital Ageing Atlas: integrating the diversity of age-related changes into a unified resource.

Multiple studies characterizing the human ageing phenotype have been conducted for decades. However, there is no centralized resource in which data on multiple age-related changes are collated. Currently, researchers must consult several sources, including primary publications, in order to obtain age-related data at various levels.