Surface structure and quenching effects in BiFeO3-BaTiO3 ceramics

The structure and properties of Mn-doped 0.67BiFeO₃-0.33BaTiO₃ ceramics are systematically investigated with respect to the effects of annealing prior to rapid cooling by quenching in air. Air-quenching induces a change in crystal structure from pseudo-cubic to rhombohedral, with higher quenching temperatures leading to an increased rhombohedral distortion. These structural changes are correlated with the appearance of more well-defined ferroelectric domain configurations. It is shown that the surface preparation procedures for XRD measurements can induce significant changes in the peak profiles, indicating differences in crystal structure between the surface and bulk regions. Frequency dispersion in the temperature-dependent relative permittivity for the as-sintered sample is significantly reduced after quenching, accompanied by enhancement of the Curie point and improved temperature-stability of piezoelectric properties. It is proposed that the formation of defect clusters by A-site cation diffusion during cooling is circumvented by quenching, leading to the observed modification of structural distortion and ferroelectric properties.     

3D MHD cross flow over an exponential stretching porous surface

The present study aims to investigate the effects of thermal‐diffusion and diffusion‐thermo onan magnetohydrodynamic convective flow of viscous fluids over an exponentially stretching sheet. Thermal radiation effects are also considered in the study. This analysis is carried out in three dimensions and a similarity transformation is adopted to get a set of ordinary differential equations from a set of partial differential equations. And the Fourth‐order Runge‐Kutta method and shooting technique along with the secant method are employed to find out an iterative solution. We also analyze here the influence of the variable magnetic field, nonuniform permeability and variable chemical reaction on the fluid flow. The impact of various pertinent parameters of interest has extensively been explored through graphs and tables. The major findings of the present study are that resistive Lorentz force diminishes the fluid velocity and uplifts the thermal as well as concentration fields. Inclusion of porous matrix improves the viscous drag force which in turn augments wall shear stresses and peters out the heat and mass transfer rates from the sheet. In addition, the thermal expansion coefficient has an inverse relation with temperature.     

Multiple Chemical Features Impact Biological Performance Diversity of a Highly Active Natural Product-Inspired Library

A systematic, diversity-oriented synthesis approach was employed to access a natural product-inspired flavonoid library with diverse chemical features, including chemical properties, scaffold, stereochemistry, and appendages. Using Cell Painting, the effects of these diversity elements were evaluated, and multiple chemical features that predict biological performance diversity were identified. Scaffold identity appears to be the dominant predictor of performance diversity, but stereochemistry and appendages also contribute to a lesser degree. In addition, the diversity of chemical properties contributed to performance diversity, and the driving chemical property was dependent on the scaffold. These results highlight the importance of key chemical features that may inform the creation of small-molecule, performance-diverse libraries to improve the efficiency and success of high-throughput screening campaigns.     

Modeling Alcohol Dehydrogenase Catalysis in Deep Eutectic Solvent/Water Mixtures

The use of oxidoreductases (EC1) in non-conventional reaction media has been increasingly explored. In particular, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have emerged as a novel class of solvents. Herein, an in-depth study of bioreduction with an alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) in the DES glyceline is presented. The activity and stability of ADH in mixtures of glyceline/water with varying water contents were measured. Furthermore, the thermodynamic water activity and viscosity of mixtures of glyceline/water have been determined. For a better understanding of the observations, molecular dynamics simulations were performed to quantify the molecular flexibility, hydration layer, and intraprotein hydrogen bonds of ADH. The behavior of the enzyme in DESs follows the classic dependence of water activity (a_W) in non-conventional media. At low a_W values (<0.2), ADH does not show any activity; at higher a_W values, the activity was still lower than that in pure water due to the high viscosities of the DES. These findings could be further explained by increased enzyme flexibility with increasing water content.     

GeTe中铁电极化对自旋霍尔电导的调控研究

利用电场控制电荷的自旋流与电流相互转换是自旋电子器件的关键所在,而这种控制机制在铁电半导体GeTe中可以得到实现,因为其铁电极化可以改变自身的自旋织构。基于密度泛函理论计算,我们发现可以通过铁电极化可以进一步调节自旋霍尔电导(spinHallconductivity,简记为SHC),通过计算得到自旋霍尔电导的一个分量σxyz在带边缘附近可以达到100?/e(?cm)-1的量级,其主要原因在于电极化改变了能带结构。该研究工作为可控的自旋输运的实验和理论研究具有重要的价值,必将推动自旋电子学的进一步发展。     

Allosteric p97 Inhibitors Can Overcome Resistance to ATP-Competitive p97 Inhibitors for Potential Anticancer Therapy

Abstract : A major challenge of targeted cancer therapy is the selection for drug-resistant mutations in tumor cells leading to loss of treatment effectiveness. p97/VCP is central regulator of protein homeostasis and a promising anticancer target because of its vital role in cell growth and survival. One ATP-competitive p97 inhibitor, CB-5083, has entered clinical trials. Selective pressure on HCT116 cells dosed with CB-5083 identified five different resistant mutants. Identification of p97 inhibitors with different mechanisms of action would offer the potential to overcome this class of resistance mutations. Our results demonstrate that two CB-5083 resistant p97 mutants, N660 K and T688 A, were also resistant to several other ATP-competitive p97 inhibitors, whereas inhibition by two allosteric p97 inhibitors NMS-873 and UPCDC-30245 were unaffected by these mutations. We also established a CB-5083 resistant cell line that harbors a new p97 double mutation (D649 A/T688 A). While CB-5083, NMS-873, and UPCDC-30245 all effectively inhibited proliferation of the parental HCT116 cell line, NMS-873 and UPCDC-30245 were 30-fold more potent in inhibiting the CB-5083 resistant D649 A/T688 A double mutant than CB-5083. Our results suggest that allosteric p97 inhibitors are promising alternatives when resistance to ATP-competitive p97 inhibitors arises during anticancer treatment.     

污泥生物炭中氮硫行为及环境效应研究进展

污泥生物炭中氮硫元素含量高，其氮硫行为和环境效应对全球气候变化的影响不容忽视。以往的研究中，研究者往往以富碳生物炭作为主要研究对象，关注碳对全球气候变化的行为和功效，而对氮硫元素的作用关注不够。本文从原始污泥基本性质到其热解过程，再到生物炭的老化，逐步对污泥生物炭整个生命周期内氮硫的行为及其环境效应研究进行综述，并对未来应注重开展的研究方向进行展望，为生物炭中氮硫元素固定、释放及与之关联的环境效应和温室气体排放控制研究提供理论基础。分析表明，污泥中氮元素含量普遍高于硫元素，且热解过程中氮比硫更容易转移至气相产物。氮硫元素随热解温度的增加，在三相产物中的分配都是炭中持续减少，油中先增后减，气中一直增加。高温（＞800℃）条件下，气相中的氮含量高于固相，而硫元素则仍然主要存在于固相中。污泥生物炭老化及其环境效应研究表明，污泥生物炭氮硫元素与土壤的相互作用及其温室效应问题在今后的研究中应引起重视。     

Living Materials Herald a New Era in Soft Robotics

Living beings have an unsurpassed range of ways to manipulate objects and interact with them. They can make autonomous decisions and can heal themselves. So far, a conventional robot cannot mimic this complexity even remotely. Classical robots are often used to help with lifting and gripping and thus to alleviate the effects of menial tasks. Sensors can render robots responsive, and artificial intelligence aims at enabling autonomous responses. Inanimate soft robots are a step in this direction, but it will only be in combination with living systems that full complexity will be achievable. The field of biohybrid soft robotics provides entirely new concepts to address current challenges, for example the ability to self‐heal, enable a soft touch, or to show situational versatility. Therefore, “living materials” are at the heart of this review. Similarly to biological taxonomy, there is a recent effort for taxonomy of biohybrid soft robotics. Here, an expansion is proposed to take into account not only function and origin of biohybrid soft robotic components, but also the materials. This materials taxonomy key demonstrates visually that materials science will drive the development of the field of soft biohybrid robotics.     

FeNi@SiO2磁性纳米复合粒子的制备及磁热性能

大量制备磁热性能优异的磁性纳米粒子对磁热疗和组织复温的生物学应用具有理论价值.本研究通过高温电弧法制备FeNi磁性纳米颗粒,通过超声-沉降分级筛分得到平均粒径为80 nm的FeNi纳米颗粒,通过溶胶-凝胶法得到平均粒径为100 nm,SiO2壳层厚度为15～20 nm的FeNi@SiO2纳米复合粒子.超导量子干涉仪测定FeNi@SiO2纳米复合粒子饱和磁化强度Ms为80 emu/g.模拟磁热疗条件下,FeNi@SiO2磁性纳米粒升温速率为3.6℃/min,满足磁热疗应用要求.模拟组织复温条件下,FeNi@SiO2磁性纳米粒升温速率为61.8℃/min.磁性复合纳米粒子在不同溶剂、不同温区条件都显示了良好的热性能,可作为温度激活剂应用于磁热疗及冷冻组织的复温.本研究对磁性纳米材料的生物学应用研究具有一定的参考价值.