Synthesis and application of fluorescein- and biotin-labeled molecular probes for the chemokine receptor CXCR4

The design, synthesis, and bioevaluation of fluorescence- and biotin-labeled CXCR4 antagonists are described. The modification of D-Lys8 at an epsilon-amino group in the peptide antagonist Ac-TZ14011 derived from polyphemusin II had no significant influence on the potent binding of the peptide to the CXCR4 receptor. The application of the labeled peptides in flow cytometry and confocal microscopy studies demonstrated the selectivity of their binding to the CXCR4 receptor, but not to CXCR7, which was recently reported to be another receptor for stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1)/CXCL12.     

Preparation of (110)-oriented SrTiO3 film on quartz glass by laser chemical vapor deposition

SrTiO₃ (STO) film was prepared on quartz glass by laser chemical vapor deposition at a deposition temperature (T_dep) ranged from 760 to 1104 K. Effect of the T_dep on the orientation, crystallinity, texture, and microstructure of the STO film was investigated. As the T_dep was increased, the preferred orientation of the STO film tended to be (110)-orientated with corresponding texture coefficient (TC) on the (110) reflection enhanced from 2.3 to 6; meanwhile, the full width at half maximum of the ω-scan on the (110) reflection decreased from 0.85° to 0.59°. The (110)-oriented grains were in wedge shape about 60 × 150 nm in size, which tended to be flat at an elevated T_dep of 1104 K.     

Heteroepitaxial growth of thick 3C-SiC (110) films by Laser CVD

Previously, we found 3C-SiC films favor to grow in <111> orientation on Si (110) ( https://doi.org/10.1111/jace.15260 ). However, epitaxial growth of thick <110>-3C-SiC is still a big challenge. In this study, thick 3C-SiC (110) epitaxial films were prepared on Si (110) substrate by laser chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) using hexamethyldisilane (HMDS) in H₂ atmosphere. The investigation of growth mechanism showed that the laser of LCVD played an important role during the depositions. Observation by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) revealed that the interface of 3C-SiC (110)/Si (110) exhibited rough texture at atomic level. The atomic roughness on Si (110) surface could be a key factor for 3C-SiC (110) nucleation. The growth of thick 3C-SiC (110) epitaxial films could be very promising for new development in power electronics applications.     

Positive-temperature-coefficient effect of electrical resistivity below melting point of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) in Ni particle-dispersed PVDF composites

This paper discusses the positive-temperature-coefficient effects of resistivity in Ni particle-dispersed poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composites based on experiment results from SEM, DSC, and pressure-volume-temperature (PVT) measurements. The melting points of composites with Ni content of 20, 30, 40, and 50vol.% were equal to that of pure PVDF. The PTC effects in composites with Ni content of 40 and 50vol.% occurred at temperatures near the melting point of the PVDF matrix, whereas those in composites with Ni content of 20 and 30vol.% occurred at temperatures below the melting point of the PVDF matrix. We found that the PTC effect occurs even without melting of the matrix polymer. Moreover, we determined that a slight increase in specific volume at temperatures below the melting point of the matrix polymer acts fully as a driving force for forming a gap between fillers. This suggestion was backed up by theoretical analyses using percolation theory and a thermal-fluctuation-induced tunneling model.     

Effects of cubic BN addition and phase transformation on hardness of Al2O3-cubic BN composites

The Vickers hardness of dense Al₂O₃-cubic BN (cBN) composites prepared by spark plasma sintering under a moderate pressure of 100 MPa at 1200-1600 °C was investigated at indentation loads of 0.098-19.6 N. The BN grains in the Al₂O₃-BN composite prepared at 1300 °C showed no transformation from the cBN to hBN phase, and the hardness was 59 GPa at 0.098 N. The hardness of the Al₂O₃ matrix in the Al₂O₃-BN composites containing 10-30 vol% cBN prepared at 1300-1400 °C was around 25 GPa at 0.098 N, which was higher than monolithic Al₂O₃ bodies prepared at the same temperatures. The hardness of the Al₂O₃ matrix in the Al₂O₃-BN composites decreased with increasing sintering temperature. The increase in the hardness of the Al₂O₃ matrix may be due to the decrease in the size of Al₂O₃ grains in the Al₂O₃-BN composites owing to the addition of cBN particles and the decrease in sintering temperature. The Meyer exponents of the monolithic Al₂O₃ bodies and Al₂O₃-BN composites were 1.90-1.94 independent of cBN content.     

Effect of platelet-activating factor on lipoprotein lipase and blood lipids

We investigated the effect of platelet-activating factor (PAF) and of the PAF specific antagonist CV-6209 on plasma lipid metabolism, and particularly on post-heparin plasma lipolytic activity in male Wistar rats. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity was enhanced by intravenous injection of PAF before intravenous injection of heparin when the PAF dose was low (0.2 μg/kg). PAF activated hepatic triacylglycerol lipase (HTGL) activity dose-dependently. Plasma triacylglycerols (TG) significantly decreased with the activation of LPL and/or HTGL. Plasma total cholesterol (TC) and phospholipid (PL) levels decreased at a low dose of PAF (0.2 μg/kg), but increased when higher doses were used. The PAF antagonist CV-6209 partially reversed the PAF induced effects on HTGL, TC and PL. Based on a paper presented at the Third International Conference on Platelet-Activating Factor and Structurally Related Alkyl Ether Lipids, Tokyo, Japan, May 1989.     

Elimination of Voids at Interface of <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-SiC Films and Si Substrate by Laser CVD

Void-free β-SiC films were deposited on Si(001) substrates by laser chemical vapor deposition using hexamethyldisilane (HMDS) as the precursor. The effect of the time of introducing HMDS, i e, the substrate temperature when HMDS introduced (T_in), on the preferred orientation, surface microstructure and void was investigated. The orientation of the deposited SiC films changed from <001> to random to <111> with increasing T_in. The surface showed a layer-by-layer microstructure with voids above T_in ? 773 K, and then transformed into mosaic structure without voids at T_in= 298 K. The mechanism of the elimination of voids was discussed. At T_in =298 K, Si surface can be covered by an ultrathin SiC film, which inhibits the out-diffusion of Si atoms from substrate and prohibites the formation of the voids.     

Textile‐surface interfacial asymmetric polymerization

This research demonstrated that polymerization of aniline on cellulose produces chiroptically active composites. Polymerization of aniline in the presence of cotton fibers consisting of chiral cellulose are performed to prepare a polyaniline (PANI)/cotton composite. The polymerization is conducted at the cotton interface. The resultant PANI/cotton composite shows chiroptical activity elucidated with diffuse reflectance circular dichroism. In this reaction, textile‐surface interfacial asymmetric polymerization is performed with imprinting of chiral structure from the cotton as a natural chiroptically active polymer to the PANI. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 41118.     

A Rapid Determination of Ergosterol in Grains Using Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry Method Without Derivatization

Food Analytical Methods - A simple, rapid and sensitive GC-MS method using on-column injection was developed and validated to determine ergosterol (ERG) levels in maize and wheat. In this method,...