BINA

Carbonaceous materials are the most common catalyst supports in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFCs), yet their corrosion is one of the limiting factors in achieving high durability. Herein, we doped carbon supports with boron (B) to increase the corrosion-resistance of the support. Two types of B-doped carbons were synthesized and studied as platinum support materials. They varied in their morphologies, surface areas, and the types of boron species. The durability of Pt/B-doped carbon catalysts was investigated using the US-DOE catalysts’ supports accelerated stress test (AST) and a mass-spectrometer connected to the fuel cell effluent stream to quantify the mass of corroded carbon support in operando. The addition of boron to the carbon increased the stability of Pt catalysts in long-term usage of PEMFC. After 4,000 AST cycles, more than 50% of initial current density was preserved for the boron …

Self‐assembly of biological elements into biomimetic cargo carriers for targeting and delivery is a promising approach. However, it still holds practical challenges. We developed a functionalization approach of DNA origami (DO) nanostructures with neuronal growth factor (NGF) for manipulating neuronal systems. NGF bioactivity and its interactions with the neuronal system were demonstrated in vitro and in vivo models. The DO elements fabricated by molecular self‐assembly have manipulated the surrounding environment through static spatially and temporally controlled presentation of ligands to the cell surface receptors. Our data showed effective bioactivity in differentiating PC12 cells in vitro. Furthermore, the DNA origami NGF (DON) affected the growth directionality and spatial capabilities of dorsal root ganglion neurons in culture by introducing a chemotaxis effect along a gradient of functionalized DO …

Abstract Hypothesis Room Temperature Ionic Liquids (RTILs) bulk's molecular layering dominates their structure also at the RTIL/sapphire interface, increasing the layer spacing with the cationic alkyl chain length n. However, the negatively-charged sapphire surface compresses the layers, increases the layering range, and affects the intra-layer structure in yet unknown ways. Experiments X-ray reflectivity (XR) off the RTIL/sapphire interface, for a broad homologous RTIL series 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis (trifluoromethansulfonyl) imide, hitherto unavailable for any RTIL. Findings RTIL layers against the sapphire, exhibit two spacings: d a and d b. d a is n-varying, follows the behavior of the bulk spacing but exhibits a downshift, thus showing significant layer compression, and over twofold polar slab thinning. The latter suggests exclusion of anions from the interfacial region due to the negative sapphire charging …

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the necessity of fast, sensitive, and efficient methods to test large populations for respiratory viruses. The “gold standard” molecular assays for detecting respiratory viruses, such as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and reverse transcription qPCR (RT-qPCR), rely on invasive swab samples and require time-consuming and labor-intensive extraction processes. Moreover, the turnaround time for RT-qPCR-based assays is too lengthy for rapid screening. Extraction-free saliva-based methods provide a non-invasive sampling process with a fast turnaround time and are suitable for high-throughput applications. However, when used with a standard RT-qPCR system, the absence of extraction significantly reduces the assays’ sensitivity. Here, using a novel optical modulation biosensing (OMB) platform, we developed a rapid and highly sensitive extraction-free saliva …

Super-enhancers are unique gene expression regulators widely involved in cancer development. Spread over large DNA segments, they tend to be found next to oncogenes. The super-enhancer c-MYC locus forms long-range chromatin looping with nearby genes, which brings the enhancer and the genes into proximity, to promote gene activation. The colon cancer-associated transcript 1 (CCAT1) gene, which is part of the MYC locus, transcribes a lncRNA that is overexpressed in colon cancer cells through activation by MYC. Comparing different types of cancer cell lines using RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (RNA FISH), we detected very prominent CCAT1 expression in HeLa cells, observed as several large CCAT1 nuclear foci. We found that dozens of CCAT1 transcripts accumulate on the gene locus, in addition to active transcription occurring from the gene. The accumulating transcripts are released …

We demonstrate the pioneering use of a quantum interferometer with x-rays, highlighting its effectiveness in precisely measuring the phase accumulated in opaque media. Our work uncovers novel opportunities for measuring sub-Angstrom optical-path differences.

The Adaptive Immune Receptor Repertoire Knowledge Commons (AKC) is a publicly accessible repository of data and knowledge about 1) adaptive immune receptors (AIRs) and AIR repertoires, 2) the complex genomic loci encoding AIR genes, and 3) the antigens and epitopes bound by AIR. It empowers research questions that require the integration of data across these three domains to evaluate their interplay and relative contributions across a broad range of health and disease states. The AKC is being established by merging data from existing, community-backed repositories and applying existing and novel, cross-cutting knowledge-generation algorithms to the integrated data. The AKC currently includes 1) data from the AIRR Data Commons, which contains~ 10,000 repertoires with billions of AIRs, integrated with 2) AIR germline allele, genotype, haplotype, and population genetic data from the OGRDB and …

We demonstrate the pioneering use of a quantum interferometer with x-rays, highlighting its effectiveness in precisely measuring the phase accumulated in opaque media. Our work uncovers novel opportunities for measuring sub-Angstrom optical-path differences.

Magnetic sensors based on the planar Hall effect (PHE) are attractive for applications where sub nano-Tesla field resolution is required. Here we present detailed noise study of PHE sensors made of two crossing masnetic ellipses that measure two axes of the magnetic field in the sensor plane with equivalent magnetic noise level better than 350 at 10 Hz in exactly the same region while keeping the size and noise level of a single axis sensor.

Stress granules (SGs) are cytoplasmic assemblies formed under various stress conditions as a consequence of translation arrest. SGs contain RNA-binding proteins, ribosomal subunits and messenger RNAs (mRNAs). It is well known that mRNAs contribute to SG formation; however, the connection between SG assembly and nuclear processes that involve mRNAs is not well established. Here, we examine the effects of inhibiting mRNA transcription, splicing and export on the assembly of SGs and the related cytoplasmic P body (PB). We demonstrate that inhibition of mRNA transcription, splicing and export reduces the formation of canonical SGs in a eukaryotic initiation factor 2α phosphorylation-independent manner, and alters PB size and quantity. We find that the splicing inhibitor madrasin promotes the assembly of stress-like granules. We show that the addition of synthetic mRNAs directly to the cytoplasm …

Enhancing the reproducibility and comprehension of adaptive immune receptor repertoire sequencing (AIRR-seq) data analysis is critical for scientific progress. This study presents guidelines for reproducible AIRR-seq data analysis, and a collection of ready-to-use pipelines with comprehensive documentation. To this end, ten common pipelines were implemented using ViaFoundry, a user-friendly interface for pipeline management and automation. This is accompanied by versioned containers, documentation and archiving capabilities. The automation of pre-processing analysis steps and the ability to modify pipeline parameters according to specific research needs are emphasized. AIRR-seq data analysis is highly sensitive to varying parameters and setups; using the guidelines presented here, the ability to reproduce previously published results is demonstrated. This work promotes transparency …

Chiral induction of chiral crystals attracts significant attention due to its implications for developing chiral materials and understanding mechanisms of symmetry breaking enantioselective crystallization of naturally chiral inorganic crystals and their potential use in chiral discrimination, which are, however, largely unexplored. Here, we investigate the chiral induction during the crystallization of naturally chiral Ag2CO3 crystals using arginine amino acid as the chiral inducer. The chiral nature of Ag2CO3 was evaluated using various techniques. Chiral crystals exhibited chiral selective binding toward different amino acid enantiomers. The significant selectivity in adsorption was confirmed by circular dichroism, high-performance liquid chromatography, and isothermal titration calorimetry. Understanding chiral induction in crystal growth may open avenues for the controlled assembly of chiral materials and the development …

Layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are considered among the next-generation materials for gas sensing. Here, we report exfoliated 2 H-WS 2 nanosheets for the fabrication of highly performing NO 2 sensors. Thermal annealing at several temperatures was performed to investigate the oxidation of WS 2. The long-term stability of 2 H-WS 2 bulk was verified. Using droplet variation method, three batches of conductometric sensors from 2 H-WS 2 dispersions were fabricated on electrical transducers, namely two layers (2 L), five layers (5 L) and ten layers (10 L) WS 2 nanosheets. These sensors were tested towards low NO 2 concentrations at different temperatures (Room Temperature (20℃), 50℃ and 100℃) and relative humidity (RH) levels (20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 90% RH). 2 L-WS 2 based sensor showed the highest response at room temperature (RT). Excellent repeatability (4 cycles) towards 1 …

Magnetic field-induced changes in the electrical resistance of materials reveal insights into the fundamental properties governing their electronic and magnetic behavior. Various classes of magnetoresistance have been realized, including giant, colossal, and extraordinary magnetoresistance, each with distinct physical origins. In recent years, extreme magnetoresistance (XMR) has been observed in topological and non-topological materials displaying a non-saturating magnetoresistance reaching 103−108% in magnetic fields up to 60 T. XMR is often intimately linked to a gapless band structure with steep bands and charge compensation. Here, we show that a linear XMR of 80,000% at 15 T and 2 K emerges at the high-mobility interface between the large band-gap oxides γ-Al2O3 and SrTiO3. Despite the chemically and electronically very dissimilar environment, the temperature/field phase diagrams of γ-Al2O …

コクヨ 品番 CR-G211F4HSN24-V 回転イス レグノ 2 ローバックサークル肘 W600xD600xH825 コクヨ 品番 CR-G211F4HSN24-V 回転イス レグノ 2 ローバックサークル肘 W600xD600xH825

Terpene Synthases (TPS) catalyze the formation of multicyclic, complex terpenes and terpenoids from linear substrates. Molecular docking is an important research tool that can further our understanding of TPS multistep mechanisms and guide enzyme design. Standard docking programs are not well suited to tackle the unique challenges of TPS, like the many chemical steps which form multiple stereo-centers, the weak dispersion interactions between the isoprenoid chain and the hydrophobic region of the active site, description of carbocation intermediates, and finding mechanistically meaningful sets of docked poses. To address these and other unique challenges, we developed the multistate, multiscale docking program EnzyDock and used it to study many TPS and other enzymes. In this review we discuss the unique challenges of TPS, the special features of EnzyDock developed to address these challenges and demonstrate its successful use in ongoing research on the bacterial TPS CotB2.

Insertion of hydrophobic nanoparticles into phospholipid bilayers is limited to small particles that can incorporate into a hydrophobic membrane core between two lipid leaflets. Incorporation of nanoparticles above this size limit requires the development of challenging surface engineering methodologies. In principle, increasing the long-chain lipid component in the lipid mixture should facilitate incorporation of larger nanoparticles. Here, we explore the effect of incorporating very long phospholipids (C24:1) into small unilamellar vesicles on the membrane insertion efficiency of hydrophobic nanoparticles that are 5–11 nm in diameter. To this end, we improve an existing vesicle preparation protocol and utilized cryogenic electron microscopy imaging to examine the mode of interaction and evaluate the insertion efficiency of membrane-inserted nanoparticles. We also perform classical coarse-grained molecular …

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the necessity of fast, sensitive, and efficient methods to test large populations for respiratory viruses. The “gold standard” molecular assays for detecting respiratory viruses, such as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and reverse transcription qPCR (RT-qPCR), rely on invasive swab samples and require time-consuming and labor-intensive extraction processes. Moreover, the turnaround time for RT-qPCR-based assays is too lengthy for rapid screening. Extraction-free saliva-based methods provide a non-invasive sampling process with a fast turnaround time and are suitable for high-throughput applications. However, when used with a standard RT-qPCR system, the absence of extraction significantly reduces the assays’ sensitivity. Here, using a novel optical modulation biosensing (OMB) platform, we developed a rapid and highly sensitive extraction-free saliva …

Insertion of hydrophobic nanoparticles into phospholipid bilayers is limited to small particles that can incorporate into a hydrophobic membrane core between two lipid leaflets. Incorporation of nanoparticles above this size limit requires the development of challenging surface engineering methodologies. In principle, increasing the long-chain lipid component in the lipid mixture should facilitate incorporation of larger nanoparticles. Here, we explore the effect of incorporating very long phospholipids (C24:1) into small unilamellar vesicles on the membrane insertion efficiency of hydrophobic nanoparticles that are 5–11 nm in diameter. To this end, we improve an existing vesicle preparation protocol and utilized cryogenic electron microscopy imaging to examine the mode of interaction and evaluate the insertion efficiency of membrane-inserted nanoparticles. We also perform classical coarse-grained molecular …

Materials that transition between metal and insulator, the two opposing states that distinguish all solids, are fascinating because they underlie many mysteries in the physics of the solid state. In 1T-TaS, the metal-insulator transition is linked to a series of metastable states of a chiral charge density wave whose basic nature is still an open question. In this work, we show that pulses of current through these materials create current-carrying boundary channels that distinguish the metallic and insulating states. We demonstrate electrical control of these channels' properties, suggesting their formation could be due to the complex interplay of the formation of domain walls and the viscous flow of electrons. Our findings show that physical boundaries play a key role in the properties of the metastable states of the metal-insulator transition, highlighting new possibilities for in-situ electrical design and active manipulation of electrical components.