Degradable Protein-loaded Polymer Capsules Fabricated by Thiol-disulfide Cross-linking Reaction at Liquid-liquid Interface

In these years, the encapsulation of proteins for protection and delivery purpose has attracted great interest. In this research,W/O emulsion droplets were used as soft templates and bovine serum albumin(BSA) encapsulated hollow capsules were prepared by liquid-liquid interfacial thiol-disulfide exchange reaction. Block copolymer chains with pendant pyridyl disulfide groups are located at liquid-liquid interface, and upon addition of a macromolecular crosslinking agent with multiple pendant thiol groups into an emulsion,thiol-disulfide interfacial crosslinking reactions lead to the formation of BSA encapsulated hollow capsules. The cleavage of disulfides on the membranes results in the degradation of hollow structures and the release of encapsulated protein molecules. Transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and confocal laser scanning microscopy were employed to characterize the hollow capsules. In comparison with native BSA, BSA molecules encapsulated in the hollow structures show higher catalytic efficiency due to higher local concentration of reactants in the structures. The membranes of the hollow capsules can efficiently protect the encapsulated BSA from hydrolysis by trypsin.

From VIB‑to VB‑Group Transition Metal Disulfides:Structure Engineering Modulation for Superior Electromagnetic Wave Absorption

The laminated transition metal disulfides(TMDs),which are well known as typical two-dimensional(2D)semiconductive materials,possess a unique layered structure,leading to their wide-spread applications in various fields,such as catalysis,energy storage,sensing,etc.In recent years,a lot of research work on TMDs based functional materials in the fields of electromagnetic wave absorption(EMA)has been carried out.Therefore,it is of great significance to elaborate the influence of TMDs on EMA in time to speed up the application.In this review,recent advances in the development of electromagnetic wave(EMW)absorbers based on TMDs,ranging from the VIB group to the VB group are summarized.Their compositions,microstructures,electronic properties,and synthesis methods are presented in detail.Particularly,the modulation of structure engineering from the aspects of heterostructures,defects,morphologies and phases are systematically summarized,focusing on optimizing impedance matching and increasing dielectric and magnetic losses in the EMA materials with tunable EMW absorption performance.Milestones as well as the challenges are also identified to guide the design of new TMDs based dielectric EMA materials with high performance.

Unraveling high efficiency multi-step sodium storage and bidirectional redox kinetics synergy mechanism of cobalt-doping vanadium disulfide anode

Sodium-based storage devices based on conversion-type metal sulfide anodes have attracted great atten-tion due to their multivalent ion redox reaction ability.However,they also suffer from sodium polysul-fides(NaPSs)shuttling problems during the sluggish Na^(+) redox process,leading to"voltage failure"and rapid capacity decay.Herein,a metal cobalt-doping vanadium disulfide(Co-VS_(2))is proposed to simulta-neously accelerate the electrochemical reaction of VS_(2) and enhance the bidirectional redox of soluble NaPSs.It is found that the strong adsorption of NaPSs by V-Co alloy nanoparticles formed in situ during the conversion reaction of Co-VS_(2) can effectively inhibit the dissolution and shuttle of NaPSs,and ther-modynamically reduce the formation energy barrier of the reaction path to effectively drive the complete conversion reaction,while the metal transition of Co elements enhances reconversion kinetics to achieve high reversibility.Moreover,Co-VS_(2) also produce abundant sulfur vacancies and unsaturated sulfur edge defects,significantly improve ionic/electron diffusion kinetics.Therefore,the Co-VS_(2) anode exhibits ultrahigh rate capability(562 mA h g^(-1) at 5 A g^(-1)),high initial coulombic efficiency(~90%)and 12,000 ultralong cycle life with capacity retention of 90%in sodium-ion batteries(SIBs),as well as impressive energy/power density(118 Wh kg^(-1)/31,250 W kg^(-1))and over 10.000 stable cycles in sodium-ion hybrid capacitors(SIHCs).Moreover,the pouch cell-type SIHC displays a high-energy density of 102 Wh kg^(-1) and exceed 600 stable cycles.This work deepens the understanding of the electrochemical reaction mechanism of conversion-type metal sulfide anodes and provides a valuable solution to the shuttlingofNaPSs inSIBsandSIHCs.

Protein Disulfide Isomerase and Its Potential Function on Endoplasmic Reticulum Quality Control in Diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum

PDI is a molecular chaperone and plays an important role in Endoplasmic Reticulum quality control (ERQC).PDI participates in the refolding of the misfolded/unfolded proteins to maintain cellular homeostasis under differentstresses. However, bioinformatic characteristics and potential functions of PDIs in diatom Phaeodactylumtricornutum (Pt) are still unknown so far. Hence, the genome-wide characteristics of PtPDI proteins in P. tricornutumwere first studied via bioinformatic and transcriptomic methods. 42 PtPDI genes were identified from thegenome of P. tricornutum. The motif, protein structure, classification, number of introns, phylogenetic relationship,and the expression level of 42 PtPDI genes under the tunicamycin stress were analyzed. A pair of tandemduplicated genes (PtPDI15 and PtPDI18) was observed in P. tricornutum. The 42 PtPDIs with different genecharacteristics were divided into three independent clades, indicating different evolutional relationships and functionsof these PtPDIs. The 14 up-regulated PtPDI genes under the tunicamycin treatment might have a positiveeffect on the ER quality control of the unfolded/misfolded proteins, while the 7 down-regulated PtPDIs mightnegatively affect the ERQC. The characteristics of all 42 PtPDIs and their proposed working model here providea comprehensive understanding of the PtPDIs gene family. The differential expression of 21 PtPDIs will be usefulfor further functional study in the ERQC.

Early changes in corneal densitometry after FS-LASIK combined with accelerated corneal cross-linking for correction of high myopia

AIM:To observe the effects of femtosecond laserassisted excimer laser in situ keratomileusis combined with accelerated corneal cross-linking(FS-LASIK Xtra)on corneal densitometry after correcting for high myopia.METHODS:In this prospectively study,130 patients underwent FS-LASIK or FS-LASIK Xtra for high myopia.Their right eyes were selected for inclusion in the study,of which 65 cases of 65 eyes in the FS-LASIK group,65 patients with 65 eyes in the FS-LASIK Xtra group.Patients were evaluated for corneal densitometry at 1,3,and 6mo postoperatively using Pentacam Scheimpflug imaging.RESULTS:Preoperative differences in corneal densitometry between the FS-LASIK and FS-LASIK Xtra groups in different ranges were not statistically significant(P>0.05).Layer-by-layer analysis revealed statistically significant differences in the anterior(120μm),central,and total layer corneal densitometry between the FS-LASIK and FS-LASIK Xtra groups at 1 and 3mo postoperatively(all P<0.05),the FS-LASIK Xtra group is higher than that of the FS-LASIK group.Analysis of different diameter ranges showed statistically significant differences between the FS-LASIK group and the FS-LASIK Xtra group at 1mo postoperatively in the ranges of 0–2,2–6,and 6–10 mm(both P<0.05);At 3mo postoperatively,the FS-LASIK Xtra group is higher than that of the FS-LASIK group in the ranges of 0–2 and 2–6 mm(P<0.05).At 6mo postoperatively,there were no statistically significant differences in corneal densitometry between the FS-LASIK group and the FS-LASIK Xtra group in different diameter ranges(all P>0.05).CONCLUSION:There is an increase in internal corneal densitometry during the early postoperative period after FS-LASIK Xtra for correction of high myopia.However,the densitometry values decreased to the level of conventional FS-LASIK at 6mo after surgery,with the most significant changes observed in the superficial central zone.

Heterostructural NiFeW disulfide and hydroxide dual‐trimetallic core‐shell nanosheets for synergistically effective water oxidatio

A stable and highly active core‐shell heterostructure electrocatalyst is essential for catalyzing oxygen evolution reaction(OER).Here,a dual‐trimetallic core‐shell heterostructure OER electrocatalyst that consists of a NiFeWS_(2) inner core and an amorphous NiFeW(OH)_(z)outer shell is designed and synthesized using in situ electrochemical tuning.The electrochemical measurements of different as‐synthesized catalysts with a similar mass loading suggest that the core‐shell Ni_(0.66)Fe_(0.17)W_(0.17)S_(2)@amorphous NiFeW(OH)_(z) nanosheets exhibit the highest overall performance compared with that of other bimetallic reference catalysts for the OER.Additionally,the nanosheet arrays were in situ grown on hydrophilic‐treated carbon paper to fabricate an integrated three‐dimensional electrode that affords a current density of 10 mA cm^(−2) at a small overpotential of 182 mV and a low Tafel slope of 35 mV decade^(−1) in basic media.The Faradaic efficiency of core‐shell Ni_(0.66)Fe_(0.17)W_(0.17)S_(2)@amorphous NiFeW(OH)_(z) is as high as 99.5% for OER.The scanning electron microscope,transmission electron microscope,and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses confirm that this electrode has excellent stability in morphology and elementary composition after long‐term electrochemical measurements.Importantly,density functional theory calculations further indicate that the core‐shell heterojunction increased the conductivity of the catalyst,optimized the adsorption energy of the OER intermediates,and improved the OER activity.This study provides a universal strategy for designing more active core‐shell structure electrocatalysts based on the rule of coordinated regulation between electronic transport and active sites.

A Self-Healing and Nonflammable Cross-Linked Network Polymer Electrolyte with the Combination of Hydrogen Bonds and Dynamic Disulfide Bonds for Lithium Metal Batteries

The self-healing solid polymer electrolytes(SHSPEs)can spontaneously eliminate mechanical damages or micro-cracks generated during the assembly or operation of lithium-ion batteries(LIBs),significantly improving cycling performance and extending service life of LIBs.Here,we report a novel cross-linked network SHSPE(PDDP)containing hydrogen bonds and dynamic disulfide bonds with excellent self-healing properties and nonflammability.The combination of hydrogen bonding between urea groups and the metathesis reaction of dynamic disulfide bonds endows PDDP with rapid self-healing capacity at 28°C without external stimulation.Furthermore,the addition of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide(EMIMTFSI)improves the ionic conductivity(1.13×10^(−4)S cm^(−1)at 28°C)and non-flammability of PDDP.The assembled Li/PDDP/LiFePO_(4)cell exhibits excellent cycling performance with a discharge capacity of 137 mA h g^(−1)after 300 cycles at 0.2 C.More importantly,the self-healed PDDP can recover almost the same ionic conductivity and cycling performance as the original PDDP.

Bioinformatics Analysis and Homology Modeling Study of Protein Disulfide Isomerase(mPDI) from Medicago sativa L.

pdi gene from Medicago sativa L. ,encoding Protein Disulfide Isomerase（ mPDI ）, has been cloned and sequenced. According to the mRNA and amino acid sequence, the character of mPDI such as the physical and chemical properties, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, signal peptide, secondary structure, coiled coil, transmembrane domains, O-glycogylation site, active site, subcellular localization, functional structural domains and three-dimensional structure were analyzed by a series of bioinformatics software. The results showed that mPDI was a hydrophobic and stable protein with 3 coiled coils, 30-glycogylation sites, 2 structural domains of thioredoxin, 2 active sites of thioredoxin, and located in rough endoplasmic reticulum. It has 512 amino acids, the theoretical pl is 4.98, and signal peptide located in 1-24AA. In the secondary structure, a-helix, random coil, extended chain is 26.37%, 53.32%, 20.31% respectively. The validation of modeling accords with the stereochemistry.

Simultaneous catalytic hydrolysis of carbonyl sulfide and carbon disulfide over Al_2O_3-K/CAC catalyst at low temperature

In this work, a series of coal-based active carbon （CAC） catalysts loaded by A1203 were prepared by sol-gel method and used for the simulta- neous catalytic hydrolysis of carbonyl sulfide （COS） and carbon disulfide （CS2） at relatively low temperatures of 30-70 ℃. The influences of calcinations temperatures and operation conditions such as： reaction temperature, 02 concentration, gas hourly space velocity （GHSV） and relative humidity （RH） were also discussed respectively. The results showed that catalysts with 5.0 wt% A1203 calcined at 300 ℃ had supe- rior activity for the simultaneous catalytic hydrolysis of COS and CS2. When the reaction temperature was above 50 ℃, catalytic hydrolysis activity of COS could be enhanced but that of CS2 was inhibited. Too high RH could make the catalytic hydrolysis activities of COS and CS2 decrease. A small amount of 02 introduction could enhance the simultaneous catalytic hydrolysis activities of COS and CS2.

Application of the combination of 1,3-dichloropropene and dimethyl disulfide by soil injection or chemigation: effects against soilborne pests in cucumber in China

The combination of 1,3-dichloropropene＋dimethyl disulfide （1,3-D＋DMDS）, which forms a pre-plant soil fumigant, can provide a substitute for the environmentally unfriendly methyl bromide （MB）. Three greenhouse trials were performed to evaluate the root-knot nematode and soilborne fungi control efficacy in the suburbs of Beijing in China in 2010-2014. Randomized blocks with three replicates were designed in each trial. The combination of 1,3-D＋DMDS （10＋30 g m-2） significantly controlled Meloidogyne incognita, effectively suppressed the infestation of Fusarium oxysporum and Phytophthora spp., and successfully provided high commercial fruit yields （equal to MB but higher than 1,3-D or DMDS）. The fumigant soil treatments were significantly better than the untreated controls. These results indicate that 1,3-D＋DMDS soil treatments can be applied by soil injection or chemigation as a promising MB alternative against soilborne pests in cucumber in China.

Synthesis of nucleoside-peptide conjugate with disulfide bond as linker at C-5 of uridine

In order to prepare pyrimidine nucleoside-peptide conjugate concisely, we developed a one-pot synthetic strategy. Started from uridine, 5-S-acetyl-thiomethyl-2＇,3 ＇-di-O-isopropylidene-uridine （4） was synthesized as the key intermediate in four steps. Under acidic condition, compound 4 was deprotected and reacted with PySS-R （8, 12, 15, Py = 2-pyridyl, R = amino acid or peptide） in one pot to form uridine conjugates （9, 13, 2） with disulfide bond as linker.

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Molybdenum Disulfide for Lithium Ion Battery Applications

Molybdenum disulfide nanoflakes were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal process using sodium molybdate and thiourea as reactants at a relatively low temperature. X-ray diffraction(XRD) and transmission elec-tron microscopy(TEM) indicate that the samples have the structure of 2H-MoS2 and the morphology of nanoflakes with the average thickness around 5-10 nm. The results of electrochemical properties indicate that the morphology and size of MoS2 particles have effects on their capacity when they are used as the anode for lithium ion battery. The as-prepared MoS2 samples have high reversible discharge capacity up to 994.6 mA·h·g-1 for the MoS2-1 elec-trode and 930.1 mA·h·g-1 for the MoS2-2 electrode and show excellent cycling performances. The MoS2-1 electrode has a better cycling stability than the MoS2-2 electrode due to their difference in the uniformity of the samples.

Oxidative modification of caspase-9 facilitates its activation via disulfide-mediated interaction with Apaf-1

Intracellular reactive oxygen species （ROS） are known to regulate apoptosis. Activation of caspase-9, the initial caspase in the mitochondrial apoptotic cascade, is closely associated with ROS, but it is unclear whether ROS regulate caspase-9 via direct oxidative modification. The present study aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which ROS mediate caspase-9 activation. Our results show that the cellular oxidative state facilitates caspase-9 activation. Hydrogen peroxide treatment causes the activation of caspase-9 and apoptosis, and promotes an interac- tion between easpase-9 and apoptotic protease-activating factor 1 （Apaf-1） via disulfide formation. In addition, in an in vitro mitochondria-free system, the thiol-oxidant diamide promotes auto-cleavage of caspase-9 and the caspase-9/ Apaf-1 interaction by facilitating the formation of disulfide-linked complexes. Finally, a point mutation at C403 of caspase-9 impairs both H2O2-promoted caspase-9 activation and interaction with Apaf-1 through the abolition of disulfide formation. The association between cytochrome c and the C403S mutant is significantly weaker than that between cytochrome c and wild-type caspase-9, indicating that oxidative modification of caspase-9 contributes to apoptosome formation under oxidative stress. Taken together, oxidative modification of caspase-9 by ROS can medi- ate its interaction with Apaf-1, and can thus promote its auto-cleavage and activation. This mechanism may facilitate apoptosome formation and caspase-9 activation under oxidative stress.

Preparation of tungsten disulfide motor oil and its tribological characteristics

Through using mineral oil and synthetic oil to deploy the semisynthesis base oil, modifying the surfaces of ultrafine tungsten disulfide grains by surface chemical embellishment and adsorption embellishment to make them suspended steadily in the base oil as solid lubricating additive, and adding some function additives, the tungsten disulfide motor oil was prepared. The tribological characteristics of this kind motor oil and the well-known motor oils in our country and overseas were studied. The results show that the oil film strength of this kind of motor oil is respectively 1.06 and 1.38 times of that of shell helix ultra motor oil and great wall motor oil, and its sintering load is 1.75 and 2.33 times of that of them, and when tested under 392 N, 1 450 r/rain and 30 min, the friction coefficients of friction pairs lubricated by the tungsten disulfide motor oil decrease with the increase of time, meanwhile, the diameter of worn spot is small, and the surface of worn spot is smooth, and no obvious furrows appear. The experiments indicate that the tungsten disulfide motor oil has the better antiwear, antifriction and extreme pressure properties than the well-known motor oils.

PERVAPORATION PROPERTIES OF PDMS MEMBRANES CURED WITH DIFFERENT CROSS-LINKING REAGENTS FOR ETHANOL CONCENTRATION FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS

Ethanol perm-selective PDMS/PVDF composite membranes were prepared by curing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with various cross-linking reagents,such as tetraethoxylsilane(TEOS),γ-aminopropyltriethoxylsilane(APTEOS), phenyltrimethoxylsilane(PTMOS) and octyltrimethoxylsilane(OTMOS) as well.The cross-linking density and surface properties of the PDMS active layer were adjusted by varying cross-linking reagents.The pervaporation performance of PDMS membranes cured with different cross-linking reagents was investig...

Experimental study on the treatment of rabbit corneal melting after alkali burn with Collagen cross-linking

AIM: To evaluate the effect of Collagen cross-linking on the prevention of melting in rabbit corneas after alkali burn. METHODS: Twenty New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into model control group and collagen cross-linking treatment group. The second group of rabbits received collagen cross linked treatment. Both groups were applied with antibiotic eye drops to prevent infection. The corneas were evaluated for melting, opacity, pathological and immunohistochemistry, record the changes when 28 days after the animals were killed. RESULTS: In the control group, 6 out of 8 rabbits showed corneal melting after injury (14 +/- 4) days, while two corneal perforated. In collagen cross-linking treatment group, one rabbit showed corneal melting after injury 23 days, without corneal perforation; corneal dissolution rate between the two groups was significantly different (P <0.05). Pathological examination suggested that in the treatment group, mild corneal edema, mild damage to collagen fibers, inflammatory cell infiltration was significantly less than the control group. Immunohistochemistry showed that corneal collagen fibers arranged in neat rows in the control group. CONCLUSION: Collagen cross-linking treatment not only can prevent and delay the corneal melting after alkali burn, but also can reduce the destruction of corneal collagen fibers and infiltration of inflammatory cells in the corneal tissue.

Visible-light photocatalytic selective aerobic oxidation of thiols to disulfides on anatase TiO2

This work presents the visible-light photocatalytic selective oxidation of thiols to disulfides with molecular oxygen(O2) on anatase TiO2. The high specific surface area of anatase TiO2 proved to be especially critical in conferring high photocatalytic activity. Herein, surface complexation between thiol and TiO2 gives rise to photocatalytic activity under irradiation with 520 nm green light-emitting diodes(LEDs), resulting in excellent reaction activity, substrate scope, and functional group tolerance. The transformation was extremely efficient for the selective oxidation of various thiols, particularly with substrates bearing electron-withdrawing groups(reaction times of less than 10 min). To date, the longest wavelength of visible light that this system can utilize is 520 nm by the surface complex of substrate-TiO2. Importantly, O2 was found to act as the electron and proton acceptor, rather than to incorporate into the substrates. Our findings regarding this surface complex-based photocatalytic system can allow one to understand the interaction between the conduction band electrons and O2.

Radiation-induced cross-linking:a novel avenue to permanent 3D modification of polymeric membranes

Membrane fouling is always the biggest problem in the practice of membrane separation technologies,which strongly impacts their applicability,separation efficiency,cost effectiveness,and service lifespan.Herein,a simple but effective 3D modification approach was designed for permanently functionalizing polymeric membranes by directly cross-linking polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)under gamma-ray irradiation at room temperature without any additives.After the modification,a PVA layer was constructed on the membrane surface and the pore inner surface of polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF)membranes.This endowed them with good hydrophilicity,low adsorption of protein model foulants,and easy recoverability properties.In addition,the pore size and distribution were customized by controlling the PVA concentration,which enhanced the rejection ability of the resultant membranes and converted them from microfiltration to ultrafiltration.The crosslinked PVA layer was equipped with the resultant membranes with good resistance to chemical cleaning by acidic,alkaline,and oxidative reagents,which could greatly prolong the membrane service lifetime.Furthermore,this approach was demonstrated as a universal method to modify PVDF membranes with other hydrophilic macromolecular modifiers,including polyethylene glycol,sodium alginate,and polyvinyl pyrrolidone.This modification of the membranes effectively endowed them with good hydrophilicity and antifouling properties,as expected.

Rapid communication Ruthenium disulfide thin films prepared by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method

RuS_2 thin films were prepared by the cost-effective chemicalmethod―successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR). The structural, optical, andelectrical properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy,optical transmittance, and electrical resistivity methods. The results indicate that the films arehomogeneous and dense; the structure of the as-deposited films is amorphous and they crystallizeafter annealed at 500℃ for 30 min. The band gap of the as-deposited films is found to be 1.85 eV,and the electrical resistivity of them is in the order of 10~5 Ω·cm.

A short-term study of corneal collagen cross-linking with hypo-osmolar riboflavin solution in keratoconic corneas

AIM: To report the 3mo outcomes of collagen crosslinking(CXL) with a hypo-osmolar riboflavin in thin corneas with the thinnest thickness less than 400 μm without epithelium.METHODS: Eight eyes in 6 patients with age 26.2±4.8y were included in the study. All patients underwent CXL using a hypo-osmolar riboflavin solution after its de-epithelization. Best corrected visual acuity, manifest refraction, the thinnest corneal thickness, and endothelial cell density were evaluated before and 3mo after the procedure.RESULTS: The mean thinnest thickness of the cornea was 408.5 ±29.0 μm before treatment and reduced to369.8 ±24.8 μm after the removal of epithelium. With the application of the hypo-osmolar riboflavin solution, the thickness increased to 445.0 ±26.5 μm before CXL and recover to 412.5 ±22.7 μm at 3mo after treatment, P =0.659). Before surgery, the mean K-value of the apex of the keratoconus corneas was 57.6 ±4.0 diopters, and slightly decreased(54.7±4.9 diopters) after surgery(P =0.085). Mean best-corrected visual acuity was 0.55 ±0.23 logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution, and increased to 0.53±0.26 logarithm after surgery(P =0.879).The endothelial cell density was 2706.4 ±201.6 cells/mm2 before treatment, and slightly decreased( 2641. 2 ±218.2 cells/mm2) at last fellow up(P =0.002).CONCLUSION: Corneal collagen cross-linking with a hypo-osmolar riboflavin in thin corneas seems to be a promising treatment. Further study should be done to evaluate the safety and efficiency of CXL in thin corneas for the long-term.