Phase separation and transcriptional regulation in cancer development

Liquid-liquid phase separation,a novel biochemical phenomenon,has been increasingly studied for its medical applications.It underlies the formation of membrane-less organelles and is involved in many cellular and biological processes.During transcriptional regulation,dynamic condensates are formed through interactions between transcriptional elements,such as transcription factors,coactivators,and mediators.Cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell proliferation,but the precise mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis often remain to be elucidated.Emerging evidence has linked abnormal transcriptional condensates to several diseases,especially cancer,implying that phase separation plays an important role in tumorigenesis.Condensates formed by phase separation may have an effect on gene transcription in tumors.In the present review,we focus on the correlation between phase separation and transcriptional regulation,as well as how this phenomenon contributes to cancer development.

Enhancement of vertical phase separation in sequentially deposited organic photovoltaics through the independent processing of additives

Herein,the impact of the independent control of processing additives on vertical phase separation in sequentially deposited (SD) organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and its subsequent effects on charge carrier kinetics at the electron donor-acceptor interface are investigated.The film morphology exhibits notable variations,significantly depending on the layer to which 1,8-diiodooctane (DIO) was applied.Grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering analysis reveals distinctly separated donor/acceptor phases and vertical crystallinity details in SD films.Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis is employed to obtain component distributions in diverse vertical phase structures of SD films depending on additive control.In addition,nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy shows that DIO control significantly affects the dynamics of separated charges in SD films.In SD OPVs,DIO appears to act through distinct mechanisms with minimal restriction,depending on the applied layer.This study emphasizes the significance of morphological optimization in improving device performance and underscores the importance of independent additive control in the advancement of OPV technology.

Fluorinated semi-interpenetrating polymer networks for enhancing the mechanical performance and storage stability of polymer-bonded explosives by controlling curing and phase separation rates

Herein, the effect of fluoropolymer binders on the properties of polymer-bonded explosives(PBXs) was comprehensively investigated. To this end, fluorinated semi-interpenetrating polymer networks(semiIPNs) were prepared using different catalyst amounts(denoted as F23-CLF-30-D). The involved curing and phase separation processes were monitored using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, a haze meter and a rheometer. Curing rate constant and activation energy were calculated using a theoretical model and numerical method, respectively. Results revealed that owing to its co-continuous micro-phase separation structure, the F23-CLF-30-D3 semi-IPN exhibited considerably higher tensile strength and elongation at break than pure fluororubber F2314 and the F23-CLF-30-D0 semi-IPN because the phase separation and curing rates matched in the initial stage of curing.An arc Brazilian test revealed that F23-CLF-30-D-based composites used as mock materials for PBXs exhibited excellent mechanical performance and storage stability. Thus, the matched curing and phase separation rates play a crucial role during the fabrication of high-performance semi-IPNs;these factors can be feasibly controlled using an appropriate catalyst amount.

Physical information-enhanced graph neural network for predicting phase separation

Although phase separation is a ubiquitous phenomenon, the interactions between multiple components make it difficult to accurately model and predict. In recent years, machine learning has been widely used in physics simulations. Here,we present a physical information-enhanced graph neural network(PIENet) to simulate and predict the evolution of phase separation. The accuracy of our model in predicting particle positions is improved by 40.3% and 51.77% compared with CNN and SVM respectively. Moreover, we design an order parameter based on local density to measure the evolution of phase separation and analyze the systematic changes with different repulsion coefficients and different Schmidt numbers.The results demonstrate that our model can achieve long-term accurate predictions of order parameters without requiring complex handcrafted features. These results prove that graph neural networks can become new tools and methods for predicting the structure and properties of complex physical systems.

A Cu-Pd alloy catalyst with partial phase separation for the electrochemical CO_(2) reduction reaction

Cu catalysts can convert CO_(2) through an electrochemical reduction reaction into a variety of useful carbon-based products.However,this capability provides an obstacle to increasing the selectivity for a single product.Herein,we report a simple fabrication method for a Cu-Pd alloy catalyst for use in a membrane electrode assembly(MEA)-based CO_(2) electrolyzer for the electrochemical CO_(2) reduction reaction(ECRR)with high selectivity for CO production.When the composition of the Cu-Pd alloy catalyst was fabricated at 6:4,the selectivity for CO increased and the production of multi-carbon compounds and hydrogen is suppressed.Introducing a Cu-Pd alloy catalyst with 6:4 ratio as the cathode of the MEAbased CO_(2) electrolyzer showed a CO faradaic efficiency of 92.8%at 2.4 V_(cell).We assumed that these results contributed from the crystal planes on the surface of the Cu-Pd alloy.The phases of the Cu-Pd alloy catalyst were partially separated through annealing to fabricate a catalyst with high selectivity for CO at low voltage and C_(2)H_4 at high voltage.The results of CO-stripping testing confirmed that when Cu partially separates from the lattice of the Cu-Pd alloy,the desorption of~*CO is suppressed,suggesting that C-C coupling reaction is favored.

Recent applications and chiral separation development based on stationary phases in open tubular capillary electrochromatography(2019–2022)

Capillary electrochromatography(CEC)plays a significant role in chiral separation via the double separation principle,partition coefficient difference between the two phases,and electroosmotic flow-driven separation.Given the distinct properties of the inner wall stationary phase(SP),the separation ability of each SP differs from one another.Particularly,it provides large room for promising applications of open tubular capillary electrochromatography(OT-CEC).We divided the OT-CEC SPs developed over the past four years into six types:ionic liquids,nanoparticle materials,microporous materials,biomaterials,non-nanopolymers,and others,to mainly introduce their characteristics in chiral drug separation.There also added a few classic SPs that occurred within ten years as supplements to enrich the features of each SP.Additionally,we discuss their applications in metabolomics,food,cosmetics,environment,and biology as analytes in addition to chiral drugs.OT-CEC plays an increasingly significant role in chiral separation and may promote the development of capillary electrophoresis(CE)combined with other instruments in recent years,such as CE with mass spectrometry(CE/MS)and CE with ultraviolet light detector(CE/UV).

Sludge granulation and efficiency of phase separator in UASB reactor treating combined industrial effluent

Sludge granulation and the effect of gas-liquid-solid separator （GLSS） design on the efficiency of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket （UASB） and upflow anaerobic sludge filter （UASF） reactors, operating at HRTs ranging from 3 to 12 h was investigated. VSS/TS ratio gradually increased in both the reactors with increasing sludge age （from 0.5 to more than 0.7 for UASB reactor and 0.012 to 0.043 for UASF reactor）. X-Ray diffraction analysis of the UASF sludge showed the presence of expanding clays revealing its additional absorption capability. Fuoraphyllite and albite precipitation related to excellular polymers of the microbial shell structure, showed the extended growth of microorganisms during sludge granulation. A gradual decrease （82%-69%） in COD removal with decreasing HRT was apparent in UASF reactor. In case of UASB reactor, this decrease was marginal because addition of GLSS device significantly improved （14%-20%） the overall efficiency of the UASB reactor. GLSS enhanced the efficiency of the UASB reactor by increasing the settleability of suspended particles and accelerating the coagulation of colloidal particles due to the velocity gradient.

A phase inversion based sponge-like polysulfonamide/SiO_2 composite separator for high performance lithium-ion batteries

In this work,a sponge-like polysulfonamide(PSA)/SiO_2 composite membrane is unprecedentedly prepared by the phase inversion method,and successfully demonstrated as a novel separator of lithium-ion batteries(LIBs).Compared to the commercial polypropylene(PP) separator,the sponge-like PSA/SiO_2 composite possesses better physical and electrochemical properties,such as higher porosity,ionic conductivity,thermal stability and flame retarding ability.The LiCoO_2/Li half-cells using the sponge-like composite separator demonstrate superior rate capability and cyclability over those using the commercial PP separator.Moreover,the sponge-like composite separator can ensure the normal operation of LiCoO_2/Li half-cell at an extremely high temperature of 90 °C,while the commercial PP separator cannot.All these encouraging results suggest that this phase inversion based sponge-like PSA/SiO_2 composite separator is really a promising separator for high performance LIBs.

Binary fluids in mesoporous materials: Phase separation studied by NMR relaxation and diffusion

Relaxation and diffusion measurements were carried out on single and binary liquids filling the pore space of controlled porous glass Vycor with an average pore size of about 4 nm.The dispersion of the longitudinal relaxation time Tr is discussed as a means to identify liquid-surface interaction based on existing models developed for metal-free glass surfaces.In addition,the change of T1 and T2 with respect to their bulk values is discussed,in particular T2 serves as a probe for the strength of molecular interactions.As the native glass surface is polar and contains a large amount of hydroxyl groups,a pronounced interaction of polar and protic adsorbate liquids is expected;however,the T dispersion,and the corresponding reduction of T2,are also observed for non-polar liquids such as alkanes and cyclohexane.Deuterated liquids are employed for simplifying data analysis in binary systems,but also for separating the respective contributions of intra-and intermolecular interactions to the overall relaxation rate.Despite the lack of paramagnetic impurities in the glass material,H and 2H relaxation dispersions of equivalent molecules are frequently found to differ from each other,suggesting intermolecular relaxation mechanisms for the'H nuclei.The variation of the T dispersion when comparing single and binary systems gives clear evidence for the preferential adsorption of one of the two liquids,suggesting complete phase separation in several cases.Measurement of the apparent tortuosity by self-diffusion experiments supports the concept of a local variation of sample composition within the porespace.

Performance analysis of gas-liquid cylindrical cyclone (GLCC) separator with an inclined and perforated wall

As primary separators in pressurized water reactors (PWRs), cyclone separators separate most of the water from vapor-water two-phase mixture, which is important to the safety and economics of nuclear power plants. To improve the performance of cyclone separators, we tested new structures in this study, e.g. porosity and inclined angle of the separator wall. Under different structures, separation efficiency and pressure drop were studied theoretically and experimentally. Results show that each of the structural parameters has an effect on separator performance, but none of the trends is monotonically in experimental ranges. Besides separator structures, the comprehensive performance is also determined by flow patterns. From segregated to homogeneous flow, the separation ability decreases. The separation efficiency is about 5% higher at 20° inclined angle when the superficial velocities are 0.012 and 16 m·s-1 for the liquid and gas, respectively. The separation efficiency is only 91% without an impeller, while it is up to 100% at the same superficial velocities of air and water, 16 and 0.015 m·s-1 , respectively. Based on the study, it is promising to understand deeply the separation mechanism and further to provide data for designing large-scaled separators for advanced pressurized water reactors.

Numerical Simulation Study of Oil-Water Emulsion Separation in an Ultrasonic Field:Effect of Coupling between Acoustic and Flow Field Parameters

In this study,the separation and coalescence of oil-in-water emulsions are explored in an ultrasonic field using the lattice Boltzmann method.By simulating the propagation of ultrasonic waves,this study focuses on examining the effects of acoustic wave frequency,the ratio of oil to water components,and the aspect ratio of the boundary on the emulsification and separation processes of oil-water mixtures.The following conclusions are drawn.①Frequency affects the speed of oil droplet separation,leading to an increase in droplet size over time.Larger droplets are found near the source,while smaller droplets are distributed throughout the wave web.②As the boundary aspect ratio increases,the emulsification efficiency of the droplets weakens,and the system takes longer to stabilize.③Emulsions with a higher component of oil can better resist acoustic waves.④At the same acoustic frequency,longer wavelength ultrasonic fields promote the formation of uniformly distributed,smaller oil droplets,which is beneficial to the storage of emulsions.These numerical simulation results offer insights for optimizing conditions for oil-in-water separation and serve as a numerical reference for the study of oil-in-water emulsion separation in ultrasonic environments.

Recent progress in ternary mixed matrix membranes for CO_(2) separation

Mixed matrix membranes(MMMs)could combine the advantages of both polymeric membranes and porousfillers,making them an effective alternative to conventional polymer membranes.However,interfacial incompatibility issues,such as the presence of interfacial voids,hardening of polymer chains,and blockage of micropores by polymers between common MMMsfillers and the polymer matrix,currently limit the gas sep-aration performance of MMMs.Ternary phase MMMs(consisting of afiller,an additive,and a matrix)made by adding a third compound,usually functionalized additives,can overcome the structural problems of binary phase MMMs and positively impact membrane separation performance.This review introduces the structure and fabrication processes for ternary MMMs,categorizes various nanofillers and the third component,and summarizes and analyzes in detail the CO_(2) separation performance of newly developed ternary MMMs based on both rubbery and glassy polymers.Based on this separation data,the challenges of ternary MMMs are also discussed.Finally,future directions for ternary MMMs are proposed.

Solid-state NMR studies of proteins in condensed phases

Some proteins perform their biological functions by changing their material states through liquid-liquid phase separation.Upon phase separation,the protein condenses into a concentrated liquid phase and sometimes into a gel phase,changing its dynamic properties and intermolecular interactions,thereby regulating cellular functions.Although the biological significance of this phenomenon has been widely recognized by researchers,there is still a lack of a comprehensive understanding of the structural and dynamic properties of the protein in the condensed phase.In this phase,molecules usually contain domains with varied dynamic properties and undergo intermediate exchanges.Magic angle spinning(MAS)solid-state NMR(SSNMR)experiments are very powerful in studying rigid protein polymers such as amyloid.The incorporation of solution-like experiments into SSNMR and the development of J-coupling based MAS SSNMR techniques extend its ability to study partially mobile segments of proteins in a condensed liquid or gel phase which are not visible by solution NMR or dipolar-coupling based SSNMR.Therefore,it has been applied in studying protein condensation and has provided very important information that is hard to obtain by other techniques.

A Future Life of Binary Phase Diagrams

The article raises the question of what to do with one of the main achievements of metal science in recent years—binary phase diagrams. These diagrams play a key role in the science of alloys and therefore their reliability must be complete. However, the discovery of the “ordering-separation” phase transition, which showed that in binary alloys at certain temperatures the sign of the chemical interatomic interaction changes (and, consequently, the microstructure changes), forces us to reconsider our ideas about those areas. Currently, these areas are designated on diagrams as areas of a “disordered solid solution.” This article proposes, using transmission electron microscopy, to study all the so-called solid solution regions, and apply the results obtained to the studied regions of the phase diagram.

Separation Properties of a New Polysiloxane-Anchored β-Cyclodextrin Derivative as Gas Chromatography Stationary Phase

A new capillary gas chromatography stationary phase, monokis (2,6 di O benzyl 3 O propyl (3’)) hexakis(2,6 di O benzyl 3 O methyl) β CD bonded polysiloxane, was synthesized. It exhibited separation abilities to disubstituted benzene isomers and some chiral solutes. It was also found that the polarity of CD derivatives can be lowered both by chemically bonding it to polysiloxane and by diluting it in polysiloxane. The separation abilities of the polysiloxane anchored CDs (SP CD) are higher than that of the unbonded CDs (S CD) and the diluted S CD at lower column temperature. Hydrosilylation reaction is one of the best methods to lower the operating temperature of CDs.

Time-resolved photoluminescence of anatase/rutile TiO_2 phase junction revealing charge separation dynamics

Junctions are an important structure that allows charge separation in solar cells and photocatalysts. Here, we studied the charge transfer at an anatase/rutile TiO2 phase junction using time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. Visible （-S00 nm） and near-infrared （NIR, -830 nm） emissions were monitored to give insight into the photoinduced charges of anatase and rutile in the junction, respectively, New fast photoluminescence decay components appeared in the visible emission of futile-phase dominated TiO2 and in the NIR emission of many mixed phase TiO2samples. The fast decays confirmed that the charge separation occurred at the phase junction. The visible emission intensity from the mixed phase TiO2 increased, revealing that charge transfer from rutile to anatase was the main pathway. The charge separation slowed the microsecond time scale photolumines- cence decay rate for charge carriers in both anatase and rutile. However, the millisecond decay of the charge carriers in anatase TiO2 was accelerated, while there was almost no change in the charge carrier dynamics of rutile TiO2. Thus, charge separation at the anatase/rutile phase junction caused an increase in the charge carrier concentration on a microsecond time scale, because of slower electron-hole recombination. The enhanced photocatalytic activity previously observed at ana- tase/rutile phase junctions is likely caused by the improved charge carrier dynamics we report here. These findings may contribute to the development of improved photocatalytic materials.

Magnetically induced phase separation in the fcc phase and thermodynamic calculations of phase equilibria of the Co-Cr system

Two-phase equilibria between the ferromagnetic fcc and the paramagnetic fcc phase from 800 ℃ to 900 ℃ in the Co-rich region have been detected by the diffusion couple technique. Two phase separation region of the fcc has been confirmed along the Curie temperature.The phase equilibria including the present results and the thermodynamic data of the Co-Cr system reported in the literature were analyzed on the basis of the thermodynamic evaluation. A set of thermodynamic values for the liquid, fcc, hcp, bcc, sigma phases was obtained. The calculated phase equilibria were in good agreement with most of the experimental data.

Construction of Renewable Superhydrophobic Surfaces via Thermally Induced Phase Separation and Mechanical Peeling

We report a simple preparation method of a renewable superhydrophobic surface by thermally induced phase separation （TIPS） and mechanical peeling. Porous polyvinylidene fluoride （PVDF） membranes with hierarchical structures were prepared by a TIPS process under different cooling conditions, which were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and mercury intrusion porosimetry. After peeling off the top layer, rough structures with hundreds of nanometers to several microns were obtained. A digital microscopy determines that the surface roughness of peeled PVDF membranes is much higher than that of the original PVDF membrane, which is important to obtain the superhydrophobicity. Water contact angle and sliding angle measurements demonstrate that the peeled membrane surfaces display super- hydrophobicity with a high contact angle （152°） and a low sliding angle （7.2°）. Moreover, the superhydrophobicity can be easily recovered for many times by a simple mechanical peeling, identical to the original superhydrophobicity. This simple preparation method is low cost, and suitable for large-scale industrialization, which may offer more opportunities for practical applications.

Microporous carbon nanofibers prepared by combining electrospinning and phase separation methods for supercapacitor

Microporous carbon nanofibers (MCNFs) derived from polyacrylonitrile nanofibers were fabricated via electrospinning technology and phase separation in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). PVP together with a mixed solvent of N, N-Dimethylformamide and dimethyl sulfoxide was used as pore forming agent. The influences of PVP content in casting solution on the structure and electrochemical performance of the MCNFs were also investigated. The highest capacitance of 200 F/g was obtained on a three-electrode system at a scan rate of 0.5 A/g. The good performance was owing to the high specific surface area and the large amount of micro-pores, which enhanced the absorption and the transportation efficiency of electrolyte ion during charge/discharge process. This research indicated that the combination of electrospinning and phase separation technology could be used to fabricate microporous carbon nanofibers as electrode materials for supercapacitors with high specific surface area and outstanding electrochemical performance. (C) 2016 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press. All rights reserved.

Exchange Bias Effect in Phase Separated La0.33Pr0.34Ca0.33MnO3 Thin Films

Exchange bias effect is observed in the phase separated La0.33Pr0.34Ca0.33MnO3 thin films. High exchange bias field of about 1 kOe is achieved at 4 K. The exchange bias effect in La0.33Pr0.34Ca0.33MnO3 thin films might originate from the intrinsic phase separation of the La0.33Pr0.34Ca0.33MnO3 or surface effect. The dependence of exchange bias effect on temperature, cooling field, and thickness is also investigated. This work would open an avenue to the application in the magnetic memory devices based on the phase separated manganites.