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Lysine is a key raw material in the chemical industry owing to its sustainability, mature fermentation process and unique chemical structure, besides being an important nutritional supplement. Multiple commodities can be produced from lysine, which thus inspired various catalytic strategies for the production of these lysine-based chemicals and their downstream applications in functional polymer production. In this review, we present a fundamental and comprehensive study on the catalytic production process of several important lysine-based chemicals and their application in highly valued polymers. Specifically, we first focus on the synthesis process and some of the current industrial production methods of lysine-based chemicals, including ε-caprolactam, α-amino-ε-caprolactam and its derivatives, cadaverine, lysinol and pipecolic acid. Second, the applications and prospects of these lysine-based monomers in functional polymers are discussed such as derived poly (lysine), nylon-56, nylon-6 and its derivatives, which are all of growing interest in pharmaceuticals, human health, textile processes, fire control and electronic manufacturing. We finally conclude with the prospects of the development of both the design and synthesis of new lysine derivatives and the expansion of the as-synthesized lysine-based monomers in potential fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we report on two different GJA8 variants related to congenital eye anomalies in two unrelated families, respectively. GJA8 (or Cx50) encoding a transmembrane protein to form lens connexons has been known as a common causative gene in congenital cataracts and its variants have recently been reported related to a wide phenotypic spectrum of eye defects. We identified two GJA8 variants, c.134G>T (p.Try45Leu, W45L) detected in a cataract family by Sanger sequencing and c.281G>A (p.Gly94Glu, G94E) found in a family with severe eye malformations including microphthalmia by whole-exome sequencing. These two variants were absent in healthy population and predicted deleterious by bioinformatic analysis. Furthermore, we compared the expression in cell lines between these mutants and the wildtype to explore their potential mechanism. Cell counting kit-8 assay showed that overexpression of either W45L or G94E decreased cell viability compared with wild-type Cx50 and the control. A lower protein level in W45L found by western blotting and fewer punctate fluorescent signals showed by fluorescence microscopy suggested that W45L may have less protein expression. A higher G94E protein level and abundant dotted distribution indicated that G94E may cause aberrant protein degradation and accumulation. Such results from in vitro assays confirmed the impact of these two variants and gave us a hint about their different pathogenic roles in different phenotypes. In conclusion, our study is the first to have the functional analysis of two GJA8 variants c.134G>T and c.281G>A in Chinese pedigrees and explore the impact of these variants, which can help in prenatal diagnosis and genetic counseling as well in basic studies on GJA8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of electron beam (EB) irradiation on the properties of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)/ethylene–propylene–diene monomer (EPDM) (50/50) blends was studied. The blends were firstly melt-compounded at 130°C followed with being irradiated using 4.0 MeV EB energy at doses ranging from 0 kGy to 200 kGy. It is found that the dosage of irradiation plays a key role in the properties of the blends. With the increasing dosage of irradiation, tensile strength and thermal stability were enhanced. The irradiation exerts a cross-linking effect on the blends, and the increase in density is responsible for the enhanced properties. Dynamic mechanical and thermal analyses and morphology indicate that irradiation does not play any negative role in the compatibility between EVA and EPDM. Hot set test reveals that irradiation could improve the heat deformation property of blends. Thus, it is reasonable and interesting to modify EVA/EPDM blends using EB irradiation to further increase its properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a single-step thermolysis strategy to prepare highly luminescent nitrogen-doped and amino acid-functionalized graphene quantum dots (NA-GQDs) by using glycine as both carbon and nitrogen source. The NA-GQDs display an excitation wavelength-dependent fluorescence with maximum excitation and emission wavelengths of 380 and 450 nm, respectively, and a quantum yield of ~16 %. Fluorescence is quenched by Fe(III) and Hg(II), and the effect was used to develop a method for the determination of Fe(III). Quenching by Fe(III) is attributed to its higher thermodynamic affinity (compared to other transition-metal ions) for the ligands on the GQDs in which nitrogen atoms mainly act as the chelating atoms. A linear relationship was observed between fluorescence intensity and the concentration of Fe(III) over the 0.5 μM to 0.5 mM range. The detection limit is 0.1 μM. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]