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Thermodynamic data are a key resource in the search for new relationships between properties of chemical systems that constitutes the basis of the scientific discovery process. In addition, thermodynamic information is critical for development and improvement of all chemical process technologies. Historically, peer-reviewed journals are the major source of this information obtained by experimental measurement or prediction. Technological advances in measurement science have propelled enormous growth in the scale of published thermodynamic data (almost doubling every 10 years). This expansion has created new challenges in data validation at all stages of the data delivery process. Despite the peer-review process, problems in data validation have led, in many instances, to publication of data that are grossly erroneous and, at times, inconsistent with the fundamental laws of nature. This article describes a new global data communication process in thermodynamics and its impact in addressing these challenges as well as in streamlining the delivery of the thermodynamic data from "data producers" to "data users". We believe that the prolific growth of scientific data in numerous and diverse fields outside thermodynamics, together with the demonstrated effectiveness and versatility of the process described in this article, will foster development of such processes in other scientific fields.

Evaporation and boiling are both terms applied to the change of a liquid to the vapour/gaseous state. This article argues that it is the formation of bubbles of vapour within the liquid that most clearly differentiates boiling from evaporation although only a minority of chemistry textbooks seems to mention bubble formation in this context. The importance of bubble formation is used to explore a much deeper, albeit a largely qualitative, explanatory basis of a number of interrelated phenomena. These include the fixed boiling point of liquids at a constant external pressure, the effect of pressure changes and of dissolved substances on boiling point, and nucleation, superheating and bump-boiling. (Contains 1 table, 2 boxes, 1 note, and 3 figures.)

Electrochemistry is a difficult subject for students at school and beyond and even for their teachers. This article explores the difficult "truth" that, when a current flows from a galvanic cell, positive ions within the cell electrolyte move towards the electrode labelled positive. This seems to contravene the basic rule that like charges repel one another. The author attributes the difficulties he has had with this to the fact that electrolysis is usually learned well before the chemistry of the galvanic cell, and that the terminology and explanation are often complex and sometimes arbitrary (and may seem contradictory). The logic of a complete circuit is that if negative charge flows from the negative terminal to the positive terminal of a cell through the external circuit, then to complete the circuit "within the cell" it must flow from positive to negative. This can be explained once it is realised that the cell is set up to allow the cell reaction to take place only by the transfer of electrons through the external circuit and thus, when no current is flowing from the cell, the electrode compartments are at equilibrium and the emf is balanced by the chemical potential of the cell reaction that "wants" to proceed. The value of labelling the electrodes of a cell is questioned and it is concluded that it is better to maintain the convention of giving signs to the cell electrodes that are consistent with the direction of electron/current flow in the external circuit. It is then necessary to remember that "when current flows" from and through a cell the electrode compartments are no longer at equilibrium and "from an internal perspective" the electrode labelled positive is negative--or less positive than it was at equilibrium and thus it "tries" to gain more positive charge. (Contains 4 figures.)

This article provides an example of a teacher's learning, since the author only became aware of the microscale technique described very late in his professional career. The technique provides a convenient method of preparing and manipulating gases on a very small scale and a relatively safe means of demonstrating reactions that would be very hazardous on a larger scale. Safety issues are stressed but it is important that anyone attempting to follow the procedures checks these. If no suitable risk assessment appears to be available, CLEAPSS or SSERC should be consulted for further advice. Teachers also need to practise the various techniques and assure themselves of their competence to carry them out safely, minimising any danger to themselves or others. (Contains 5 figures, 1 table, and 4 online resources.)

Uses a video presentation of six situations relating to the evaporation and boiling of liquids and the escape of dissolved gases from solution and investigates graduate scientists' understanding of the concepts of boiling and evaporation. (Author/YDS)

Many novel structural features impart a robust catalase activity to KatG that is absent from all other members of its superfamily. The conformationally dynamic “Arg switch” and oxidizable “proximal Trp” have both figured prominently in investigations of KatG structure and mechanism, but the full scope of their contributions to catalysis remains unclear. The switch (R418) appears to regulate active-site intramolecular electron transfer. The proximal Trp (W321) is a conspicuous site of radical formation, but W321•+ does not appear to participate directly in the KatG catalase cycle. To explore the extent to which these residues may cooperate in KatG’s catalase activity, we generated R418N and W321F/R418N KatG and compared their catalytic and spectroscopic properties to wt KatG. R418N KatG showed pH-independent susceptibility to H2O2-based inactivation, whereas wt KatG only showed this response under conditions where the Arg switch would be oriented away from the active site (i.e., low pH). Peroxidatic electron donors (PxEDs) prevented inactivation of wt and R418N KatG regardless of pH; however, protection of R418N KatG activity by this mechanism produced at least ten-fold greater extents of PxED oxidation. Elimination of the proximal Trp in addition to the Arg switch (i.e., W321F/R418N KatG) resulted in a near complete inability to sustain H2O2 degradation. Remarkably, W321F KatG showed resistance to H2O2-dependent inactivation indistinguishable from wt at pH 7 (i.e., when the Arg switch is oriented toward the active site) but sensitivity to H2O2-dependent inactivation indistinguishable from W321F/R418N KatG at pH 5 (i.e., when the Arg switch is oriented away from the active site). These data suggest loss of the Arg switch (either by mutagenesis or conformationally due to environmental pH) results in a KatG that is substantially compromised in the sustained degradation of H2O2. This can be overcome provided that KatG retains its ability to utilize the proximal Trp as a site of protein-based oxidation and has a PxED available to repair protein oxidation events. However, if both the Arg switch and the proximal Trp are absent, rapid H2O2-dependent inactivation is observed, and PxEDs are unable to effectively intervene to preserve KatG’s catalase activity.

Outbreaks of viral diseases are on the rise, fueling the search for antiviral therapeutics that act on a broad range of viruses while remaining safe to human host cells. In this research, we leverage the finding that the plasma membranes of host cells and the lipid bilayers surrounding enveloped viruses differ in lipid composition. We feature Piscidin 1 (P1), a cationic host defense peptide (HDP) that has antimicrobial effects and membrane activity associated with its N-terminal region where a cluster of aromatic residues and copper-binding motif reside. While few HDPs have demonstrated antiviral activity, P1 acts in the micromolar range against several enveloped viruses that vary in envelope lipid composition. Notably, it inhibits HIV-1, a virus that has an envelope enriched in cholesterol, a lipid associated with higher membrane order and stability. Here, we first document through plaque assays that P1 boasts strong activity against SARS-CoV-2, which has an envelope low in cholesterol. Second, we extend previous studies done with homogeneous bilayers and devise cholesterol-containing zwitterionic membranes that contain the liquid disordered (Ld; low in cholesterol) and ordered (Lo, rich in cholesterol) phases. Using dye leakage assays and cryo-electron microscopy on vesicles, we show that P1 has dramatic permeabilizing capability on the Lo/Ld, an effect matched by a strong ability to aggregate, fuse, and thin the membranes. Differential scanning calorimetry and NMR experiments demonstrate that P1 mixes the lipid content of vesicles and alters the stability of the Lo. Structural studies by NMR indicate that P1 interacts with the Lo/Ld by folding into an α-helix that lies parallel to the membrane surface. Altogether, these results show that P1 is more disruptive to phase-separated than homogenous cholesterol-containing bilayers, suggesting an ability to target domain boundaries. Overall, this multi-faceted research highlights how a peptide that interacts strongly with membranes through an aromatic-rich N-terminal motif disrupt viral envelope mimics. This represents an important step towards the development of novel peptides with broad-spectrum antiviral activity.

Abstract In graphene, charged defects break the electron-hole symmetry and can even give rise to exotic collapse states when the defect charge exceeds a critical value which is proportional to the Fermi velocity. In this work, we investigate the electronic properties of twisted bilayer graphene (tBLG) with charged defects using tight-binding calculations. Like monolayer graphene, tBLG exhibits linear bands near the Fermi level but with a dramatically reduced Fermi velocity near the magic angle (approximately 1.1°). This suggests that the critical value of the defect charge in magic-angle tBLG should also be very small. We find that charged defects give rise to significant changes in the low-energy electronic structure of tBLG. Depending on the defect position in the moiré unit cell, it is possible to open a band gap or to induce an additional flattening of the low-energy valence and conduction bands. Our calculations suggest that the collapse states of the two monolayers hybridize in the twisted bilayer. However, their in-plane localization remains largely unaffected by the presence of the additional twisted layer because of the different length scales of the moiré lattice and the monolayer collapse state wavefunctions. These predictions can be tested in scanning tunneling spectroscopy experiments.

Falls are a major risk factor for older adults, increasing morbidity and healthcare costs. Video-based fall-detection systems offer crucial real-time monitoring and assistance. Yet, their deployment faces challenges such as maintaining privacy, reducing false alarms, and providing understandable outputs for healthcare providers. This paper introduces an innovative automated fall-detection framework that includes a Gaussian blur module for privacy preservation, an OpenPose module for precise pose estimation, a short-time Fourier transform (STFT) module to capture frames with significant motion selectively, and a computationally efficient one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN) classification module designed to classify these frames. Additionally, integrating a gradient-weighted class activation mapping (GradCAM) module enhances the system’s explainability by visually highlighting the movement of the key points, resulting in classification decisions. Modular flexibility in our system allows customization to meet specific privacy and monitoring needs, enabling the activation or deactivation of modules according to the operational requirements of different healthcare settings. This combination of STFT and 1D-CNN ensures fast and efficient processing, which is essential in healthcare environments where real-time response and accuracy are vital. We validated our approach across multiple datasets, including the Multiple Cameras Fall Dataset (MCFD), the UR fall dataset, and the NTU RGB+D Dataset, which demonstrates high accuracy in detecting falls and provides the interpretability of results.

Complexes of [Fe(paptH)2][X]2.nH2O, (paptH = 2-(pyridin-2-ylamino)-4-(pyridin-2-yl)- thiazole, X = CF3SO3 and n = 1.5, and X2 = [Fe(CN)5NO] and n = 3) have been characterized in magnetic, Mössbauer, and electronic spectral properties. The studies reveal that the two complexes are predominantly quintet state at room temperature, but singlet at low temperature (below 91K). The change is assigned as a thermally spin state transition, singlet 1A1g (LS, low-spin) ↔ quintet 5T2g (HS, high-spin), in iron(II), being gradual, continuous, and incomplete at the experimental temperature range, and without hysteresis in these instances. The two complexes were yellowish brown at room temperature (~ 298K) but darkening to reddish brown at the lower temperatures.

Commercial harvesting of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) results in root debris in the soil, but the rate of decay is unknown. In this study, post-harvest root debris decayed mostly over the fall and winter, with almost no ginseng debris remaining in the soil by late spring of the following year. However, a small number of intact pencil-shaped roots were able to survive after harvest and sprout the following spring without any evidence of root decay. Root rot lesions were observed, which included many associated with the root rot pathogen Ilyonectria mors-panacis, with disappearing root rot symptoms observed in the following spring. Ginsenosides in soil were highest just prior to harvest, declining until an increase the following spring. Soil bacterial and fungal populations changed over time after harvest with several peaks in bacterial populations mostly in the fall, but this was less clear for fungal populations, which were dominated by only a few taxa. Harvesting ginseng can leave considerable debris in the soil, impacting its chemistry and microbiota. Ginseng replant disease, where the second crop shows high levels of root rot due to I. mors-panacis infection compared to low levels in the first crop, could be related to the decay of post-harvest crop debris, but additional research is needed to demonstrate this.

The endothelium constitutes the innermost lining of the blood vessels and controls blood fluidity, vessel permeability, platelet aggregation, and vascular tone. Endothelial dysfunction plays a key role in initiating a vascular inflammatory cascade and is the pivotal cause of various devastating diseases in multiple organs including the heart, lung, kidney, and brain. Glucocorticoids have traditionally been used to combat vascular inflammation. Endothelial cells express glucocorticoid receptors (GRs), and recent studies have demonstrated that endothelial GR negatively regulates vascular inflammation in different pathological conditions such as sepsis, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. Mechanistically, the anti-inflammatory effects of GR are mediated, in part, through the suppression of Wnt signaling. Moreover, GR modulates the fatty acid oxidation (FAO) pathway in endothelial cells and hence can influence FAO-mediated fibrosis in several organs including the kidneys. This review summarizes the relationship between GR and Wnt signaling in endothelial cells and the effects of the Wnt pathway in different cardiac and renal diseases. Available data suggest that GR plays a significant role in restoring endothelial integrity, and research on endothelial GR–Wnt interactions could facilitate the development of novel therapies for many cardiorenal conditions.

Hydroxyurea (HU), a drug for treating cancers of the blood and the management of sickle cell anemia, induces hypogonadism in males. However, the impact of HU on testicular architecture and function, as well as its effects on the resumption of male fertility following treatment withdrawal, remain poorly understood. We used adult male mice to determine whether HU-induced hypogonadism is reversible. Fertility indices of mice treated with HU daily for ~1 sperm cycle (2 months) were compared with those of their control counterparts. All indices of fertility were significantly reduced among mice treated with HU compared to controls. Interestingly, significant improvements in fertility indices were apparent after a 4-month withdrawal from HU treatment (testis weight: month 1 post-HU withdrawal (M1): HU, 0.09 ± 0.01 vs. control, 0.33 ± 0.03; M4: HU, 0.26 ± 0.03 vs. control, 0.37 ± 0.04 g); sperm motility (M1: HU,12 vs. 59; M4: HU, 45 vs. control, 61%; sperm density (M1: HU, 1.3 ± 0.3 vs. control, 15.7 ± 0.9; M4: HU, 8.1 ± 2.5 vs. control, 16.8 ± 1.9 million). Further, circulating testosterone increased in the 4th month following HU withdrawal and was comparable to that of controls. When a mating experiment was conducted, recovering males sired viable offspring with untreated females albeit at a lower rate than control males (p < 0.05); therefore, qualifying HU as a potential candidate for male contraception.

The two-hit model has been proposed to explain the effects of diabetes on mothers who are already in a putative subclinical damaged state and then undergo neuronal damage during the delivery process. However, the anatomical and pathophysiological mechanisms are not well understood. Our overarching hypothesis in this review paper is that pregnant women who are diabetic have a damaged peripheral nervous system, constituting the “first hit” hypothesis. The delivery process itself—the “second hit”—can produce neurological damage to the mother. Women with diabetes mellitus (DM) are at risk for neurological damage during both hits, but the cumulative effects of both “hits” pose a greater risk of neurological damage and pathophysiological changes during delivery. In our analysis, we introduce the different steps of our concept paper. Subsequently, we describe each of the topics. First, we outline the mechanisms by which diabetes acts as a detrimental variable in neuropathy by focusing on the most common form of diabetic neuropathy, diabetic distal symmetrical polyneuropathy, also known as distal sensorimotor neuropathy. The possible role of macrosomia in causing diabetic neuropathy and obstetric neurological injury is discussed. Second, we describe how vaginal delivery can cause various obstetrical neurological syndromes and pathophysiological changes. Third, we highlight the risk of obstetric neuropathy and discuss anatomical sites at which lesions may occur, including lesions during delivery. Fourth, we characterize the pathophysiological pathways involved in the causation of diabetic neuropathy. Finally, we highlight diabetic damage to sensory vs. motor nerves, including how hyperglycemia causes different types of damage depending on the location of nerve cell bodies.

Soils comprise the largest pool of terrestrial carbon yet have lost significant stocks due to human activity. Changes to land management in cropland and grazing systems present opportunities to sequester carbon in soils at large scales. Uncertainty in the magnitude of this potential impact is largely driven by the difficulties and costs associated with measuring near-surface (0–30 cm) soil carbon concentrations; a key component of soil carbon stock assessments. Many techniques exist to optimize sampling, yet few studies have compared these techniques at varying sample intensities. In this study, we performed ex-ante, high-intensity sampling for soil carbon concentrations at four farms in the eastern United States. We used post hoc Monte-Carlo bootstrapping to investigate the most efficient sampling approaches for soil carbon inventory: K-means stratification, Conditioned Latin Hypercube Sampling (cLHS), simple random, and regular grid. No two study sites displayed similar patterns across all sampling techniques, although cLHS and grid emerged as the most efficient sampling schemes across all sites and strata sizes. The number of strata chosen when using K-means stratification can have a significant impact on sample efficiency, and we caution future inventories from using small strata n, while avoiding even allocation of sample between strata. Our findings reinforce the need for adaptive sampling methodologies where initial site inventory can inform primary, robust inventory with site-specific sampling techniques.

Salt of [Cu(bptrzH)Cl2], (bptrzH = 3,5-bis(pyridin-2-yl)-H-1,2,4-triazole) has been prepared and characterized its electronic spectral and magnetic properties. This salt is paramagnetic with magnetic moment, μs, being 1.77–1.78 BM at 293 K, but decreased significantly with decreasing temperature to be 0.60–0.63 BM at 90 K, indicating antiferromagnetic nature. This is associated with Cu–Cu magnetic interactions at low temperatures, and suggests that the salt adopt an octahedrally polymeric structure. The electronic spectrum of this salt reveals a strong ligand field band centered at about 13,000 cm–1 and a very strong charge transfer absorption at about 23,000–24,000 cm–1. The spectrum is better resolved at lower temperature and this is parallel to the slight change in color from yellowish-green at room temperature to bright green at low temperature (90 K). The powder XRD of this complex was refined by Le Bail method of Rietica program and found to be fit as triclinic symmetry of space group PĪ with the figure of merit: Rp = 5.02; Rwp = 7.95; Rexp = 5.40; Bragg R-Factor = 0.05; and GOF = 2.166.

A mechanochemical method has been developed for the synthesis of primary, secondary, and tertiary thioamides from their corresponding amides using Lawesson’s reagent for the first time. The mechanochemical thionation reactions reported herein produced thiolactams 2-pyrrolidinethione, 1, 2-piperidinethione, 2, 1-aza-2-cycloheptanthione, 3, 1-aza-2-cyclooctanthione, 4, and N-methylpyrrolidine-2-thione, 5, as well as acyclic thioamide-containing species, thioacetamide, 6, thiobenzamide, 7, and thionicotinamide, 8. In the course of these syntheses, the solid-state structure of 2-pyrrolidinethione, 1, was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction and compared to 2-pyrrolidinone.

COVID-19, caused by the highly transmissible severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has rapidly spread and become a pandemic since its outbreak in 2019. We have previously discovered that aloperine is a new privileged scaffold that can be modified to become a specific antiviral compound with markedly improved potency against different viruses, such as the influenza virus. In this study, we have identified a collection of aloperine derivatives that can inhibit the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells. Compound 5 is the most potent tested aloperine derivative that inhibited the entry of SARS-CoV-2 (D614G variant) spike protein-pseudotyped virus with an IC50 of 0.5 µM. The compound was also active against several other SARS-CoV-2 variants including Delta and Omicron. Results of a confocal microscopy study suggest that compound 5 inhibited the viral entry before fusion to the cell or endosomal membrane. The results are consistent with the notion that aloperine is a privileged scaffold that can be used to develop potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibitors.

Commercial space industries are emergent, bolstered by new exciting rocket systems, orbital and landing vehicles, the creation of multi-country orbital platforms, satellite technology, the renewed promise of low Earth orbit (LEO) business opportunities, as well as promised planetary exploration [...]

The triggers of biennial bearing are thought to coincide with embryonic development in apple and occurs within the first 70 days after full bloom (DAFB). Strong evidence suggests hormonal signals are perceived by vegetative apple spur buds to induce flowering. The hormonal response is typically referred to as the floral induction (FI) phase in bud meristem development. To determine the metabolic pathways activated in FI, young trees of the biennial bearing cultivar ‘Nicoter’ and the less susceptible cultivar ‘Rosy Glow’ were forced into an alternate cropping cycle over five years and an inverse relationship of crop load and return bloom was established. Buds were collected over a four-week duration within 70 DAFB from trees that had maintained a four-year biennial bearing cycle. Metabolomics profiling was undertaken to determine the differentially expressed pathways and key signalling molecules associated with biennial bearing. Marked metabolic differences were observed in trees with high and low crop load treatments. Significant effects were detected in members of the phenylpropanoid pathway comprising hydroxycinnamates, salicylates, salicylic acid biosynthetic pathway intermediates and flavanols. This study identifies plant hormones associated with FI in apples using functional metabolomics analysis.

Soil organic carbon influences several landscape ecological processes, and soils are becoming recognized as a mechanism to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. There is a need to define methods and technologies for addressing soils’ spatial variability as well as the time and cost of sampling soil organic carbon (SOC). Visible and near-infrared spectroscopy have been suggested as a sampling tool to reduce inventory cost. We sampled nineteen ranch properties totaling 17,347 ha across Oklahoma and Texas in 2019 to evaluate the effectiveness and accuracy of a handheld reflectometer (Our Sci, Ann Arbor, MI, USA) (370–940 nm) and existing remote sensing approaches to estimate SOC in semi-arid grazing lands. Our data suggest that the Our Sci Reflectometer estimated soil organic carbon with a precision of approximately (±0.3% SOC); however, it was least accurate at higher carbon concentrations. The Our Sci reflectometer, although consistently accurate at lower SOC concentrations, was still less accurate than a model built using only remote sensing and digital soil map data as predictors. Combining the two data sources was the most accurate means of determining SOC. Our results indicated that the Our Sci handheld Vis-NIR reflectometer tested may have only limited applications for reducing inventory costs at scale.

The impact of oral microbial dysbiosis on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains controversial. Building off recent studies reporting that various microbes might directly seed or promote amyloid β (Aβ) deposition, we evaluated the effects of periodontal bacteria (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola) and supragingival commensal (Streptococcus gordonii) oral bacterial infection in the APP-transgenic CRND8 (Tg) mice model of AD. We tracked bacterial colonization and dissemination, and monitored effects on gliosis and amyloid deposition. Chronic oral infection did not accelerate Aβ deposition in Tg mice but did induce alveolar bone resorption, IgG immune response, and an intracerebral astrogliosis (GFAP: glial fibrillary acidic protein). In contrast, intracerebral inoculation of live but not heat-killed P. gingivalis increased Aβ deposition and Iba-1 (ionized calcium-binding adaptor-1) microgliosis after 8 weeks of bacterial infection but not at 4 days. These data show that there may be differential effects of infectious microbes on glial activation and amyloid deposition depending on the species and route of inoculation, and thereby provide an important framework for future studies. Indeed, these studies demonstrate marked effects on amyloid β deposition only in a fairly non-physiologic setting where live bacteria is injected directly into the brain.

Abstract Minerals constitute a primary ecosystem control on organic C decomposition in soils, and therefore on greenhouse gas fluxes to the atmosphere. Secondary minerals, in particular, Fe and Al (oxyhydr)oxides—collectively referred to as “oxides” hereafter—are prominent protectors of organic C against microbial decomposition through sorption and complexation reactions. However, the impacts of Mn oxides on organic C retention and lability in soils are poorly understood. Here we show that hydrous Mn oxide (HMO), a poorly crystalline δ-MnO2, has a greater maximum sorption capacity for dissolved organic matter (DOM) derived from a deciduous forest composite Oi, Oe, and Oa horizon leachate (“O horizon leachate” hereafter) than does goethite under acidic (pH 5) conditions. Nonetheless, goethite has a stronger sorption capacity for DOM at low initial C:(Mn or Fe) molar ratios compared to HMO, probably due to ligand exchange with carboxylate groups as revealed by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy–near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy coupled with Mn mass balance calculations reveal that DOM sorption onto HMO induces partial Mn reductive dissolution and Mn reduction of the residual HMO. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy further shows increasing Mn(II) concentrations are correlated with increasing oxidized C (C=O) content (r = 0.78, P

Large-scale RNA sequencing and genome-wide profiling data revealed the identification of a heterogeneous group of noncoding RNAs, known as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). These lncRNAs play central roles in health and disease processes in diabetes and cancer. The critical association between aberrant expression of lncRNAs in diabetes and diabetic kidney disease have been reported. LncRNAs regulate diverse targets and can function as sponges for regulatory microRNAs, which influence disease phenotype in the kidneys. Importantly, lncRNAs and microRNAs may regulate bidirectional or crosstalk mechanisms, which need to be further investigated. These studies offer the novel possibility that lncRNAs may be used as potential therapeutic targets for diabetes and diabetic kidney diseases. Here, we discuss the functions and mechanisms of actions of lncRNAs, and their crosstalk interactions with microRNAs, which provide insight and promise as therapeutic targets, emphasizing their role in the pathogenesis of diabetes and diabetic kidney disease

Nanocoatings have numerous potential applications in the indoor environment, such as flooring finishes with increased scratch- and wear-resistance. However, given concerns about the potential environmental and human health effects of nanomaterials, it is necessary to develop standardized methods to quantify nanomaterial release during use of these products. One key choice for mechanical wear studies is the abrasion wheel. Potential limitations of different wheels include the release of fragments from the wheel during abrasion, wearing of the wheel from the abrasion process, or not releasing a sufficient number of particles for accurate quantitative analysis. In this study, we evaluated five different wheels, including a typically used silicon oxide-based commercial wheel and four wheels fabricated at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), for their application in nanocoating abrasion studies. A rapid, nondestructive laser scanning confocal microscopy method was developed and used to identify released particles on the abraded surfaces. NIST fabricated a high performing wheel: a noncorrosive, stainless-steel abrasion wheel containing a deep cross-patch. This wheel worked well under both wet and dry conditions, did not corrode in aqueous media, did not release particles from itself, and yielded higher numbers of released particles. These results can be used to help develop a standardized protocol for surface release of particles from nanoenabled products using a commercial rotary Taber abraser.

We have performed temperature dependent inelastic neutron scattering measurements to study the anharmonicity of phonon spectra of AgC4N3. The analysis and interpretation of the experimental spectra is done using ab-initio lattice dynamics calculations. The calculated phonon spectrum over the entire Brillouin zone is used to derive linear thermal expansion coefficients. The effect of van der Waals interaction on structure stability has been investigated using advanced density functional methods. The calculated isothermal equation of states implies a negative linear compressibility along the c-axis of the crystal, which also leads to a negative thermal expansion along this direction. The role of elastic properties inducing the observed anomalous lattice behavior is discussed.