During 30 years of observations carried out in over 1,000 underground and semi-underground bat hibernation sites in Estonia, air temperature was measured near sleeping bats. In 1978, the lower critical temperature of hibernation. (LCT) was determined for two boreal bat species, Plecotus auritus and Eptesicus nilssonii. The LCT was defined ...

A one-step high-temperature hydrated-sulphate assisted solvothermal method has been developed to synthesize TiO2/sulfide nanocomposite spheres. Different hybrid spheres of TiO2/CdS, TiO2/Cu2S, TiO2/FeS, TiO2/Co9S8, and TiO2/ZnS were readily prepared by exploiting different hydrated sulphate. The hydrated sulphate has been proved to play multifunctional roles during the synthetic process, such as spherical ...

A dicopolymer with α-D-mannose and trimethoxysilane units was synthesized for immobilization on siliceous matrices such as sensor cell and membrane. The immobilization of trimethoxysilane-containing copolymer on the matrices was readily performed by the incubation at high heat. The recognition of lectin by poly(Man-r-TMS) was evaluated by measurement with a quartz ...

Mobile oxide ions: A remarkably high oxide ion conductivity at low temperatures has been found in an ordered δ-Bi(2) O(3) superstructure with the composition Bi(1-x) V(x) O(1.5+x) (x=0.087 and 0.095), and attributed to a combination of highly polarizable sublattice with vacancies, central atoms able to support variable coordination numbers and ...

Silicon has a high specific capacity of 4200 mAh/g as lithium-ion battery anodes, but its rapid capacity fading due to >300% volume expansion and pulverization presents a significant challenge for practical applications. Here we report a core-shell TiC/C/Si inactive/active nanocomposite for Si anodes demonstrating high specific capacity and excellent electrochemical ...

A high-temperature sensor based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) in a conventional single-mode optical fiber is proposed and fabricated by concatenating two microcavities separated by a middle section. A femtosecond laser is used to fabricate a microhole on the center of a fiber end. Then a micro-air-cavity is formed by ...

Composite of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and epoxy resin DGEBA were obtained with DDM hardener. The MWCNT were synthesized with length of millimeters by camphor/ferrocene pyrolysis. Different cure temperatures of DGEBA/DDM with addition of up to 1% MWCNT were studied to evaluate eventual changes in cure kinetics by differential scanning ...

We report on parallel high-resolution electrical single molecule analysis on a chip-based nanopore microarray. Lipid bilayers of <20 µm diameter containing single alpha-hemolysin pores were formed on arrays on sub-picoliter cavities containing individual microelectrodes (microelectrode cavity array, MECA) and ion conductance-based single molecule mass spectrometry was performed on mixtures of ...

We present thermally regenerated fiber Bragg gratings in air-hole microstructured fibers for high-temperature, hydrostatic pressure measurements. High-temperature stable gratings were regenerated during an 800 °C annealing process from hydrogen-loaded Type I seed gratings. The wavelength shifts and separation of grating peaks were studied as functions of external hydrostatic pressure from 15 ...

The simultaneous application of high pressure and high temperature has been used to directly ion-exchange large cesium cations for the small sodium cations found in the zeolite natrolite by putting it into a superhydrated state with increased pore size. The larger cations remain trapped upon pressure release and thus this ...

Solid-state nanopore sensors are highly versatile platforms for the rapid, label-free electrical detection and analysis of single molecules, applicable to next generation DNA sequencing. The versatility of this technology allows for both large scale device integration and interfacing with biological systems. Here we report on the development of a hybrid ...

Novel self-crosslinked alkaline anion exchange membranes with high alkaline stability, excellent dimensional stability and extraordinary methanol resistance were synthesized successfully without using any catalyst or a separate crosslinker.

Amorphous SiO(2) membranes were prepared via a 2-step plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD) technique at room temperature on porous TiO(2)/Al(2)O(3) substrates. SiO(2) membranes showed molecular sieving properties with a high separation factor for He/N(2) and He/H(2), and high thermal stability, indicating the successful preparation of high-performance membranes at low temperatures.

A novel approach of ablation restriction plasma polymerization has been successfully demonstrated for the first time in hydroxide exchange membrane synthesis. The membrane possesses high hydroxide conductivity, alkaline stability, and the ability of fully encompassing catalyst particles, without solubility in low boiling point water-soluble solvents.

Thermal tolerance and its plasticity are important for understanding ectotherm responses to climate change. However, it is unclear whether plasticity is traded-off at the expense of basal thermal tolerance and whether plasticity is subject to phylogenetic constraints. Here, we investigated associations between basal thermal tolerance and acute plasticity thereof in ...

The complexity of the phase diagram of a representative room temperature ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, [bmim][PF(6)]) is explored by means of Raman spectroscopy at high pressure (up to 1000 MPa) and high temperature (from room temperature to 100 °C) conditions. The first experimental evidence of the existence of a second ...

Prime concerns with modern developments are attributed to high level undetected but important biological substances or even toxicants cycled often among individual and populations; which in turn agonizes environmental monitoring, trace-gas detection, water treatment facilities, in vivo detection in biological fluids and other accomplishments. For the detection of such analytes, ...

Biological membranes are complex, self-organized structures that define boundaries and compartmentalize space in living matter. Composed of a wide variety of lipid and protein molecules, these responsive surfaces mediate transmembrane signaling and material transport within the cell and with its environment. It is well known that lipid membrane properties change ...

Nanoscale patterning of hydrophobic bands on otherwise hydrophilic surfaces allows integration of inorganic structures through biological membranes, reminiscent of transmembrane proteins. Here we show that a set of innate molecular properties of the self-assembling hydrophobic band determine the resulting interface stability. Surprisingly, hydrophobicity is found to be a secondary factor ...

The effect of preservation condition of ovaries on the in vitro maturation of the porcine oocytes was studied. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were obtained from the ovaries preserved in Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline (PBS) solution at various temperatures for different time intervals, and cultured in M199 maturation medium. Matured oocytes were ...

The hydrometallurgical route of copper and tin extraction from printed circuit boards (PCB) of used personal computers after thermal pretreatment is discussed. The PCB fractions crushed and sorted into -8+0, -8+3 and -3+0mm were used for the experiments. The samples were thermally pretreated at temperatures of 300, 500, 700 and ...

We performed molecular simulations to study ion pairing in aqueous solutions. Our results indicate that ion specific interactions of Li(+), Na(+), and K(+) with the dimethyl phosphate anion are solvent-mediated. The same mechanism applies to carboxylate ions, as has been illustrated in earlier simulations of aqueous alkali acetate solutions. Contact ...

Membrane ruffling is the formation of actin rich membrane protrusions, essential for cell motility. The exact mechanism of ruffling is not fully known. Using YFP and CFP fluorescent chimeras, we show for the first time a co-localization of Phospholipase D2 (PLD2) and Growth factor Receptor Bound protein-2 (Grb2) with actin-rich ...

We introduce an approach for forming bilayer polymer membranes by adhesion of amphiphile-laden interfaces. This adhesion is induced by a reduction of solvent quality for the amphiphilic diblock copolymers through selective evaporation of good solvent in the solvent mixture. By combining this membrane formation mechanism with a double-emulsion-templated approach for ...

Tissue Factor (TF) serving as the receptor for coagulation factor VII (FVII) initiates the extrinsic coagulation pathway. We previously demonstrated that progesterone increases TF, coagulation and invasion in breast cancer cell lines. Herein, we investigated if Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor (TFPI) could down-regulate progesterone-increased TF activity in these cells. Classically, ...

Several cationic antimicrobial oligo-acyl-lysyl (OAK) peptide mimetics can form cochleate structures, that is, elongated multilayered cylindrical structures, with lipid mixtures mimicking the composition of bacterial cytoplasmic membranes. These cochleate structures do not require divalent cations for their assembly. In the present work, we use light microscopy to screen for cochleate ...

The influence of the initial fuel temperature on the burning behavior of n-heptane pool fire was experimentally studied at the State Key Laboratory of Fire Science (SKLFS) large test hall. Circular pool fires with diameters of 100mm, 141mm, and 200mm were considered with initial fuel temperatures ranging from 290K to ...

Nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HA)/poly(ε-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL-PEG-PCL, PCEC) composite membranes were prepared by solvent casting and evaporation method. The structure and properties of the membranes were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), water contact angle measurements, in vitro hydrolytic degradation, mechanical test, and cell culture. ...

"Polymersomes" are vesicular structures made from the self-assembly of block copolymers. Such structures present outstanding interest for different applications such as micro- or nano-reactor, drug release or can simply be used as tool for understanding basic biological mechanisms. The use of polymersomes in such applications is strongly related to the ...

• Premise of the study: A variety of mechanisms to prevent inbreeding have arisen in different angiosperm taxa during plant evolution. In early-divergent angiosperms, a widespread system is dichogamy, in which female and male structures do not mature simultaneously, thus encouraging cross pollination. While this system is common in early-divergent ...

The fusion of one cell with another occurs in development, injury and disease. Despite the diversity of fusion events, five steps in sequence appear common. These steps include programming fusion-competent status, chemotaxis, membrane adhesion, membrane fusion, and post-fusion resetting. Recent advances in the field start to reveal the molecules involved ...

The cellulose triacetate membrane is one of the typical high-performance membranes. Cellulose triacetate is a plastic material manufactured from cellulose. The hydroxyl group of cellulose is chemically substituted for the carboxyl group. Therefore, its characteristics are quite different from cellulose. The cellulose triacetate membrane has a homogeneous membrane structure. It ...

Cryoglobulinemia indicates the presence of immunoglobulins that undergo reversible precipitation at low temperatures resulting in systemic inflammation and thrombosis producing variable clinical manifestations.

It is widely accepted that the conversion of the soluble, nontoxic amyloid β-protein (Aβ) monomer to aggregated toxic Aβ rich in β-sheet structures is central to the development of Alzheimer's disease. However, the mechanism of the abnormal aggregation of Aβ in vivo is not well understood. Accumulating evidence suggests that ...

Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness amongst the elderly. Approximately 10% of AMD patients suffer from an advanced form of AMD characterized by choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Recent evidence implicates a significant role for complement in the pathogenesis of AMD. Activation of complement terminates in ...

The discovery of polar polyatomic molecules in higher-density regions of the interstellar medium by means of their rotational emission detected by radioastronomy has changed our conception of the universe from essentially atomic to highly molecular. We discuss models for molecule formation, emphasizing the general lack of thermodynamic equilibrium. Detailed chemical ...

Cobra cytotoxins, which are small three-looped proteins composed of approximately 60 amino acid residues, primarily act by destroying the bilayer membranes of cells and artificial vesicles. However, the molecular mechanism governing this process is not yet completely understood. We used coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CGMD) simulations to study the mechanism underlying ...

Nanotechnology is set to impact a vast range of fields, including computer science, materials technology, engineering/manufacturing and medicine. As nanotechnology grows so does exposure to nanostructured materials, thus investigation of the effects of nanomaterials on biological systems is paramount. Computational techniques can allow investigation of these systems at the nanoscale, ...

In normal healthy individuals, mineral formation is restricted to specialized tissues which form the skeleton and the dentition. Within these tissues, mineral formation is tightly controlled both in growth and development and in normal adult life. The mechanism of calcification in skeletal and dental tissues has been under investigation for ...

Polymer vesicles made from poly(isoprene-b-styrene-b-2-vinyl pyridine) (PI-b-PS-b-P2VP) triblock copolymer confined within the nanopores of an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane are studied. It was found that these vesicles have well-defined, nanoscopic size, and complex microphase-separated hydrophobic membranes, comprised of the PS and PI blocks, while the coronas are formed by ...

Actin polymerization drives the extension of pseudopods that trap and engulf phagocytic targets. The polymerized actin subsequently dissociates as the phagocytic vacuole seals and detaches from the plasma membrane. We found that phagosomes formed by engagement of integrins that serve as complement receptors (CR3) undergo secondary waves of actin polymerization, ...

The Ca(2+)-induced effect on the nanomechanical properties of vesicles prepared at a different ratio of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)/sulfatide was studied using atomic force microscope (AFM) on a mica surface. Vesicles were prepared by extrusion and adsorbed on the mica surface. The forces, measured between an AFM tip and the vesicle, showed ...

Due to large equilibrium fluctuations of protons at physiological pH, the orthophosphate ion as well as the imidazole group on histidine substantially regulate their charge upon approaching charged interfaces. This implies that these-and comparable-ions function as electostatic "proximity switches" when interacting with lipid membranes, DNA, proteins, etc. Using straightforward statistical ...

Despite continuous improvements in delivery systems, the development of methods for efficient and specific delivery of targeted therapeutic agents still remains an issue in biological treatments such as protein and gene therapy. The endocytic pathway is the major uptake mechanism of cells and any biological agents, such as DNA, siRNA ...

Studies on the effect of temperature on whole-animal performance traits other than locomotion are rare. Here we investigate the effects of temperature on the performance of the turtle feeding apparatus in a defensive context. We measured bite force and the kinematics of snapping in the Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) ...

A new strategy for the J-based configurational analysis in acyclic systems is applied where the existence of a multiple conformer equilibrium precludes the application of the Murata methodology.

An originally designed temperature-responsive nanoreactor is reported. The nanoreactor is made of Ag nanoparticles and a functional polymer composite of poly(acrylamide) (PAAm) and poly(2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid) (PAMPS). At a relatively low temperature (e.g., 20 °C), this nanoreactor displayed weak reactivity because of the interpolymer complexation between PAAm and PAMPS, which largely ...

A convenient fabrication technology for large-area, highly-ordered nanoelectrode arrays on silicon substrate has been described here, using porous anodic alumina (PAA) as a template. The ultrathin PAA membranes were anodic oxidized utilizing a two-step anodization method, from Al film evaporated on substrate. The purposes for the use of two-step anodization ...

Infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed CO was used to characterize the dependence of surface structure on deposition temperature during homoepitaxial growth on Cu(100). Intensity borrowing due to dipole coupling greatly enhances the absorption signal due to defect-bonded CO, making it possible to detect and quantify defect concentrations at the level of ...

Host-pathogen interactions have been widely studied in humans and terrestrial plants, but are much less well explored in marine systems. Here we show that a marine macroalga, Delisea pulchra, utilizes a chemical defence - furanones - to inhibit colonization and infection by a novel bacterial pathogen, Ruegeria sp. R11, and ...