New and Stereospecific Synthesis of Allenes in a Single Step from Propargylic Alcohols

New and Stereospecific Synthesis of Allenes in a Single Step from Propargylic Alcohol

Templated Silica Tubes with High Aspect Ratios as Effective Fillers for Enhancing the Overall Performance of Polyimide Films

Silica tubes (T-silica) with uniform size and large aspect ratios were synthesized by hydrolyzing tetraethyl orthosilicate using d,l-tartaric acid as a template. The prepared silica tubes have a diameter of about 200–400 nm and a length of about 40−100 µm; hence, their aspect ratios range from 100 to 500. The inner shape of the silica tubes is rectangular, and their wall thickness is 100–150 nm. T-silica/polyimide (PI) composite films were prepared from a solution of a PI precursor (polyamic acid) and silica tubes modified by a coupling agent (γ-aminopropyltriethoxy silane, KH-550). The overall performance including tensile strength, ductility, tearing strength, thermal expansion and diffusivity, and volume and surface resistivities of the T-silica/PI composite films were examined as a function of the T-silica content. It is interesting to note that the tensile strength and ductility have been simultaneously improved; tearing strength has also been enhanced; thermal expansion and diffusivity have been simultaneously decreased; and both volume and surface resistivities have been dramatically enhanced by the introduction of T-silica in proper amounts into the PI matrix. Moreover, the composite films containing silica tubes have low densities that range from 1.408 to 1.447 g/cm3. These suggest that templated silica tubes are very effective in enhancing the overall performance of the PI composite films that have a great potential to be used as electrical and thermal insulating materials in high tech areas such as aircraft and spacecraft manufacture and so forth, where high strength and ductility, high tearing strength, low thermal expansion and diffusivity, high resistivities, light weight, and so forth are desirable

New and Stereospecific Synthesis of Allenes in a Single Step from Propargylic Alcohols

New and Stereospecific Synthesis of Allenes in a Single Step from Propargylic Alcohol

Single-Step Process for the Reductive Deoxygenation of Unhindered Alcohols

Single-Step Process for the Reductive Deoxygenation of Unhindered Alcohol

Long non-coding RNA PCAT1 drives clear cell renal cell carcinoma by upregulating YAP via sponging miR-656 and miR-539

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common RCC subtype with high metastasis, poor prognosis and conventional chemotherapy resistance. Prostate cancer associated transcript 1 (PCAT1) is an important lncRNA that was reported to be involved in cell proliferation, migration and invasion of several types of cancer cells. However, its role in ccRCC is still undetermined. This study found that PCAT1 levels were elevated in ccRCC tumors as well as several ccRCC cells, and knockdown of PCAT1 with siRNA (si-PCAT1) alleviated cell proliferation, migration and invasion of Caki-2 and ACHN cells. With bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reported assay, RNA pull-down assay and Spearman’s correlation analysis, we demonstrated that PCAT1 acted as a sponge for miR-656 and miR-539. Moreover, we found dual competitive interaction of miR-656/539 with PCAT1 and yes-associated protein (YAP), resulting in the identification of PCAT1-miR-656/539-YAP axis in Caki-2 and ACHN cells. With CCK-8 assay and transwell assay, miR-656/539 inhibitor or YAP overexpression could alleviate the effects of si-PCAT1 on the proliferation, migration and invasion of Caki-2 and ACHN cells. Our data indicated that PCAT1 promotes proliferation, migration and invasion of ccRCC cells by upregulating YAP via sponging miR-656 and miR-539. Taken together, this study provided a novel therapeutic target for ccRCC treatment.</p

Data_Sheet_1_A novel Toxoplasma gondii TGGT1_316290 mRNA-LNP vaccine elicits protective immune response against toxoplasmosis in mice.ZIP

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) can infect almost all warm-blooded animals and is a major threat to global public health. Currently, there is no effective drug or vaccine for T. gondii. In this study, bioinformatics analysis on B and T cell epitopes revealed that TGGT1_316290 (TG290) had superior effects compared with the surface antigen 1 (SAG1). TG290 mRNA-LNP was constructed through the Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) technology and intramuscularly injected into the BALB/c mice, and its immunogenicity and efficacy were explored. Analysis of antibodies, cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-12, IL-4, and IL-10), lymphocytes proliferation, cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity, dendritic cell (DC) maturation, as well as CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes revealed that TG290 mRNA-LNP induced humoral and cellular immune responses in vaccinated mice. Furthermore, T-Box 21 (T-bet), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) p65, and interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) subunit were over-expressed in the TG290 mRNA-LNP-immunized group. The survival time of mice injected with TG290 mRNA-LNP was significantly longer (18.7 ± 3 days) compared with the survival of mice of the control groups (p 7) of mice immunized with TG290 mRNA-LNP significantly prolonged the survival time of these mice. This study demonstrates that TG290 mRNA-LNP induces specific immune response against T. gondii and may be a potential toxoplasmosis vaccine candidate for this infection.</p

Charge Regulation of Polyelectrolyte Gels: Swelling Transition

We study the effects of charge-regulated acid/base equilibrium on the swelling of polyelectrolyte gels by considering a combination of the Poisson–Boltzmann theory and a two-site charge-regulation model based on the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. By exploring the volume change as a function of salt concentration for both nanogels and microgels, we identify conditions where the gel volume exhibits a discontinuous swelling transition. This transition is driven exclusively by the charge-regulation mechanism and is characterized by a closed-loop phase diagram. Our predictions can be tested experimentally for polypeptide gels

Synergistic Catalysis: Pd(II) Catalyzed Oxidation of 1,4‑Dihydroquinones in the Pd(II) Catalyzed 1,4-Oxidation of Cyclic 1,3‑Dienes

Palladium­(II) carboxylate salts have been shown to catalyze the oxidation of various hydroquinones to benzoquinones in the presence of <i>t</i>-BuOOH. This new catalytic system has been integrated into the oxidative 1,4-functionalization of cyclic 1,3-dienes where the palladium plays a remarkable dual role, catalyzing both the diene oxidation itself and the regeneration of the active quinone oxidant, which is required for diene functionalization. These new conditions offer considerable increases in reaction rate over prior art and allow a significant decrease in the equivalents of the nucleophilic carboxylate required for full conversion

MOESM1 of Computer algorithm can match physicians’ decisions about blood transfusions

Additional file 1: Appendix S1. Details of the computer script for screening the appropriateness of blood transfusions

Molecular Dynamics Simulations on Gate Opening in ZIF-8: Identification of Factors for Ethane and Propane Separation

Gate opening of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) is an important microscopic phenomenon in explaining the adsorption, diffusion, and separation processes for large guest molecules. We present a force field, with input from density functional theory (DFT) calculations, for the molecular dynamics simulation on the gate opening in ZIF-8. The computed self-diffusivities for sorbed C1 to C3 hydrocarbons were in good agreement with the experimental values. The observed sharp diffusion separation from C₂H₆ to C₃H₈ was elucidated by investigating the conformations of the guest molecules integrated with the flexibility of the host framework