Data_Sheet_1_Origin of Cave Fungi.ZIP

<p>Karst caves are obviously characterized by darkness, constantly low temperature, high humidity, and oligotrophy. Previous studies revealed that Karst caves have a high and specific bio-diversity. A large number of troglobiont animals had been discovered and their evolution and speciation have been well investigated. However, the origin and evolution of cave fungi remain unknown. In a previous study, we have identified 20 new species, which accounted for 49% of the total number of new species of fungi ever described from caves. In this study, we inferred the divergence times of these 20 new species and compared to the cave formation geologic age. The fossil-calibrated molecular clock showed that the divergence times of these 20 suspected troglobitic fungi are between late Miocene (7.2 Mya for Metapochonia variabilis) and late Jurassic (158 Mya for Gymnoascus exasperates). While based on the historical geological movement and the paleoclimate of Guizhou, it has been estimated that the development of caves in this area was later than middle Pliocene (3.5–4 Mya). It is therefore concluded that the new species described from these caves are unlikely troglobitic fungi but travelers from other environments. The geographic history of caves appeared to be too short for fungal speciation.</p

Table_1_Origin of Cave Fungi.XLSX

<p>Karst caves are obviously characterized by darkness, constantly low temperature, high humidity, and oligotrophy. Previous studies revealed that Karst caves have a high and specific bio-diversity. A large number of troglobiont animals had been discovered and their evolution and speciation have been well investigated. However, the origin and evolution of cave fungi remain unknown. In a previous study, we have identified 20 new species, which accounted for 49% of the total number of new species of fungi ever described from caves. In this study, we inferred the divergence times of these 20 new species and compared to the cave formation geologic age. The fossil-calibrated molecular clock showed that the divergence times of these 20 suspected troglobitic fungi are between late Miocene (7.2 Mya for Metapochonia variabilis) and late Jurassic (158 Mya for Gymnoascus exasperates). While based on the historical geological movement and the paleoclimate of Guizhou, it has been estimated that the development of caves in this area was later than middle Pliocene (3.5–4 Mya). It is therefore concluded that the new species described from these caves are unlikely troglobitic fungi but travelers from other environments. The geographic history of caves appeared to be too short for fungal speciation.</p

Lubricated Biodegradable Polymer Networks for Regulating Nerve Cell Behavior and Fabricating Nerve Conduits with a Compositional Gradient

We present a method of tuning surface chemistry and nerve cell behavior by photo-cross-linking methoxy poly­(ethylene glycol) monoacrylate (mPEGA) with hydrophobic, semicrystalline poly­(ε-caprolactone) diacrylate (PCLDA) at various weight compositions of mPEGA (ϕ_m) from 2 to 30%. Improved surface wettability is achieved with corresponding decreases in friction, water contact angle, and capability of adsorbing proteins from cell culture media because of repulsive PEG chains tethered in the network. The responses of rat Schwann cell precursor line (SpL201), rat pheochromocytoma (PC12), and E14 mouse neural progenitor cells (NPCs) to the modified surfaces are evaluated. Nonmonotonic or parabolic dependence of cell attachment, spreading, proliferation, and differentiation on ϕ_m is identified for these cell types with maximal values at ϕ_m of 5–7%. In addition, NPCs demonstrate enhanced neuronal differentiated lineages on the mPEGA/PCLDA network at ϕ_m of 5% with intermediate wettability and surface energy. This approach lays the foundation for fabricating heterogeneous nerve conduits with a compositional gradient along the wall thickness, which are able to promote nerve cell functions within the conduit while inhibiting cell attachment on the outer wall to prevent potential fibrous tissue formation following implantation

Poly(ε-caprolactone)-Banded Spherulites and Interaction with MC3T3-E1 Cells

We report that protein adsorption, cell attachment, and cell proliferation were enhanced on spherulites-roughened polymer surfaces. Banded spherulites with concentric alternating succession of ridges and valleys were observed on spin-coated thin films of poly­(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and two series of PCL binary homoblends composed of high- and low-molecular-weight components when they were isothermally crystallized at 25–52 °C. Their thermal properties, crystallization kinetics, and surface morphology were examined. The melting temperature (<i>T</i>_m), crystallinity (χ_c), crystallization rate, and spherulitic patterns showed strong dependence on the crystallization temperature (<i>T</i>_c) and the blend composition. The surface roughness of the spherulites was higher when <i>T</i>_c was higher; thus, the larger surface area formed in banded spherulites could adsorb more serum proteins from cell culture media. In vitro mouse preosteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cell attachment, proliferation, and nuclear localization were assessed on the hot-compressed flat disks and spherulites-roughened films of the high-molecular-weight PCL and one of its homoblends. The number of attached MC3T3-E1 cells and the proliferation rate were greater on the rougher surfaces than those on the flat ones. It is interesting to note that cell nuclei were preferentially, though not absolutely, located in or close to the valleys of the banded spherulites. The percentage of cell nuclei in the valleys was higher than 78% when the ridge height and adjacent ridge distance were ∼350 and ∼35 nm, respectively. This preference was weaker when the ridge height was lower or at a higher cell density. These results suggest that isothermal crystallization of semicrystalline polymers can be an effective thermal treatment method to achieve controllable surface roughness and pattern for regulating cell behaviors in tissue-engineering applications

Eco-Efficient, Green, and Scalable Synthesis of 1,2,3-Triazoles Catalyzed by Cu(I) Catalyst on Waste Oyster Shell Powders

An efficient and recyclable waste oyster shell powders (OSPs)-supported CuBr catalyst (OSPs–CuBr) has been successfully prepared and well characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). Then, OSPs–CuBr was used as a heterogeneous catalyst for the one-pot multicomponent synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole derivatives via a Cu­(I)-catalyzed azide–alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction. Compared with a CaCO₃–CuBr catalyst, the OSPs–CuBr catalyst showed higher catalytic activity and stability characteristics. The chitin and protein molecules on the OSP particles surfaces play an important role in the chelation of the CuBr species, which leads to the better chemical stability of OSPs–CuBr. The 1,2,3-triazoles are readily obtained in good to excellent yields and on a multigram scale by the reaction of aryl/alkyl halides, alkynes, and NaN₃ under microwave irradiation conditions. It also showed good reusability, could be easily recovered through filtration and washing, and was reused at least eight times with virtually no evident loss of catalytic performance

Venice as an allegory of modern man. Paolo Barbaro's literary writings

Stěžejním dílem, jemuž se hodlám věnovat ve své diplomové práci, bude kniha Venezia, la citt ritrovata spisovatele Paola Barbara. Toto Barbarovo dílo jsem si vybrala proto, že mě zajímá aktuální pohled na jedinečný fenomén Benátek. Právě tuto knihu pokládám za současný nejplastičtěji vykreslený literárněfilozofický obraz tohoto města1 a její poetická výstavba mě inspirovala k vytyčení hlavního cíle mé práce, jímž bude literárně-sémiologický rozbor tohoto díla směřující k zachycení benátského prostoru jakožto zrcadla duše moderního člověka. V zájmu celistvosti pohledu na Paola Barbara a jeho tvorbu budu však dále okrajově sledovat též ostatní Barbarova díla tematicky zaměřená na život v benátské laguně (Lunario veneziano, Venezia, l'anno del mare felice, Ultime isole, L'impresa senza fine). Ve snaze postihnout Barbarův obecný náhled na lidskou existenci i jeho literární styl využiji též jeho prvotiny (Giornale dei lavori) a jednoho z nejvíce ceněných románů - Diario a due

Fire, water, earth, air - the four elements in the fiction of Julien Gracq

Tato práce měla za úkol zjistit ve vybraném díle Juliena Gracqa, vymezeném jeho čtyřmi dokončenými romány, jedním nedokončeným, dvěma novelami, jednou divadelní hrou a jednou sbírkou básní v próze, přítomnost prvků, které Bachelard rozděluje do čtyř druhů imaginace dle čtyř živlů, ohně, vody, země a vzduchu. V první části byl podán zevrubný přehled různých činitelů a zdrojů imaginace, za nimiž lze hledat původ Gracqova stylu a kterými lze vysvětlit přítomnost prvků a obrazů souvisejících s přírodními živly. Přehled byl vytvořen dle chronologického pořádku, protože se tento postup ukázal být nejvhodnějším pro svou srozumitelnost a snadnou orientaci. Velkým vzorem byli Gracqovi spisovatelé jako Edgar Allan Poe, Stendhal či Jules Verne. Již v dětství byl Gracq velkým čtenářem a četba se mu stala prostředkem k duševnímu uspokojení ve frustrujícím prostředí internátu v Nantes. Úniky od svazující reality do imaginárních světů vnesly v určité míře do mysli mladého muže touhu po vlastním vyjádření a dovedly ho až k napsání prvotiny Na Argolském zámku, jež byla s nadšením přijata zakladatelem surrealismu André Bretonem. Gracq dokázal změnit Bretonovu tezi, že románový žánr do surrealistické koncepce nepatří. Po tomto úspěchu se dostal do popředí francouzského literárního světa své doby, což vyvrcholilo navržením..

Dynamics of Excited States for Fluorescent Emitters with Hybridized Local and Charge-Transfer Excited State in Solid Phase: A QM/MM Study

The highly efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDS) based on fluorescent emitters with hybridized local and charge-transfer (HLCT) excited state have attracted great attention recently. The excited-state dynamics of the fluorescent molecule with consideration of molecular interaction are studied using the hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics method. The results show that, in solid state, the internal conversion rate (<i>K</i>_IC) between the first singlet excited state (S1) and the ground state (S0) is smaller than the fluorescent rate (<i>K</i>_r), while in gas phase <i>K</i>_IC is much larger than <i>K</i>_r. By analyzing the Huang–Rhys (HR) factor and reorganization energy (λ), we find that these two parameters in solid state are much smaller than those in gas phase due to the suppression of the vibration modes in low-frequency regions (<200 cm^–1) related with dihedral angles between donor and acceptor groups. This is further demonstrated by the geometrical analysis that variation of the dihedral angle between geometries of S1 and S0 is smaller in solid state than that in gas phase. Moreover, combining the dynamics of the excited states and the adiabatic energy structures calculated in solid state, we illustrate the suggested “hot-exciton” mechanism of the HLCT emitters in OLEDs. Our work presents a rational explanation for the experimental results and demonstrates the importance of molecular interaction for theoretical simulation of the working principle of OLEDs

Hybrid Elastin-like Polypeptide–Polyethylene Glycol (ELP-PEG) Hydrogels with Improved Transparency and Independent Control of Matrix Mechanics and Cell Ligand Density

Hydrogels have been developed as extracellular matrix (ECM) mimics both for therapeutic applications and basic biological studies. In particular, elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) hydrogels, which can be tuned to mimic several biochemical and physical characteristics of native ECM, have been constructed to encapsulate various types of cells to create in vitro mimics of in vivo tissues. However, ELP hydrogels become opaque at body temperature because of ELP’s lower critical solution temperature behavior. This opacity obstructs light-based observation of the morphology and behavior of encapsulated cells. In order to improve the transparency of ELP hydrogels for better imaging, we have designed a hybrid ELP-polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel system that rapidly cross-links with tris­(hydroxymethyl) phosphine (THP) in aqueous solution via Mannich-type condensation. As expected, addition of the hydrophilic PEG component significantly improves the light transmittance. Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy reveals that the hybrid ELP-PEG hydrogels have smaller hydrophobic ELP aggregates at 37 °C. Importantly, this hydrogel platform enables independent tuning of adhesion ligand density and matrix stiffness, which is desirable for studies of cell–matrix interactions. Human fibroblasts encapsulated in these hydrogels show high viability (>98%) after 7 days of culture. High-resolution confocal microscopy of encapsulated fibroblasts reveals that the cells adopt a more spread morphology in response to higher RGD ligand concentrations and softer gel mechanics