Antiviral mechanism change of poly(styrene sulfonate) through gold nanoparticle coating†

Viruses are pathogens capable of causing serious global health problems and therefore the development of interventions against them is of paramount importance. One strategy towards designing broad-spectrum antivirals is through the mimicking of sulfonated glycopolymers on the cell surface so that the virion/cell interaction is inhibited by the antiviral material. A number of natural and synthetic polymers have been investigated, however, most show a virustatic mechanism, which is reversible and non-destructive. Herein we present a facile route to virucidal materials by attaching a previously known virustatic polymer, poly(styrene sulfonate), onto gold nanoparticles. We show that it is possible to alter the polymer's mode of action whilst maintaining its low IC50 by changing the macromolecular architecture

Ordered growth of vanadyl phthalocyanine (VOPc) on an iron phthalocyanine (FePc) monolayer

The growth and characterisation of a non-planar phthalocyanine (Vanadyl Phthalocyanine, VOPc) on a complete monolayer (ML) of a planar phthalocyanine (Iron (II) Phthalocyanine, FePc) on an Au (111) surface, has been investigated using ultra-high vacuum (UHV) scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED). The surface mesh of the initial FePc monolayer has been determined and shown to correspond to an incommensurate overlayer, not commensurate as previously reported. Ordered islands of VOPc, with (1x1) epitaxy, grow on the FePc layer at submonolayer coverages. The individual VOPc molecules occupy sites directly atop the underlying FePc molecules, indicating that significant intermolecular bonding must occur. It is proposed that this interaction implies that the V=O points down into the surface, allowing a Fe-O bond to form. The detailed appearance of the STM images of the VOPc molecules is consistent with previous studies in other VOPc growth studies in which this molecular orientation has been proposed

Life in Hot Carbon Monoxide: The Complete Genome Sequence of Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans Z-2901

We report here the sequencing and analysis of the genome of the thermophilic bacterium Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans Z-2901. This species is a model for studies of hydrogenogens, which are diverse bacteria and archaea that grow anaerobically utilizing carbon monoxide (CO) as their sole carbon source and water as an electron acceptor, producing carbon dioxide and hydrogen as waste products. Organisms that make use of CO do so through carbon monoxide dehydrogenase complexes. Remarkably, analysis of the genome of C. hydrogenoformans reveals the presence of at least five highly differentiated anaerobic carbon monoxide dehydrogenase complexes, which may in part explain how this species is able to grow so much more rapidly on CO than many other species. Analysis of the genome also has provided many general insights into the metabolism of this organism which should make it easier to use it as a source of biologically produced hydrogen gas. One surprising finding is the presence of many genes previously found only in sporulating species in the Firmicutes Phylum. Although this species is also a Firmicutes, it was not known to sporulate previously. Here we show that it does sporulate and because it is missing many of the genes involved in sporulation in other species, this organism may serve as a “minimal” model for sporulation studies. In addition, using phylogenetic profile analysis, we have identified many uncharacterized gene families found in all known sporulating Firmicutes, but not in any non-sporulating bacteria, including a sigma factor not known to be involved in sporulation previously

The Vehicle, 1969, Vol. 11 no. 1

Vol. 11, No. 1 Table of Contents PhotoJeff Nelsonpage 4 The Dancing BodLukepage 5 The Hide-OutEleanor Aikenpage 6 DrawingLawrence Unfriedpage 7 Rain-Drunk Midnight ManiaThomas W. Reapage 9 What I\u27m Supposed To Say About WarMichael G. McKeepage 10 Sinking LashesThomas W. Reapage 10 CandleThomas W. Reapage 10 Nervous ChaperoneThomas W. Reapage 10 Formless Beauty Left To DryThomas W. Reapage 10 MasqueradeThomas W. Reapage 10 Mad JohnJames Jonespage 11 Black RacistJames Jonespage 12 HandsLawrence Unfriedpage 13 The Real Jonathan T. WillwickCharles Whitepage 14 A Cold Afternoon In JanuaryCharles Whitepage 16 Crumpled PaperLawrence Unfriedpage 16 ImpressionMichael G. McKeepage 18 The HunterMary Ann Spidelpage 19 PhotoJeff NelsonCaptionMichael G. McKeepage 20https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1019/thumbnail.jp

The Vehicle, 1969, Vol. 11 no. 1

Vol. 11, No. 1 Table of Contents PhotoJeff Nelsonpage 4 The Dancing BodLukepage 5 The Hide-OutEleanor Aikenpage 6 DrawingLawrence Unfriedpage 7 Rain-Drunk Midnight ManiaThomas W. Reapage 9 What I\u27m Supposed To Say About WarMichael G. McKeepage 10 Sinking LashesThomas W. Reapage 10 CandleThomas W. Reapage 10 Nervous ChaperoneThomas W. Reapage 10 Formless Beauty Left To DryThomas W. Reapage 10 MasqueradeThomas W. Reapage 10 Mad JohnJames Jonespage 11 Black RacistJames Jonespage 12 HandsLawrence Unfriedpage 13 The Real Jonathan T. WillwickCharles Whitepage 14 A Cold Afternoon In JanuaryCharles Whitepage 16 Crumpled PaperLawrence Unfriedpage 16 ImpressionMichael G. McKeepage 18 The HunterMary Ann Spidelpage 19 PhotoJeff NelsonCaptionMichael G. McKeepage 20https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1019/thumbnail.jp

Structural templating in a nonplanar phthalocyanine using single crystal copper iodide

Solution-grown copper iodide crystals are used as substrates for the templated growth of the nonplanar vanadyl phthalocyanine using organic molecular beam deposition. Structural characterization reveals a single molecular orientation produced by the (111) Miller plane of the copper iodide crystals. These fundamental measurements show the importance of morphology and structure in templating interactions for organic electronics applications

Sauropod dinosaur tracks from the Purbeck Group (Early Cretaceous) of Spyway Quarry, Dorset, UK

Dinosaur tracks have a long history of discovery and study in the UK, but track sites for sauropodomorph dinosaurs—the group that included the giant, graviportal herbivorous sauropods—are comparatively rare. Here, we provide a description of a sauropod dinosaur track site at Spyway Quarry in Dorset, southern England. The tracks at Spyway were discovered in the late 1990s and occur in the Stair Hole Member of the Durlston Formation in the Purbeck Limestone Group, of earliest Cretaceous age. More than 130 individual tracks of large sauropod dinosaurs are present at the site, but they are generally poorly preserved and do not form clear trackways, although it is likely that they represent multiple individuals. They provide further evidence for sauropods living in or passing through coastal lagoonal environments. Although poorly preserved, Spyway represents the largest in situ dinosaur track site currently accessible within the Purbeck Group, with considerable potential for further discoveries through ongoing quarrying in the surrounding area

Early Eocene fossils suggest that the mammalian order Perissodactyla originated in India

Cambaytheres (Cambaytherium, Nakusia and Kalitherium) are recently discovered early Eocene placental mammals from the Indo-Pakistan region. They have been assigned to either Perissodactyla (the clade including horses, tapirs and rhinos, which is a member of the superorder Laurasiatheria) or Anthracobunidae, an obscure family that has been variously considered artiodactyls or perissodactyls, but most recently placed at the base of Proboscidea or of Tethytheria (Proboscidea+Sirenia, superorder Afrotheria). Here we report new dental, cranial and postcranial fossils of Cambaytherium, from the Cambay Shale Formation, Gujarat, India (~54.5 Myr). These fossils demonstrate that cambaytheres occupy a pivotal position as the sister taxon of Perissodactyla, thereby providing insight on the phylogenetic and biogeographic origin of Perissodactyla. The presence of the sister group of perissodactyls in western India near or before the time of collision suggests that Perissodactyla may have originated on the Indian Plate during its final drift toward Asia

Selecting phthalocyanine polymorphs using local chemical termination variations in copper iodide

Copper(I) iodide (CuI) thin films are employed as a structural templating layer for the growth of metal-free phthalocyanine (H2Pc) thin films. Structural polymorphs are observed in X-ray diffraction patterns when microcrystalline CuI films exhibiting copper and iodine terminated grains are used. Each polymorph is nucleated from a single termination, and distinctive crystallite morphologies are observed for each

Temperature Shocks and Economic Growth: Evidence from the Last Half Century

This paper uses historical fluctuations in temperature within countries to identify its effects on aggregate economic outcomes. We find three primary results. First, higher temperatures substantially reduce economic growth in poor countries. Second, higher temperatures may reduce growth rates, not just the level of output. Third, higher temperatures have wide-ranging effects, reducing agricultural output, industrial output, and political stability. These findings inform debates over climate's role in economic development and suggest the possibility of substantial negative impacts of higher temperatures on poor countries