Action mechanism and structural requirements of the antimicrobial peptides, gaegurins

AbstractGaegurins (GGNs) are a family of cationic, α-helical, antimicrobial peptides that were isolated from a Korean frog, Glandirana emeljanovi (formerly classified as Rana rugosa) and represent one of the structurally well-characterized groups. Among six gaegurins, gaegurin 4 (renamed herein esculentin-2EM), gaegurin 5 (brevinin-1EMa), and gaegurin 6 (brevinin-1EMb) have been investigated comprehensively in terms of structure–activity relationships. In this paper, we first suggest renaming of gaegurins according to a recently raised rule of systematic nomenclature. Then, the current understanding of gaegurins is reviewed by summarizing their structure–activity relationships. In particular competing arguments on gaegurins are synthetically inspected. Finally their action mechanism and structural requirements will be discussed

(1,2-Dicarba-closo-dodeca­boran­yl)trimethyl­methanaminium iodide

The title compound, [1-(CH3)3NCH2-1,2-C2B10H11]+·I− or C6H22B10N+·I−, was obtained by the reaction of (1,2-dicarba-closo-dodeca­boran­yl)dimethyl­methanamine with methyl iodide. The asymmetric unit contains two iodide anions and two (o-carboran­yl)tetra­methyl­ammonium cations. The bond lengths and angles in the carborane cage are within normal ranges, but the N—Cmethyl­ene—Ccage angle is very large [120.2 (2)°] because of repulsion between the carborane and tetra­methyl­ammonium units. In the crystal, ions are linked through C—H⋯I hydrogen bonds

Observation and Numerical Prediction of 2011 East Japan Tsunami Inpacific Ocean

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchiv

Simple Assessment of Red Blood Cell Deformability Using Blood Pressure in Capillary Channels for Effective Detection of Subpopulations in Red Blood Cells

Assessment of red blood cell (RBC) deformability as a biomarker requires expensive equipment to induce and monitor deformation. In this study, we present a simple method for quantifying RBC deformability. We designed a microfluidic channel consisting of a micropillar channel and a coflowing channel connected in series. When blood (loading volume = 100 μL) was injected continuously into the device under constant pressure (1 bar), we monitored the boundary position of the blood and the reference flow in the coflowing channel. A decrease in the deformability of RBCs results in a growing pressure drop in the micropillar channel, which is mirrored by a decrease in blood pressure in the coflowing channel. Analysis of this temporal variation in blood pressure allowed us to define the clogging index (CI) as a new marker of RBC deformability. As a result of the analytical study and numerical simulation, we have demonstrated that the coflowing channel may serve as a pressure sensor that allows the measurement of blood pressure with accuracy. We have shown experimentally that a higher hematocrit level (i.e., more than 40%) does not have a substantial influence on CI. The CI tended to increase to a higher degree in glutaraldehyde-treated hardened RBCs. Furthermore, we were able to resolve the difference in deformability of RBCs between two different RBC density subfractions in human blood. In summary, our approach using CI provides reliable information on the deformability of RBCs, which is comparable to the readouts obtained by ektacytometry. We believe that our microfluidic device would be a useful tool for evaluating the deformability of RBCs, which does not require expensive instruments (e.g., high-speed camera) or time-consuming micro-PIV analysis

Structure of AGCM-Simulated Convectively Coupled Kelvin Waves and Sensitivity to Convective Parameterization

A study of the convectively coupled Kelvin wave (CCKW) properties from a series of atmospheric general circulation model experiments over observed sea surface temperatures is presented. The simulations are performed with two different convection schemes (a mass flux scheme and a moisture convergence scheme) using a range of convective triggers, which inhibit convection in different ways. Increasing the strength of the convective trigger leads to significantly slower and more intense CCKW activity in both convection schemes. With the most stringent trigger in the mass flux scheme, the waves have realistic speed and variance and also exhibit clear shallow-to-deep-to-stratiform phase tilts in the vertical, as in observations. While adding a moisture trigger results in vertical phase tilts in the mass flux scheme, the moisture convergence scheme CCKWs show no such phase tilts even with a stringent convective trigger. The changes in phase speed in the simulations are interpreted using the concept of "gross moist stability" (GMS). Inhibition of convection results in a more unstable tropical atmosphere in the time mean, and convection is shallower on average as well. Both of these effects lead to a smaller GMS, which leads to slower propagation of the waves, as expected from theoretical studies. Effects such as changes in radiative heating, atmospheric humidity, and vertical velocity following the wave have a relatively small effect on the GMS as compared with the time mean state determined by the convection scheme.open222

Source/Drain Patterning FinFETs as Solution for Physical Area Scaling Toward 5-nm Node

A novel and feasible process scheme to downsize the source/drain (S/D) epitaxy of 5-nm node bulk fin-shaped field-effect transistors (FinFETs) were introduced by using fully-calibrated TCAD for the first time. The S/D epitaxy formed by selective epitaxial growth was diamond-shaped and occupied a large proportion of the device size irrespective of the active channel area. However, this problem was solved by patterning the low-k regions prior to S/D formation by preventing the lateral overgrowth of S/D epitaxy; the so-called S/D patterning (SDP). Its smaller S/D epitaxy decreased the average longitudinal channel stresses and drive currents for NFETs. However, the small diffusions of the boron dopants into the channel regions improved the short-channel effects and alleviated the drive current reduction for PFETs. Gate capacitances decreased greatly by reducing outer-fringing capacitances between the metal-gate stack and S/D regions. Through SPICE simulation based on the virtual source model, operation frequencies and dynamic powers of 15-stage ring oscillators were studied. SDP FinFETs have better circuit performances than the conventional and bottom oxide bulk FinFETs along with smaller active areas, promising for further area scaling through simple and reliable S/D process.11Ysciescopu