2-{[3-Methyl-4-(2,2,2-trifluoro­eth­oxy)pyridin-2-yl]methyl­sulfan­yl}-1H-benzimidazole monohydrate

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C16H14F3N3OS·H2O, contains two independent mol­ecules (A and B) and two water mol­ecules, one of which is disordered over two positions in a 0.790 (8):0.210 (8) ratio. The mol­ecular conformations are close, the benzimidazole mean plane and pyridine ring forming dihedral angles of 1.8 (3) and 0.1 (2)° in mol­ecules A and B, respectively. The water mol­ecules are involved in formation of two independent hydrogen-bonded chains via N—H⋯O and O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds. Chains propagating along the a axis are formed by mol­ecule A and one independent water mol­ecule, while chains propagating along the b axis are formed by mol­ecule B and the other independent water mol­ecule. The crystal packing exhibits π–π inter­actions, as indicated by short distances of 3.607 (3) and 3.701 (3) Å between the centroids of the imidazole and pyridine rings of neighbouring mol­ecules

Supersymmetry and the relationship between a class of singular potentials in arbitrary dimensions

The eigenvalues of the potentials $V_{1}(r)=\frac{A_{1}}{r}+\frac{A_{2}}{r^{2}}+\frac{A_{3}}{r^{3}}+\frac{A_{4 }}{r^{4}}$ and $V_{2}(r)=B_{1}r^{2}+\frac{B_{2}}{r^{2}}+\frac{B_{3}}{r^{4}}+\frac{B_{4}}{r^ {6}}$, and of the special cases of these potentials such as the Kratzer and Goldman-Krivchenkov potentials, are obtained in N-dimensional space. The explicit dependence of these potentials in higher-dimensional space is discussed, which have not been previously covered.Comment: 13 pages article in LaTEX (uses standard article.sty). Please check "http://www1.gantep.edu.tr/~ozer" for other studies of Nuclear Physics Group at University of Gaziante

The complete mitochondrial genome of Mantis religiosa (Mantodea: Mantidae) from Canada and its phylogeny

The complete mitochondrial genome of Mantis religiosa (Mantodea: Mantidae) from Canada was successfully sequenced. The mitochondrial genome was a circular molecule of 15,521 bp in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, 23 tRNA genes (including an extra tRNAArg gene), and the control region. The AT content of the whole genome was 76.9% and the length of the control region was 636 bp with 81.9% AT content. The structure of the M. religiosa mitochondrial genome from Canada was almost identical to M. religiosa from China and their genetic distance was just 0.017. In Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (ML) analyses, we found that M. religiosa was a sister clade to Statilia sp. and the monophyly of the genera Hierodula and Rhombodera was not supported

From carbon nanotubes and silicate layers to graphene platelets for polymer nanocomposites

In spite of extensive studies conducted on carbon nanotubes and silicate layers for their polymer-based nanocomposites, the rise of graphene now provides a more promising candidate due to its exceptionally high mechanical performance and electrical and thermal conductivities. The present study developed a facile approach to fabricate epoxy–graphene nanocomposites by thermally expanding a commercial product followed by ultrasonication and solution-compounding with epoxy, and investigated their morphologies, mechanical properties, electrical conductivity and thermal mechanical behaviour. Graphene platelets (GnPs) of 3.5

Identification of four novel small non-coding RNAs from Xanthomonas campestris pathovar campestris

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In bacteria, small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) have been recognized as important regulators of various cellular processes. Approximately 200 bacterial sRNAs in total have been reported. However, very few sRNAs have been identified from phytopathogenic bacteria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>Xanthomons campestris </it>pathovar <it>campestris </it>(<it>Xcc</it>) is the causal agent of black rot disease of cruciferous crops. In this study, a cDNA library was constructed from the low-molecular weight RNA isolated from the <it>Xcc </it>strain 8004 grown to exponential phase in the minimal medium XVM2. Seven sRNA candidates were obtained by sequencing screen of 2,500 clones from the library and four of them were confirmed to be sRNAs by Northern hybridization, which were named sRNA-<it>Xcc</it>1, sRNA-<it>Xcc</it>2, sRNA-<it>Xcc</it>3, and sRNA-<it>Xcc</it>4. The transcription start and stop sites of these sRNAs were further determined. BLAST analysis revealed that the four sRNAs are novel. Bioinformatics prediction showed that a large number of genes with various known or unknown functions in <it>Xcc </it>8004 are potential targets of sRNA-<it>Xcc</it>1, sRNA-<it>Xcc</it>3 and sRNA-<it>Xcc</it>4. In contrast, only a few genes were predicted to be potential targets of sRNA-<it>Xcc</it>2.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have identified four novel sRNAs from <it>Xcc </it>by a large-scale screen. Bioinformatics analysis suggests that they may perform various functions. This work provides the first step toward understanding the role of sRNAs in the molecular mechanisms of <it>Xanthomonas campestris </it>pathogenesis.</p

Gate-tunable negative differential conductance in hybrid semiconductor-superconductor devices

Negative differential conductance (NDC) manifests as a significant characteristic of various underlying physics and transport processes in hybrid superconducting devices. In this work, we report the observation of gate-tunable NDC outside the superconducting energy gap on two types of hybrid semiconductor-superconductor devices, i.e., normal metal-superconducting nanowire-normal metal and normal metal-superconducting nanowire-superconductor devices. Specifically, we study the dependence of the NDCs on back-gate voltage and magnetic field. When the back-gate voltage decreases, these NDCs weaken and evolve into positive differential conductance dips; and meanwhile they move away from the superconducting gap towards high bias voltage, and disappear eventually. In addition, with the increase of magnetic field, the NDCs/dips follow the evolution of the superconducting gap, and disappear when the gap closes. We interpret these observations and reach a good agreement by combining the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk (BTK) model and the critical supercurrent effect in the nanowire, which we call the BTK-supercurrent model. Our results provide an in-depth understanding of the tunneling transport in hybrid semiconductor-superconductor devices.Comment: 15+6 pages, 4+6 figure

Direct In Situ Raman Spectroscopic Evidence of Oxygen Reduction Reaction Intermediates at High-Index Pt(hkl) Surfaces

The study of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at high-index Pt(hkl) single crystal surfaces has received considerable interest due to their well-ordered, typical atomic structures and superior catalytic activities. However, it is difficult to obtain direct spectral evidence of ORR intermediates during reaction processes, especially at high-index Pt(hkl) surfaces. Herein, in situ Raman spectroscopy has been employed to investigate ORR processes at high-index Pt(hkl) surfaces containing the [011̅] crystal zone—i.e., Pt(211) and Pt(311). Through control and isotope substitution experiments, in situ spectroscopic evidence of OH and OOH intermediates at Pt(211) and Pt(311) surfaces was successfully obtained. After detailed analysis based on the Raman spectra and theoretical simulation, it was deduced that the difference in adsorption of OOH at high-index surfaces has a significant effect on the ORR activity. This research illuminates and deepens the understanding of the ORR mechanism on high-index Pt(hkl) surfaces and provides theoretical guidance for the rational design of high activity ORR catalysts.This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21902137, 21925404, 21775127, and 21427813), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (20720190044), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2019M652250), and the China Postdoctoral Innovation Talent Support Program (BX20190184). Support from MINECO through project CTQ2016-76221-P (AEI/FEDER, UE) is greatly acknowledged

Efficacy and short-term side effects of sitagliptin, vildagliptin and saxagliptin in Chinese diabetes: a randomized clinical trial

Aims: To investigate the difference in the efficacy among dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors in Chinese adults with newly diagnosed diabetes. Materials and methods: In a multicenter, randomized study, we enrolled adults who were either treatment naive or off prior anti-hyperglycemic therapy for at least 3 months. Eligible patients had hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) concentrations of 6.5–9.5%. Three hundred patients had been randomly allocated to sitagliptin 100 mg, once daily; vildagliptin 50 mg, twice daily and saxagliptin 5 mg, once daily for 12 weeks. Patients and investigators were masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was change from baseline in HbA1c at week 12. This study was completed and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT 01703637. Results: Totally 277 patients were enrolled in the final analysis, and 9 3 patients received sitagliptin, 94 received vildagliptin and 90 received saxagliptin. Compared with baseline, adjusted mean differences in change from baseline HbA1c at week 12 were −0.50% (95% CI: −0.20 to −0.90), −0.65% (95% CI: −0.40 to −1.40), −0.70 (95% CI: −0.50 to −1.00) for sitagliptin, vildagliptin and saxagliptin group, respectively. The overall HbA1c-lowering effect was similar for all three selected DPP-4 inhibitors after adjustment for age and baseline HbA1c. Notably, in secondary outcome analysis, patients in vildagliptin group showed a significant decrease in total cholesterol levels, compared with participants in sitagliptin and saxagliptin groups. No significant between-group difference was shown in adverse events (AE). Conclusions: The overall HbA1c-lowering effect and incidence of AE were similar for sitagliptin, vildagliptin and saxagliptin in Chinese adults with newly diagnosed diabetes