Hierarchically-structured metalloprotein composite coatings biofabricated from co-existing condensed liquid phases

Complex hierarchical structure governs emergent properties in biopolymeric materials; yet, the material processing involved remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the multi-scale structure and composition of the mussel byssus cuticle before, during and after formation to gain insight into the processing of this hard, yet extensible metal cross-linked protein composite. Our findings reveal that the granular substructure crucial to the cuticle’s function as a wear-resistant coating of an extensible polymer fiber is pre-organized in condensed liquid phase secretory vesicles. These are phase-separated into DOPA-rich proto-granules enveloped in a sulfur-rich proto-matrix which fuses during secretion, forming the sub-structure of the cuticle. Metal ions are added subsequently in a site-specific way, with iron contained in the sulfur-rich matrix and vanadium coordinated by DOPA-catechol in the granule. We posit that this hierarchical structure self-organizes via phase separation of specific amphiphilic proteins within secretory vesicles, resulting in a meso-scale structuring that governs cuticle function

El resumen y la producción de recuerdo para verificar la comprensión lectora de un texto de ciencias

En el presente trabajo pretendamos indagar si alumnos de nivel medio han comprendido un texto de Ciencias valiéndonos de dos tareas que les encomendamos. La primera fue la elaboración de un resumen del mismo. Analizamos en estas producciones si logran concretar un nuevo texto como una modificación que guarda relación con el texto fuente, que nos permita confirmar si hubo comprensión global. La segunda tarea, fue una producción de recuerdo demorado en la cual evaluamos la información que asimilaron

A Conservative Scheme with Optimal Error Estimates for a Multidimensional Space-Fractional Gross-Pitaevskii Equation

The present work departs from an extended form of the classical multi-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation, which considers fractional derivatives of the Riesz type in space, a generalized potential function and angular momentum rotation. It is well known that the classical system possesses functionals which are preserved throughout time. It is easy to check that the generalized fractional model considered in this work also possesses conserved quantities, whence the development of conservative and efficient numerical schemes is pragmatically justified. Motivated by these facts, we propose a finite-difference method based on weighted-shifted Grünwald differences to approximate the solutions of the generalized Gross-Pitaevskii system. We provide here a discrete extension of the uniform Sobolev inequality to multiple dimensions, and show that the proposed method is capable of preserving discrete forms of the mass and the energy of the model. Moreover, we establish thoroughly the stability and the convergence of the technique, and provide some illustrative simulations to show that the method is capable of preserving the total mass and the total energy of the generalized system. © 2019 Ahmed S. Hendy et al., published by Sciendo 2019

Discrete monotone method for space-fractional nonlinear reaction–diffusion equations

A discrete monotone iterative method is reported here to solve a space-fractional nonlinear diffusion–reaction equation. More precisely, we propose a Crank–Nicolson discretization of a reaction–diffusion system with fractional spatial derivative of the Riesz type. The finite-difference scheme is based on the use of fractional-order centered differences, and it is solved using a monotone iterative technique. The existence and uniqueness of solutions of the numerical model are analyzed using this approach, along with the technique of upper and lower solutions. This methodology is employed also to prove the main numerical properties of the technique, namely, the consistency, stability, and convergence. As an application, the particular case of the space-fractional Fisher’s equation is theoretically analyzed in full detail. In that case, the monotone iterative method guarantees the preservation of the positivity and the boundedness of the numerical approximations. Various numerical examples are provided to illustrate the validity of the numerical approximations. More precisely, we provide an extensive series of comparisons against other numerical methods available in the literature, we show detailed numerical analyses of convergence in time and in space against fractional and integer-order models, and we provide studies on the robustness and the numerical performance of the discrete monotone method. © 2019, The Author(s).Russian Foundation for Basic Research, RFBR: 19-01-00019Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, CONACYT: A1-S-45928The first author would like to acknowledge the financial support of the National Council for Science and Technology of Mexico (CONACYT). The second (and corresponding) author acknowledges financial support from CONACYT through grant A1-S-45928. ASH is financed by RFBR Grant 19-01-00019

Examining the sources of occupational stress in an emergency department

Background Previous work has established that health care staff, in particular emergency department (ED) personnel, experience significant occupational stress but the underlying stressors have not been well quantified. Such data inform interventions that can reduce cases of occupational mental illness, burnout, staff turnover and early retirement associated with cumulative stress. Aims To develop, implement and evaluate a questionnaire examining the origins of occupational stress in the ED. Methods A questionnaire co-designed by an occupational health practitioner and ED management administered to nursing, medical and support staff in the ED of a large English teaching hospital in 2015. The questionnaire assessed participants’ demographic characteristics and perceptions of stress across three dimensions (demand–control–support, effort–reward and organizational justice). Work-related stressors in ED staff were compared with those of an unmatched control group from the acute ear, nose and throat (ENT) and neurology directorate. Results A total of 104 (59%) ED staff returned questionnaires compared to 72 staff (67%) from the acute ENT/neurology directorate. The ED respondents indicated lower levels of job autonomy, management support and involvement in organizational change, but not work demand. High levels of effort–reward imbalance and organizational injustice were reported by both groups. Conclusions Our findings suggest that internal ED interventions to improve workers’ job control, increase support from management and involvement in organizational change may reduce work stress. The high levels of effort–reward imbalance and organizational injustice reported by both groups may indicate that wider interventions beyond the ED are also needed to address these issues

Generalized Gross--Perry--Sorkin--Like Solitons

In this paper, we present a new solution for the effective theory of Maxwell--Einstein--Dilaton, Low energy string and Kaluza--Klein theories, which contains among other solutions the well known Kaluza--Klein monopole solution of Gross--Perry--Sorkin as special case. We show also the magnetic and electric dipole solutions contained in the general one.Comment: 10 latex pages, no figures. To appear in Class. Quant. Gravity

Lorentz invariance violation and charge (non--)conservation: A general theoretical frame for extensions of the Maxwell equations

All quantum gravity approaches lead to small modifications in the standard laws of physics which lead to violations of Lorentz invariance. One particular example is the extended standard model (SME). Here, a general phenomenological approach for extensions of the Maxwell equations is presented which turns out to be more general than the SME and which covers charge non--conservation (CNC), too. The new Lorentz invariance violating terms cannot be probed by optical experiments but need, instead, the exploration of the electromagnetic field created by a point charge or a magnetic dipole. Some scalar--tensor theories and higher dimensional brane theories predict CNC in four dimensions and some models violating Special Relativity have been shown to be connected with CNC and its relation to the Einstein Equivalence Principle has been discussed. Due to this upcoming interest, the experimental status of electric charge conservation is reviewed. Up to now there seem to exist no unique tests of charge conservation. CNC is related to the precession of polarization, to a modification of the $1/r$--Coulomb potential, and to a time-dependence of the fine structure constant. This gives the opportunity to describe a dedicated search for CNC.Comment: To appear in Physical Review