Magnetic Properties of Thin Nickel Films

Nickel films deposited from a nickel ammonium sulphate solution containing boric acid show decreasing coercive force with decreasing thickness in the range from 140 to 60 mμ. The films are similar to films deposited from the same solution but without boric acid, but are magnetically harder. Nickel films show an ageing effect not found for iron and cobalt. Heating to l00°C accelerates this effect. The effect of tension on the films is studied by measuring at 100°C, in which case the differential expansion of the brass base and the film supplies the tension. The effect is zero for thickness of about 110 mμ and is opposite in sense for thicker and thinner films. This result cannot be explained in terms of the usual effect of tension on bulk nickel

Magnetization of Electrolytic Nickel Films

The magnetic properties of nickel films electrolytically deposited on brass tubes are determined by the method previously described for Iron and Cobalt films (Phys. Rev. 30, 681 (1927); 35 292 (1930). Films about 130 rnμ thick attain a magnetization of about 380 c. g. s. units in a field of 200 gauss, a value about equal to that for bulk nickel. As in Iron and Cobalt the coercive force is high, but the remanence is somewhat less than was found for iron and cobalt

Complementary Metagenomic Approaches Improve Reconstruction of Microbial Diversity in a Forest Soil.

Soil ecosystems harbor diverse microorganisms and yet remain only partially characterized as neither single-cell sequencing nor whole-community sequencing offers a complete picture of these complex communities. Thus, the genetic and metabolic potential of this "uncultivated majority" remains underexplored. To address these challenges, we applied a pooled-cell-sorting-based mini-metagenomics approach and compared the results to bulk metagenomics. Informatic binning of these data produced 200 mini-metagenome assembled genomes (sorted-MAGs) and 29 bulk metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs). The sorted and bulk MAGs increased the known phylogenetic diversity of soil taxa by 7.2% with respect to the Joint Genome Institute IMG/M database and showed clade-specific sequence recruitment patterns across diverse terrestrial soil metagenomes. Additionally, sorted-MAGs expanded the rare biosphere not captured through MAGs from bulk sequences, exemplified through phylogenetic and functional analyses of members of the phylum Bacteroidetes Analysis of 67 Bacteroidetes sorted-MAGs showed conserved patterns of carbon metabolism across four clades. These results indicate that mini-metagenomics enables genome-resolved investigation of predicted metabolism and demonstrates the utility of combining metagenomics methods to tap into the diversity of heterogeneous microbial assemblages.IMPORTANCE Microbial ecologists have historically used cultivation-based approaches as well as amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomics to characterize microbial diversity in soil. However, challenges persist in the study of microbial diversity, including the recalcitrance of the majority of microorganisms to laboratory cultivation and limited sequence assembly from highly complex samples. The uncultivated majority thus remains a reservoir of untapped genetic diversity. To address some of the challenges associated with bulk metagenomics as well as low throughput of single-cell genomics, we applied flow cytometry-enabled mini-metagenomics to capture expanded microbial diversity from forest soil and compare it to soil bulk metagenomics. Our resulting data from this pooled-cell sorting approach combined with bulk metagenomics revealed increased phylogenetic diversity through novel soil taxa and rare biosphere members. In-depth analysis of genomes within the highly represented Bacteroidetes phylum provided insights into conserved and clade-specific patterns of carbon metabolism

Niche differentiation is spatially and temporally regulated in the rhizosphere.

The rhizosphere is a hotspot for microbial carbon transformations, and is the entry point for root polysaccharides and polymeric carbohydrates that are important precursors to soil organic matter (SOM). However, the ecological mechanisms that underpin rhizosphere carbohydrate depolymerization are poorly understood. Using Avena fatua, a common annual grass, we analyzed time-resolved metatranscriptomes to compare microbial functions in rhizosphere, detritusphere, and combined rhizosphere-detritusphere habitats. Transcripts were binned using a unique reference database generated from soil isolate genomes, single-cell amplified genomes, metagenomes, and stable isotope probing metagenomes. While soil habitat significantly affected both community composition and overall gene expression, the succession of microbial functions occurred at a faster time scale than compositional changes. Using hierarchical clustering of upregulated decomposition genes, we identified four distinct microbial guilds populated by taxa whose functional succession patterns suggest specialization for substrates provided by fresh growing roots, decaying root detritus, the combination of live and decaying root biomass, or aging root material. Carbohydrate depolymerization genes were consistently upregulated in the rhizosphere, and both taxonomic and functional diversity were highest in the combined rhizosphere-detritusphere, suggesting coexistence of rhizosphere guilds is facilitated by niche differentiation. Metatranscriptome-defined guilds provide a framework to model rhizosphere succession and its consequences for soil carbon cycling

The effect of wound instillation of a novel purified capsaicin formulation on postherniotomy pain: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study

BACKGROUND: Acute postoperative pain is common after most surgical procedures. Despite the availability of many analgesic options, postoperative pain management is often unsatisfactory. Purified capsaicin (ALGRX 4975 98% pure) has demonstrated prolong inhibition of C-fiber function in in vitro, preclinical, and clinical studies, and may be an effective adjunct to postoperative pain management. METHODS: We performed a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the analgesic efficacy of a single intraoperative wound instillation of 1000 mu g ultrapurified capsaicin (ALGRX 4975) after open mesh groin hernia repair in 41 adult male patients. The primary end-point was average daily visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores during the first week after surgery assessed as area under the curve (AUC). Pain was recorded twice daily in a pain diary for 4 wk. Physical examination and laboratory tests were done before and I wk after surgery, together with recordings of adverse events up to 28 days. Adverse events were recorded. Data were also analyzed using a mixed-effects analysis with NONMEM. RESULTS: VAS AUC was significantly lower during the first 3 days postoperatively (P < 0.05), but not for the whole I or 4 wk postoperatively. Mixed-effects analysis with NONMEM revealed that pain scores were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the capsaicin group during the first 4 days. No clinically significant serious adverse events were observed, although a mild transient increase in liver enzymes was seen more often in the capsaicin-treated group. CONCLUSION: In the setting of a well-defined analgesic protocol standard, VAS AUC analysis and a mixed-effect analysis showed superior analgesia of capsaicin relative to placebo during the first 3-4 days after inguinal hernia repair

In Vitro Evaluation of Non-Protein Adsorbing Breast Cancer Theranostics Based on 19F-Polymer Containing Nanoparticles

Eight fluorinated nanoparticles (NPs) are synthesized, loaded with doxorubicin (DOX), and evaluated as theranostic delivery platforms to breast cancer cells. The multifunctional NPs are formed by self-assembly of either linear or star-shaped amphiphilic block copolymers, with fluorinated segments incorporated in the hydrophilic corona of the carrier. The sizes of the NPs confirm that small circular NPs are formed. The release kinetics data of the particles reveals clear hydrophobic core dependence, with longer sustained release from particles with larger hydrophobic cores, suggesting that the DOX release from these carriers can be tailored. Viability assays and flow cytometry evaluation of the ratios of apoptosis/necrosis indicate that the materials are non-toxic to breast cancer cells before DOX loading; however, they are very efficient, similar to free DOX, at killing cancer cells after drug encapsulation. Both flow cytometry and confocal microscopy confirm the cellular uptake of NPs and DOX-NPs into breast cancer cells, and in vitro 19F-MRI measurement shows that the fluorinated NPs have strong imaging signals, qualifying them as a potential in vivo contrast agent for 19F-MRI

Functional polyaniline nanofibre mats for human adipose-derived stem cell proliferation and adhesion

Conductive polymer poly(aniline-co-m-aminobenzoic acid) (P(ANI-co-m-ABA)) and polyaniline (PANI) were blended with a biodegradable, biocompatible polymer, poly(l-lactic acid) and were electrospun into nanofibres to investigate their potential application as a scaffold for human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs). These polymers, in both conductive and non-conductive form, were electrospun with average fibre diameters of less than 400 nm. Novel nanoindentation results obtained on the individual nanofibres revealed that the elastic moduli of the nanofibres are much higher at the surface (4–10 GPa, hmax 75 nm). The composite nanofibres showed great promise as a scaffold for hASCs as they supported the cell adhesion and proliferation. After 1 week of cell culture hASCs were well spread on the substrates with abundant focal adhesions. The electrospun mats provide the cells with comparably stiff, sub-micron sized fibres as anchoring points on a substrate of high porosity. The conductive nature of these composite nanofibres offers exciting opportunities for electrical stimulation of the cells