Liquid hydrocarbon fuels obtained by the pyrolysis of soybean oils

The pyrolysis reactions of soybean oils have been studied. The pyrolytic products were analyzed by GC–MS and FTIR and show the formation of olefins, paraffins, carboxylic acids and aldehydes. Several kinds of catalysts were compared. It was found that the amounts of carboxylic acids and aldehydes were significantly decreased by using base catalysts such as Na₂CO₃ and K₂CO₃. The low acid value pyrolytic products showed good cold flow properties and good solubility in diesel oil at low temperature. The results presented in this work have shown that the pyrolysis of soybean oils generates fuels that have chemical composition similar to petroleum based fuels.     

Identification of tripeptides recognized by the PDZ domain of Dishevelled

The development of inhibitors of Dishevelled (Dvl) PDZ protein–protein interactions attracts attention due to a possible application in drug discovery and development. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we found that a tripeptide VVV binds to the PDZ domain of Dvl, which is a key component involved in Wnt signaling. Using a computational approach calculating the binding free energy of the complexes of the Dvl PDZ domain and each of the tripeptides VXV (X: any amino acid residue except Pro), we found that a tripeptide VWV had the highest binding affinity. Consistent with the computational result, experimental results showed that the binding of the tripeptide VWV to the Dvl PDZ domain was stronger than that of the tripeptide VVV. The binding affinity of the tripeptide VWV was comparable to that of the organic molecule NSC668036, which was the first identified Dvl PDZ inhibitor. The three-dimensional structure of the complex Dvl1 PDZ/VWV was determined to investigate the role of the energetically favorable W(?1) residue in binding. These interactions were also explored by using molecular dynamic simulation and the molecular mechanics Poisson–Boltzmann surface area method. Taken together, these two tripeptides may be used as modulators of Wnt signaling or as a scaffold to optimize an antagonist for targeting Dvl1 PDZ protein–protein interaction.     

A Triboelectric Generator Based on Checker‐Like Interdigital Electrodes with a Sandwiched PET Thin Film for Harvesting Sliding Energy in All Directions

A triboelectric generator based on checker‐like interdigital electrodes (TEGC) with a sandwiched polyethylene terephthalate (PET) thin film that can convert translation kinetic energy in all directions to electricity is reported. The design of the sandwiched PET thin film can effectively avoid direct wear between metal electrodes and sliding panel. The mechanism of the TEGC is described in detail. The performance of the TEGC in different sliding directions is studied, indicating a maximum output power density of 1.9 W m^‐2 and open‐circuit voltage of 210 V achieved in the X or Y sliding direction. The TEGC is used to charge a 110 μF commercial capacitor to 5 V in 35 s and light up two light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) connected with the capacitor simultaneously. The TEGC based mouse pad and sliding panel are fabricated to harvest mouse operation energy to light up LEDs connected in antiparallel when the computer mouse operates a game. The TEGC has advantages of being flexible, light weight, durable, cost effective, and portable by folding or rolling into a small part. This work presents a significant progress toward the structure design of triboelectric generator for its practical applications.     

Analysis of particle size reduction on overall surface area and enzymatic hydrolysis yield of corn stover

Particle size of lignocellulose materials is an important factor for enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency. In this study, corn stover was milled and sieved into different size fractions from 1.42, 0.69, 0.34, to 0.21 mm, and the corresponding enzymatic hydrolysis yields were 24.69, 23.96, 25.34, and 26.97 %, respectively. The results indicate that the hydrolysis yield is approximately constant with changing corn stover particle sizes in the experimental range. The overall surface area and the inner pore size measurement show that the overall specific surface area was less than 2 % with the half reduction of particle size due to the greater inner pore surface area. The scanning electron microscope photographs gave direct evidence of the much greater inner pore surface area of corn stover particles. This result provided a reference when a proper size reduction of lignocellulose materials is considered in biorefining operations.     

ITMSQ: A software tool for N‐ and C‐terminal fragment ion pairs based isobaric tandem mass spectrometry quantification

Tandem MS (MS2) quantification using the series of N‐ and C‐terminal fragment ion pairs generated from isobaric‐labelled peptides was recently considered an accurate strategy in quantitative proteomics. However, the presence of multiplexed terminal fragment ion in MS2 spectra may reduce the efficiency of peptide identification, resulting in lower identification scores or even incorrect assignments. To address this issue, we developed a quantitative software tool, denoted isobaric tandem MS quantification (ITMSQ), to improve N‐ and C‐terminal fragment ion pairs based isobaric MS2 quantification. A spectrum splitting module was designed to separate the MS2 spectra from different samples, increasing the accuracy of both identification and quantification. ITMSQ offers a convenient interface through which parameters can be changed along with the labelling method, and the result files and all of the intermediate files can be exported. We performed an analysis of in vivo terminal amino acid labelling labelled HeLa samples and found that the numbers of quantified proteins and peptides increased by 13.64 and 27.52% after spectrum splitting, respectively. In conclusion, ITMSQ provides an accurate and reliable quantitative solutionfor N‐ and C‐terminal fragment ion pairs based isobaric MS2 quantitative methods.     

Photosan脂质立方液晶纳米光敏剂的制备及光动力杀伤效应研究

目的:制备Photosan脂质立方液晶纳米光敏剂,通过体外实验探讨其介导的光动力疗法(photodynamic therapy,PDT)特异性杀伤肿瘤细胞效果。方法:以单油酸甘油酯(glyceryl monooleate,GMO)和泊洛沙姆407(poloxamer 407,P407)为液晶材料,以光敏剂Photosan为模型药物,制备Photosan立方液晶纳米粒,通过Malvern粒径仪和扫描电子显微镜等考察其理化性质;通过MTS法考察Photosan立方液晶纳米粒对正常肝细胞株和肝癌细胞株的暗毒性及光动力杀伤效果。结果:成功制备Photosan脂质立方液晶纳米粒,该纳米粒对人肝L-02细胞和人肝癌Hep G2细胞均没有暗毒性,其介导的PDT对人肝L-02细胞增殖有一定抑制作用[细胞抑制率为(32.9±1.19)%],而对肝癌Hep G2细胞增殖具有更显著的抑制作用[细胞抑制率为(77.9±2.06)%];Photosan立方液晶介导的光动力作用对人正常肝细胞的增殖抑制作用低于Photosan,但对肝癌细胞的增殖抑制作用高于Photosan。结论:Photosan脂质立方液晶纳米粒对人正常肝细胞安全性较好,对肝癌细胞的光动力杀伤效应明显优于Photosan,为光动力治疗癌症提供了创新性方法。