Bactericidal silver ion delivery into hydrophobic coatings with surfactants

A much studied oil-soluble surfactant, bis[2-ethylhexyl]sulfosuccinate, sodium salt, was ion exchanged into the silver ion form and dissolved into microemulsions of immiscible polyurethane step monomers. Coating and curing of these microemulsions produced polyurethane coatings that exhibit bactericidal activity against representative Gram negative bacteria. After 24 h exposure, 0.006–0.012% weight Ag relative to coating weight (0.0013–0.0025 μmol Ag/cm²) results in the three-log reduction in Escherichia coli. A slightly higher level of 0.031% weight Ag relative to coating weight (0.006 μmol Ag/cm²) killed all of the E. coli after 12 h exposure. Similar results were obtained for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Since the double-tail surfactant anion promotes reverse micelle formation in many different kinds of oils and solvents, it appears an excellent vector for incorporating low and effective amounts of silver ion into many industrial, hospital, and household coating formulations.     

Transition metal complexes bearing atropisomeric saturated NHC ligands

From achiral imidazolinium salts, chiral transition metal complexes containing an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand were prepared (metal = palladium, copper, silver, gold, rhodium). Axial chirality in these complexes results from the formation of the metal-carbene bond leading to the restriction of rotation of dissymmetric N-aryl substituents about the C–N bond. When these complexes exhibited a sufficient configurational stability, a resolution by chiral high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on preparative scale enabled isolation of enantiomers with excellent enantiopurities (>99% ee) and good yields. A study of the enantiomerization barriers revealed the effect of the backbone nature as well as the type of transition metal on its values. Nevertheless, the evaluation of palladium-based complexes in asymmetric intramolecular α-arylation of amides demonstrated that the ability to induce an enantioselectivity cannot be correlated to the configurational stability of the precatalysts.     

Modelling and predicting the spatial distribution of tree root density in heterogeneous forest ecosystems

Background and Aims In mountain ecosystems, predicting root density in three dimensions (3-D) is highly challenging due to the spatial heterogeneity of forest communities. This study presents a simple and semi-mechanistic model, named ChaMRoots, that predicts root interception density (RID, number of roots m^–2). ChaMRoots hypothesizes that RID at a given point is affected by the presence of roots from surrounding trees forming a polygon shape.Methods The model comprises three sub-models for predicting: (1) the spatial heterogeneity – RID of the finest roots in the top soil layer as a function of tree basal area at breast height, and the distance between the tree and a given point; (2) the diameter spectrum – the distribution of RID as a function of root diameter up to 50 mm thick; and (3) the vertical profile – the distribution of RID as a function of soil depth. The RID data used for fitting in the model were measured in two uneven-aged mountain forest ecosystems in the French Alps. These sites differ in tree density and species composition.Key Results In general, the validation of each sub-model indicated that all sub-models of ChaMRoots had good fits. The model achieved a highly satisfactory compromise between the number of aerial input parameters and the fit to the observed data.Conclusions The semi-mechanistic ChaMRoots model focuses on the spatial distribution of root density at the tree cluster scale, in contrast to the majority of published root models, which function at the level of the individual. Based on easy-to-measure characteristics, simple forest inventory protocols and three sub-models, it achieves a good compromise between the complexity of the case study area and that of the global model structure. ChaMRoots can be easily coupled with spatially explicit individual-based forest dynamics models and thus provides a highly transferable approach for modelling 3-D root spatial distribution in complex forest ecosystems.     

Why is intracellular ice lethal? A microscopical study showing evidence of programmed cell death in cryo-exposed embryonic axes of recalcitrant seeds of Acer saccharinum

Background and Aims Conservation of the genetic diversity afforded by recalcitrant seeds is achieved by cryopreservation, in which excised embryonic axes (or, where possible, embryos) are treated and stored at temperatures lower than −180 °C using liquid nitrogen. It has previously been shown that intracellular ice forms in rapidly cooled embryonic axes of Acer saccharinum (silver maple) but this is not necessarily lethal when ice crystals are small. This study seeks to understand the nature and extent of damage from intracellular ice, and the course of recovery and regrowth in surviving tissues.Methods Embryonic axes of A. saccharinum, not subjected to dehydration or cryoprotection treatments (water content was 1·9 g H₂O g⁻¹ dry mass), were cooled to liquid nitrogen temperatures using two methods: plunging into nitrogen slush to achieve a cooling rate of 97 °C s⁻¹ or programmed cooling at 3·3 °C s⁻¹. Samples were thawed rapidly (177 °C s⁻¹) and cell structure was examined microscopically immediately, and at intervals up to 72 h in vitro. Survival was assessed after 4 weeks in vitro. Axes were processed conventionally for optical microscopy and ultrastructural examination.Key Results Immediately following thaw after cryogenic exposure, cells from axes did not show signs of damage at an ultrastructural level. Signs that cells had been damaged were apparent after several hours of in vitro culture and appeared as autophagic decomposition. In surviving tissues, dead cells were sloughed off and pockets of living cells were the origin of regrowth. In roots, regrowth occurred from the ground meristem and procambium, not the distal meristem, which became lethally damaged. Regrowth of shoots occurred from isolated pockets of surviving cells of peripheral and pith meristems. The size of these pockets may determine the possibility for, the extent of and the vigour of regrowth.Conclusions Autophagic degradation and ultimately autolysis of cells following cryo-exposure and formation of small (0·2–0·4 µm) intracellular ice crystals challenges current ideas that ice causes immediate physical damage to cells. Instead, freezing stress may induce a signal for programmed cell death (PCD). Cells that form more ice crystals during cooling have faster PCD responses.     

Chiral Recognition of Tyrosine Enantiomers Based on Decreased Resonance Scattering Signals With Silver Nanoparticles as Optical Sensor

A novel chiral sensing platform, employing silver nanoparticles capped with N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine (NALC‐Ag NPs), was utilized for the discrimination of L‐tyrosine and D‐tyrosine. This nanosensor, which could be used as an optical sensing unit and chiral probe, was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS) spectroscopy. After the proposed sensing platform interacted with L‐tyrosine and D‐tyrosine, a decreased resonance scattering signal was only obtained from L‐tyrosine. This phenomenon offered a useful assay for the selectivity and determination of L‐tyrosine with the RRS method. The linear range and detection limit of L‐tyrosine were 0.2838–20.0 µg⋅mL^‐1 and 0.0860 µg⋅mL^‐1, respectively. In addition, experimental factors such as acidity, interaction time, and the concentration of enantiomers were investigated with regard to the effect on enantioselective interaction. Chirality 27:194–198, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

鲢幼鱼通过水流速度障碍的模拟

鱼类能否通过水流速度障碍直接影响过鱼设施的过鱼效果。利用计算机技术,综合水力因素、鱼类行为、地理特征及环境因子,展开鱼类通过水流速度障碍的模拟,有助于过鱼设施的优化设计。以国外涵洞式鱼道模拟软件Fish Xing为切入点,结合主要模块和关键因子,对我国特有鱼类鲢幼鱼进行模拟,得到鲢通过不同水流速度障碍的成功率;对比鲢在物理模型中的游泳表现,从模型主要模块和影响鱼类游泳表现的关键因子角度,分析影响鱼类通过水流速度障碍模拟的因素。结果表明,Fish Xing软件不能精确模拟鲢通过水流速度障碍的表现。分析表明,该软件在地理要素、管道特征和水力信息等参数方面具备独特的优势,但对我国鱼类有一定局限性,主要体现在鱼类的生物学信息如鱼类游泳特征等方面存在不足;进行鱼过障碍的模拟需要深入研究目标鱼类的生理特征、游泳能力及其与水力环境因子的响应关系。     

DNA稳定的银纳米簇诱导的双酶催化转化检测研究

为了实现对碱性磷酸酶和邻-磷酸-L-酪氨酸的同时检测,本研究利用 DNA 稳定的银纳米簇（AgNCs／DNA）诱导的生物催化转化,基于醌类物质对 DNA 稳定的银纳米簇的荧光的猝灭效应,通过酪氨酸酶能与酪胺、多巴胺以及酪氨酸反应生成醌类物质,间接地达到了对酪胺、多巴胺以及酪氨酸的定量检测。AgNCs／DNA 还被进一步用于双酶催化级联反应,通过碱性磷酸氧化酶（ALP）和酪氨酸酶（TYR）组成的双酶系统,实现了对碱性磷酸酶和邻-磷酸-L-酪氨酸的高灵敏度检测,检测限分别达到2．5×10－5μmol·L－1和0．01μmol·L－1。     

Transition of basic protein during spermatogenesis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fenneropenaeus chinensis</Emphasis> (Osbeck, 1765)

According to the ultrastructural characteristic observation of the developing male germ cells, spermatogenesis of the crustacean shrimp, Fenneropenaeus chinensis, is classified into spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes, secondary spermatocyte, four stages of spermatids, and mature sperm. The basic protein transition during its spermatogenesis is studied by transmission electron microscopy of ammoniacal silver reaction and immunoelectron microscopical distribution of acetylated histone H4. The results show that basic protein synthesized in cytoplasm of spermatogonia is transferred into the nucleus with deposition on new duplicated DNA. In the spermatocyte stage, some nuclear basic protein combined with RNP is transferred into the cytoplasm and is involved in forming the cytoplasmic vesicle clumps. In the early spermatid, most of the basic protein synthesized in the new spermatid cytoplasm is transferred into the nucleus, and the chromatin condensed gradually, and the rest is shifted into the pre-acrosomal vacuole. In the middle spermatid, the nuclear basic protein linked with DNA is acetylated and transferred into the proacrosomal vacuole and assembled into the acrosomal blastema. At the late spermatid, almost all of the basic protein in the nucleus has been removed into the acrosome. During the stage from late spermatid to mature sperm, some de novo basic proteins synthesized in the cytoplasm belt transfer into the nucleus without a membrane and almost all deposit in the periphery to form a supercoating. The remnant histone H4 accompanied by chromatin fibers is acetylated in the center of the nucleus, leading to relaxed DNA and activated genes making the nucleus non-condensed.