Single‐ and few‐layer transition metal dichalcogenides have recently emerged as a new family of layered crystals with great interest , not only from the fundamental point of view, but also because of ...their potential application in ultrathin devices. Here the electronic properties of semiconducting MX2, where M =Mo or W and X = S or Se, are reviewed. Based on of density functional theory calculations, which include the effect of spin‐orbit interaction, the band structure of single‐layer, bilayer and bulk compounds is discussed. The band structure of these compounds is highly sensitive to elastic deformations, and it is reviewed how strain engineering can be used to manipulate and tune the electronic and optical properties of those materials. Further, the effect of disorder and imperfections in the lattice structure and their effect on the optical and transport properties of MX2 is discussed. The superconducting transition in these compounds, which has been observed experimentally, is analyzed, as well as the different mechanisms proposed so far to explain the pairing. Finally, a discussion on the excitonic effects which are present in these systems is included.
The recent isolation of atomically thin films of semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides MX2(M = Mo, W and X = S, Se) has opened new opportunities for the application of two‐dimensional crystals in digital electronics, spintronics and optoelectronics devices. This family of semiconductors presents a number of remarkable features such as spin‐valley coupling, superconductivity, excitonic effects etc., which dramatically depend on their thickness (number of layers) and which are briefly reviewed in this article.
Propolis is a resinous vegetal exudate modified by bees, and is interesting as a preservative and potentially functional product. This work dealt with studying the common phenolic profiles and ...antioxidant capacities of 13 bee propolis from different geographical areas. Both hyaluronidase and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities were also assessed and related when possible with particular phenolic compounds. High performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) analysis showed that every propolis contained
-coumaric acid (1.2-12.2 mg/g) and ferulic acid (0.3-11.0 mg/g). Pinocembrin, catechin, and caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) plus galangin were the main flavonoids. Antioxidant activities were higher than 280 µmol trolox/g for trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), 0.099 mmol uric acid/g for radical-scavenging effect on hydroxyl radicals, and 0.19 mg/mL for half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC
) of antioxidant activity against superoxide anion radical. Working with solutions of 10 mg/mL propolis, hyaluronidase inhibitory activity ranged between 0% and 68.20%, being correlated to ferulic acid content. ACE inhibitory effect determined by HPLC was higher than 78%, being correlated with catechin and
-coumaric acid. Therefore, propolis could be useful for food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic companies, also helping to reduce risk factors for diseases related to oxidative damage, inflammatory processes, and hypertension. This research also highlights the necessity for harmonized analysis methods and the expression of results for propolis.
Because of their biocide properties, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are present in numerous consumer products. The biocidal properties of AgNPs are due to both the interactions between AgNP and cell ...membranes and the release of dissolved silver (Ag+). Recent studies emphasized the role of different nanoparticle coatings in complexing and storing Ag+. In this study, the availability of dissolved silver in the presence of algae was assessed for three AgNPs with different silver contents (59%, 34% and 7% of total Ag), silver core sizes and casein shell thicknesses. The impact of ionic silver on the photosynthetic yield of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was used as a proxy to estimate the amount of ionic silver toxically active during in vivo assays. The results showed that cysteine, a strong silver ligand, mitigated the toxicity of AgNPs in all cases, demonstrating the key role of Ag+ in this toxicity. The results showed that the AgNPs presenting an intermediate level of silver (34%) were 10 times more effective in terms of total mass (EC50 ten times smaller) than those presenting more (59%) or less (7%) silver. The higher toxicity was due to the higher release of Ag+ under biotic conditions due to the high surface/mass ratio of the nanoparticle silver core. Protein shells played a minor role in altering the availability of Ag+, probably acting as intermediate reservoirs. This study highlighted the utility of a very sensitive biological endpoint (i.e., algal photosynthesis) for the optimization of ionic silver delivery by nanomaterials.
Display omitted
•The Ag soluble is the main responsible for the biocidal activity of AgNPs.•There is difficult to assess the Ag bioavailable from AgNPs at biological interfaces.•Algal photosynthesis may be used a as a sensible bioavailable-Ag sensor.•The protein shells and the surface of AgNPs determine the amount of bioavailable Ag.
A novel methodology was developed for indirect determination of the mechanical parameters of the oxide in reinforced concrete corrosion, with satisfactory results. It combines accelerated corrosion ...tests performed over concrete prisms cast around a steel tube equipped with special instruments, and numerical simulations using a model that reproduces the oxide expansion and its mechanical behavior, and fracture of concrete by means of the cohesive crack model. In this work, systematization for determining the values of the oxide parameters is proposed, and strong verification of the method is provided by presenting the results of an extensive experimental campaign.
•A method is presented to determine the mechanical parameters of the oxide layer.•Accelerated corrosion of prisms with a steel tube specially instrumented is simulated.•Values for the oxide parameters are proposed to be used in other models.•For a critical analysis of the method a numerical analysis has been carried out.•An extensive experimental campaign has verified the proposed values and the method.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a risk factor for new AKI episodes, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular events and death, as renal repair may be deficient and maladaptive, and activate ...proinflammatory and profibrotic signals. AKI and AKI recovery definitions are based on changes in plasma creatinine, a parameter mostly associated to glomerular filtration, but largely uncoupled from renal tissue damage. The evolution of structural and functional repair has been incompletely described. We thus aimed at identifying subclinical sequelae persisting after recovery from cisplatin-induced AKI in rats. Compared to controls, after plasma creatinine recovery, post-AKI kidneys showed histological alterations and attendant susceptibility to new AKI episodes. Tubular function (assessed by the furosemide stress test, FST) also remained affected. Lingering parenchymal and functional subclinical alterations were paralleled by tapering, but abnormally high levels of urinary albumin, transferrin, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2) and, especially, the TIMP-2*IGFBP7 product. As subclinical surrogates of incomplete renal recovery, the FST and the urinary TIMP-2*IGFBP7 product provide two potential diagnostic tools to monitor the sequelae and kidney vulnerability after the apparent recovery from AKI.
Mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) form tight structural associations and these facilitate a number of cellular functions. However, the mechanisms by which regions of the ER become ...tethered to mitochondria are not properly known. Understanding these mechanisms is not just important for comprehending fundamental physiological processes but also for understanding pathogenic processes in some disease states. In particular, disruption to ER-mitochondria associations is linked to some neurodegenerative diseases. Here we show that the ER-resident protein VAPB interacts with the mitochondrial protein tyrosine phosphatase-interacting protein-51 (PTPIP51) to regulate ER-mitochondria associations. Moreover, we demonstrate that TDP-43, a protein pathologically linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and fronto-temporal dementia perturbs ER-mitochondria interactions and that this is associated with disruption to the VAPB-PTPIP51 interaction and cellular Ca(2+) homeostasis. Finally, we show that overexpression of TDP-43 leads to activation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) and that GSK-3β regulates the VAPB-PTPIP51 interaction. Our results describe a new pathogenic mechanism for TDP-43.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the MALDI‐TOF MS to identify 151 isolates of Aeromonas obtained mostly from diseased fish. MALDI‐TOF MS correctly identified all isolates to ...the genus level but important differences in the percentage of isolates correctly identified depending on the species were observed. Considering exclusively the first identification option, Aeromonas bestiarum, Aeromonas hydrophila, Aeromonas salmonicida, Aeromonas veronii and Aeromonas sobria were the best identified with results >95%. However, considering the first and second identification options, the only species that showed values >90% was A. hydrophila. Overall, when the database was supplemented with 14 new spectra, the number of accurate identifications increased (41% vs. 55%) and the number of inconclusive identifications decreased (45% vs. 29%), but great differences in the success of species‐level identifications were found. Species‐distinctive mass peaks were identified only for A. hydrophila and A. bestiarum (5003 and 7360 m/z in 95.5% and 94.1% of their isolates, respectively). This work demonstrates the utility of MALDI‐TOF MS for Aeromonas identification to the genus level, but there is no consistency for the accurate identification of some of the most prevalent species implicated in fish disease.
•Honey with propolis was tested for bioactive properties as a functional food.•Consumers accepted honeys with 0.1%, 0.3% and 0.5% soft propolis extract.•Honey with propolis had higher amounts of ...total phenolics and flavonoids than honey.•Honey with propolis had higher antioxidant & anti-inflammatory activities than honey.•Honey with propolis had antimicrobial synergic effects.
Nowadays, propolis is used as an innovative preservative and as a bioactive food supplement. Due to its bitter and astringent flavour, propolis is hardly accepted by consumers. The aim of this study was to obtain a likeable food product made with honey and propolis, whose antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties were enhanced in comparison with those of the base honeys used. 0.1%, 0.3% and 0.5% soft propolis extracts were added to honeys and the products that most appealed to the users were subjected to further research. Total phenolics, flavonoids, ABTS free radical and hydroxyl radicals scavenging and anti-inflammatory activities increased in all mixtures. Antimicrobial activity of the combined products showed synergic effects, resulting in higher results than those of the base honeys and propolis extracts. Therefore, honeys enriched with small amounts of propolis extracts are promising functional foods.
Cracking of concrete cover due to corrosion induced expansion of steel rebar is one of the major causes of the deterioration of reinforced concrete (RC) structures exposed to marine environments and ...de-icing salts.
This paper presents two models that deal with the chloride-induced corrosion and subsequent cracking of concrete cover in RC structures. The former analyses the chloride diffusion within partially saturated concrete. A comprehensive model is developed through the governing equations of moisture, heat and chloride-ion flow. Nonlinearity of diffusion coefficients, chloride binding isotherms and convection phenomena are also highlighted. The latter describes the internal cracking around the bar due to expansive pressures as corrosion of the reinforcing bar progresses. Once a certain chloride concentration threshold is reached in the area surrounding the bar, oxidation of steel begins and oxide products are generated, which occupy much greater volume than the original steel consumed by corrosion. An embedded cohesive crack model is applied for cracking simulation.
Both models are incorporated in the same finite element program. The models are chained, though not explicitly coupled, at first instance. Comparisons with experimental results are carried out, with reasonably good agreements being obtained. The work is a step forward for the integration of the two traditional phases (initiation and propagation) widely used in the literature and usually analysed separately. The estimation of the service life of the structure needs to evaluate the associated time for each one.
Colorectal cancer is a major cause of cancer death worldwide. A number of key oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes have been proposed to drive progression from healthy colonic epithelia to malignant ...tumors, including members of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Recently, CpG island promoter hypermethylation was shown to cause inactivation of two extracellular Wnt inhibitors in colon cancer: secreted frizzled-related proteins (sFRPs) and Wnt inhibitory factor-1 (WIF-1). Here, we show for the first time that another extracellular Wnt inhibitor, the DICKKOPF-1 (DKK-1) gene, is transcriptionally silenced by CpG island promoter hypermethylation in colon cancer cell lines (n=9), whereas treatment with the DNA-demethylating agent 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine restored DKK-1 expression. Restoration of DKK-1 function in non-expressing cells bearing a truncated APC (Adenomatous Polyposis Coli) gene had no effect on beta-catenin/T-cell factor-dependent transcription, but induced tumor suppressor-like features such as reduced colony formation density and tumor growth inhibition in nude mice. These results suggest additional functions for DKK-1 other than inhibiting canonical Wnt signaling. In primary colorectal tumors, DKK-1 was found hypermethylated in 17% (nine of 54) of cases. Furthermore, while for both SFRP-1 and WIF-1 methylation-associated silencing occurred across the whole spectrum of colorectal tumorigenesis, DKK-1 promoter was selectively hypermethylated in advanced colorectal neoplasms (Duke's C and D tumors).
PDF
