Aggregation Behavior,Antibacterial Activity and Biocompatibility of Catanionic Assemblies Based on Amino Acid-Derived Surfactants

The surface activity, aggregates morphology, size and charge characteristics of binary catanionic mixtures containing a cationic amino acid-derived surfactant N(π), N(τ)-bis(methyl)-L-Histidine tetradecyl amide (DMHNHC₁₄) and an anionic surfactant (the lysine-based surfactant N^α-lauroyl-N^εacetyl lysine (C₁₂C₃L) or sodium myristate) were investigated for the first time. The cationic surfactant has an acid proton which shows a strong pK_a shift irrespective of aggregation. The resulting catanionic mixtures exhibited high surface activity and low critical aggregation concentration as compared with the pure constituents. Catanionic vesicles based on DMHNHC₁₄/sodium myristate showed a monodisperse population of medium-size aggregates and good storage stability. According to Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS), the characteristics of the bilayers did not depend strongly on the system composition for the positively charged vesicles. Negatively charged vesicles (cationic surfactant:myristate ratio below 1:2) had similar bilayer composition but tended to aggregate. The DMHNHC₁₄-rich vesicles exhibited good antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria and their bactericidal effectivity declined with the decrease of the cationic surfactant content in the mixtures. The hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity of these catanionic formulations against non-tumoral (3T3, HaCaT) and tumoral (HeLa, A431) cell lines also improved by increasing the ratio of cationic surfactant in the mixture. These results indicate that the biological activity of these systems is mainly governed by the cationic charge density, which can be modulated by changing the cationic/anionic surfactant ratio in the mixtures. Remarkably, the incorporation of cholesterol in those catanionic vesicles reduces their cytotoxicity and increases the safety of future biomedical applications of these systems.     

Influence of geometrical and operational parameters on the axial dispersion in an aerated channel reactor

Residence time distribution experiments have been performed on an activated sludge 3000 m³ channel reactor aerated by gas diffusion (for different liquid flowrates under constant aeration rate and constant water depth) and on a bench-scale channel reactor aerated from the bottom (for different liquid and gas flowrates and water depths) in order to characterize their hydrodynamics. Both units can be modeled as plug flow reactors with axial dispersion. A general correlation has been obtained to predict the axial dispersion coefficient as a function of the gas and liquid velocities and the geometrical parameters of the full-scale and bench-scale reactors. Finally, to facilitate the simulation of biological reactions in transient state, an equivalent model based on tanks-in-series with variable back-mixing flowrate is proposed.     

A dish-Stirling solar-thermal power system

This paper presents results of a preliminary design/economic study of a first-generation Point Focusing Distributed Receiver (PFDR) solar-thermal electric system optimized for application to industrial and small community power plants at power levels up to 10 MW_e. Power conversion is provided by small Stirling cycle engines mounted at the focus of paraboloidal solar concentrators. The output of multiple power modules (concentrator, receiver, engine, and electric generator) is collected by means of a conventional electrical system and interfaced with a utility grid. Based on the United Stirling (Sweden) P-75 engine, a 1 MW_e system employing mass-produced components (100 000 modules/year) could produce electricity at costs competitive with those projected for electricity generated by more conventional means, eg with fossil fuels.     

NanoPaint: A Tool for Rapid and Dynamic Imaging of Membrane Structural Plasticity at the Nanoscale

Single‐particle tracking with quantum dots (QDs) constitutes a powerful tool to track the nanoscopic dynamics of individual cell membrane components unveiling their membrane diffusion characteristics. Here, the nano‐resolved population dynamics of QDs is exploited to reconstruct the topography and structural changes of the cell membrane surface with high temporal and spatial resolution. For this proof‐of‐concept study, bright, small, and stable biofunctional QD nanoconstructs are utilized recognizing the endogenous neuronal cannabinoid receptor 1, a highly expressed and fast‐diffusing membrane protein, together with a commercial point‐localization microscope. Rapid QD diffusion on the axonal plasma membrane of cultured hippocampal neurons allows precise reconstruction of the membrane surface in less than 1 min with a spatial resolution of tens of nanometers. Access of the QD nanoconstructs to the synaptic cleft enables rapid 3D topological reconstruction of the entire presynaptic component. Successful reconstruction of membrane nano‐topology and deformation at the second time‐scale is also demonstrated for HEK293 cell filopodia and axons. Named “nanoPaint,” this super‐resolution imaging technique amenable to any endogenous transmembrane target represents a versatile platform to rapidly and accurately reconstruct the cell membrane nano‐topography, thereby enabling the study of the rapid dynamic phenomena involved in neuronal membrane plasticity.     

Multi‐phosphorylation of the Intrinsically Disordered Unique Domain of c‐Src Studied by In‐Cell and Real‐Time NMR Spectroscopy

Intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are preferred sites for post‐translational modifications essential for regulating protein function. The enhanced local mobility of IDRs facilitates their observation by NMR spectroscopy in vivo. Phosphorylation events can occur at multiple sites and respond dynamically to changes in kinase–phosphatase networks. Here we used real‐time NMR spectroscopy to study the effect of kinases and phosphatases present in Xenopus oocytes and egg extracts on the phosphorylation state of the “unique domain” of c‐Src. We followed the phosphorylation of S17 in oocytes, and of S17, S69, and S75 in egg extracts by NMR spectroscopy, MS, and western blotting. Addition of specific kinase inhibitors showed that S75 and S69 are phosphorylated by CDKs (cyclin‐dependent kinases) differently from Cdk1. Moreover, although PKA (cAMP‐dependent protein kinase) can phosphorylate S17 in vitro, this was not the major S17 kinase in egg extracts. Changes in PKA activity affected the phosphorylation levels of CDK‐dependent sites, thus suggesting indirect effects of kinase–phosphatase networks. This study provides a proof‐of‐concept of the use of real‐time in vivo NMR spectroscopy to characterize kinase/phosphatase effects on intrinsically disordered regulatory domains.     

On the reliability of electrostatic NEMS/MEMS devices: Review of present knowledge on the dielectric charging and stiction failure mechanisms and novel characterization methodologies

This paper reviews the state of the art knowledge related to critical failure mechanisms in electrostatic micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS) which are the dielectric charging and stiction. It describes also the recent employed nanoscale characterization techniques for these phenomena based on Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and force–distance curve measurements. The influence of relative humidity and dielectric deposition conditions on the charging/discharging processes is discussed. Moreover, different stiction mechanisms induced by electrostatic force and/or meniscus formation are analyzed. Finally, novel characterization methods are presented and used to correlate between the results from MEMS devices and metal–insulator–metal (MIM) capacitors. These methods are employed in view of application in electrostatic capacitive MEMS switches and could be easily extended to explore other NEMS/MEMS devices. The study provides an accurate understanding of the charging and stiction related failure mechanisms, presents guidelines for a proper packaging environment, and reveals precise explanations for the literature reported device level measurements of electrostatic MEMS devices.