Dissolution of phase-separated domains after a jump to a temperature in the single-phase region

Phase-separated domains prepared in the two-phase region were dissolved at a temperature in the single-phase region, and their dissolution dynamics was studied by using the time-resolved light scattering (TRLS) technique and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The time t_ps of preparation of domains was chosen to be long enough for phase separation to proceed into the late stage. The scattered light intensity at small wavenumbers increased before it attenuated. As t_ps increased, the increase at smaller wavenumbers became more significant and the peak intensity decreased only slightly with dissolution time. The characteristic wavenumber q_m evaluated from TRLS and SEM followed the power-law relation q_mt^−0.3.     

Knowing Good From Bad: The Paradox of Neuroticism, Negative Affect, and Evaluative Processing.

There are pragmatic benefits to trait-consistent mood states, especially when people are evaluating new objects within the environment (M. Tamir, M. D. Robinson, & G. L. Clore, 2002). The present studies, involving both naturally occurring (Studies 1 and 2) and manipulated (Study 3) mood states, demonstrated such trait-consistent interactions within the context of neuroticism and negative mood states. Individuals high in neuroticism were faster to make evaluations when in a negative mood state like sadness. By contrast, individuals low in neuroticism were faster to make evaluations when in a neutral mood state. The present studies demonstrate that although negative mood states are hedonically unpleasant, they can be beneficial in some ways for individuals high in neuroticism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Works of adhesion at the carbon fiber-liquid interface determined using a modified wetting technique

Works of adhesion W_SL between aqueous solutions with pH values in the range from 1 to 14 and carbon fibers from different sources, which were additionally treated in an inert atmosphere or in oxygen, were measured by use of a microbalance. These works of adhesion W_SL were found to show distinct stepwise dependencies on the pH value. The works of adhesion W_SL are attributed to dispersion interactions W_SL¹ and various acid-base interactions w_sl^ab—in the latter case between the acidic and basic surface groups of carbon and the various basic and acidic aqueous solutions.     

Aspects of social and emotional competence in adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Social and emotional competence were evaluated using self-report and behavioral measures in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and controls. Adults with ADHD viewed themselves as less socially competent but more sensitive toward violations of social norms than controls. Films depicting emotional interactions were used to assess linguistic properties of free recall and perceived emotional intensity. Although adults with ADHD used more words to describe the scenes, they used fewer emotion-related words, despite rating the emotions depicted as more intense than did controls. In contrast, no group differences for words depicting social or cognitive processes were observed. Overall, adults with ADHD appear more aware of their problems in social versus emotional skills. Findings may have implications for improving the psychosocial functioning of these adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adhesion Mechanisms of Polyurethanes to Glass Surfaces. III. Investigation of Possible Physico-Chemical Interactions at the Interphase

Surface free energies of polyurethanes made from toluene diisocyanate and 1, 4 butanediol-based hard segments and caprolactone polyol-based soft segments were calculated using additive functions. Good agreement was found between the calculated values based on additive functions and the calculated values based on contact angle measurements. The phase-separated polyurethanes were found to have a higher polar surface free energy component (γ^P). This was linked to the preferential segregation of butanediol/butanediol-derived moieties to the polyurethane surfaces due to phase separation. The adhesion values of these polyurethanes to soda-lime glass were correlated with their respective γ^P values and a linear relationship was found. It was also shown that the adhesion values of the low γ^P polyurethanes improved substantially when the glass surfaces were coated with a thin layer of butanediol prior to the bonding. The modulus of the interphase region rich in butanediol was evaluated. Although a modulus increase was found at the interface, this increase was found to play a secondary role in the adhesion. The chemical interactions at the polyurethane/glass interphase were investigated by pre-treating the glass surfaces with methyl-trimethoxysilane and trimethylchlorosilane prior to adhesion testing. The adhesion data showed no significant difference between the uncoated and the silane-treated glass substrates. Based on this experimental evidence, the possibility of any covalent or ionic bonding at the polyurethane/glass interphase was assumed negligible. It was determined that the mechanism of adhesion between the polyurethanes and the glass surface could be through the formation of an interphase region in which hydrogen bonding between the butanediol-rich interphase region and the hydroxylated glass surface plays a key role.     

Dyestuff—fibre interactions

The strength and nature of dye–fibre interactions vary according to fibre type and dye type. In the case of acid dyes for polyamide fibres, cationic dyes for acrylic fibres, disperse dyes for hydrophobic fibres, and direct dyes for cellulosic fibres, these interactions may be classified as non-covalent, a classification which includes van der Waals (VDW), electrostatic, induction, solvophobic and charge-transfer interactions.
Reactive dyes are a notable exception to the above, since the interaction which is responsible for their excellent wet fastness is the dye–fibre covalent bond, however, these dyes are increasingly viewed as environmentally unfriendly due to high salt usage and residual unfixed colour. This situation may be improved by either incorporating amine sites in the cellulose or by reversing the system to incorporate reactive residues in the fibre and nucleophilic sites in the dye.
Nonionic disperse dyes are valuable for hydrophobic fibres such as polyester but have made little impact on hydrophilic fibres such as silk, wool and cotton. Experiments to develop simple treatments to render the latter fibres disperse dyeable are described and the combined role of solvophobic and – interactions discussed.     

Groundwater-surface water interactions and agricultural nutrient transport in a Great Lakes clay plain system

Nutrient export from agricultural land to surface waters is a significant environmental concern within the Great Lakes Basin (GLB). A field-based watershed-scale study was completed to investigate spatial and temporal variations of phosphorus and nitrate to assess nutrient transport pathways and groundwater-surface water interactions in an agriculturally dominated clay plain system. This was conducted in the 127 km² Upper Parkhill Watershed, near Lake Huron in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Data collection occurred from June 2018 to May 2019 via continuous sensor deployment and discrete sampling of stream water, groundwater, hyporheic zone, and tile drainage water. Samples were analyzed for various nutrient species (total, total dissolved, soluble reactive, and particulate phosphorus, and nitrate-N) to examine the hydrological dynamics of principal transport pathways of agriculturally-derived nutrients. Total phosphorus and nitrate concentrations in stream water ranged from 0.007 to 0.324 mg/L and 0.32 to 13.13 mg NO₃^?-N/L, respectively. Tile drainage water total phosphorous concentrations varied from 0.006 to 0.066 mg/L. Groundwater total dissolved phosphorus concentrations ranged from <0.003 to 0.085 mg/L. Transport of phosphorus through tile drainage was observed to be greater than through groundwater over the study period. No distinct relationship was observed between nutrient concentrations in the hyporheic zone and the vertical hydraulic gradient within this zone in the studied stream reach. Preliminary correlations were discerned between water quality observations and recognized land management practices. Given the elevated stream nutrient concentrations, these results are consequential for the continual improvement of strategies and programs devised to conserve water resources within the GLB.     

Viscosities of nonelectrolyte liquid mixtures. I. binary mixtures containing p-dioxane

Viscosity measurements are reported for p-dioxans with cyclohexane, n-hexane, benzene, toluene, carbon tetrachloride, tetrachloroethane, chloroform, pentachloroethane, and ethyl acetate at 303.15 K. Excess Gibbs energies of activation G ^*E of viscous flow have been calculated with Eyring's theory of absolute reaction rates. The deviations of the viscosities from a linear dependence on the mole fraction and values of G ^*E for binary mixtures have been explained in terms of molecular interactions between unlike pairs. The Prigogine-Flory-Patterson theory has been used to estimate the excess viscosity, ln , and corresponding enthalpy ln _H, entropy ln _S, and free volume ln _v terms for binary mixtures of p-dioxane with cyclohexane, n-hexane, benzene, toluene, carbon tetrachloride, and chloroform. Estimates of excess viscosities from this theory for p-dioxane with benzene, toluene, and carbon tetrachloride are good, while for the other three mixtures they are poor. The local-composition thermodynamic model of Wei and Rowley estimates the excess viscosity quite well even for p-dioxane mixtures with cyclohexane and n-hexane.     

Human DDX3X Unwinds Japanese Encephalitis and Zika Viral 5′ Terminal Regions

Flavivirus genus includes many deadly viruses such as the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and Zika virus (ZIKV). The 5′ terminal regions (TR) of flaviviruses interact with human proteins and such interactions are critical for viral replication. One of the human proteins identified to interact with the 5′ TR of JEV is the DEAD-box helicase, DDX3X. In this study, we in vitro transcribed the 5′ TR of JEV and demonstrated its direct interaction with recombinant DDX3X (K_d of 1.66 ± 0.21 µM) using microscale thermophoresis (MST). Due to the proposed structural similarities of 5′ and 3′ TRs of flaviviruses, we investigated if the ZIKV 5′ TR could also interact with human DDX3X. Our MST studies suggested that DDX3X recognizes ZIKV 5′ TR with a K_d of 7.05 ± 0.75 µM. Next, we performed helicase assays that suggested that the binding of DDX3X leads to the unwinding of JEV and ZIKV 5′ TRs. Overall, our data indicate, for the first time, that DDX3X can directly bind and unwind in vitro transcribed flaviviral TRs. In summary, our work indicates that DDX3X could be further explored as a therapeutic target to inhibit Flaviviral replication     

Visualizing Extracellular Vesicles and Their Function in 3D Tumor Microenvironment Models

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived nanostructures that mediate intercellular communication by delivering complex signals in normal tissues and cancer. The cellular coordination required for tumor development and maintenance is mediated, in part, through EV transport of molecular cargo to resident and distant cells. Most studies on EV-mediated signaling have been performed in two-dimensional (2D) monolayer cell cultures, largely because of their simplicity and high-throughput screening capacity. Three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures can be used to study cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix interactions, enabling the study of EV-mediated cellular communication. 3D cultures may best model the role of EVs in formation of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and cancer cell-stromal interactions that sustain tumor growth. In this review, we discuss EV biology in 3D culture correlates of the TME. This includes EV communication between cell types of the TME, differences in EV biogenesis and signaling associated with differing scaffold choices and in scaffold-free 3D cultures and cultivation of the premetastatic niche. An understanding of EV biogenesis and signaling within a 3D TME will improve culture correlates of oncogenesis, enable molecular control of the TME and aid development of drug delivery tools based on EV-mediated signaling.