Unusual Two-Step Assembly of a Minimalistic Dipeptide-Based Functional Hypergelator

Self-assembled peptide hydrogels represent the realization of peptide nanotechnology into biomedical products. There is a continuous quest to identify the simplest building blocks and optimize their critical gelation concentration (CGC). Herein, a minimalistic, de novo dipeptide, Fmoc-Lys(Fmoc)-Asp, as an hydrogelator with the lowest CGC ever reported, almost fourfold lower as compared to that of a large hexadecapeptide previously described, is reported. The dipeptide self-assembles through an unusual and unprecedented two-step process as elucidated by solid-state NMR and molecular dynamics simulation. The hydrogel is cytocompatible and supports 2D/3D cell growth. Conductive composite gels composed of Fmoc-Lys(Fmoc)-Asp and a conductive polymer exhibit excellent DNA binding. Fmoc-Lys(Fmoc)-Asp exhibits the lowest CGC and highest mechanical properties when compared to a library of dipeptide analogues, thus validating the uniqueness of the molecular design which confers useful properties for various potential applications.     

长江重要堤防隐蔽工程建设投资对扩大内需、拉动经济的作用和影响

长江重要堤防隐蔽工程是党中央、国务院实施积极财政政策进行长江堤防建设的重要组成部分，隐蔽工程既是重要的基础设施，也是重要的环境保护工程，隐蔽工程与其他行业的关联性很强，对众多行业具有巨大的带动作用，有效地扩大了内需，拉动了经济增长。     

A set expression based inheritance system

This paper describes a new formalism for inheritance systems, based on the formal semantics of set expressions. Using the formalism, it is possible to define new semantic classes by arbitrary set expressions operating on previously defined classes. Thus generalizing bothIS-A links andIS-NOT-A links and adding the set intersection operation. We present an efficient algorithm which follows these definitions to deduce the properties implied by the inheritance network, i.e., the properties of the classes containing a given element. The application which motivated the development of the formalism, namely semantic disambiguation of natural language, is also described.     

Circuits and techniques for high-resolution measurement of on-chip power supply noise

This paper presents a technique for characterizing the statistical properties and spectrum of power supply noise using only two on-chip low-throughput samplers. The samplers utilize a voltage-controlled oscillator to perform high-resolution analog-to-digital conversion with minimal hardware. The measurement system is implemented in a 0.13-/spl mu/m process along with a high-speed link transceiver. Measured results from this chip validate the accuracy of the measurement system and elucidate several aspects of power supply noise, including its cyclostationary nature.     

Fractional composition of partly hydrolysed polyvinyl acetate and its compatibility with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose in aqueous solutions

Fractionation of partly hydrolysed polyvinyl acetate (PVA) was performed by warming of its aqueous solutions. The following properties of the obtained fractions were determined: viscosity, molecular weight and molecular weight distribution, surface tension, and absorbance in the IR range. The blockiness of the polymer molecules, characterized by their behaviour towards iodine-containing systems such as I₂,-H₃BO₃ and I₂,-KI, was estimated. Fractionation of the aqueous solutions of PVA by warming is based mainly on the different internal molecular structure of the separated products, i.e. on the length of the vinyl acetate blocks in the PVA molecules and, to a lesser extent, on the degree of hydrolysis and the degree of polymerization. The more blocklike are the PVA molecules, the less compatible are the polymers in the PVA-hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)-water system. At phase separation in this sytem the PVA molecules which are not compatible with HPMC are, in the first place, those of the highest blockiness.     

Almost k-wise independence versus k-wise independence

We say that a distribution over {0,1}ⁿ is (ε,k)-wise independent if its restriction to every k coordinates results in a distribution that is ε-close to the uniform distribution. A natural question regarding (ε,k)-wise independent distributions is how close they are to some k-wise independent distribution. We show that there exist (ε,k)-wise independent distributions whose statistical distance is at least n^O(k)·ε from any k-wise independent distribution. In addition, we show that for any (ε,k)-wise independent distribution there exists some k-wise independent distribution, whose statistical distance is n^O(k)·ε.     

Canonical density control

The Sparse Table is a data structure for controlling density in an array which was first proposed in 1981 and has recently reappeared as a component of cache-oblivious data structures. All existing variants of the Sparse Table divide the array into blocks that have a calibrator tree above them. We show that the same amortized complexity can be achieved without this auxiliary structure, obtaining a canonical data structure that can be updated by conceptually simpler algorithms.     

The Prominin-1-Derived Peptide Improves Cardiac Function Following Ischemia

Myocardial infarction (MI) remains the leading cause of death in the western world. Despite advancements in interventional revascularization technologies, many patients are not candidates for them due to comorbidities or lack of local resources. Non-invasive approaches to accelerate revascularization within ischemic tissues through angiogenesis by providing Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) in protein or gene form has been effective in animal models but not in humans likely due to its short half-life and systemic toxicity. Here, we tested the hypothesis that PR1P, a small VEGF binding peptide that we developed, which stabilizes and upregulates endogenous VEGF, could be used to improve outcome from MI in rodents. To test this hypothesis, we induced MI in mice and rats via left coronary artery ligation and then treated animals with every other day intraperitoneal PR1P or scrambled peptide for 14 days. Hemodynamic monitoring and echocardiography in mice and echocardiography in rats at 14 days showed PR1P significantly improved multiple functional markers of heart function, including stroke volume and cardiac output. Furthermore, molecular biology and histological analyses of tissue samples showed that systemic PR1P targeted, stabilized and upregulated endogenous VEGF within ischemic myocardium. We conclude that PR1P is a potential non-invasive candidate therapeutic for MI.     

An Engineered sgsh Mutant Zebrafish Recapitulates Molecular and Behavioural Pathobiology of Sanfilippo Syndrome A/MPS IIIA

Mucopolysaccharidosis IIIA (MPS IIIA, Sanfilippo syndrome type A), a paediatric neurological lysosomal storage disease, is caused by impaired function of the enzyme N-sulfoglucosamine sulfohydrolase (SGSH) resulting in impaired catabolism of heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan (HS GAG) and its accumulation in tissues. MPS IIIA represents a significant proportion of childhood dementias. This condition generally leads to patient death in the teenage years, yet no effective therapy exists for MPS IIIA and a complete understanding of the mechanisms of MPS IIIA pathogenesis is lacking. Here, we employ targeted CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis to generate a model of MPS IIIA in the zebrafish, a model organism with strong genetic tractability and amenity for high-throughput screening. The sgsh^Δex5−6 zebrafish mutant exhibits a complete absence of Sgsh enzymatic activity, leading to progressive accumulation of HS degradation products with age. sgsh^Δex5−6 zebrafish faithfully recapitulate diverse CNS-specific features of MPS IIIA, including neuronal lysosomal overabundance, complex behavioural phenotypes, and profound, lifelong neuroinflammation. We further demonstrate that neuroinflammation in sgsh^Δex5−6 zebrafish is largely dependent on interleukin-1β and can be attenuated via the pharmacological inhibition of Caspase-1, which partially rescues behavioural abnormalities in sgsh^Δex5−6 mutant larvae in a context-dependent manner. We expect the sgsh^Δex5−6 zebrafish mutant to be a valuable resource in gaining a better understanding of MPS IIIA pathobiology towards the development of timely and effective therapeutic interventions.     

Scandinavian Thins on Top of Cake: New and Improved Algorithms for Stacking and Packing

We show how to compute the smallest rectangle that can enclose any polygon, from a given set of polygons, in nearly linear time; we also present a PTAS for the problem, as well as a linear-time algorithm for the case when the polygons are rectangles themselves. We prove that finding a smallest convex polygon that encloses any of the given polygons is NP-hard, and give a PTAS for minimizing the perimeter of the convex enclosure. We also give efficient algorithms to find the smallest rectangle simultaneously enclosing a given pair of convex polygons.