Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Charles Maniere, Christelle Harnois, Sylvain Marinel
Summary: Ceramic stereolithography or vat photopolymerization is a process for fabricating ceramic objects with complex shapes. Lattice structures, in combination with optimization tools, are used for designing printable lightweight shapes with improved mechanical resistance. However, the mechanical resistance of these lattice structures can be compromised during high-temperature sintering, necessitating the determination of deformation sensitivity at the conception stage. Finite element simulation is used to predict deformation sensitivity and determine minimum wall thickness by considering sintering behavior and anisotropy.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Guanghong Yang, Wei Zhou, Jing Xu, Ming Zeng, Anna A. Kulminskaya
Summary: This study digitally models and analyzes the mechanical performance of underground ant nest structures using techniques such as liquid paraffin wax infusion shaping, manual excavation, and industrial CT scanning. By simulating stress distribution under different pressures, the mechanical properties of the underground ant nest structures under static loads are revealed.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Biology
Shawn D. Burton, Audrey Brown, Thomas P. Eiting, Isaac A. Youngstrom, Thomas C. Rust, Michael Schmuker, Matt Wachowiak
Summary: Using high-throughput odorant delivery and ultrasensitive imaging, researchers found that in the mouse olfactory system, odorant receptors are narrowly tuned and highly sensitive, responding to their effective odorants at sub-picomolar to nanomolar concentrations. By utilizing a single diagnostic odorant, many odorant receptors can be reliably identified. The response spectra of odorant receptors to multiple odorants can be predicted based on odorant structural features, and odorant receptors sensitive to distinct odorants with common structural features are spatially clustered.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Marc Stieffenhofer, Tristan Bereau, Michael Wand
Summary: This study introduces a method based on deep neural networks for reverse mapping structures at the molecular level, which combines data-driven and physics-based aspects to achieve high-quality structure reconstruction.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Amisha Patel, Pamela Peralta-Yahya
Summary: Chemical biosensors are widely used in our daily lives and have made significant progress in detecting hard-to-detect analytes such as chemical small molecules. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and olfactory receptors (ORs) are key areas of research in this field.
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Alba Fombona-Pascual, Javier Fombona, Ruben Vicente
Summary: This research analyzes the development and potential of augmented reality technology in the field of chemistry for three-dimensional molecule visualization. The study finds that there are already some successful examples of augmented reality applications in education and research environments, although traditional two-dimensional screen visualization is still more commonly used for teaching.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL INFORMATION AND MODELING
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Tian Liang, Xiao-Hui Lin, Yan-Rong Zou, Zhao-Wen Zhan, Pingan Peng
Summary: A new method for solid-state 13C NMR analysis of oil resin was proposed, and a 3D molecular model of oil resin was established for the first time. This method is applicable not only to petroleum resin but also for detecting the structural components of fossil fuel colloids. Solid-state 13C NMR showed better accuracy in identifying aromatic carbon and oxygen-containing functional groups compared to liquid-state 13C NMR, confirmed by FT-IR analysis, making it more suitable for resin structure detection. The study also established two new parameters to evaluate the length of aliphatic chains and oxygen-containing in resins. Overall, this research is significant for petroleum migration and heavy oil exploitation.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiaoqiang Shen, Xuesen Du, Dafei Yang, Jingyu Ran, Zhongqing Yang, Yanrong Chen
Summary: The physical structure and chemical modification of molecular sieves significantly affect the adsorption of VOCs, with pure silica molecular sieves exhibiting strong adsorption ability for polar adsorbates and decreasing adsorption ability for nonpolar adsorbates as molecular volume increases. The theoretical results were supported by experimental findings for toluene adsorption on MFI, BEA, and Y-type zeolites.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Angelo Felline, Simone Conti, Michele Seeber, Marco Cecchini, Francesca Fanelli
Summary: This article presents the second update of Wordom, a program for manipulation and analysis of conformational ensembles from molecular simulations. The update expands existing modules and adds 21 new modules, which can be grouped into three sets analyzing atomic fluctuations and communication, ion-channel dynamics, and structural deformation. The updates enhance Wordom's suitability, completeness, user-friendliness, and efficiency for biomolecular simulation analysis.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Zhi Wang, Weichao Ma, Junqing Wei, Kuibo Lan, Shanchun Yan, Ruibing Chen, Guoxuan Qin
Summary: A high-performance TMA sensor was developed using a chemical connection method to effectively load ORPs onto SWCNTs, achieving detection of TMA at concentrations as low as 0.01 parts per trillion, three orders of magnitude lower than previously reported. The sensor demonstrated excellent sensitivity, selectivity, and stability for TMA detection, showing great potential for applications in environmental safety, food quality evaluation, and healthcare.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Hao Sun, Guilan Li, Anding Xu, Zhiguang Xu, Songping Wu
Summary: Potassium-ion batteries have attracted significant attention due to the abundance and low cost of potassium. However, their performance is limited by the large size of potassium ions. Researchers have developed sulfur-doped carbon spheres with hierarchically-mesoporous architecture, which exhibit impressive reversible capacity and rapid diffusion characteristics.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Chongbin Zhao, B. E. Hobbs, A. Ord
Summary: The text discusses the instability of chemical dissolution fronts in reactive mass transport in groundwater hydrology. It explores the impact of different mathematical transforms on analytical and computational solutions, concluding that appropriate mathematical transforms make the problem mathematically solvable.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yongsuk Cho, Song-Charng Kong
Summary: This paper presents a computational study on biomass particle evolution under pyrolysis conditions, considering particle shrinkage and reaction kinetics. A three-dimensional simulation at the representative elementary volume (REV) scale was conducted to resolve the gas and solid domains and model the interface using the conjugated heat transfer (CHT) and partially saturated method (PSM). The simulation was validated using three different experiments, and parametric studies were carried out to investigate the effect of different modeling approaches and operating conditions.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yongsuk Cho, Song-Charng Kong
Summary: This paper presents a computational study on biomass particle evolution under pyrolysis conditions, considering particle shrinkage and reaction kinetics. The study investigates the impact of various modeling approaches and operating conditions on the internal heat transfer and particle permeability. Results show that the particle size, inlet gas velocity, reactor temperature, and geometry affect the internal heat transfer, and three different regimes are identified based on particle permeability.
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Hamidreza Abin, Amin Gohari, Masoumeh Nasiri-Kenari
Summary: The differential equations of reaction-diffusion systems in molecular communication are non-linear and typically lack closed-form solutions. Therefore, finding optimal modulation and coding strategies is a significant challenge in molecular communication. This paper presents a concrete example and demonstrates the application of real and complex analysis tools to study this challenging problem. The study reveals that the optimal release pattern consists of a finite sum of Dirac's delta functions in the given example. Simulation results confirm the discrete nature of the optimal release pattern, and an upper bound on the number of delta functions is provided under certain assumptions.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kunio Nakata, Naoyuki Miyazaki, Hiroki Yamaguchi, Mika Hirose, Tatsuki Kashiwagi, Nidamarthi H. Kutumbarao, Osamu Miyashita, Florence Tama, Hiroshi Miyano, Toshimi Mizukoshi, Kenji Iwasaki
Summary: The three-dimensional structure of phosphoketolase (PKT) from Bifidobacterium longum was determined using cryo-EM single-particle analysis. The study observed interesting structural features and multiple conformations of amino acid residues, as well as the presence of water molecules. The conformational changes of the QN-loop were found to be related to the enzymatic function of PKT.
JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shuji Shigenobu, Yoshinobu Hayashi, Dai Watanabe, Gaku Tokuda, Masaru Y. Hojo, Kouhei Toga, Ryota Saiki, Hajime Yaguchi, Yudai Masuoka, Ryutaro Suzuki, Shogo Suzuki, Moe Kimura, Masatoshi Matsunami, Yasuhiro Sugime, Kohei Oguchi, Teruyuki Niimi, Hiroki Gotoh, Masaru K. Hojo, Satoshi Miyazaki, Atsushi Toyoda, Toru Miura, Kiyoto Maekawa
Summary: Termites are social organisms with a polyphenic caste system, and gene duplication plays a crucial role in their social evolution. The duplicated genes in the termite genome are associated with caste-biased gene expression and diverse social functions, contributing to caste-specialized functions. Gene duplication facilitates social evolution through regulatory diversification, leading to caste-biased expression and subfunctionalization and/or neofunctionalization.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ryosuke Kamiya, Jumpei Uchiyama, Shigenobu Matsuzaki, Kazuyoshi Murata, Kenji Iwasaki, Naoyuki Miyazaki
Summary: The acid-stable capsid structures of Helicobacter pylori phages KHP30 and KHP40 were solved using cryoelectron microscopy, revealing their unique composition and role in maintaining stability. The study provides insights into the possible mechanisms of phage adaptation to the human gastric environment.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Atsuko Matsushita, Finlay Stewart, Marko Ilic, Pei-Ju Chen, Daiki Wakita, Naoyuki Miyazaki, Kazuyoshi Murata, Michiyo Kinoshita, Gregor Belusic, Kentaro Arikawa
Summary: While both the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and the butterfly Papilio xuthus are studied, comparative research reveals significant differences in their color vision abilities.
Article
Cell Biology
Ryo Morishita, Ryoichi Yoshimura, Hiroshi Sakamoto, Hirofumi Kuramoto
Summary: This immunohistochemical study examined the distribution and coding of substance P (SP) neurons and nerve fibers in the esophagus and discussed their functional roles. SP neurons were mainly cholinergic and some were nitrergic. SP nerve fibers were found in the myenteric plexus, muscularis mucosa, lower esophageal sphincter, and around blood vessels. Most SP nerve endings were cholinergic, but a few were calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-positive. Sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia and nodose ganglion projected to the esophagus, and most of the labeled SP neurons were CGRP-positive.
HISTOCHEMISTRY AND CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Katsuhiro Torii, Shohei Takagi, Ryoichi Yoshimura, Seiji Miyata
Summary: This study shows that a transient increase in microglial population in the mouse brain during inflammation is beneficial in attenuating sickness responses.
JOURNAL OF NEUROIMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Virology
Naoyuki Miyazaki, Chihong Song, Tomoichiro Oka, Motohiro Miki, Kosuke Murakami, Kenji Iwasaki, Kazuhiko Katayama, Kazuyoshi Murata
Summary: SaV and norovirus are common causes of acute gastroenteritis in humans and animals, posing public health problems worldwide. The genetically diverse HuSaV has hindered the development of vaccines and therapeutics due to the lack of viral replication system and structural information. This study successfully produced a virus-like particle from HuSaV and determined its atomic structure, providing important insights for medical treatment and vaccine development.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Akihiro Okamoto, Rena Fujii, Ryoichi Yoshimura, Seiji Miyata
Summary: Tanycytes, specialized ependymal cells lining the ventricular spaces of the adult brain, are found to have the capability of transporting macromolecules from the cerebrospinal fluid to brain neurons.
NEUROSCIENCE LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Rika Kasuga, Chinatsu Shiraki, Ririka Horikawa, Ryoichi Yoshimura, Erkin Kurganov, Seiji Miyata
Summary: TRPM8 plays a crucial role in activating autonomic hypothalamic neuronal circuits under innocuous and nocuous cold stimuli, affecting sleep, behavior, and neuronal activation. The behaviors of TRPM8 KO mice in response to innocuous and nocuous cold stimuli differ significantly from those of WT mice.
PHYSIOLOGY & BEHAVIOR
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ryo Nagao, Koji Kato, Minoru Kumazawa, Kentaro Ifuku, Makio Yokono, Takehiro Suzuki, Naoshi Dohmae, Fusamichi Akita, Seiji Akimoto, Naoyuki Miyazaki, Jian-Ren Shen
Summary: The structure of Fucoxanthin chlorophyll a/c-binding proteins (FCPs) in diatoms has been successfully identified using cryo-electron microscopy, revealing their positions and the complexity of the pigment network. Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy also provides insights into the excitation-energy transfer process from FCPs to photosystem II.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Koji Kato, Ryo Nagao, Yoshifumi Ueno, Makio Yokono, Takehiro Suzuki, Tian-Yi Jiang, Naoshi Dohmae, Fusamichi Akita, Seiji Akimoto, Naoyuki Miyazaki, Jian-Ren Shen
Summary: This study provides insights into the tetrameric structure of PSI from a glaucophyte alga, revealing evolutionary changes in subunit composition and excitation-energy transfer.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Robotics
Toru Miura, Kohei Oguchi, Haruka Yamaguchi, Mayuko Nakamura, Daisuke Sato, Kenta Kobayashi, Nobuyuki Kutsukake, Kyoko Miura, Yoshinobu Hayashi, Masaru Hojo, Kiyoto Maekawa, Shuji Shigenobu, Takeshi Kano, Akio Ishiguro
Summary: This article introduces the life patterns and recent research advances of superorganisms, explores the regulatory mechanisms of superorganism systems and animal species with unique developmental systems. It also discusses synthetic approaches based on robotics and mathematical modeling.
ARTIFICIAL LIFE AND ROBOTICS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Masaru K. Hojo
Summary: In this review, the author discusses how chemical communication based on condition-dependent signaling and recognition plasticity regulates the payoff in mutualistic associations. The selfishness of participants explains signaling and communication, contributing to the stability of these mutualisms. Future research on ant collective behavior, genetic and neural basis of cooperation, and a deeper understanding of the costs and benefits of these interactions will help uncover the origin and maintenance of ant mutualistic associations.
CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ryohei H. Suzuki, Takumi Hanada, Yoshinobu Hayashi, Shuji Shigenobu, Kiyoto Maekawa, Masaru K. Hojo
Summary: Termites have an intricate social system with cooperation and division of labor. The perception of chemical signals in this social system is still not well understood. This study identified chemosensory genes involved in signal transduction in termites and found that the expression levels of certain non-receptor genes are affected by both individual and collective behaviors among termite colony members.
INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Mari Komura, Seiji Miyata, Ryoichi Yoshimura
Summary: This study found that the TRPM8 agonist icilin pretreatment can alleviate the symptoms of sepsis induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), including decreases in body temperature, locomotor activity, body weight, and food and water intakes.
NEUROSCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)