Antibacterial agents based on the cyclic D,L-alpha-peptide architecture

The rapid emergence of bacterial infections that are resistant to many drugs underscores the need for new therapeutic agents. Here we report that six- and eight-residue cyclic d,l-alpha-peptides act preferentially on Gram-positive and/or Gram-negative bacterial membranes compared to mammalian cells, increase membrane permeability, collapse transmembrane ion potentials, and cause rapid cell death. The effectiveness of this class of materials as selective antibacterial agents is highlighted by the high efficacy observed against lethal methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in mice. Cyclic d,l-alpha-peptides are proteolytically stable, easy to synthesize, and can be derived from a potentially vast membrane-active sequence space. The unique abiotic structure of the cyclic peptides and their quick bactericidal action may also contribute to limit temporal acquirement of drug resistant bacteria. The low molecular weight d,l-alpha-peptides offer an attractive complement to the current arsenal of naturally derived antibiotics, and hold considerable potential in combating a variety of existing and emerging infectious diseases.     

A chiroselective peptide replicator

The origin of homochirality in living systems is often attributed to the generation of enantiomeric differences in a pool of chiral prebiotic molecules, but none of the possible physiochemical processes considered can produce the significant imbalance required if homochiral biopolymers are to result from simple coupling of suitable precursor molecules. This implies a central role either for additional processes that can selectively amplify an initially minute enantiomeric difference in the starting material, or for a nonenzymatic process by which biopolymers undergo chiroselective molecular replication. Given that molecular self-replication and the capacity for selection are necessary conditions for the emergence of life, chiroselective replication of biopolymers seems a particularly attractive process for explaining homochirality in nature. Here we report that a 32-residue peptide replicator, designed according to our earlier principles, is capable of efficiently amplifying homochiral products from a racemic mixture of peptide fragments through a chiroselective autocatalytic cycle. The chiroselective amplification process discriminates between structures possessing even single stereochemical mutations within otherwise homochiral sequences. Moreover, the system exhibits a dynamic stereochemical 'editing' function; in contrast to the previously observed error correction, it makes use of heterochiral sequences that arise through uncatalysed background reactions to catalyse the production of the homochiral product. These results support the idea that self-replicating polypeptides could have played a key role in the origin of homochirality on Earth.     

油中水滴静电聚并微观机理研究

利用电场对多相体系进行分离处理广泛应用于石油化工等行业,电场力作用下液滴间的相互运动聚并是聚结的基础和前提条件.本文从液滴间静电力学模型出发,通过动态微观实验对液滴的聚并过程进行了完整的记录和分析,确定不同实验条件下液滴的聚并方式和角度,以及液滴从静止状态到发生相对运动时的临界条件.结果发现当两等大液滴间距与液滴半径之比大于1时,液滴间中心连线与电场力夹角θ<54.7°或θ>125.3°,两液滴间作用力表现为吸引力,当液滴间距较小时,能产生聚结的最大倾角增大为81.3°.液滴间相对距离增大时,移动临界电场强度迅速升高,较大液滴发生相对移动所需的场强低于小颗粒液滴.实验结果验证了相关理论,进一步完善了静电聚结机理.     

不同条件下铱负载催化剂性能的比较研究

To discuss the potential role of iridium (Ir) nanoparticles loaded under atmospheric and high pressures, we prepared a series of catalysts with the same active phase but different contents of 10wt%, 20wt%, and 30wt% on gamma-alumina for decomposition of hydrazine. Under atmospheric pressure, the performance of the catalyst was better when 30wt% of the Ir nanoparticles was used with chelating agent that had greater selectivity of approximately 27%. The increase in the reaction rate from 175 to 220 h?1 at higher Ir loading (30wt%) was due to a good dispersion of high-number active phases rather than an agglomeration surface. As a satisfactory result of this investigation at high pressure, Ir catalysts with different weight percentages showed the same stability against crushing and activity with a characteristic velocity of approximately 1300 m/s.