The fusion of the viral and target cell membranes is a key step in the life cycle of all enveloped viruses. Here, a range of structural data is used to generate an evidence-based model of the active conformation of an archetypical type-I fusion protein, the Ebola glycoprotein 2 (GP2). The stability of the trimeric complex is demonstrated using molecular dynamics and validated by simulating the interaction of the complex with a lipid bilayer. In this model, the fusion peptides project away from the central helix bundle parallel to the target membrane. This maximizes contact with the host membrane, enhances lateral stability, and would explain why, when activated, viral fusion proteins are trimeric.To address the obstinate problem of the shuttle effect in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, cathode materials are usually given multifunctions to immobilize sulfur, which increases the processing difficulty of cathode materials and weakens the advantage in energy density of Li-S batteries. Herein, a single-source decomposition approach is employed to synthesize a pomegranate-like nitrogenous carbon-coated ZnS (ZnS@NC) precursor that is acid etched to obtain the partially etched ZnS@NC (PE-ZnS@NC) composite. PE-ZnS@NC is coated on a commercial PP separator to a fabricate PE-ZnS@NC/PP functional separator that is used to assemble a coin cell with the sulfur/super P cathode. The 3D network carbon framework of PE-ZnS@NC provides additional active sites for electrochemical reaction and a space barrier for the diffusion of the dissolved lithium polysulfides (LPS). Well-distributed N-containing functional groups and polar ZnS could chemically anchor LPS. Also, the ZnS nanoparticles inside could facilitate a fast kinetic process by catalyzing the liquid-liquid and liquid-solid conversion. Since the shuttle effect is greatly suppressed by the synergistic trifunctions of blockage-chemisorption catalysis, PE-ZnS@NC/PP delivers remarkable electrochemical performances that a self-discharge rate of 0.4% per day is achieved in the shelving test and a capacity retention of 97.0% is gained after 50 cycles at 0.5 C, under a sulfur-areal density of around 3 mg cm-2.Over the past six years, researchers have investigated the use of spray coating to fabricate perovskite solar cells (PSCs), with the aim of demonstrating its viability as an industrial manufacturing process. This spotlight on applications outlines the key benefits of this coating technology and summarizes progress made to date, with attention focused on varied efforts to control the crystallization and uniformity of the perovskite layer. The emerging understanding of processes required to create smooth, dense spray-cast perovskite films has recently led to the demonstration of fully spray-cast PSCs with a power conversion efficiency of 19.4%.Device-associated infection is one of the significant challenges in the biomedical industry and clinical management. Controlling the initial attachment of microbes upon the solid surface of biomedical devices is a sound strategy to minimize the formation of biofilms and infection. A synergistic coating strategy combining superhydrophobicity and bactericidal photodynamic therapy is proposed herein to tackle infection issues for biomedical materials. A multifunctional coating is produced upon pure Mg substrate through a simple blending procedure without involvement of any fluoride-containing agents, differing from the common superhydrophobic surface preparations. Superhydrophobic features of the coating are confirmed through water contact angle measurements (152.5 ± 1.9°). In vitro experiments reveal that bacterial-adhesion repellency regarding both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) strains approaches over 96%, which is evidently ascribed to the proposed synergistic strategy, that is, superhydrophobic nature and microbicidal ability of photodynamic therapy. Electrochemical analysis indicates that the superhydrophobic coating provides pronounced protection against corrosion to underlying Mg with 80% reduction in the corrosion rate in minimum essential medium and retains the original surface features after 168 h exposure to neutral salt spray. selleck chemicals llc The proof-of-concept research holds a great promise for tackling the notorious bacterial infection and poor corrosion resistance of Mg-based biodegradable materials in a simple, efficient, and environmentally benign manner.Characterization of the structural diversity of glycans by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) remains an analytical challenge in large-scale glycomics applications because of the presence of heterogeneous composition, ubiquitous isomers, lability of post-translational glycan modifications, and complexity of data interpretation. High-resolution separation of glycan isomers differentiating from positional, linkage, branching, and anomeric structures is often a prerequisite to ensure the comprehensive glycan identification. Here, we developed a straightforward method using self-packed capillary porous graphitic carbon (PGC) columns for nanoflow LC-MS/MS analyses of native glycans released from glycoproteins. The technique enables highly resolved chromatographic separation of over 20 high-mannose glycan isomers in ribonuclease B and a diverse range of hybrid and complex-type sialoglycoforms of fetuin. The distinct structures of anomeric glycans and linkage sialoglycan isomers, α2,3 and α2,6, were identified by the characteristic MS/MS fragment ions. A glycan sequencing strategy utilizing diagnostic ions and complementary fragments specific to branching residues was established to simplify the MS/MS data interpretation of closely related isomeric structures. To promote the PGC-LC-MS/MS-based method for glycome-wide applications, we extended analyses to native sulfoglycans from the egg-propagated and cell culture-derived influenza vaccines and demonstrate the high-resolution separation and structural characterization of underivatized neutral and anionic glycoforms including oligomannosidic glycan anomers, sialoglycan linkage isomers, and regioisomers of afucosylated and fucosylated sulfoglycans containing sulfated-6-GlcNAc and sulfated-4-GalNAc residues.