The molten globule, a widespread protein-folding intermediate, can attain a native-like backbone topology, even in the apparent absence of rigid side-chain packing. Nonetheless, mutagenesis studies suggest that molten globules are stabilized by some degree of side-chain packing among specific hydrophobic residues. Here we investigate the importance of hydrophobic side-chain diversity in determi...

The exquisite side chain close-packing in the protein core and at binding interfaces has prompted a conviction that packing selectivity is the primary mechanism for molecular recognition in folding and/or binding reactions. Contrary to this view, molten globule proteins can adopt native topology and bind targets tightly and specifically in the absence of side chain close-packing. The molten glo...

The high manufacturing cost for metallic glasses hampers actual commercial applications of this class of fascinating materials. In this letter, the effect of oxygen impurity on the glass forming ability and tensile properties of Zr-BMG composites were studied. Our results have demonstrated that oxygen was absorbed and concentrated only in the precipitated β-Zr phase, leading that the remainder ...

Materials synthesis in the liquid phase, or wet-chemical synthesis, utilizes a solution medium in which the target materials are generated from a series of chemical and physical transformations. Although this route is central in organic chemistry, for materials synthesis the low operational temperature range of the solvent (usually below 200 °C, in extreme 350 °C) is a serious restriction. Here...

Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) is a widely used technique for characterizing the distribution of pore sizes in cement-based materials. It is a simple and quick indirect technique, but it has limitations when applied to materials that have irregular pore geometry. The relationship between MIP results and the actual pore distribution and connectivity can be better understood with the use of ...

1. Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS) is a by product of the steel industry. Blast furnace slag is defined as “the non-metallic product consisting essentially of calcium silicates and other bases that is developed in a molten condition simultaneously with iron in a blast furnace.” [1] In the production of iron, blast furnaces are loaded with iron o...

The feasibility of co-producing activated carbon and bio-oil from rice stalk through molten salt pyrolysis is reported in this work. The results indicated that: (1) mixed ZnCl2-KCl molten salt could considerably improve the solid and liquid yield as well as the ratio of H2 and CH4 selectively (compared to the traditional ZnCl2 method), (2) an increase of pyrolysis temperature had the same impac...

The alpha-lactalbumins and c-type lysozymes have virtually identical structure but exhibit very different folding behavior. All alpha-lactalbumins form a well populated molten globule state, while most of the lysozymes do not. alpha-Lactalbumin consists of two subdomains, and the alpha-subdomain is considerably more structured in the molten globule state than the beta-subdomain. Constructs deri...