We describe the synthesis of mesoporous silica fibers and discoids using disodium trioxosilicate (Na2SiO3 9H2O), a convenient silica source with cetyltrimethylmmonium chloride (CTAC) as a structure directing agent under acidic condition. The molar composition of the synthesis sol is 1Na2SiO3 9H2O:1.5CTAC:28HCl:729H2O. The fibers and discoids, both p6mm, hexagonal, are obtained at room temperatu...

In this work we synthesized well-ordered, Ta2O5 films with a 3D-interconnected gyroid mesopore architecture with large pore sizes beyond 30 nm and extended crystalline domains through self-assembly of tailor-made triblock-terpolymers. This has effectively eliminated diffusion limitations inherent to previously reported mesoporous photocatalysts and resulted in superior hydrogen evolution with a...

The cereal cell wall polysaccharide (1-3,1-4)-b-glucan is a linear polymer of glucose containing both b1-3 and b1-4 bonds. The structure of (1-3,1-4)-b-glucan varies between different cereals and during plant growth and development, but little is known about how this is controlled. The cellulose synthase–like CslF6 protein is an integral membrane protein and a major component of the (1-3,1-4)-b...

The membrane attack complex (MAC) is an important innate immune effector of the complement terminal pathway that forms cytotoxic pores on the surface of microbes. Despite many years of research, MAC structure and mechanism of action have remained elusive, relying heavily on modelling and inference from biochemical experiments. Recent advances in structural biology, specifically cryo-electron mi...

The cereal cell wall polysaccharide (1-3,1-4)-β-glucan is a linear polymer of glucose containing both β1-3 and β1-4 bonds. The structure of (1-3,1-4)-β-glucan varies between different cereals and during plant growth and development, but little is known about how this is controlled. The cellulose synthase-like CslF6 protein is an integral membrane protein and a major component of the (1-3,1-4)-β...

The Nup84 complex constitutes a key building block in the nuclear pore complex (NPC). Here we present the crystal structure of one of its 7 components, Nup120, which reveals a beta propeller and an alpha-helical domain representing a novel fold. We discovered a previously unidentified interaction of Nup120 with Nup133 and confirmed the physiological relevance in vivo. As mapping of the individu...

Protein lysine methylation by SET domain enzymes regulates chromatin structure, gene silencing, transcriptional activation, plant metabolism, and other processes. The 2.6 A resolution structure of Rubisco large subunit methyltransferase in a pseudo-bisubstrate complex with S-adenosylhomocysteine and a HEPES ion reveals an all-beta architecture for the SET domain embedded within a larger alpha-h...

We report the dependence of the first-order Bragg peak position and width on the liquid-crystal and backbone refractive indices for liquid-crystal-infiltrated large-pore inverse shell opals, which offer increased volume for electro-optic infiltration. We also present the dependence of the photonic response on the template architecture or liquid-crystal volume fraction, which can be manipulated ...

The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) constitutes the major pathway for the entry and exit of metabolites across the outer membrane of the mitochondria and can serve as a scaffold for molecules that modulate the organelle. We report the crystal structure of a beta-barrel eukaryotic membrane protein, the murine VDAC1 (mVDAC1) at 2.3 A resolution, revealing a high-resolution image of its arc...

constant rate of strain (crs) consolidation is a rapid test method used for determination of compressibility of clayey soils. in a crs test, the appropriate strain rate is selected based on pore water pressure ratio, i.e. the ratio of pore pressure to total stress. in the present study, to investigate the effect of strain rate on variation of relative pore water pressure, four different clay sa...