Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.This study aims to explore the mechanism under which ash deposition propensity is improved by coal blending in a real modern boiler situation. In this paper, Zhundong coal (ZD), from northwestern China, known to have a heavy ash deposition problem in boilers, was blended with Jincheng anthracite (JC), which has a high ash fusion temperature (AFT). The density composition of the coal blend, which reflects the mineral distribution in pulverized coals, was found to change during the intergrinding process. The higher rank coal JC was found to be more concentrated in its lower and highest density fractions. The variances in the chemical composition among density fractions in the pulverized coal blend were found greatly narrowed as compared with the parent coals. AFT results indicate that the ash melting behavior in the coal blend (ZD/JC = 5050) varies with density, which is confirmed by corresponding slag contents calculated with FactSage 7.1. Particle size distributions of the density fractions in ZD, JC, and the coal blend were determined with a laser particle analyzer. The size distribution of ash particles in each density fraction was estimated according to the char morphology, which is deduced from the ash content and coal particle size distribution. Minerals in the lowest density fractions will form ash with a particle size of around 2 μm. Included minerals in the medium density fractions will form ash particles with size related to its ash content, and excluded minerals will undergo slight fragmentation and have a ash particle size similar to the corresponding coal particles. A comprehensive comparison between ash volume, ash particle size, and softening temperature indicates that ash deposition propensity of the coal blend is improved not only because of an apparent increase in AFT but also because of an apparent decrease in the total volume of ash particles possibly arriving on the deposition surface. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.GTP hydrolysis is central to biology, being involved in regulating a wide range of cellular processes. However, the mechanisms by which GTPases hydrolyze this critical reaction remain controversial, with multiple mechanistic possibilities having been proposed based on analysis of experimental and computational data. In this mini-review, we discuss advances in our understanding of biological GTP hydrolysis based on recent computational studies and argue in favor of solvent-assisted hydrolysis as a conserved mechanism among GTPases. A concrete understanding of the fundamental mechanisms by which these enzymes facilitate GTP hydrolysis will have significant impact both for drug discovery efforts and for unraveling the role of oncogenic mutations. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.Polymeric materials obtained from petroleum resources are nonbiodegradable. Defying degradation, they damage the environment as a result of their ending up in the landfills. Synthesized biodegradable polymeric materials (BPMs) have received increasing interest owing to the difficulty in procuring reproducibility when using natural polymeric materials. Through the modification of natural polymeric materials or materials via chemical, microbiological, enzyme-mediated, and chemo-enzymatic synthesis, a comprehensive range of variegated BPMs can be reaped. Amended natural polymeric materials such as starch, cellulose, and chitin have enhanced properties, while synthetic BPMs such as PLA, PGA, PCL, PDS, and PLGA are explicitly designed to pursue coveted applications in multifarious domains such as whole diagnostics and therapeutics. Synthesized BPMs can be embedded with tailored characteristics to justify the neoteric entails of mankind. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.Glycoderivatives are an important class of molecules with enormous relevance in numerous biological phenomena; therefore, they have a key role in the learning, understanding, and assessment of different diseases. Nanotechnology, and in particular the design of new nanomaterials, is one of the areas of greatest interest today. In this case, graphene nanomaterials represent very interesting platforms for studying glycosystems, glyconanomaterials that combine the biomolecular recognition and the characteristics of nanoscale objects in the development of early diagnosis systems, and efficient specific therapeutic modalities. In this mini-review, we discuss some results recently described in the literature on the conjugation of graphene materials and carbohydrates through the selective interaction of glycoenzymes in graphene to create new materials with biosensing applications, the development and application of sugar-graphene composites, and finally biosystems combining the properties of graphene with metallic nanoparticles and sugars for the creation of excellent glyconanomaterials as novel systems for the therapy or diagnosis of important diseases such as cancer or diabetes. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.Background Zika virus (ZIKV) was first discovered in East Africa in 1947.  ZIKV has caused microcephaly in the Americas, but it is not known whether ZIKV is a cause of microcephaly in East Africa. Methods We used surveillance data from 11,061 live births at Kilifi County Hospital in coastal Kenya between January 2012 and October 2016 to identify microcephaly cases and conducted a nested case-control study to determine risk factors for microcephaly. Gestational age at birth was estimated based on antenatal ultrasound scanning (‘Scanned cohort’) or last menstrual period (‘LMP cohort’, including births ≥37 weeks’ gestation only). Controls were newborns with head circumference Z scores between >-2 and ≤2 SD that were compared to microcephaly cases in relation to ZIKV exposure and other maternal and newborn factors. Results Of the 11,061 newborns, 214 (1.9%, 95%CI 1.69, 2.21) had microcephaly. Microcephaly prevalence was 1.0% (95%CI 0.64, 1.70, n=1529) and 2.1% (95%CI 1.81, 2.38, n=9532) in the scanned and LMP cohorts, respectively. After excluding babies less then 2500 g (n=1199) in the LMP cohort the prevalence was 1.1% (95%CI 0.93, 1.39). Microcephaly showed an association with being born small for gestational age (p less then 0.001) but not with ZIKV neutralising antibodies (p=0.6) or anti-ZIKV NS1 IgM response (p=0.9). No samples had a ZIKV neutralising antibody titre that was at least fourfold higher than the corresponding dengue virus (DENV) titre. No ZIKV or other flavivirus RNA was detected in cord blood from cases or controls. selleck screening library Conclusions Microcephaly was prevalent in coastal Kenya, but does not appear to be related to ZIKV exposure; the ZIKV response observed in our study population was largely due to cross-reactive responses to DENV or other related flaviviruses. Further research into potential causes and the clinical consequences of microcephaly in this population is urgently needed. Copyright © 2019 Barsosio HC et al.