A 'worthy disciple of Galen', 'ardent sportsman' and 'expert swordsman': Henry Kipping (1726-1785) apothecary and surgeon at Brighton, England.

Henry Kipping (1726-1785) was an apothecary and surgeon in Brighton, England. Here we present a series of contemporary references to Kipping from newspaper, book, archive and web-based resources. Some relate to his medical practice (resuscitating a 'drowned' elderly physician and a fisherman, bleeding a member of parliament who had fallen from his horse and praising a nostrum for the 'gravel and stone'). Social references include a duel with an army officer whose sword Kipping confiscated. Kipping appears to have been popular, connected with members of Brighton's high society and passionate about traditional past times, e.g. swordsmanship, horse riding and hunting on the Sussex downs. Indeed, Kipping's horse ran in the earliest known horse race in Brighton (1770). He was consulted by notable local residents including the Thrale family of Brighton and Lady Wilhelmina Shelley (the latter evidenced by Kipping partaking in her funeral procession in 1772). Kipping lived and practised at 28 West street, a road most famous for its (now lost) George Inn where King Charles II stayed just prior to his escape to Normandy. Kipping comes across as a colourful and eccentric clinician.

Flow-through compression cell for small-angle and ultra-small-angle neutron scattering measurements.

In situ measurements of geological materials under compression and with hydrostatic fluid pressure are important in understanding their behavior under field conditions, which in turn provides critical information for application-driven research. In particular, understanding the role of nano- to micro-scale porosity in the subsurface liquid and gas flow is critical for the high-fidelity characterization of the transport and more efficient extraction of the associated energy resources. In other applications, where parts are produced by the consolidation of powders by compression, the resulting porosity and crystallite orientation (texture) may affect its in-use characteristics. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and ultra SANS are ideal probes for characterization of these porous structures over the nano to micro length scales. Here we show the design, realization, and performance of a novel neutron scattering sample environment, a specially designed compression cell, which provides compressive stress and hydrostatic pressures with effective stress up to 60 MPa, using the neutron beam to probe the effects of stress vectors parallel to the neutron beam. We demonstrate that the neutron optics is suitable for the experimental objectives and that the system is highly stable to the stress and pressure conditions of the measurements.

Oedometric Small-Angle Neutron Scattering: In Situ Observation of Nanopore Structure During Bentonite Consolidation and Swelling in Dry and Hydrous CO2 Environments.

Results of oedometric consolidation experiments linked with small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements are presented, using SWy-2 Wyoming bentonite clay in dry and water-bearing N2 and CO2 atmospheres. Oedometric SANS involves deforming a porous sample under uniaxial strain conditions with applied axial force and internal pore pressure control, and combines with SANS for in situ observation of pore structure evolution and interaction. Scattering from both interlayer (clay intra-aggregate) and free (interaggregate) pores is observed, showing decreasing pore size with dry consolidation and interactions between interlayer and free pore types with swelling and consolidation. Introduction of dry liquid CO2 at zero effective stress (axial stress minus pore pressure) produces large shifts in interlayer scatterers, but is reversible back to pre-CO2 levels upon decreasing pore pressure and increasing effective stress. Introduction of wet liquid CO2, conversely, produces large but irreversible changes in interlayer scatterers, which are interpreted to be the combined result of CO2 and H2O intercalation under hydrostatic conditions, but which diminish with application of effective pressure and consolidation to higher bentonite dry densities. Consideration of CO2 intercalation in smectite-bearing CO2 caprocks needs to include effects of both water and nonhydrostatic stress.

Multiwell CO2 injectivity: impact of boundary conditions and brine extraction on geologic CO2 storage efficiency and pressure buildup.

CO2 storage efficiency is a metric that expresses the portion of the pore space of a subsurface geologic formation that is available to store CO2. Estimates of storage efficiency for large-scale geologic CO2 storage depend on a variety of factors including geologic properties and operational design. These factors govern estimates on CO2 storage resources, the longevity of storage sites, and potential pressure buildup in storage reservoirs. This study employs numerical modeling to quantify CO2 injection well numbers, well spacing, and storage efficiency as a function of geologic formation properties, open-versus-closed boundary conditions, and injection with or without brine extraction. The set of modeling runs is important as it allows the comparison of controlling factors on CO2 storage efficiency. Brine extraction in closed domains can result in storage efficiencies that are similar to those of injection in open-boundary domains. Geomechanical constraints on downhole pressure at both injection and extraction wells lower CO2 storage efficiency as compared to the idealized scenario in which the same volumes of CO2 and brine are injected and extracted, respectively. Geomechanical constraints should be taken into account to avoid potential damage to the storage site.

Ganglion dynamics and its implications to geologic carbon dioxide storage.

Capillary trapping of a nonwetting fluid phase in the subsurface has been considered as an important mechanism for geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO(2)). This mechanism can potentially relax stringent requirements for the integrity of cap rocks for CO(2) storage and therefore can significantly enhance storage capacity and security. We here apply ganglion dynamics to understand the capillary trapping of supercritical CO(2) (scCO(2)) under relevant reservoir conditions. We show that, by breaking the injected scCO(2) into small disconnected ganglia, the efficiency of capillary trapping can be greatly enhanced, because the mobility of a ganglion is inversely dependent on its size. Supercritical CO(2) ganglia can be engineered by promoting CO(2)-water interface instability during immiscible displacement, and their size distribution can be controlled by injection mode (e.g., water-alternating-gas) and rate. We also show that a large mobile ganglion can potentially break into smaller ganglia due to CO(2)-brine interface instability during buoyant rise, thus becoming less mobile. The mobility of scCO(2) in the subsurface is therefore self-limited. Vertical structural heterogeneity within a reservoir can inhibit the buoyant rise of scCO(2) ganglia. The dynamics of scCO(2) ganglia described here provides a new perspective for the security and monitoring of subsurface CO(2) storage.

Sterilizable gels from thermoresponsive block copolymer worms.

Biocompatible hydrogels have many applications, ranging from contact lenses to tissue engineering scaffolds. In most cases, rigorous sterilization is essential. Herein we show that a biocompatible diblock copolymer forms wormlike micelles via polymerization-induced self-assembly in aqueous solution. At a copolymer concentration of 10.0 w/w %, interworm entanglements lead to the formation of a free-standing physical hydrogel at 21 °C. Gel dissolution occurs on cooling to 4 °C due to an unusual worm-to-sphere order-order transition, as confirmed by rheology, electron microscopy, variable temperature (1)H NMR spectroscopy, and scattering studies. Moreover, this thermo-reversible behavior allows the facile preparation of sterile gels, since ultrafiltration of the diblock copolymer nanoparticles in their low-viscosity spherical form at 4 °C efficiently removes micrometer-sized bacteria; regelation occurs at 21 °C as the copolymer chains regain their wormlike morphology. Biocompatibility tests indicate good cell viabilities for these worm gels, which suggest potential biomedical applications.

Three RNA recognition motifs participate in RNA recognition and structural organization by the pro-apoptotic factor TIA-1.

T-cell intracellular antigen-1 (TIA-1) regulates developmental and stress-responsive pathways through distinct activities at the levels of alternative pre-mRNA splicing and mRNA translation. The TIA-1 polypeptide contains three RNA recognition motifs (RRMs). The central RRM2 and C-terminal RRM3 associate with cellular mRNAs. The N-terminal RRM1 enhances interactions of a C-terminal Q-rich domain of TIA-1 with the U1-C splicing factor, despite linear separation of the domains in the TIA-1 sequence. Given the expanded functional repertoire of the RRM family, it was unknown whether TIA-1 RRM1 contributes to RNA binding as well as documented protein interactions. To address this question, we used isothermal titration calorimetry and small-angle X-ray scattering to dissect the roles of the TIA-1 RRMs in RNA recognition. Notably, the fas RNA exhibited two binding sites with indistinguishable affinities for TIA-1. Analyses of TIA-1 variants established that RRM1 was dispensable for binding AU-rich fas sites, yet all three RRMs were required to bind a polyU RNA with high affinity. Small-angle X-ray scattering analyses demonstrated a "V" shape for a TIA-1 construct comprising the three RRMs and revealed that its dimensions became more compact in the RNA-bound state. The sequence-selective involvement of TIA-1 RRM1 in RNA recognition suggests a possible role for RNA sequences in regulating the distinct functions of TIA-1. Further implications for U1-C recruitment by the adjacent TIA-1 binding sites of the fas pre-mRNA and the bent TIA-1 shape, which organizes the N- and C-termini on the same side of the protein, are discussed.

A role for glycoprotein Ib in Streptococcus sanguis-induced platelet aggregation.

Numerous studies have implicated bacteria in cardiovascular disease, but there is a paucity of information on the mechanism involved. In this study we show how the common oral bacterium Streptococcus sanguis can directly interact with platelets, resulting in activation and aggregate formation. Platelet aggregation was dependent on glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (GPIIb/IIIa) and thromboxane. Platelets could also directly bind to S sanguis, but this interaction was not inhibited by GPIIb/IIIa antagonists. Antibodies to GPIb could inhibit both platelet aggregation and platelet adhesion to bacteria. This suggested a direct interaction between GPIb and S sanguis; however, this interaction did not require von Willebrand factor, the normal ligand for GPIb. By use of a range of monoclonal antibodies to GPIb and the enzyme mocharagin, which cleaves GPIb at amino acid 282, the interaction was localized to a region within the N-terminal 1-225 portion of GPIbalpha. Furthermore S sanguis failed to induce aggregation of platelets from a patient with Bernard-Soulier disease, the organism bound to Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with the GPIbalpha gene but did not bind to mock-transfected cells and biotin-labeled S sanguis cells bound to purified GPIb in ligand blots. It is suggested that the interaction between S sanguis and GPIb is important in the pathogenesis of infective endocarditis and may also play a contributory role in some cases of myocardial infarction.