A turn-on and reversible fluorescence sensor with high affinity to Zn in aqueous solution

A new simple receptor 1 based on aminosalicylimine was prepared. It exhibited an ‘off–on fluorescence type’ mode with high sensitivity in the presence of Zn²⁺. In particular, this chemosensor could clearly distinguish Zn²⁺ from Cd²⁺. Also, it could be a reusable chemosensor because the addition of EDTA quenched the fluorescence of the Zn²⁺-2·1 complex. Furthermore, receptor 1 had a sufficiently low detection limit (68 nM) in aqueous solutions, which implies that 1 could sense the nanomolar concentration of Zn²⁺. Therefore, this sensor has the ability to be a practical system for the monitoring of Zn²⁺ concentrations in aqueous samples.     

Interface structure and misfit relaxation in YBa2Cu3O7‐δ/PrBa2Cu3O7‐δ heterostructures on SrTiO3(001) substrates

Structural properties of YBa₂Cu₃O_7‐δ/PrBa₂Cu₃O_7‐δ heterointerfaces have been investigated by aberration‐corrected electron microscopy. Experimental evidence shows that c‐axis‐oriented YBa₂Cu₃O_7‐δ/PrBa₂Cu₃O_7‐δ heterostructures with atomically sharp interface epitaxially grow on SrTiO₃(001) substrates. In terms of the contrast analysis, no apparent interdiffusion between YBa₂Cu₃O_7‐δ and PrBa₂Cu₃O_7‐δ occurs at the interface. In addition, stand‐off misfit dislocations and planar faults appear within PrBa₂Cu₃O_7‐δ layer near the interface. Both misfit dislocations and interfacial dislocations resulting from the termination of planar faults contribute to misfit relaxation at the YBa₂Cu₃O_7‐δ/PrBa₂Cu₃O_7‐δ interface. The defect configuration of planar faults and stand‐off misfit dislocations is explored. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nucleophile‐Dependent Regio‐ and Stereoselective Ring Opening of 1‐Azoniabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane Tosylate

1‐[(1R)‐(1‐Phenylethyl)]‐1‐azoniabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane tosylate was generated as a stable bicyclic aziridinium salt from the corresponding 2‐(3‐hydroxypropyl)aziridine upon reaction with p‐toluenesulfonyl anhydride. This bicyclic aziridinium ion was then treated with various nucleophiles including halides, azide, acetate, and cyanide in CH₃CN to afford either piperidines or pyrrolidines through regio‐ and stereoselective ring opening, mediated by the characteristics of the applied nucleophile. On the basis of DFT calculations, ring‐opening reactions under thermodynamic control yield piperidines, whereas reactions under kinetic control can yield both piperidines and pyrrolidines depending on the activation energies for both pathways.     

Simultaneous determination of mitotane,its metabolite,and five steroid hormones in urine samples by capillary electrophoresis using β-CD2SDS1 complexes as hydrophobic compounds solubilizers

Mitotane is a cytotoxic drug used in the treatment of inoperable adrenocortical carcinoma, it inhibits steroidogenesis as well, and therefore monitoring the level of steroid hormones in patients treated with mitotane is a crucial point of therapy. Hence, we have developed a simple, fast, and efficient electrophoretic method combined with reverse polarity sweeping as online preconcentration technique and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for the simultaneous determination of mitotane, its main metabolite DDA, and five steroid hormones (progesterone, testosterone, epitestosterone, cortisol, and corticosterone) in urine samples. In addition, a new sample matrix consisting of β-CD₂SDS₁ complexes for a high hydrophobic compounds solubilization was developed. Approach based on the application of β-cyclodextrin and SDS complex of a ratio 2:1 allowed for hydrodynamic injection into the capillary of a solution containing both mitotane and other analytes. The detection limits of the analytes for the reverse polarity sweeping-dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method were found to be in the range of 1.5–3 ng/mL, which were approximately 1000 times lower than in the conventional hydrodynamic injection (5 s, 0.5 psi) without any preconcentration procedure. All analytes were completely resolved in less than 13 min by uncoated silica capillary with an inner diameter of 75 μm (ID) × 60 cm. Electrophoretic separation was performed in reverse polarity with a voltage of –25 kV with a background electrolyte (BGE) consisting of 100 mM SDS, 25% ACN, 25 mM phosphate buffer (pH 2.5), and 7 mM β-cyclodextrin.     

3D bioprinted cancer cells are more tolerant to serum starvation than 2D cells due to autophagy

Cancer is a global issue and a serious threat to human health, one approach to treatment is starvation therapy. Recently, three-dimensional (3D) bioprinted tumor tissue models have been developed; however, whether 3D bioprinted models are good for in vitro study of starvation therapy is unclear. In this study, we studied the state of cells with serum-free medium in both 3D bioprinted scaffold and 2D cell cultures and found that 3D bioprinted cancer cells (3D cells) were more tolerant to serum starvation than 2D cells in terms of cell viability, cell proliferation, and M2 macrophage polarization. Moreover, the ratio of LC3II/I, an index of autophagy, increased much more in 3D cells, and 3D cells showed more autophagosomes than 2D cells after serum starvation, which indicated that the autophagy levels were higher in 3D cells. These results suggested that 3D cells are more tolerant to serum starvation than 2D cells, and autophagy may play an important role in this process.     

Effects of a High-Molecular-Weight Polysaccharides Isolated from Korean Persimmon on the Antioxidant,Anti-Inflammatory,and Antiwrinkle Activity

Persimmon (Diospyros kaki), a familiar and widespread fruit worldwide, is known to exhibit several physiological effects because of the presence of pharmacologically active compounds called phytochemicals. However, its high-molecular-weight compounds, particularly polysaccharides, have not been extensively studied. In this study, D. kaki extract (DK) was fractionated into low- and high-molecular-weight fractions (DK-L and DK-H, respectively) through ethanol fractionation, and their effects on antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiwrinkle activities were investigated by an in vitro system. DK-H contained significantly higher contents of neutral sugar, uronic acid, and polyphenols compared to DK and DK-L. Furthermore, DK-H exhibited significantly improved pharmacological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiwrinkle properties, compared to those of DK and DK-L, demonstrating that DK-H may play an important role in mediating the beneficial effects of persimmon. Sugar composition analysis and molecular characterization indicated that DK-H consisted of a galacturonic acid (GalA)-rich polysaccharide with a molecular weight of >345 kDa that mainly comprised GalA and small amounts of neutral sugar and polyphenol residues. These results suggest that the bioactive fraction DK-H is likely to be a GalA-rich pectic polysaccharide containing a small number of polyphenol residues, which may be a novel candidate in the pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical industries.     

摩擦点火Ti-V-Cr阻燃钛合金燃烧产物的组织特征

采用摩擦氧浓度实验方法, 结合原位观察、扫描电镜、能谱仪和X-射线衍射分析, 系统研究Ti-V-Cr 阻燃钛合金燃烧产物的微观组织形貌、燃烧反应过程的合金元素分布规律及微观机理. 结果表明: Ti-V-Cr 阻燃钛合金燃烧过程发出闪亮耀眼的白光, 具有典型金属燃烧的火焰特征. 燃烧产物主要有TiO₂, V₂O₅和Cr₂O₃三种氧化物, 该混合氧化物以分散颗粒和致密连续体存在. 分散颗粒为规则的球形; 致密连续燃烧产物的微观组织具有分区特征, 从合金基体至燃烧表面依次为过渡区、热影响区、熔凝区和燃烧区. 其中, 过渡区存在一些微小的颗粒状凸起, 且有一定方向性; 热影响区中形成大量V基固溶体相和少量的Ti基固溶体相, V基固溶体相上存在Ti的含量远高于基体的针状析出物; 熔凝区中, 大量的Ti基固溶体中存在少量的V基固溶体; 燃烧区主要为Ti, V和Cr的氧化物混合物. 热影响区的V基固溶体相降低了Ti元素向熔凝区的迁移速率, 减慢了燃烧区Ti与O的优先反应; 燃烧区形成的TiO₂, V₂O₅和Cr₂O₃混合氧化物和熔凝区O在Ti中大量固溶共同终止了O向合金基体的继续扩散, 从而使Ti-V-Cr阻燃钛合金表现出优异的阻燃功能性.     

三功能策略设计制备具有优异低温抗积碳性能的Ni-CeO2@SiO2催化剂催化甲烷干重整反应

随着全球人为温室气体排放量(主要是甲烷和二氧化碳)的增加,全球变暖的趋势逐渐增加,因此,迫切需要通过各种技术来捕获和利用这些温室气体.甲烷干气重整反应(DRM)可以有效地将甲烷和二氧化碳这两种资源丰富、价格低廉的温室气体转化为高附加值化学品,减少它们向大气排放.尽管DRM工艺的应用具有许多优势,但是反应期间碳沉积和活性组分的烧结是阻碍其工业应用的两个主要原因.这些碳沉积物可能覆盖活性中心或阻塞催化剂的孔道,从而导致催化剂活性降低.镍基催化剂因其价格低廉、初始活性高和资源丰富而得到广泛的应用.但应用于DRM反应的Ni基催化剂在反应中容易烧结和积碳,导致催化剂迅速失活.为解决上述问题,本文从三功能策略角度出发,即SiO2壳层的限域作用和Ni-Ce之间的协同作用以及CeO2的消除积碳作用,采用原位一锅法设计合成了一种限域型Ni-CeO2核壳结构催化剂(Ni-CeO2@SiO2).通过X射线衍射、透射电子显微镜、能量色散X射线光谱、N2吸附/脱附、氢气程序升温还原和脱附、氧气程序升温脱附、拉曼光谱、热重分析和原位漫反射红外傅里叶变换光谱测试对催化剂进行了系统的表征,来揭示催化剂的理化性质和反应机理.催化剂应用于甲烷干气重整反应结果表明,在温度区间为550～800℃时,与传统浸渍法合成的催化剂相比,Ni-CeO2@SiO2催化剂具有更高的活性.高温800℃下的稳定性测试结果显示,传统浸渍法合成的催化剂在反应20 h后就出现了大量的积碳且活性下降明显;而Ni-CeO2@SiO2催化剂在800℃下反应100 h后未检测到积碳,并且催化剂中的Ni纳米颗粒的平均粒径从5.01 nm仅增长到5.77 nm,表现出很好的高温抗积碳和耐烧结性能.值得注意的是,Ni-CeO2@SiO2催化剂在低温600℃(形成碳沉积的最可能温度区域)下反应20h后也未检测到积碳的形成,表现出催化剂良好的低温稳定性和抗积碳性能.这可能归因于对Ni-CeO2@SiO2催化剂的三功能作用,即多孔二氧化硅壳层的限域作用、Ni与CeO2之间强的金属-金属氧化物相互作用以及具有丰富活性氧物种CeO2的消除积碳的作用.通过原位漫反射红外傅里叶变换光谱测试来探究反应机理.结果 表明,DRM反应在Ni-CeO2@SiO2催化剂上遵循L-H机理,添加CeO2可以消除碳沉积并促进CO2活化.该三功能策略为设计其他应用于DRM的高性能催化剂提供了指导,有望加快该工艺的工业化.     

Distributed Bragg reflector laser(1.8 μm) with 10 nm wavelength tuning range

We report a 1.8 μm two-section distributed Bragg reflector laser using butt-jointed In Ga As P bulk material as the waveguide core layer. The threshold current is 17 m A and the output power is 8 m W on average. The threshold current, output power, and emitting wavelength dependences on temperature are measured. The obtained wavelength tuning range is 10 nm. This device has potential applications in simultaneous multiple-gas detection.