A Magnetic Nanoparticle-Based Time-Resolved Fluoroimmunoassay for Determination of the Cytokeratin 19 Fragment in Human Serum

A sensitive, rapid and novel measurement method for cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA 21–1) in human serum by magnetic particle-based time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TRFIA) is described. Built on a sandwich-type immunoassay format, analytes in samples were captured by one monoclonal antibody coating onto the surface of magnetic beads and “sandwiched” by another monoclonal antibody labeled with europium chelates. The coefficient variations of the method were lower than 7 %, and the recoveries were in the range of 90–110 % for serum samples. The lower limit of quantitation of the present method for CYFRA 21–1 was 0.78 ng/ml. The correlation coefficient of CYFRA 21–1 values obtained by our novel TRFIA and CLIA was 0.980. The present novel TRFIA demonstrated high sensitivity, wider effective detection range and excellent reproducibility for determination of CYFRA 21–1 can be useful for early screening and prognosis evaluation of patients with non-small cell lung cancer.     

A Hexagonal Covalent Porphyrin Framework as an Efficient Support for Gold Nanoparticles toward Catalytic Reduction of 4‐Nitrophenol

A hexagonal porphyrin‐based porous organic polymer, namely, CPF‐1, was constructed by 3+2 ketoenamine condensation of the C₂‐symmetric porphyrin diamine 5,15‐bis(4‐aminophenyl)‐10,20‐diphenylporphyrin and 1,3,5‐triformylphloroglucinol. This material exhibits permanent porosity and excellent thermal and chemical stability. CPF‐1 can be employed as a superior supporting substrate to immobilize Au nanoparticles (NPs) as a result of the strong interactions between Au NPs and the CPF support. An Au@CPF‐1 hybrid was synthesized by an interfacial solution infiltration method with NaBH₄ as reducing agent. Au NPs (5 nm) grew on CPF‐1 and were distributed without aggregation. Moreover, Au@CPF‐1 exhibits superior catalytic activity compared to many other reported Au‐based catalysts for the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol in the presence of NaBH₄. In addition, Au@CPF‐1 has excellent stability and recyclability, and it can be reused for three successive reaction cycles without loss of activity. The dense distribution of phenyl rings on the channel walls of the CPF support can reasonably be regarded as the active sites that adsorb the 4‐nitrophenol molecule through hydrogen‐bonding and C?H ??? π interactions, as was confirmed by the X‐ray structure of model compound DAPP‐Benz.     

A Convenient Synthesis of N‐Aryl Benzamides by Rhodium‐Catalyzed ortho‐Amidation and Decarboxylation of Benzoic Acids

The rhodium‐catalyzed amidation of substituted benzoic acids with isocyanates by directed C?H functionalization followed by decarboxylation to afford the corresponding N‐aryl benzamides is demonstrated, in which the carboxylate serves as a unique, removable directing group. Notably, less common meta‐substituted N‐aryl benzamides are generated readily from more accessible para‐ or ortho‐substituted groups by employing this strategy.     

Solvent‐free Liquid Crystals and Liquids from DNA

As DNA exhibits persistent structures with dimensions that exceed the range of their intermolecular forces, solid‐state DNA undergoes thermal degradation at elevated temperatures. Therefore, the realization of solvent‐free DNA fluids, including liquid crystals and liquids, still remains a significant challenge. To address this intriguing issue, we demonstrate that combining DNA with suitable cationic surfactants, followed by dehydration, can be a simple generic scheme for producing these solvent‐free DNA fluid systems. In the anhydrous smectic liquid crystalline phase, DNA sublayers are intercalated between aliphatic hydrocarbon sublayers. The lengths of the DNA and surfactant are found to be extremely important in tuning the physical properties of the fluids. Stable liquid‐crystalline and liquid phases are obtained in the ?20 °C to 200 °C temperature range without thermal degradation of the DNA. Thus, a new type of DNA‐based soft biomaterial has been achieved, which will promote the study and application of DNA in a much broader context.     

Effect of branched alkyl side chains on the performance of thin‐film transistors and photovoltaic cells fabricated with isoindigo‐based conjugated polymers

New isoindigo and di(thienyl)ethylene‐containing π‐extended conjugated polymers with different branched side chains were synthesized to investigate their physical properties and device performance in thin‐film transistors and photovoltaic cells. 11‐Butyltricosane (S3) and 11‐heptyltricosane (S6) groups were used as side‐chain moieties tethered to isoindigo units. The linking groups between the polymer backbone and bifurcation point in the branched side chain differ in the two polymers (i.e., PIDTE‐S3 and PIDTE‐S6 ). The polymers bearing S6 side chains showed much better charge transport behavior than those with S3 side chains. Thermally annealed PIDTE‐S6 film exhibited an outstanding hole mobility of 4.07 cm² V^?1 s^?1 under ambient conditions. Furthermore, bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic cells made from a blend film of PIDTE‐S3 and (6,6)‐phenyl C61‐butyric acid methyl ester demonstrated promising device performance with a power conversion efficiency in the range of 4.9–5.0%. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 2015 , 53, 1226–1234     

Schauder estimates for higher-order parabolic systems with time irregular coefficients

We prove Schauder estimates for solutions to both divergence and non-divergence type higher-order parabolic systems in the whole space and a half space. We also provide an existence result for the divergence type systems in a cylindrical domain. All coefficients are assumed to be only measurable in the time variable and Hölder continuous in the spatial variables.     

Post‐Synthetic Polymerization of UiO‐66‐NH2 Nanoparticles and Polyurethane Oligomer toward Stand‐Alone Membranes for Dye Removal and Separation

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are widely used as porous materials in the fields of adsorption and separation. However, their practical application is largely hindered by limitations to their processability. Herein, new UiO‐66‐Urea‐based flexible membranes with MOF loadings of 50 ( 1 ), 60 ( 2 ), and 70 wt % ( 3 ) were designed and prepared by post‐synthetic polymerization of UiO‐66‐NH₂ nanoparticles and a polyurethane oligomer under mild conditions. The adsorption behavior of membrane 3 towards four hydrophilic dyes, namely, eosin Y (EY), rhodamine B (RB), malachite green (MG), and methylene blue (MB), in aqueous solution was studied in detail. It exhibits strong adsorption of EY and RB but weak adsorption of MG and MB in aqueous solution. Owing to the selective adsorption of these hydrophilic dyes, membrane 3 can remove EY and RB from aqueous solution and completely separate EY/MB, RB/MG, and RB/MB mixtures in aqueous solution. In addition, the membrane is uniformly textured, easily handled, and can be reused for dye adsorption and separation.