An investigation on planar dielectric light collectors for illumination and solar energy applications

In this paper the performances of inhomogeneous dielectric slabs as solar light collectors for both illumination and solar energy applications are analysed.     

Two-photon ionization studies of amide groups in the uv

We present two-photon ionization studies at different uv laser wavelengths (193, 248, 308, and 351 nm) of a series of simple molecules presenting primary, secondary, and tertiary amide groups. In particular, ionic fragmentation patterns at different laser wavelengths and fluences are reported and compared to electron impact mass spectra. The power law for the total ion yield is also discussed. The above studies have been carried out on samples in gas phase at low pressure (10^–6 mbar) by using a time-of-flight technique.     

Synthesis and anti-cancer activity of dinuclear platinum(II) complexes containing bis(thioalkyl)dicarba-closo-dodecaborane(12) ligands

A series of novel, dinuclear (2,2':6',2'-terpyridine)platinum(ii) complexes containing bis(thioalkyl)-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane(12)(carborane) ligands were prepared and characterised, and their preliminary anti-cancer characteristics have been determined in vitro; the complexes are the first examples of bis-intercalator complexes containing a boron-rich carborane cage.     

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of a Class of Mitochondrially‐Targeted Gadolinium(III) Agents

A structure–activity relationship study of a library of novel bifunctional Gd^III complexes covalently linked to arylphosphonium cations is reported. Such complexes have been designed for potential application in binary cancer therapies such as neutron capture therapy and photon activation therapy. A positive correlation was found between lipophilicity and cytotoxicity of the complexes. Mitochondria uptake was determined by means of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS), and Gd uptake was determined by means of quantification using synchrotron X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging. A negative correlation between lipophilicity and tumour selectivity of the Gd^III complexes was demonstrated. This study highlights the delicate balance required to minimise in vitro cytotoxicity and optimise in vitro tumour selectivity and mitochondrial localisation for this new class of mitochondrially‐targeted binary therapy agents. We also report the highest in vitro tumour selectivity for any Gd agent reported to date, with a T/N (tumour/normal cell) ratio of up to 23.5±6.6.     

Rapid crack growth in a thermoelastic solid under mixed-mode thermomechanical loading

A two-dimensional steady-sate analysis of semi-infinite brittlecrack growth at a constant subcritical rate in an unboundedfully-coupled thermoelastic solid under mixed-mode thermomechanicalloading is made. The loading consists of normal and shear tractionsand heat fluxes applied as point sources (line loads in theout-of-plane direction). A related problem is solved exactly in an integral transformspace, and robust asymptotic forms used to reduce the originalproblem to a set of integral equations. The equations are partiallycoupled and exhibit operators of both Cauchy and Abel types,yet can be solved analytically. The temperature change field at a distance from the moving crackedge is then constructed, and its dominant term is found tobe controlled by the imposed heat fluxes. The role of this termis, indeed, enhanced if the heat fluxes serve to render thecrack as a net heat source/sink for the solid, as opposed tobeing a transmitter of heat across its plane. More generally,the influence of the thermoelastic coupling on this field, aswell as other functions, is found to increase with crack speed.     

Water-soluble phosphonium salts containing 1,12-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane(12)

The preparation of new water-soluble phosphonium salts containing 1,12-dodeca-closo-dodecaborane(12) (closo-1,12-carborane) for potential use as tumor-targeting agents in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is described.     

An enantioselective synthesis of 2-aryl cycloalkanones by Sc-catalyzed carbon insertion

Current methods for asymmetric α-arylation require blocking groups to prevent reaction at the α'-carbon, basic conditions that promote racemization, or multistep synthesis. This work records the first catalytic enantioselective examples of the diazoalkane-carbonyl homologation reaction. Medium ring 2-aryl ketones are prepared in one step in up to 98:2 er and 99% yield from the unsubstituted lower homologue by Sc-catalyzed aryldiazomethyl insertion with simple bis- and tris(oxazoline) ligands.     

Synthesis and DNA-binding properties of dinuclear platinum(II)-amine complexes of 1,7-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane(12)

The first examples of platinum(II)-amine complexes containing a dicarba-closo-dodecaborane(12) (carborane) moiety are described; preliminary in vitro DNA-binding experiments indicate that the complexes are capable of targetting plasmid DNA.     

Bioactive modification of silicon surface using self-assembled hydrophobins from Pleurotus ostreatus

A crystalline silicon surface can be made biocompatible and chemically stable by a self-assembled biofilm of proteins, the hydrophobins (HFBs) purified from the fungus Pleurotus ostreatus. The protein-modified silicon surface shows an improvement in wettability and is suitable for immobilization of other proteins. Two different proteins were successfully immobilized on the HFBs-coated chips: the bovine serum albumin and an enzyme, a laccase, which retains its catalytic activity even when bound on the chip. Variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE), water contact angle (WCA), and fluorescence measurements demonstrated that the proposed approach in silicon surface bioactivation is a feasible strategy for the fabrication of a new class of hybrid devices.     

ESI-MS and thermal melting studies of nanoscale platinum(II) metallomacrocycles with DNA

The hydrophilic, long-chain diamine PEGda (O,O'-bis(2-aminoethyl)octadeca(ethylene glycol)), when complexed with cis-protected Pt(II) ions afforded water-soluble complexes of the type [Pt(N,N)(PEGda)](NO(3))(2) (N,N = N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-1,2-diaminoethane (tmeda), 1,2-diaminoethane (en), and 2,2'-bipyridine (2,2'-bipy)) featuring unusual 62-membered chelate rings. Equimolar mixtures containing either the 16-mer duplex DNA D2 or the single-stranded D2a and [Pt(N,N)(PEGda)](2+) were analyzed by negative-ion ESI-MS. Analysis of D2-Pt(II) mixtures showed the formation of 1 : 1 adducts of [Pt(en)(PEGda)](2+), [Pt(tmeda)(PEGda)](2+) and the previously-described metallomacrocycle [Pt(2)(2,2'-bipy)(2){4,4'-bipy(CH(2))(4)4,4'-bipy}(2)](8+) with D2; the dinuclear species bound to D2 most strongly, consistent with its greater charge and aromatic surface area. D2 formed 1 : 2 complexes with the acyclic species [Pt(2,2'-bipy)(Mebipy)(2)](4+) and [Pt(2,2'-bipy)(NH(3))(2)](2+). Analyses of D2a-Pt(II) mixtures gave results similar to those obtained with D2, although fragmentation was more pronounced, indicating that the nucleobases in D2a play more significant roles in mediating the decomposition of complexes than those in D2, in which they are paired in a complementary manner. Investigations were also conducted into the effects of selected platinum(II) complexes on the thermal denaturation of calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) in buffered solution. Both [Pt(2)(2,2'-bipy)(2){4,4'-bipy(CH(2))(6)4,4'-bipy}(2)](8+) and [Pt(2,2'-bipy)(Mebipy)(2)](4+) stabilized CT-DNA. In contrast, [Pt(tmeda)(PEGda)](2+) and [Pt(en)(PEGda)](2+) (as well as free PEGda) caused negligible changes in melting temperature (ΔT(m)), suggesting that these species interact weakly with CT-DNA.