Pyrolysis of the hybrid energy cane: thermal decomposition and kinetic modeling using non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - This work aims to investigate the thermal decomposition and reaction kinetics of the hybrid energy cane, as well as its thermochemical properties....     

Langevin simulations of rod-shaped object alignment by surface flow

Nano or micro-scale rod shaped objects suspended in a liquid flowing on a flat solid surface might be aligned or orientated by the nature of the liquid, type of flow and planar channel geometry containing the flow. Orientation might enhance or inhibit certain chemical reactions between the objects, the underlying surface, other chemicals or with the walls of the vessels holding the flowing suspension. The probability density function describing the orientations of the objects satisfies a Fokker–Planck equation whose solution is obtained with Langevin simulation for different surface flow parameters. The methods developed in the present work enable us to evaluate the orientation probability density function for a range of the Peclet number α covering several orders of magnitude, 10^? 4 ≤ α ≤ 10⁸. The experimental detection of orientation control is obtained optically from the measurement of dichroism and birefringence of the suspension. We describe different methods providing experimental proof of the onset of alignment control.     

Magnetic crossover effect in Nickel nanowire arrays

A crossover effect in the magnetic reversal mechanism within arrays of Nickel nanowires whose diameter varies from 15 to 100 nm is observed around 50 nm. Hysteresis loops and FMR measurements confirm that nanowire diameter controls effectively the nanowire easy axis as well as the magnetization reversal mechanism. This might be very interesting for spintronic devices based on current-induced domain motion such as non-volatile magnetic memory elements (MRAM) and low Ohmic loss devices.     

The effects of solution structure on the surface conformation and orientation of a cysteine-terminated antimicrobial peptide cecropin P1

The surface structure of an antimicrobial peptide, cecropin P1, immobilized to a gold surface via a terminal cysteine residue was investigated. Using reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy, surface plasmon resonance, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the effects of pH, solution conformation, and concentration on the immobilized peptide conformation, average orientation, and surface density were determined. Under all conditions investigated, the immobilized peptides were α-helical in a predominately flat, random orientation. The addition of the reducing agent Tris(2-carboxyethyl) phosphine hydrochloride to the buffer resulted in a twofold increase in immobilized peptide surface density.     

Moisture profile measurements of concrete samples in vertical water flow by gamma ray transmission method

Samples of concrete for popular habitation (0.1×0.03×0.1 m) and cellular concrete (0.1×0.05×0.1 m) were submitted to water vertical ascending infiltration. The moisture content spatial and temporal evolution of each sample it was monitored in three halfway positions in a same horizontal line, applying the gamma rays transmission method. The data were taken with a 137Cs (3.7×1010 Bq, 0662 MeV) source, Nal (Tl) of 2×2″ detector coupled to gamma ray spectrometry standard electronic with multichannel analyzer and a micrometric table. For the popular habitation concrete, there was a clear correlation between wetting profiles and concrete strength. The cellular concrete showed a wetting profile compatible to its greater porosity.     

Single reporter for targeted multimodal in vivo imaging

We have developed a multifaceted, highly specific reporter for multimodal in vivo imaging and applied it for detection of brain tumors. A metabolically biotinylated, membrane-bound form of Gaussia luciferase was synthesized, termed mbGluc-biotin. We engineered glioma cells to express this reporter and showed that brain tumor formation can be temporally imaged by bioluminescence following systemic administration of coelenterazine. Brain tumors expressing this reporter had high sensitivity for detection by magnetic resonance and fluorescence tomographic imaging upon injection of streptavidin conjugated to magnetic nanoparticles or fluorophore, respectively. Moreover, single photon emission computed tomography showed enhanced imaging of these tumors upon injection with streptavidin complexed to (111)In-DTPA-biotin. This work shows for the first time a single small reporter (～40 kDa) which can be monitored with most available molecular imaging modalities and can be extended for single cell imaging using intravital microscopy, allowing real-time tracking of any cell expressing it in vivo.     

Peierls distortion in alloys of quasi-one-dimensional conductors

We have calculated the value of the mean field Peierls transition temperature in a quasi-one-dimensional binary A-B alloy as a function of the relative concentration. This was done in the framework of the single-dimer coherent potential approximation. Reductions in the transition temperature are predicted for isoelectronic constituants.     

Current Status and Trends in Nucleic Acids for Cancer Therapy: A Focus on Polysaccharide-Based Nanomedicines

The efficacious delivery of therapeutic nucleic acids to cancer still remains an open issue. Through the years, several strategies are developed for the encapsulation of genetic molecules exploiting different materials, such as viral vectors, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), and polymeric nanoparticles (NPs). Indeed, the rapid approval by regulatory authorities and the wide use of LNPs complexing the mRNA coding for the spark protein for COVID-19 vaccination paved the way for the initiation of several clinical trials exploiting lipid nanoparticles for cancer therapy. Nevertheless, polymers still represent a valuable alternative to lipid-based formulations, due to the low cost and the chemical flexibility that allows for the conjugation of targeting ligands. This review will analyze the status of the ongoing clinical trials for cancer therapy, including vaccination and immunotherapy approaches, exploiting polymeric materials. Among those nanosized carriers, sugar-based backbones are an interesting category. A cyclodextrin-based carrier (CALAA-01) is the first polymeric material to enter a clinical trial complexed with siRNA for cancer therapy, and chitosan is one of the most characterized non-viral vectors able to complex genetic material. Finally, the recent advances in the use of sugar-based polymers (oligo- and polysaccharides) for the complexation of nucleic acids in advanced preclinical stage will be discussed.