Two-Photon Absorption Enhancement by the Inclusion of a Tropone Ring in Distorted Nanographene Ribbons

A new family of distorted ribbon-shaped nanographenes was designed, synthesized, and their optical and electrochemical properties were evaluated, pointing out an unprecedented correlation between their structural characteristics and the two-photon absorption (TPA) responses and electrochemical band gaps. Three nanographene ribbons have been prepared: a seven-membered-ring-containing nanographene presenting a tropone moiety at the edge, its full-carbon analogue, and a purely hexagonal one. We have found that the TPA cross-sections and the electrochemical band gaps of the seven-membered-ring-containing compounds are higher and lower, respectively, than those of the fully hexagonal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). Interestingly, the inclusion of additional curvature has a positive effect in terms of non-linear optical properties of those ribbons.     

Carbon Dots (C‐dots) from Cow Manure with Impressive Subcellular Selectivity Tuned by Simple Chemical Modification

Improved cellular selectivity for nucleoli staining was achieved by simple chemical modification of carbon dots (C‐dots) synthesized from waste carbon sources such as cow manure (or from glucose). The C‐dots were characterized and functionalized (amine‐passivated) with ethylenediamine, affording amide bonds that resulted in bright green fluorescence. The new modified C‐dots were successfully applied as selective live‐cell fluorescence imaging probes with impressive subcellular selectivity and the ability to selectively stain nucleoli in breast cancer cell lineages (MCF‐7). The C‐dots were also tested in four other cellular models and showed the same cellular selection in live‐cell imaging experiments.     

Influence of Molar Mass and Concentration on the Thermogelation of Methylcelluloses

In this study, thermogelation of methylcelluloses is investigated in relation to the molar mass and concentration in aqueous medium. A large hysteresis between heating and cooling ramps was observed whatever the conditions. The heating process in particular was studied to analyze the two steps of gelation using rheometry. At low temperature, in the sol state, viscosity depends on the concentration and molar mass. Over 30°C a gel-like behavior was observed including two steps (the second step is a strong gel with phase separation) having storage moduli that are nearly independent of polymer molar mass but are directly related to polymer concentration.     

Essential oil from the leaves of Xylopia langsdorfiana (Annonaceae) as a possible spasmolytic agent

Xylopia langsdorfiana A. St.-Hil. &Tul. (Annonaceae) is popularly known in the northeast of Brazil as ‘pimenteira da terra’, and an essential oil (XL-OE) was extracted from its leaves. Since Xylopia species are cited in folk medicine and diterpenes from X. langsdorfiana have spasmolytic activity, this study aimed to investigate a possible spasmolytic action of XL-OE on smooth muscle models. XL-OE (243 and 729 μg/mL) showed low pharmacologic efficacy on guinea pig trachea and rat aorta and uterus. However, in guinea pig ileum, XL-OE (27–729 μg/mL) inhibited carbachol or histamine-induced phasic contractions (1 μM) in a significant and concentration-dependent manner. In addition, XL-OE (81 μg/mL) reduced fluorescence intensity in ileal myocytes stimulated by histamine, indicating a decrease in cytosolic calcium concentration, which could explain the spasmolytic activity. Thus, XL-OE proved to be a promising natural product to be used in gastrointestinal diseases acting by modulating the cytosolic calcium concentration.     

Thermal,morphostructural and spectrometric characterization of an antibacterial kaolinite-based filter modified with silver for water treatment

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The aim of this work is to synthesize and characterize a new structured silver–clay dried, calcined or sintered at different temperatures...     

Existence of multi-solitary waves with logarithmic relative distances for the NLS equation

We construct 2-solitary wave solutions with logarithmic distance to the nonlinear Schrödinger equation,

$\mathrm{i}{?}_{t}u+\mathrm{\Delta }u+|u{|}^{p?1}u=0,t\in \mathbb{R},x\in {\mathbb{R}}^d,$

in mass-subcritical cases $1<p<1+\frac{4}{d}$ and mass-supercritical cases $1+\frac{4}{d}<p<\frac{d+2}{d?2}$, i.e. solutions $u(t)$ satisfying

${6u(t)?{\mathrm{e}}^{\mathrm{i}\gamma (t)}\sum _{k=1}^{2}Q(??x_k(t))6}_{H^1}\to 0$

and

$|x_1(t)?x_2(t)|～2\log ?t,\text{as}t\to +\infty ,$

where Q is the ground state. The logarithmic distance is related to strong interactions between solitary waves.In the integrable case ($d=1$ and $p=3$), the existence of such solutions is known by inverse scattering (E. Olmedilla, Multiple pole solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation, Physica D 25 (1987) 330–346; T. Zakharov, A.B. Shabat, Exact theory of two-dimensional self-focusing and one-dimensional self-modulation of waves in nonlinear media, Sov. Phys. JETP 34 (1972) 62–69). The mass-critical case $p=1+\frac{4}{d}$ exhibits a specific behavior related to blow-up, previously studied in Y. Martel, P. Raphaël (Strongly interacting blow up bubbles for the mass critical NLS, Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér. 51 (2018) 701–737).