Inhibition of Amyloid Fibril Growth and Dissolution of Amyloid Fibrils by Curcumin–Gold Nanoparticles

Inhibition of amyloid fibrillation and clearance of amyloid fibrils/plaques are essential for the prevention and treatment of various neurodegenerative disorders involving protein aggregation. Herein, we report curcumin‐functionalized gold nanoparticles (Au‐curcumin) of hydrodynamic diameter 10–25 nm, which serve to inhibit amyloid fibrillation and disintegrate/dissolve amyloid fibrils. In nanoparticle form, curcumin is water‐soluble and can efficiently interact with amyloid protein/peptide, offering enhanced performance in inhibiting amyloid fibrillation and dissolving amyloid fibrils. Our results imply that nanoparticle‐based artificial molecular chaperones may offer a promising therapeutic approach to combat neurodegenerative disease.     

Thermally stable nonaggregating pyrenylarenes for blue organic light-emitting devices

A new series of thermally stable blue light-emitting nonplanar pyrenylarenes having an amine donor and a nitrile acceptor group was prepared from a ketene-S,S-acetal under conventional heating and/or microwave irradiation. The photophysical, electrochemical, and optical behavior of donor-acceptor pyrenylarenes are demonstrated. The performance of blue light-emitting pyrenylarenes was investigated by fabricating a multilayer device with the device configuration of ITO/PEDOT:PSS (40 nm)/NPB (30 nm)/pyrenylarene (55 nm)/BCP (8 nm)/LiF (0.6 nm)/Al (200 nm), which exhibited low turn-on voltage (5 V) with luminance efficiency of 0.8 Cd/A with nonaggregation behavior in both solution and solid state.     

Effect of diazocine bridgehead modification on the folding of the Wilcox molecular torsion balance: a view from a different angle

Replacing the methano (NCH(2)N) bridgehead with an ethano (NCH(2)CH(2)N) bridgehead affects the conformational equilibrium of the Wilcox molecular torsion balance. With a NCH(2)CH(2)N bridgehead, the phenyl and the cyclohexyl esters prefer the out conformation, whereas with the NCH(2)N bridgehead, they were found to prefer the folded conformation.     

Mapping the x-ray emission region in a laser-plasma accelerator

The x-ray emission in laser-plasma accelerators can be a powerful tool to understand the physics of relativistic laser-plasma interaction. It is shown here that the mapping of betatron x-ray radiation can be obtained from the x-ray beam profile when an aperture mask is positioned just beyond the end of the emission region. The influence of the plasma density on the position and the longitudinal profile of the x-ray emission is investigated and compared to particle-in-cell simulations. The measurement of the x-ray emission position and length provides insight on the dynamics of the interaction, including the electron self-injection region, possible multiple injection, and the role of the electron beam driven wakefield.     

Photocatalytic mineralization study of malachite green on the surface of Mn-doped BiOCl activated by visible light under ambient condition

Manganese doped BiOCl has been synthesized by hydrolysis method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron micrographs (SEM) and diffusive reflectance spectra (DRS) methods. Interesting results have been obtained from diffusive reflectance spectra. XRD results show a decrease in the lattice parameter for Mn-doped BiOCl and UV-vis measurement reveals that there is a shift in the optical absorption edge toward higher wavelength, which indicates a decrease in the band gap upon Mn doping. The increased photocatalytic activity in degradation of malachite green dye by Mn-doped BiOCl might be due to increase in life time of photogenerated electrons and holes due to scavenging of electrons by Mn, charging the particle surface due to electron on the surface, which enhances the adsorption of dye molecules, or/and decreased crystallite size. The effect of key operating parameters have also been investigated. Complete mineralization has been confirmed by COD analysis. An assumptive reaction mechanism has also been proposed.     

Synthesis, structural, optical and electrical properties of metal nanoparticle–rare earth ion dispersed in polymer film

Cu-nanoparticles have been prepared by ablating a copper target submerged in benzene with laser pulses of Nd:YAG (wavelength: 355, 532 nm and 1,064 nm). Colloidal nanoparticles have been characterized by UV–Vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The obtained radius for the nanoparticles prepared using 1,064 nm irradiation lies in the range 15–30 nm, with absorption peak at 572 nm. Luminescence properties of Tb³⁺ ions in the presence and absence of Cu-nanoparticles have been investigated using 355 nm excitation. An enhancement in luminescence of Tb³⁺ by local field effect causing increase in lifetime of ⁵D₄ level of Tb³⁺ ion has been observed. Frequency and temperature-dependent conductivity of Tb³⁺ doped PVA thin films with and without Cu-nanoparticles have been measured in the frequency range 20 Hz–1 MHz and in the temperature range 318–338 K (well below its melting temperature). Real part of the conductivity spectra has been explained in terms of power law. The electrical properties of the thin films show a decrease in dc conductivity on incorporation of the Cu-nanoparticles.     

A facile approach to chiral 1,4-benzodioxane toward the syntheses of doxazosin,prosympal, piperoxan,and dibozane

The process describes the concise synthesis of (R/S)-enantiomers of doxazosin, an antidepressant drug and α-adrenergic receptor antagonists like prosympal, piperoxan, and dibozane in practical yields from easily available (R)-2,3-O-cyclohexylidene-d-glyceraldehyde and (S)-3-(benzyloxy)propane-1,2-diol.     

Photocatalytic Degradation of Orange G Dye by Using Bismuth Molybdate: Photocatalysis Optimization and Modeling via Definitive Screening Designs

In the current study, Bismuth molybdate was synthesized using simple co-precipitation procedure, and their characterization was carried out by various methods such as FT-IR, SEM, and P-XRD. Furthermore, the photocatalytic degradation of Orange G (ORG) dye using synthesized catalyst under visible light irradiation was studied. Response surface Method was used for the optimization of process variables and degradation kinetics evaluated by modeling of experimental data. Based on the experimental design outcomes, the first-order model was proven as a practical correlation between selected factors and response. Further ANOVA analysis has revealed that only two out of six factors have a significant effect on ORG degradation, however ORG concentration and irradiation time indicated the significant effects sequentially. Maximum ORG degradation of approximately 96% was achieved by keeping process parameters in range, such as 1 g L⁻¹ loading of catalyst, 50 mg L⁻¹ concentration of ORG, 1.4 mol L⁻¹ concentration of H₂O₂ at pH 7 and a temperature of 30 °C. Kinetics of ORG degradation followed the pseudo first order, and almost complete degradation was achieved within 8 h. The effectiveness of the Bi₂MoO₆/H₂O₂ photo-Fenton system in degradation reactions is due to the higher number of photo-generated e- available on the catalyst surface as a result of their ability to inhibit recombination of e- and h+ pair.     

Cyanuric chloride catalyzed mild protocol for synthesis of biologically active dihydro/spiro quinazolinones and quinazolinone-glycoconjugates

We have developed an efficient cyanuric chloride (2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine, TCT) catalyzed approach for the synthesis of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one (3a-3x), 2-spiroquinazolinone (5, 7), and glycoconjugates of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one (10a, 10b) derivatives. The reaction allows rapid cyclization (8-20 min) with 10 mol % cyanuric chloride to give skeletal complexity in good to excellent yield. We believe that this novel procedure may open the door for the easy generation of new and bioactive quinazolinones.