Metal induced photoluminescence quenching of a phenylene vinylene oligomer and its recovery

Metal/polymer interfaces play an important role in polymeric light emitting diodes (LEDs). In typical organic light-emitting devices, metallic electrodes are used to inject charged carriers into the organic electroluminescent (EL) medium. However, what other effects the metals have on the organic medium is not well known. In this work, we report severe photoluminescence (PL) quenching of organic thin films comprising of one of the most useful materials, namely 1,4-bis[4-(3,5-di-tert-butylstyryl)styryl]benzene (4PV), upon sub-monolayer deposition of Al, Ag, and Ca in an ultra high vacuum environment. The severity of the luminescence quenching may greatly affect the EL device performance. Gap states at the Ca/4PV interface are shown to be responsible for the PL quenching. The oxidation of Ca resulted in the removal of the gap states and the recovery of the quenched PL.     

Stable isotopic studies of earthworm feeding ecology in tropical ecosystems of Puerto Rico

Feeding strategies of earthworms and their influence on soil processes are often inferred from morphological, behavioral and physiological traits. We used (13)C and (15)N natural abundance in earthworms, soils and plants to explore patterns of resource utilization by different species of earthworms in three tropical ecosystems in Puerto Rico. In a high altitude dwarf forest, native earthworms Trigaster longissimus and Estherella sp. showed less (15)N enrichment ((15)N = 3-6 per thousand) than exotic Pontoscolex corethrurus ((15)N =7-9 per thousand) indicating different food sources or stronger isotopic discrimination by the latter. Conversely, in a lower altitude tabonuco forest, Estherella sp. and P. corethrurus overlapped completely in (15)N enrichment ((15)N = 6-9 per thousand), suggesting the potential for interspecific competition for N resources. A tabonuco forest converted to pasture contained only P. corethrurus which were less enriched in (15)N than those in the forest sites, but more highly enriched in (13)C suggesting assimilation of C from the predominant C(4) grass. These results support the utility of stable isotopes to delineate resource partitioning and potential competitive interactions among earthworm species. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of storage stability of the crude extracts of Ganoderma lucidum using FTIR and 2D-IR spectroscopy

In this paper, the feasibility and advantage of employing FTIR spectroscopy and the corresponding second-derivative spectroscopy combined with 2D-IR spectroscopy for the analysis of water extracts of Ganoderma lucidum with different storage durations were investigated and demonstrated for the first time. In order to compare the second-derivative microscopic fingerprint spectra from the four periods of storage, the range from 1200 to 500 cm⁻¹ has to be ignored due to the detection of starch in the samples and the standard as well. This is crucial because the main characteristic band of polysaccharide was assigned within this range. The addition of starch as outer constituent was considered spoilage of polysaccharide content investigation. In fact, polysaccharide content in G. lucidum plays a main role as anti-cancer properties. The ranges from 1480 to 1200 cm⁻¹ and from 1700 to 1480 cm⁻¹ were interpreted and directly compared. For the range (from 1800 to 400 cm⁻¹), the 22 months sample was closest to the control, followed by 38 months, 13 months and 6 months product. The matching of the extract spectra with the control was not consistent and depended on which range of spectra had been chosen. Many factors can be considered which may have possibly affected inferences of the composition of the extract from different storage durations.     

Self-association free bifunctional thiourea organocatalysts: synthesis of chiral α-amino acids via dynamic kinetic resolution of racemic azlactones

Concentration-independent high enantioselectivity in the dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) of racemic azlactones affording chiral α-aminoesters has been achieved using self-association free thiourea-based dimeric cinchona alkaloid organocatalysts. Detailed experimental studies and single crystal X-ray analysis confirmed that these bifunctional organocatalysts I do not form H-bonded self-aggregates in either solution or solid state.     

SN2 fluorination reactions in ionic liquids: a mechanistic study towards solvent engineering

In the catalysis of S(N)2 fluorination reactions, the ionic liquid anion plays a key role as a Lewis base by binding to the counterion Cs(+) and thereby reducing the retarding Coulombic influence of Cs(+) on the nucleophile F(-). The reaction rates also depend critically on the structures of ionic liquid cation, for example, n-butyl imidazolium gives no S(N)2 products, whereas n-butylmethyl imidazolium works well. The origin of the observed phenomenal synergetic effects by the ionic liquid [mim-(t)OH][OMs], in which t-butanol is bonded covalently to the cation [mim], is that the t-butanol moiety binds to the leaving group of the substrate, moderating the retarding interactions between the acidic hydrogen and F(-). This work is a significant step toward designing and engineering solvents for promoting specific chemical reactions.     

Preoxidation of CO on Os-modified Pt(111): a comparison with Ru-modified Pt(111)

The variation in CO adsorption structures during the preoxidation of CO on Os-modified Pt(111) (Pt(111)/Os) was investigated using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy. The spontaneous deposition of Os on Pt(111) resulted in randomly scattered islands with a coverage range of 0.13-0.54. During preoxidation on Pt(111)/Os, a phase transition from (2 × 2)-α to (√19 × √19) via the transient structures of (2 × 2)-β and (1 × 1) took place as on unmodified Pt(111). As the amount of Os increased, however, the transient structures of (2 × 2)-β and (1 × 1) appeared at lower potentials with higher populations. When the population of the transient structures was greater than 50%, an oxidative CO stripping process took place to the structure of (√19 × √19), completing the preoxidation. These observations strongly support the idea that the presence of Os increases the mobility of adsorbed CO by electronic modification of the Pt(111) surface (electronic effect). In addition, the results obtained with Pt(111)/Os were compared with those of Pt(111)/Ru.     

Effect of elastic foundation on the vibration of orthotropic elliptic plates with varying thickness

Two-dimensional boundary characteristic orthonormal polynomials are used in the Rayleigh–Ritz method to study the free vibration of rectangular orthotropic elliptic plates resting on a Winkler elastic foundation. Two types of varying thickness are considered: (1) linearly varying with respect to the concentric ellipses, (2) linearly varying along both the principal axes simultaneously. Numerical results for frequencies are presented in tables. Nodal lines are shown in figures. Effects of stiffness of elastic foundation, aspect ratios of plates, degree of orthotropy, and types of thickness variation on vibration frequencies of elliptical plates are also discussed.     

Development and validation of a multiplex UHPLC‐MS/MS assay with stable isotopic internal standards for the monitoring of the plasma concentrations of the antiretroviral drugs bictegravir,cabotegravir, doravirine,and rilpivirine in people living with HIV

The widespread use of highly active antiretroviral treatments has dramatically changed the prognosis of people living with HIV (PLWH). However, such treatments have to be taken lifelong raising issues regarding the maintenance of both therapeutic effectiveness and long‐term tolerability. Recently approved or investigational antiretroviral drugs present considerable advantages, allowing once daily oral dosage along with activity against resistant variants (eg, bictegravir and doravirine) and also parenteral intramuscular administration that facilitates treatment adherence (eg, long‐acting injectable formulations such as cabotegravir and rilpivirine). Still, there remains a risk of insufficient or exaggerated circulating exposure due to absorption issues, abnormal elimination, drug‐drug interactions, and others. In this context, a multiplex ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC‐MS/MS) bioassay has been developed for the monitoring of plasma levels of bictegravir, cabotegravir, doravirine, and rilpivirine in PLWH. A simple and convenient protein precipitation was performed followed by direct injection of the supernatant into the UHPLC‐MS/MS system. The four analytes were eluted in less than 3 minutes using a reversed‐phase chromatography method coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry detection. This bioassay was fully validated following international guidelines and achieved good performances in terms of trueness (94.7%‐107.5%), repeatability (2.6%‐11%), and intermediate precision (3.0%‐11.2%) over the clinically relevant concentration ranges (from 30 to 9000 ng/mL for bictegravir, cabotegravir, and doravirine and from 10 to 1800 ng/mL for rilpivirine). This sensitive, accurate, and rapid UHPLC‐MS/MS assay is currently applied in our laboratory for routine therapeutic drug monitoring of the oral drugs bictegravir and doravirine and is also intended to be applied for the monitoring of cabotegravir/rilpivirine levels in plasma from PLWH receiving once monthly or every 2‐month intramuscular injection of these long‐acting antiretroviral drugs.