Triiodide PVC Membrane Electrode Based on a Charge‐Transfer Complex of Iodine with Ditertbutyl‐Dicyclohexyl‐18‐Crown‐6

A new triiodide ion‐selective electrode based on a charge‐transfer complex of iodine with ditertbutyl‐dicyclohexyl‐18‐crown‐6 (t‐Bu)₂DC18C6 as membrane carrier was prepared. The electrode has a linear dynamic range from 6.3 × 10^?3‐5 × 10^?6 with a Nernstian response of 58.6 ± 1 mV decade^?1 and a detection limit of 1.3 × 10^?6 M. The response time of the sensor was 25 s. The membrane could be used for two months without any divergence in potentials. The electrode exhibits an anti‐Hofmeistetr selectivity sequence with a preference for triiodide at pH 2.0‐10.0. The response mechanism of the electrode was investigated by Uv‐Vis spectroscopic technique. The electrode can be used for the determination of ascorbic acid in orange juice.     

The synthesis of 5-amino-1H-pyrazole-4-carbonitriles by anomeric based oxidative aromatization over [CSPy]ZnCl3 as a new catalyst

Research on Chemical Intermediates - 4-Carboxy-1-sulfopyridin-1-ium monozinc(II) trichloride {[4CSPy]ZnCl3} as a new acidic catalyst was designed and tested on the synthesis of...     

Self‐Collimation in Photonic Crystals: Applications and Opportunities

A comprehensive review considering recent advances in self‐collimation and its applications in optical integration is covered in the current article. Self‐collimation is compared to the conventional technique of photonic bandgap engineering to control the light propagation in photonic crystal‐based structures. It is fully discussed how the self‐collimation phenomenon can be tailored to be independent of the incident angle and polarization. This adds substantial flexibility to the structure to overcome light coupling challenges and simultaneously aids in the omission of bulk and challenging elements, including polarizers and lenses from optical integrated circuits. Additionally, designed structures have the potential to be rescaled to operate in any desired frequency range thanks to the scalability rule in the field of electromagnetics. Moreover, it is shown that one can boost the coupling efficiency by applying an anti‐reflection property to the structure, which provides not only efficient index matching but also the matching between external waves with uniform amplitude and Bloch waves with periodic amplitude.     

Improving the Performance of Nafion®-Based Fuel Cell Membranes by Introducing Histidine Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes

A new polymer nanocomposite membrane based on Nafion and functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was developed for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) applications. Histidine, an imidazole-based amino acid, was used for modifying the surface of CNTs. The modification of CNTs was characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and their Zeta potential. The imidazole groups, due to forming and breaking of hydrogen bonding, can facilitate proton transport across the polymer matrix by the Grotthuss mechanism. The final structure of the Nafion/CNT nanocomposites was investigated by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The results confirm that the transport properties of the fabricated new membranes were significantly improved in comparison with unmodified and conventional Nafion® membranes. The power density of the imidazole-CNT (Im-CNT) Nafion® composite membranes was about three times more than Nafion® membranes. Also, the experimental results showed that the proton conductivity for the conventional Nafion® membranes decreased over 100°C but the conductivity for the Nafion®/Im-CNT remained at a nearly constant value above 100°C up to 120°C. Thus, the nanocomposite based on Nafion/imidazole functionalized CNT can be considered as an anhydrous PEMFC membrane for high-temperature applications.     

CONFORMAL INVARIANCE AND PARTICLE ASPECTS IN GENERAL RELATIVITY

We study the breakdown of conformal symmetry in a conformally invariant gravitational model. The symmetry breaking is introduced by defining a preferred conformal frame in terms of the large scale characteristics of the universe. In this context we show that a local change of the preferred conformal frame results in a Hamilton-Jacobi equation describing a particle with adjustable mass. In this equation the dynamical characteristics of the particle substantially depends on the applied conformal factor and local geometry. Relevant interpretations of the results are also discussed.     

Photodynamic Therapy with Zinc Phthalocyanine Inhibits the Stemness and Development of Colorectal Cancer: Time to Overcome the Challenging Barriers?

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a light-based cancer therapy approach that has shown promising results in treating various malignancies. Growing evidence indicates that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are implicated in tumor recurrence, metastasis, and cancer therapy resistance in colorectal cancer (CRC); thus, targeting these cells can ameliorate the prognosis of affected patients. Based on our bioinformatics results, SOX2 overexpression is significantly associated with inferior disease-specific survival and worsened the progression-free interval of CRC patients. Our results demonstrate that zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc)-PDT with 12 J/cm² or 24 J/cm² irradiation can substantially decrease tumor migration via downregulating MMP9 and ROCK1 and inhibit the clonogenicity of SW480 cells via downregulating CD44 and SOX2. Despite inhibiting clonogenicity, ZnPc-PDT with 12 J/cm² irradiation fails to downregulate CD44 expression in SW480 cells. Our results indicate that ZnPc-PDT with 12 J/cm² or 24 J/cm² irradiation can substantially reduce the cell viability of SW480 cells and stimulate autophagy in the tumoral cells. Moreover, our results show that ZnPc-PDT with 12 J/cm² or 24 J/cm² irradiation can substantially arrest the cell cycle at the sub-G1 level, stimulate the intrinsic apoptosis pathway via upregulating caspase-3 and caspase-9 and downregulating Bcl-2. Indeed, our bioinformatics results show considerable interactions between the studied CSC-related genes with the studied migration- and apoptosis-related genes. Collectively, the current study highlights the potential role of ZnPc-PDT in inhibiting stemness and CRC development, which can ameliorate the prognosis of CRC patients.     

Exploring Gunnera tinctoria: From Nutritional and Anti-Tumoral Properties to Phytosome Development Following Structural Arrangement Based on Molecular Docking

Gunnera tinctoria, an underexplored invasive plant found in Azores, Portugal, was studied regarding its nutritional, antioxidant, and antitumoral properties. Higher antioxidant activity was found in baby leaves, followed by adult leaves and inflorescences. A phenolic fraction of the plant was enriched using adsorbent resin column chromatography (Diaion^TM HP20LX, and Relite EXA90). Antitumoral effects were observed with the enriched fractions in breast (MCF-7) and pancreatic (AsPC-1) cancer cell lines, being more pronounced in the latter. To improve protection and membrane absorption rates of phenolic compounds, nano-phytosomes and cholesterol-conjugated phytosomes coated with natural polymers were loaded with the enriched fraction. The particles were characterized, and their physiochemical properties were evaluated and compared. All samples presented anionic charge and nanometer size in relation to the inner layer and micrometer size regarding the external layers. In addition, the molecular arrangement of phenolics within both types of phytosomes were studied for the first time by molecular docking. Polarity and molecular size were key factors on the molecular arrangement of the lipid bilayer. In conclusion, G. tinctoria showed to be an interesting source of nutrients and phenolic compounds with anti-tumoral potential. Moreover, phytosome loading with these compounds can increase their stability and bioavailability having in view future applications.     

Hydrothermal synthesis and physicochemical characterization of CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 nanopowder. Part I: Effect of crystallization time

A hydrothermal method was successfully used for synthesis of CuO/ZnO/Al₂O₃ (CZA) nanopowder with atomic ratio of 6:3:1. The effect of crystallization time (3, 6, 9, and 12 h) on physicochemical properties of nanopowder was investigated. Nanopowders were characterized using XRD, FESEM, EDX, FTIR, TG, and BET techniques. The XRD patterns confirmed metal oxides formation and their good crystallinity with average crystallite size of 20 nm as obtained by the Scherrer equation. Relative crystallinity was shown to increase with increasing crystallization time. In agreement with XRD results, FESEM images also illustrated nanosized particles. EDX mapping indicated homogenous dispersion of elements. BET specific surface area analysis showed acceptable surface area for CZA nanopowder. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed metal oxides formation during hydrothermal and calcination processing. TG results illustrated high thermal stability of the synthesized nanopowders. TG-DTG and FTIR analyses were used to propose a reaction mechanism for nanopowder formation during processing. Physicochemical characterization showed optimal crystallization time to be 6 h.