Wireless Coupling of Conducting Polymer Actuators with Light Emission

Combining the actuation of conducting polymers with additional functionalities is an interesting fundamental scientific challenge and increases their application potential. Herein we demonstrate the possibility of direct integration of a miniaturized light emitting diode (LED) in a polypyrrole (PPy) matrix in order to achieve simultaneous wireless actuation and light emission. A light emitting diode is used as a part of an electroactive surface on which electrochemical polymerization allows direct incorporation of the electronic device into the polymer. The resulting free-standing polymer/LED hybrid can be addressed by bipolar electrochemistry to trigger simultaneously oxidation and reduction reactions at its opposite extremities, leading to a controlled deformation and an electron flow through the integrated LED. Such a dual response in the form of actuation and light emission opens up interesting perspectives in the field of microrobotics.     

Magnetic Micromotors for Multiple Motile Sperm Cells Capture,Transport, and Enzymatic Release

An integrated system combining a magnetically‐driven micromotor and a synthetized protein‐based hyaluronic acid (HA) microflake is presented for the in situ selection and transport of multiple motile sperm cells (ca. 50). The system appeals for targeted sperm delivery in the reproductive system to assist fertilization or to deliver drugs. The binding mechanism between the HA microflake and sperm relies on the interactions between HA and the corresponding sperm HA receptors. Once sperm are captured within the HA microflake, the assembly is trapped and transported by a magnetically‐driven helical microcarrier. The trapping of the sperm‐microflake occurs by a local vortex induced by the microcarrier during rotation‐translation under a rotating magnetic field. After transport, the microflake is enzymatically hydrolyzed by local proteases, allowing sperm to escape and finally reach the target location. This cargo‐delivery system represents a new concept to transport not only multiple motile sperm but also other actively moving biological cargoes.     

Hydrogen bonding networks in gabapentin protic pharmaceutical salts: NMR and in silico studies

Hydrogen bonds (HBs) play a key role in the supramolecular arrangement of crystalline solids and, although they have been extensively studied, the influence of their strength and geometry on crystal packing remains poorly understood. Here we describe the crystal structures of two novel protic gabapentin (GBP) pharmaceutical salts prepared with the coformers methanesulfonic acid (GBP:METHA) and ethanesulfonic acid (GBP:ETHA). This study encompasses experimental and computational electronic structure analyses of ¹H NMR chemical shifts (CSs), upon in silico HB cleavage. GBP:METHA and GBP:ETHA crystal packing comprise two main structural domains: an ionic layer (characterized by the presence of charge-assisted ⁺NH_GBP⋯ O⁻_METHA/ETHA HB interactions) and a neutral layer generated in a different way for each salt, mainly due to the presence of bifurcated HB interactions. A comprehensive study of HB networks is presented for GBP:METHA, by isolating molecular fragments involved in distinct HB types (NH⋯ O, OH⋯ O, and CH⋯ O) obtained from in silico disassembling of an optimized three-dimensional packing structure. Formation of HB leads to calculated ¹H NMR CS changes from 0.4 to ~5.8 ppm. This study further attempts to assess how ¹H NMR CS of protons engaged in certain HB are affected when other nearby HB, involving bifurcated or geminal/vicinal hydrogen atoms, are removed.     

Adhesion of Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis to acrylic and hydroxyapatite

The aim of this work was to compare the ability of strains of Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis to adhere to acrylic and hydroxyapatite (HAP). In order to interpret the adhesion results, the surface properties of cells and materials were determined. Surface tension components (polar and apolar) and hydrophobicity were calculated through contact angle measurement and the elemental composition was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed no significant differences in the number of adhered cells of both species to acrylic and hydroxyapatite. This was corroborated by the similarities in their surface properties and elemental composition. For both species, the adhesion to acrylic increased in the presence of artificial saliva due to the increase in the electron-donor capacity of this material. In the absence of artificial saliva, the number of adhered cells to HAP was greater than to acrylic, on account of the higher number of electron-donor groups of HAP. Hydrophobicity played a minor role in the adhesion process of both candidal species. Conversely, Lewis acid–base interactions seamed to govern this phenomenon.     

Influence of moisture on transient oxidation and reduction of alumina-supported platinum

The transient surface behavior on oxidation and reduction of a partially oxidized alumina-supported platinum catalyst containing residual water have been observed by AC electrical conductance (G) measurements.     

Protein-induced leakage and membrane destabilization of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine liposomes

By using spectroscopic and colloidal chemistry methods we studied the interactions of globular proteins with phospholipid membranes in relation to protein-promoted membrane fusion. We considered the effect of protein sorption on the destabilization of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine liposome membranes. Experimentally, we injected the proteins into fluorophore-quencher embedded liposome dispersions and recorded the leakage of fluorophore-quencher from the liposomes' inner compartment, which is due to the protein-induced destabilization of the phospholipid membranes. The release of fluorophore-quencher strongly depends on the protein concentration. The existence of monovalent and polyvalent cations also influences the protein-induced membrane destabilization by affecting the hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions.     

Interaction of 1-methyl-1-({2-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-1,3-thiazol-4-yl}methyl) piperidinium chloride with β-CD: spectroscopic,calorimetric and molecular modeling approaches

Spectroscopic investigation supported by molecular modeling methods has been used to describe the inclusion complex of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) with 1-Methyl-1-({2-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-1,3-thiazol-4-yl}methyl) piperidinium chloride (1MPTMPC) in solution and in solid state. The formation of inclusion complex between the β-CD and the 1MPTMPC has been investigated both in solution and in the solid state. Solution-state complexation between the 1MPTMPC and β-CD was established using ¹H NMR spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). From the ¹H NMR spectroscopic studies, 1:1 complex stoichiometry was deduced with an association constant (K) of 925 M^?1. Using an independent binding model, the ITC technique provides a K value of the same order with the one determined by NMR and the thermodynamic parameters ΔH, ΔS and ΔG which reveals driving forces involved during complex formation. The formation of the solid inclusion compound was confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. The most probable conformation of the inclusion complex obtained through a molecular docking investigation corroborates well to ROESY experiment.     

Rectifiable Curves in Proximally Smooth Sets

Set-Valued and Variational Analysis - In this article we study some geometric properties of proximally smooth sets. First, we introduce a modification of the metric projection and prove its...     

Effect of some parasite surface reactions on the variation of electrical conductance in the H2?Pt/Al2O3 system

The charge transfer at the interface H₂-0.5% Pt/Al₂O₃ was studied by using the transient response of the AC electrical conductance. The transient response for water and oxygen contaminated surface was of the overshoot-type.