Synthesis and optical properties of fluorinated poly(arylene ether phosphine oxide)s

Fluorinated dihydroxy phosphine oxide monomers were synthesized via chlorination, Grignard, and demethylation techniques. The prepared monomer was successfully polymerized with each of the three perfluorinated monomers (decafluorobiphenyl, decafluorobenzophenone, and pentafluorophenylsulfide) by nucleophilic aromatic substitution. The average molecular weight ranged between 7800 and 14,900 g/mol. The glass‐transition temperatures of the polymers were registered in the range of 185–235 °C, and all the polymers exhibited high thermal stability up to 326–408 °C. The results of the refractive‐index measurements indicated control of the refractive index between 1.5181 and 1.5536 and an optical loss of 0.53 dB/cm at 1550 nm. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 1497–1503, 2003     

Effect of five-membered heteroaromatic linkers to the performance of phenothiazine-based dye-sensitized solar cells

Phenothiazine derivatives with various conjugated linkers (furan, thiophene, and 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) were synthesized and used in dye-sensitized solar cells to study the effect of conjugated linkers on device performance. Among them, one with furan as a conjugated linker showed a solar energy-to-electricity conversion efficiency (η) of 6.58%, an improvement of over 24% compared with the T2-1 reference cells' 5.29% under AM 1.5 G irradiation.     

Novel Activity of UDP-Galactose-4-Epimerase for Free Monosaccharide and Activity Improvement by Active Site-Saturation Mutagenesis

Uridine diphosphogalactose-4-epimerase (UDP-galactose-4-epimerase, GalE, EC 5.1.3.2) mediates the 4-epimerization of nucleic acid-activated galactose into UDP-glucose. To date, no enzyme is known to mediate 4-epimerization of free monosaccharide substrates. To determine the potential activity of GalE for free monosaccharide, Escherichia coli GalE was expressed and purified using Ni-affinity chromatography, and its ability to mediate 4-epimerization of a variety of free keto- and aldohexoses was assessed. Purified GalE was found to possess 4-epimerization activity for free galactose, glucose, fructose, tagatose, psicose, and sorbose at 0.47, 0.31, 2.82, 9.67, 15.44, and 2.08 nmol/mg protein per minute, respectively. No 4-epimerization activity was found for allose, gulose, altrose, idose, mannose, and talose. The kinetic parameters of 4-epimerization reactions were K _m = 26.4 mM and k _cat = 0.0155 min⁻¹ for d-galactose and K _m = 237 mM and k _cat = 0.327 min⁻¹ for d-tagatose. The 4-epimerization of tagatose, a reaction of commercial interest, was enhanced twofold (19.79 nmol/mg protein per minute) when asparagine was exchanged with serine at position 179. The novel activity of GalE for free monosaccharide may be beneficial for the production of rare sugars using cheap natural resources. Potential strategies for developing enhanced GalE with increased 4-epimerization activity are discussed in the context of the above findings and an analysis of a 3D structural model.     

Development of PDMS-based flexible dry type SEMG electrodes by micromachining technologies

The authors developed PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane)-based dry type surface electromyography (SEMG) electrodes for myoelectric prosthetic hands. The SEMG electrodes were strongly recommended to be fabricated on a flexible substrate to be compatible with the surface of skin. In this study, the authors designed a bar-shaped dry-type flexible SEMG electrodes comprised of two input electrodes and a reference electrode on a flexible PDMS substrate to measure EMG signals. The space distance between each electrode with a size of 10 mm × 2 mm was chosen to 18 mm to get optimal result according to the simulation result with taking into consideration the conduction velocity and the median frequency of EMG signals. Raw EMG signals were measured from Brachioradialis, Biceps brachii, deltoideus, and pectoralis major muscles, to drive the application of the myoelectric hand prosthesis. Measured raw EMG signals were transformed to root mean square (RMS) EMG signals using Acqknowledge4.2. The experimental peak voltage values of RMS EMG signals from Brachioradialis, Biceps brachii, deltoideus, and pectoralis major muscles were 2.96 V, 4.45 V, 1.74 V, and 2.62 V, respectively. Values from the dry type flexible SEMG electrodes showed higher peak values than a commercially available wet type Ag–AgCl electrode. The study shows that the PDMS-based flexible electrode devised for measuring myoelectric signals from the surface of skin is more useful for prosthetic hands because of its greater sensitivity and flexibility.     

EGF‐Loaded Hyaluronic Acid Based Microparticles as Effective Carriers in a Wound Model

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is widely recognized to be involved in the regenerative process, but only a few studies document its effect on acute wounds when EGF release is sustained over a period of time by encapsulation in an emulsion‐based hydrogel. Among hydrogels, hyaluronic acid (HA) is a promising carrier because it is biodegradable and known to bind to the components of the Extracellular Matrix (ECM) which undergoes remodeling during regeneration. Coupled with EGF in microparticulates, it may serve to directly deliver the cytokine to the impaired ECM to stimulate cells for ECM remodeling. In this study, a very simple and effective way is demonstrated to produce EGF‐conjugated HA microspheres for the purpose of targeted and sustained EGF delivery to damaged ECM in acute wounds. This approach is advantageous due to its simplicity which may serve to accelerate research in wound regeneration and relevant drug discovery.     

Well‐Organized CdS/C60 in Block Copolymer Micellar Cores

CdS nanoparticles of 4.5 nm diameter were synthesized in poly(2‐vinylpyridine) micellar cores which were obtained by solvating a polystyrene‐block‐poly(2‐vinylpyridine) block copolymer in polystyrene‐selective toluene. Then, a C₆₀‐toluene solution was dispersed into the CdS micelle solution with stirring. This led to the well‐defined organization of two different nanoparticles; specifically: a CdS NP decorated by several/dozens of C₆₀ molecules, because C₆₀ molecules were strongly coordinated with pyridine molecules in the micellar cores by charge‐transfer complexation C–P2VP^δ+. A harmoniously organized CdS/C₆₀ micellar structure was clearly verified by transmission electron microscopy. Fluorescent quenching of CdS nanoparticles, which was strongly affected by neighboring C₆₀ molecules, was observed.

     

Band-structure engineering of gold atomic wires on silicon by controlled doping

We report on the systematic tuning of the electronic band structure of atomic wires by controlling the density of impurity atoms. The atomic wires are self-assembled on Si(111) by substitutional gold adsorbates and extra silicon atoms are deposited as the impurity dopants. The one-dimensional electronic band of gold atomic wires, measured by angle-resolved photoemission, changes from a fully metallic to semiconducting one with its band gap increasing above 0.3 eV along with an energy shift as a linear function of the Si dopant density. The gap opening mechanism is suggested to be related to the ordering of the impurities.     

Synthesis of 5-methylsulfonylpyrimidines and their fused derivatives

The interaction of available 2-methylsulfonyl-3-ethoxyacrylonitrile with amidine, their analogs, and aminoazoles containing amidine fragment, yielding earlier unknown 4-amino-5-methylsulfonylpyrimidines and their fused derivatives has been studied.     

Free vibrations of flexible shallow shells of complex shape

A method is proposed for studying the free vibrations of flexible shallow shells with a complex planform. The method is based on variational and R-function methods. The R-function method allows constructing a system of basis functions in an analytic form. This makes it possible to reduce the Donnell-Mushtari-Vlasov equations to Duffing equations. The amplitude-frequency characteristics of shallow shells with a complex planform are given for different curvatures and boundary conditions. The results obtained are compared with published results for simply supported square shells to demonstrate the reliability and efficiency of the method __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 43, No. 4, pp. 99–109, April 2007.     

Unusual Transformation from a Solvent‐Stabilized 1D Coordination Polymer to a Metal–Organic Framework (MOF)‐Like Cross‐Linked 3D Coordination Polymer

An unusual 1D‐to‐3D transformation of a coordination polymer based on organic linkers containing highly polar push–pull π‐conjugated side chains is reported. The coordination polymers are synthesized from zinc nitrate and an organic linker, namely, 2,5‐bis{4‐[1‐(4‐nitrophenyl)pyrrolidin‐2‐yl]butoxy}terephthalic acid, which possesses highly polar (4‐nitrophenyl)pyrrolidine groups, with high dipole moments of about 7 D. The coordination polymers exhibit an unusual transformation from a soluble, solvent‐stabilized 1D coordination polymer into an insoluble, metal–organic framework (MOF)‐like 3D coordination polymer. The coordination polymer exhibits good film‐forming ability, and the MOF‐like films are insoluble in conventional organic solvents.