Comparison of monomeric and polymeric chiral stationary phases

Two-type polymeric chiral stationary phases (pCSPs) were prepared by surface grafting of chiral acryl-type monomers on a silica gel surface modified with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propylmethacrylate. The prepared pCSPs were characterized by IR, Fr-Raman, scanning electron microscopy, and elemental analysis. In addition, two-type monomeric chiral stationary phases (mCSPs) were also prepared. The racemic analytes were separated using the prepared mCSPs and pCSPs. The separation factor (alpha) and capacity factor (k1) of the racemic analytes for the pCSP and mCSP were compared. The alpha and k1 values of the mCSP were higher than those of the pCSP.     

Facile synthesis of high quality mesoporous SBA-15 with enhanced control of the porous network connectivity and wall thickness

Convenient and commercially viable synthesis conditions are described, providing efficient and reproducible control of pore connectivity and pore wall thickness for the synthesis of high quality SBA-15 mesoporous silica.     

A compact mean-variance-skewness model for large-scale portfolio optimization and its application to the NYSE market

This paper develops a portfolio optimization model that uses the first three moments of the distribution of the rate of return on investment in selecting portfolios. An alternative measure of skewness is designed for the purpose, and, in the grand scheme of compact factorization, the proposed model is transformed to an equivalent quadratic program with a quadratic constraint with 2?T nonlinear variables and terms, where usually T?50. Extensive computational results are obtained on a real-world dataset of the returns of about 3500 stocks that were traded in the NYSE from 3 January to 17 September 2002. In summary, the portfolios built by the proposed model gave the average return on investment of 66.85% over the course of 150 trading days, a period in time when US economy and stock markets suffered tremendously after the tragic events of September 2001.     

Enantiomeric Separation of 2,4-Dinitrophenyl Amino Acids by Capillary Electrophoresis with β-Cyclodextrin Derivative

Enantiomeric separation of DNP-amino acids has been performed by capillary electrophoresis with β-cyclodextrin(CD) and 2,3-di-O-methyl-β-CD. Enantioselectivity of β-CD exhibited superior to that of the 2,3-dimethylated β-CD.     

5-Bromo-3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde Promotes Hair Growth through Activation of Wnt/β-Catenin and Autophagy Pathways and Inhibition of TGF-β Pathways in Dermal Papilla Cells

Various studies addressing the increasing problem of hair loss, using natural products with few side effects, have been conducted. 5-bromo-3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (BDB) exhibited anti-inflammatory effects in mouse models of atopic dermatitis and inhibited UVB-induced oxidative stress in keratinocytes. Here, we investigated its stimulating effect and the underlying mechanism of action on hair growth using rat vibrissa follicles and dermal papilla cells (DPCs), required for the regulation of hair cycle and length. BDB increased the length of hair fibers in rat vibrissa follicles and the proliferation of DPCs, along with causing changes in the levels of cell cycle-related proteins. We investigated whether BDB could trigger anagen-activating signaling pathways, such as the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and autophagy in DPCs. BDB induces activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway through the phosphorylation of GSG3β and β-catenin. BDB increased the levels of autophagic vacuoles and autophagy regulatory proteins Atg7, Atg5, Atg16L, and LC3B. We also investigated whether BDB inhibits the TGF-β pathway, which promotes transition to the catagen phase. BDB inhibited the phosphorylation of Smad2 induced by TGF-β1. Thus, BDB can promote hair growth by modulating anagen signaling by activating Wnt/β-catenin and autophagy pathways and inhibiting the TGF-β pathway in DPCs.     

Separation of Positional Isomers on A,C- and A,D-Bridged Calix[6]arene as Stationary Phases in Capillary GC

A,C-Bridged (ACCX) and A,D-bridged isopropyldimethylsilylcalix[6]arene (ADCX) dissolved in OV-1701 were used as stationary phases in isothermal capillary gas chromatographic separation of some positional isomers. Retention factors and separation factors for the isomers were measured. The isomers investigated are well resolved on the two phases. Retention of all the solutes investigated is longer on ACCX than on ADCX. The longer retention on A,C-bridged calix[6]arene is probably due to extra inductive interactions of the solute molecule with the carbonyl moieties in the phase. Separation factors for closely eluting isomer pairs are similar on the two phases. This seems to indicate that the carbonyl moieties do not play an appreciable role in discriminating the isomer molecules on entering the cavity of the calixarene if the solute is retained by the inclusion process.     

Ni single atoms on carbon nitride for visible-light-promoted full heterogeneous dual catalysis

Visible-light-driven organic transformations are of great interest in synthesizing valuable fine chemicals under mild conditions. The merger of heterogeneous photocatalysts and transition metal catalysts has recently drawn much attention due to its versatility for organic transformations. However, these semi-heterogenous systems suffered several drawbacks, such as transition metal agglomeration on the heterogeneous surface, hindering further applications. Here, we introduce heterogeneous single Ni atoms supported on carbon nitride (NiSAC/CN) for visible-light-driven C–N functionalization with a broad substrate scope. Compared to a semi-heterogeneous system, high activity and stability were observed due to metal–support interactions. Furthermore, through systematic experimental mechanistic studies, we demonstrate that the stabilized single Ni atoms on CN effectively change their redox states, leading to a complete photoredox cycle for C–N coupling.

In this work, the first demonstration of heterogeneous photoredox C–N coupling is reported using Ni atoms on C₃N₄. Due to metal–support interactions, high activity and stability were observed during visible-light-driven C–N functionalization.     

Asymmetric protonation of ketone enolates using chiral beta-hydroxyethers: acidity-tuned enantioselectivity

New chiral hydroxyethers 1a-f were prepared for asymmetric protonation of achiral enolates prepared from prochiral ketones. The enantioselectivity of protonation was highly dependent upon the acidity of the chiral alcohols, the highest enantioselectivity (90% ee) being achieved with 3,5-dichloro-substituted beta-hydroxyether 1c. A salt-free enolate generated from trimethylsilyl enol ether 4 provided product of the highest ee. Unlike other reagents, chloro-substituted alcohols provided almost consistent enantioselections throughout the reaction temperatures examined (-25 to -98 degrees C). Protonation of other aromatic ketones showed selectivity similar to that of 2-methyl-1-tetralone.     

Diffusion-mediated in situ alginate encapsulation of cell spheroids using microscale concave well and nanoporous membrane

Here, we present a novel and simple process of spheroid formation and in situ encapsulation of the formed spheroid without intervention. A hemispherical polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micromold was employed for the formation of uniform sized spheroids and two types of nano-porous membrane were used for the control of the crosslinking agent. We characterized the transport properties of the membrane, and the selection of alginate hydrogel as a function of gelation time, alginate concentration, and membrane type. Using the developed process and micromold, HepG2 cell spheroids were successfully formed and encapsulated in alginate without replating. This method allows spheroid encapsulation with minimal damage to the spheroid while maintaining high cell viability. We demonstrate the feasibility of this method in developing a bio-artificial liver (BAL) chip by evaluating viability and function of encapsulated HepG2 spheroids. This method may be applied to the encapsulation of several aggregating cell types, such as β-cells for islet formation and stem cells for embryonic body preservation, or as a model for tumor cell growth and proliferation in a 3D hydrogel environment.