Plasmonic properties of silver nanostructures coated with an amorphous silicon-carbon alloy and their applications for sensitive sensing of DNA hybridization

The use of an amorphous silicon-carbon alloy overcoating on silver nanostructures in a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensing platform allows for decreasing the detection limit by an order of magnitude as compared to sensors based on gold nanostructures deposited on glass. In addition, silver based multilayer structures show a distinct plasmonic behaviour as compared to gold based nanostructures, which provides the sensor with an increased short-range sensitivity and a decreased long-range sensitivity.     

Optimization of Oil-in-Water Emulsion Stability: Experimental Design,Multiple Light Scattering,and Acoustic Attenuation Spectroscopy

To find an optimal formulation of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions (φ_o = 0.05), the effect of emulsifier nature and concentration, agitation speed, emulsifying time, storage temperature and their mutual interactions on the properties and behavior of these dispersions is evaluated by means of an experimental design (Nemrodw software). Long-term emulsion stability is monitored by multiple light scattering (Turbiscan ags) and acoustic attenuation spectroscopy (Ultrasizer). After matching surfactant HLB and oil required HLB, a model giving the Sauter diameter as a function of emulsifier concentration, agitation speed and emulsification time is proposed. The highest stability of C₁₂E₄-stabilized O/W emulsions is observed with 1% emulsifier.     

From micro to nano reentrant structures: hysteresis on superomniphobic surfaces

The paper reports on the wetting characterization of two surfaces presenting reentrant shapes at micro- and nanoscale using low surface tension liquids (down to 28 mN/m). On the one hand, mushroom-like microstructures are fabricated by molding poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) onto a patterned sacrificial photoresist bilayer. On the other hand, zinc oxide nanostructures (ZnO NS) are synthesized by easy and fast chemical bath deposition technique. The PDMS and ZnO NS surfaces are then chemically modified with 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane in vapor phase. Both PDMS and ZnO NS surfaces exhibit a large apparent contact angle (>150°) and contact angle hysteresis varying from 50° to a quasi-null value. This large discrepancy can be ascribed to the length scale and topography of the structures, promoting either a vertical imbibition or a lateral spreading within the roughness.     

Thiol–Yne Click Reactions on Alkynyl–Dopamine‐Modified Reduced Graphene Oxide

The large‐scale preparation of graphene is of great importance due to its potential applications in various fields. We report herein a simple method for the simultaneous exfoliation and reduction of graphene oxide (GO) to reduced GO (rGO) by using alkynyl‐terminated dopamine as the reducing agent. The reaction was performed under mild conditions to yield rGO functionalized with the dopamine derivative. The chemical reactivity of the alkynyl function was demonstrated by post‐functionalization with two thiolated precursors, namely 6‐(ferrocenyl)hexanethiol and 1H,1H,2H,2H‐perfluorodecanethiol. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectrophotometry, Raman spectroscopy, conductivity measurements, and cyclic voltammetry were used to characterize the resulting surfaces.     

Evolutionary finance and dynamic games

The paper examines a game-theoretic evolutionary model of an asset market with endogenous equilibrium asset prices. Assets pay dividends that are partially consumed and partially reinvested. The investors use general, adaptive strategies (portfolio rules), distributing their wealth between assets, depending on the exogenous states of the world and the observed history of the game. The main objective of the work is to identify strategies, allowing an investor to “survive”, i.e. to possess a positive, bounded away from zero, share of market wealth over the whole infinite time horizon. This work brings together recent studies on evolutionary finance with the classical topic of non-cooperative market games.     

Maximum principle for elliptic operators and applications

Let f be a signed function defined on some bounded domain Ω. We give sufficient conditions ensuring the positivity of u, solution of the following equation: −Δu=f in Ω, u|_∂Ω=0.     

Functionalization of glassy carbon with diazonium salts in ionic liquids

The paper reports on the chemical functionalization of glassy carbon electrodes with 4-bromobenzene (4-BBDT) and 4-(4'-nitrophenylazo)benzene diazonium tetrafluoroborate (4-NAB) salts in ionic liquids. The reaction was carried out at room temperature in air without any external electrical bias in either hydrophobic (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate) or hydrophilic (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium methyl sulfate) ionic liquids. The resulting surfaces were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and electrochemical measurements. Electrochemical reduction of the terminal nitro groups allowed the determination of surface coverage and formation of an amine-terminated carbon surfaces. The results were compared to glassy carbon chemically modified in an aqueous solution in the presence of 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) with the same diazonium salt. Furthermore, Raman spectroscopy coupled with electrochemical measurements allowed to distinguish between the reduction of -NO2 to -NH2 group and the -N=N- to -NH-NH- bond.     

Polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy investigations of thin silica films deposited on gold. 2. Structural analysis of a 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine bilayer

In this paper we report on the structural analysis of bilayers of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) using polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM IRRAS). The lipid bilayers were formed on SiO2|Au and Au surfaces using the Langmuir-Blodgett and Langmuir-Schaeffer techniques. As we showed in part 1 (Zawisza, I.; Wittstock, G.; Boukherroub, R.; Szunertis, S. Langmuir 2007, 23, 9303-9309), SiO2 layers of 7 nm thickness, synthesized by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition on 200 nm thick gold covered glass slides, allow PM IRRAS investigations. Only minor changes in the order and structure of the lipid bilayer are observed when deposited on SiO2|Au and Au surfaces. The choline moiety in the leaflet directed toward the SiO2 surface exists in trans conformation and shows a tilt of 28 degrees with the surface normal of the CN bond. On the silica surface in the second leaflet directed toward air and in two layers deposited on the Au surface, trans and gauche isomers of the choline moiety are present and the tilt of the CN bond increases to 55 degrees with respect to the surface normal. The order and molecular orientation in the DMPC bilayers on SiO2 and Au surfaces are not affected by time. The analysis of the phosphate stretching mode on the Au surface shows slight dehydration of this group and reorientation of the phosphate moiety.     

A concise synthesis of lentiginosine derivatives using a pyridinium formation via the Mitsunobu reaction

A four-step synthesis of (-)-lentiginosine and its epimers is described starting from 2-bromopyridine. The key step consisted of a quaternarization of a fully unprotected pyridinium-polyol unit using Mitsunobu methodology. Subsequent PtO(2)-catalyzed diastereoselective hydrogenation of the pyridinium ring proceeded smoothly and led to the expected dihydroxyindolizidines with excellent yields. This stereochemically flexible strategy has been illustrated by the concise total synthesis of non-natural products derivatives such as (-)-lentiginosine and its stereoisomers in high yields.     

Design and synthesis of some new tri-substituted pyrazole derivatives as anticancer agents

A new series of tri-substituted pyrazole derivatives were designed as anti-cancer agents and synthesized, starting with the formylation of semicarbazone via the Vilsmeier–Haack reaction to give 3-(4-bromophenyl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carbaldehyde I which was the precursor of compounds 1–9. The new chemical entities were screened for their anti-cancer activity on various human cancer cell lines, namely: hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2, breast cancer MCF-7, lung carcinoma A549 and prostatic cancer PC3. Most of the synthesized compounds showed remarkable activity on the tested cell lines, while compound 2 had the highest potency against the HepG2 cell line with an IC₅₀ of 9.13 µM compared with doxorubicin (IC₅₀ = 34.24 µM), the reference standard used in this study, and compound 7 was the most active on the rest of the three cell lines; MCF-7, A549 and PC3 (IC₅₀ = 16.52, 6.52 and 9.13 µM, respectively) relative to IC₅₀ = 20.85, 5.93 and 38.02 µM of the standard. Thus, some of the synthesized tri-substituted pyrazole derivatives, specially 2 and 7, have the potential to be developed into potent anticancer agents.