Equality of orthogonal transvection group and elementary orthogonal transvection group

H. Bass defined orthogonal transvection group of an orthogonal module and elementary orthogonal transvection group of an orthogonal module with a hyperbolic direct summand. We also have the notion of relative orthogonal transvection group and relative elementary orthogonal transvection group with respect to an ideal of the ring. According to the definition of Bass relative elementary orthogonal transvection group is a subgroup of the relative orthogonal transvection group of an orthogonal module with hyperbolic direct summand. Here we show that these two groups are the same in the case when the orthogonal module splits locally.     

Synergistic Hybrid Catalyst for Ethanol Detection: Enhanced Performance of Platinum Palladium Bimetallic Nanoparticles Decorated Graphene on Glassy Carbon Electrode

The present study highlights the first time use of hybrid synergy electrocatalysis to design a cost effective, non-enzymatic ethanol sensor. The nanohybrid has been synthesized by decorating platinum palladium bimetallic nanoparticles (Pt?PdNPs) on graphene nanosheets (G/Pt?PdNPs). Field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, electrochemical measurements and UV-Vis spectrophotometry have been used to characterize the nanocomposite. An ethanol oxidation current of 332 μA was obtained with the use of G/Pt?PdNPs modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) that is 167 times higher than that of bare GCE in cyclic voltammetry studies with a potential scan rate of 50 mV/s in 0.1 M NaOH as the supporting electrolyte. Chronoamperometry studies have shown a distinct increase in the current for increasing concentration of ethanol with a wide range of linearity extending from 5 mM to 3 M and a detection limit of 1 mM with the use of G/Pt?PdNPs. Quantum mechanical modeling using density functional theory was used to arrive at the minimization energies of G/Pd, G/Pt and G/Pt?Pd in the presence and absence of ethanol. The improved catalytic activity of G/Pt?PdNPs nanocomposite for ethanol detection is on account of the cooperative effects of Pt and PdNPs, coupled with the high conducting nature of graphene.     

Peptide‐poly(tert‐butyl methacrylate) conjugate into composite micelles in organic solvents versus peptide‐poly(methacrylic acid) conjugate into spherical and worm‐like micelles in water: Synthesis and self‐assembly

Peptide–polymer conjugates are versatile class of biomaterials composed of a peptide block covalently linked with a synthetic polymer block. This report demonstrates the synthesis of peptide‐poly(tert‐butyl methacrylate) (Peptide‐P^tBMA) conjugates of varying molecular weights via a “grafting from” atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) technique using as‐synthesized peptide‐based initiator in toluene. Peptide‐P^tBMA conjugate is soluble in many organic solvents and undergoes self‐assembly into micro/nanospheres in DMF/THF as observed from both FESEM and DLS results. The conjugate micro/nanospheres are nothing but the composite micelles formed by the secondary aggregation of primary micelles generated initially in these organic solvents. The hydrolysis of tert‐butyl groups of Peptide‐P^tBMA conjugate leads to the formation of peptide‐poly(methacrylic acid) (Peptide‐PMA) conjugate. The circular dichroism (CD) analysis exhibits the presence of β‐sheet conformation of peptide moiety in synthesized conjugates. The formed Peptide‐PMA conjugate is soluble in water and owing to its amphiphilic character, the conjugate molecules self‐assemble into spherical micelles as well as worm‐like micelles upon increasing the concentration of conjugate in water. However, the sodium salt of Peptide‐PMA conjugates (Peptide‐PMAS) self‐assembles into only spherical swollen micelles in water at higher (pH ～10). The critical aggregation concentrations (CACs) of both Peptide‐PMA and Peptide‐PMAS micelles are measured by fluorescence spectroscopy. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 3019–3031     

Nonselective harvesting of a prey-predator community with infected prey

The present paper deals with the problem of nonselective harvesting in a partly infected prey and predator system in which both the susceptible prey and the predator follow the law of logistic growth and some preys avoid predation by hiding. The dynamical behaviour of the system has been studied in both the local and global sense. The optimal policy of exploitation has been derived by using Pontraygin’s maximal principle. Numerical analysis and computer simulation of the results have been performed to investigate the global properties of the system.     

Heteroatom-Doped Metal-Free Carbon Nanomaterials as Potential Electrocatalysts

In recent years, heteroatom-incorporated specially structured metal-free carbon nanomaterials have drawn huge attention among researchers. In comparison to the undoped carbon nanomaterials, heteroatoms such as nitrogen-, sulphur-, boron-, phosphorous-, etc., incorporated nanomaterials have become well-accepted as potential electrocatalysts in water splitting, supercapacitors and dye-sensitized solar cells. This review puts special emphasis on the most popular synthetic strategies of heteroatom-doped and co-doped metal-free carbon nanomaterials, viz., chemical vapor deposition, pyrolysis, solvothermal process, etc., utilized in last two decades. These specially structured nanomaterials’ extensive applications as potential electrocatalysts are taken into consideration in this article. Their comparative enhancement of electrocatalytic performance with incorporation of heteroatoms has also been discussed.     

Coexistence of Two Triplets for the Twisted Intramolecular Charge Transfer (TICT) Probe 4‐(Dimethylamino)benzonitrile in Polar Solvents: An Experimental Evidence

Room‐temperature nanosecond/microsecond laser‐flash photolysis and low‐temperature phosphorescence studies reveal that two different triplets coexist during the twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) of 4‐(dimethylamino)benzonitrile in polar solvents.     

Structural Transition in the Micellar Assembly: A Fluorescence Study

Structural transition can be induced in charged micelles by increasing the ionic strength of the medium. Thus, spherical micelles of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) that exist in water at concentrations higher than the critical micelle concentration assume an elongated rod-like structure in the presence of an increased electrolyte concentration. This is known as sphere-to-rod transition. In this paper, we characterize the change in organization and dynamics that is accompanied by the salt-induced sphere-to-rod transition in SDS micelles using wavelength-selective fluorescence and other steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence parameters. Since the change in micelle organization during such structural transition may not be limited to one region of the micelle, we have selectively introduced fluorophores in two distinct regions of the micelle. We used two probes, N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)-1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (NBD-PE) and 25-[N-[(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)-methyl]amino]-27-norcholesterol (NBD-cholesterol), for monitoring the two regions of the micelle. NBD-PE monitors the interfacial region of the micellar assembly, while NBD-cholesterol acts as a reporter for the deeper regions of the micellar interior. Our results show that wavelength-selective fluorescence, in combination with other fluorescence parameters, offers a powerful way to monitor structural transitions induced in charged micelles. These results could be significant to changes in membrane morphology observed under certain physiological conditions.     

High-content and high-throughput identification of macrophage polarization phenotypes

Macrophages are plastic cells of the innate immune system that perform a wide range of immune- and homeostasis-related functions. Due to their plasticity, macrophages can polarize into a spectrum of activated phenotypes. Rapid identification of macrophage polarization states provides valuable information for drug discovery, toxicological screening, and immunotherapy evaluation. The complexity associated with macrophage activation limits the ability of current biomarker-based methods to rapidly identify unique activation states. In this study, we demonstrate the ability of a 2-element sensor array that provides an information-rich 5-channel output to successfully determine macrophage polarization phenotypes in a matter of minutes. The simple and robust sensor generates a high dimensional data array which enables accurate macrophage evaluations in standard cell lines and primary cells after cytokine treatment, as well as following exposure to a model disease environment.

Phenotyping macrophage activation states using an array-based sensor. FRET complex assembly selectively interacts with the macrophage surface, generating a fingerprint for each polarization state that is further used to identify the activation state.