Novasomes as Nano-Vesicular Carriers to Enhance Topical Delivery of Fluconazole: A New Approach to Treat Fungal Infections

The occurrence of fungal infections has increased over the past two decades. It is observed that superficial fungal infections are treated by conventional dosage forms, which are incapable of treating deep infections due to the barrier activity possessed by the stratum corneum of the skin. This is why the need for a topical preparation with advanced penetration techniques has arisen. This research aimed to encapsulate fluconazole (FLZ) in a novasome in order to improve the topical delivery. The novasomes were prepared using the ethanol injection technique and characterized for percent entrapment efficiency (EE), particle size (PS), zeta potential (ZP), drug release, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and antifungal activity. The FN7 formulation with 94.45% EE, 110 nm PS and −24 ZP proved to be the best formulation. The FN7 formulation showed a 96% release of FLZ in 8 h. FTIR showed the compatibility of FLZ with excipients and DSC studies confirmed the thermal stability of FLZ in the developed formulation. The FN7 formulation showed superior inhibition of the growth of Candida albicans compared to the FLZ suspension using a resazurin reduction assay, suggesting high efficacy in inhibiting fungal growth.     

Discovery of Quinazoline-2,4(1H,3H)-Dione Derivatives as Potential Antibacterial Agent: Design,Synthesis, and Their Antibacterial Activity

In this paper, we report on the design and synthesis of a novel series of quinazoline-2,4(1H,3H)-dione derivatives as fluoroquinolone-like inhibitors of bacterial gyrase and DNA topoisomerase IV to identify and develop antimicrobial agents to prevent bacterial resistance problems. Their structures were confirmed using spectroscopic analyses (IR, NMR, and EI-MS). The novel quinazoline-2,4(1H,3H)-dione derivatives were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains using the Agar well diffusion method to study the antimicrobial activities and compared them with the standard drugs. Most compounds displayed moderate activity. Among the tested compounds, the most promising compounds 13 and 15 provided broad bioactive spectrum against Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains compared to the standard drugs.     

On-field test campaign performance of VDE-SAT Link ID 20 over Norsat-2 LEO satellite

The latest technical recommendation by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for a data exchange system in the VHF maritime mobile band defines a random access channel (RAC) for communications on the uplink channel between vessels and satellites. The physical layer frame for random uplink channel is designed to allow for a more efficient use of the power amplifiers and includes features to assist the satellite receivers to resolve overlapping reception of multiple messages. This paper presents the performance results of an over-the-air test campaign carried out exploiting the NorSat-2 Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite. After a review of the VDE-SAT RAC and Link ID 20 burst, a possible demodulator implementation is shown. Then, the VDE-SAT transmitter platform, located in Pisa, Italy, emulating a population of vessels transmitting to the NorSat-2 LEO satellite is introduced, and the test cases are described. Afterward, the analysis of the recorded signals is provided. The post-analysis first focuses on the demodulation performance in terms of probability of successful demodulation of the interfering bursts. Further investigation has also been carried out to better understand the interference environment in this frequency band for satellite signal reception. Tests indicate promising results of successfully detecting and demodulating up to 22 overlapping RAC messages, confirming the robustness of the protocol. Finally, capitalizing on the above analysis, conclusions suggest possible improvements.     

Long-Time Instability of the Couette Flow in Low Gevrey Spaces

We prove the instability of the Couette flow if the disturbances is less smooth than the Gevrey space of class 2. This shows that this is the critical regularity for this problem since it was proved in [5] that stability and inviscid damping hold for disturbances which are smoother than the Gevrey space of class 2. A big novelty is that this critical space is due to an instability mechanism which is completely nonlinear and is due to some energy cascade. © 2023 The Authors. Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.     

A Hybrid Magneto-Optic Capacitive Memory with Picosecond Writing Time

The long-term future of information storage requires the use of sustainable nanomaterials in architectures operating at high frequencies. Interfaces can play a key role in this pursuit via emergent functionalities that break out from conventional operation methods. Here, spin-filtering effects and photocurrents are combined at metal-molecular-oxide junctions in a hybrid magneto-capacitive memory. Light exposure of metal-fullerene-metal oxide devices results in spin-polarized charge trapping and the formation of a magnetic interface. Because the magnetism is generated by a photocurrent, the writing time is determined by exciton formation and splitting, electron hopping, and spin-dependent trapping. Transient absorption spectroscopy measurements show changes in the electronic states as a function of the magnetic history of the device within picoseconds of the optical pumping. The stored information is read using time-resolved scanning magneto optic Kerr effect measurements during microwave irradiation. The emergence of a magnetic interface in the picosecond timescale opens new paths of research to design hybrid magneto-optic structures operating at high frequencies for sensing, computing, and information storage.     

Guest Entrapment in Metal-Organic Nanosheets for Quantifiably Tuneable Luminescence

Luminescent metal-organic frameworks (LMOFs) are promising materials for nanophotonic applications due to their tuneable structure and programmability. Yet, the 3D nature of LMOFs creates challenges for stability, optical transparency, and device integration. Metal-organic nanosheets (MONs) potentially overcome these limitations by combining the benefits of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with an atomically thin morphology of large planar dimensions. Herein, the bottom-up synthesis of few-layer thin ZIF-7-III MONs via facile low-energy salt-templating is reported. Employing guest@MOF design, the fluorophores Rhodamine B and Fluorescein are intercalated into ZIF-7 nanosheets (Z7-NS) to form light emissive systems exhibiting intense and highly photostable fluorescence. Aggregation and Förster resonance energy transfer, enabled by the MON framework, are revealed as the mechanisms behind fluorescence. By varying guest concentration, these mechanisms provide predictable quantified control over emission chromaticity of a dual-guest Z7-NS material and the definition of an “emission chromaticity fingerprint” – a unique subset of the visible spectrum that a material can emit by fluorescence.     

Aggregation-Induced Emission in a Flexible Phosphine Oxide and its Zn(II) Complexes—A Simple Approach to Blue Luminescent Materials

Easily accessible blue-emitting materials are in the focus of ongoing research, as they still lack the efficiency and lifetime of their red and green counterparts. The new multidentate phosphine oxide ligands and two respective ZnCl₂ complexes presented here combine a straightforward synthesis with high yields and show interesting luminescent properties. The free ligand exhibits blue luminescence in the crystalline state, but not in amorphous films or diluted solution. In contrast, the Zn(II) complexes shows intense blue luminescence in the crystalline state as well as in amorphous thin films and in solution. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy measurements show luminescence lifetimes of 3–6 ns indicative of fluorescence. By combining the experimental data with quantum chemical calculations, we propose a model where the conformation of the molecule is restricted, either via the crystal environment, aggregation, or the steric fixation by the coordinating central atom, blocking the nonradiative relaxation from the excited into the ground electronic state. However, this nonradiative relaxation is still possible in the gas phase via elongation of a P C bond. These results may provide a general mechanism to explain the luminescence properties in a whole class of organic phosphine oxides.