Assessing multidrug resistance protein 1-mediated function in cancer cell multidrug resistance by scanning electrochemical microscopy and flow cytometry

Cancer cell multidrug resistance is a molecular signature that highly influences the outcome of chemotherapy treatment and for which there is currently no robust method to monitor in vitro its activity. Herein, we demonstrate that ferrocenemethanol (FcCH(2)OH) and its oxidized form ([FcCH(2)OH](+)) affect the redox state of cancer cells. Specifically, the interaction of FcCH(2)OH with the glutathione couple (GSH/GSSG) is shown in human adenocarcinoma cervical cancer cells HeLa and a multidrug resistant variant overexpressing the multidrug resistant associated protein 1 (MRP1) using bioanalytical techniques, such as flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. It is further demonstrated that the differential response to FcCH(2)OH in multidrug-resistant cells is in part due to MRP1's unspecific efflux. Scanning electrochemical microscopy confirmed the interaction between FcCH(2)OH and the cells, and the differential response was observed to depend on MRP1 expression. This newly established relation between FcCH(2)OH/[FcCH(2)OH](+), GSH/GSSG and multidrug resistance in human cancer cells enables than the acquisition of scanning electrochemical microscopy images.     

An efficient and recyclable hybrid nanocatalyst to promote enantioselective radical cascade rearrangements of enediynes

Mesoporous silica grafted with a tertiary amine was used as a basic nanocatalyst to promote in confined medium the enantioselective cascade rearrangement of enediynes based on the phenomenon of memory of chirality; the multi-substrates recyclable catalytic reagent could easily be recovered by simple filtration, and reused without any decrease in activity even when changing the solvent.     

A GRASP metaheuristic for the robust mapping and routing of dataflow process networks on manycore architectures

In this paper, we study the problem of joint placement and routing, both in the deterministic and stochastic cases, arising in the field of compilation of dataflow applications for manycore architectures. A GRASP algorithm is first proposed for solving the deterministic version and extended afterwards to treat the chance-constrained program with uncertainty affecting the weights of a dataflow process network. Extensive computational results, on representative synthetic benchmark and real data, illustrate the practical relevance of the approach, as well as the robustness of the obtained stochastic solutions.     

Ethyl-2-(2-chloroethyl)acrylate: a new very versatile α-cyclopropylester cation synthon. Efficient synthesis of cyclopropane ester derivatives by Michael addition-induced cyclization reaction

We report here the use of the readily accessible ethyl-2-(2-chloroethyl)acrylate as a new very versatile α-cyclopropylester cation synthon, which reacts efficiently and selectively with carbon-, nitrogen-, sulfur- or phosphorus-centered nucleophiles through Michael addition followed by intramolecular capture of the incipient ester enolate to afford funtionalized cyclopropane esters in high yields.     

Geographical dispersal of mobile communication networks

In this paper, we analyze statistical properties of a communication network constructed from the records of a mobile phone company. The network consists of 2.5 million customers that have placed 810 million communications (phone calls and text messages) over a period of 6 months and for whom we have geographical home localization information. It is shown that the degree distribution in this network has a power-law degree distribution k⁻⁵ and that the probability that two customers are connected by a link follows a gravity model, i.e. decreases as d⁻², where d is the distance between the customers. We also consider the geographical extension of communication triangles and we show that communication triangles are not only composed of geographically adjacent nodes but that they may extend over large distances. This last property is not captured by the existing models of geographical networks and in a last section we propose a new model that reproduces the observed property. Our model, which is based on the migration and on the local adaptation of agents, is then studied analytically and the resulting predictions are confirmed by computer simulations.     

Optimization of Mn-Mg-Al Mixed Oxides Composition on their Activity towards the Total Oxidation of Aromatic and Oxygenated VOCs

A series of mixed oxides (Mn-Mg-Al) is prepared by coprecipitation via a hydrotalcite route with different manganese ratios. Structural, textural, and redox properties are studied by XRD, N₂-sorption, H₂-TPR, and XPS techniques. Mn_xMg_6-xAl₂-O mixed oxides (with 0≤x≤6) are tested in the total oxidation of ethanol and toluene, two probe molecules representing respectively oxygenated and aromatic VOCs. Catalysts with higher manganese contents have shown the best catalytic performance for the oxidation of both ethanol and toluene. The surface activity of the materials is mainly related to the presence of manganese species in three different oxidation states (+II, +III, and +IV) in the bulk and on the material's surface. Since high Mn-content catalysts showed similar physicochemical properties and catalytic activity, Mn₄Mg₂-O is selected as the optimal composition of these materials. Furthermore, its aging test is compared to that of noble metal-based commercial catalysts (Pd/γ-Al₂O₃).