Glass Stability and Glass Forming Ability of Ge25−xSe75Sbx (x = 12, 15, and 18) Chalcogenide Glasses Using Thermal Parameters

In the present communication glass stability (GS) and glass forming ability (GFA) of Ge_25−xSe₇₅Sb_x (x = 12, 15, and 18) chalcogenide glasses have been calculated in terms of certain thermal parameters, i.e., reduced glass transition temperature (T_rg), Hruby number (H), S-parameter (S), and ΔT. The glassy samples have been prepared by quenching of melt technique. For structure characterization, XRD technique has been used. For thermal analysis Differential Scanning Calorimetery (DSC) has been used. DSC scans have been recorded at different heating rates, i.e., 5, 10, 15, and 20 K min⁻¹. Stability of glassy samples has also been confirmed in terms of activation energy of glass transition calculated by Kissinger relation. All these parameters indicate that GS and GFA both decrease with increase of Sb content in Ge_25−xSe₇₅Sb_x (x = 12, 15, and 18) glassy series.     

Graphene-based nanocomposites as sensing elements for the electrochemical detection of pesticides: a review

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Only about 3% of Earth’s water is freshwater out of which only 0.4% is accessible as surface water in the form of lakes, rivers and groundwater. When...     

Novel Synthetic Approach to Thiophosphinates Incorporating Different N-Heterocycles

Eight new cycloiminylidenamidothiophosphinates incorporating pyridine, pyrimidine, thiazole, and benzothiazole heterocycles were synthesized by phosphorylation of the quaternary iminium salts of the heterocycles by diphenylchlorophosphine followed by in situ sulfurization by elemental sulfur. Crystalline solid products were well characterized by elemental analysis and NMR spectroscopy.     

Biochemical Characterization of the Engineered Soluble Photoactivated Guanylate Cyclases from Microbes Expands Optogenetic Tools

Cyclic nucleotide, such as cyclic GMP, is a secondary messenger that regulates a wide range of biological process via the diverse signaling cascades. Photoactivated adenylyl cyclases (PACs), constituted of blue light utilizing flavin (BLUF) and cyclase homology domain (CHD), are used as an optogenetic tool to modulate the cyclic AMP (cAMP) level and to study cAMP-mediated signal transduction mechanisms. Here, we have engineered photoactivated adenylyl cyclases (PACs) from microbes to photoactivated guanylyl cyclases (PGCs) via mutagenesis of the substrate binding-specific residues in cyclase homology domain. We demonstrate purification, photodynamic, and detailed biochemical characterization of the engineered PGCs that can serve as optogenetic tool for manipulation of cGMP level in the cells. Engineered PGCs show typical BLUF photoreceptor properties with different recovery kinetics and varying light-regulated guanylyl cyclase activities.     

EVBlocks: A Blockchain-Based Secure Energy Trading Scheme for Electric Vehicles underlying 5G-V2X Ecosystems

Wireless Personal Communications - In this paper, the authors propose a secure and trusted energy trading (ET) scheme for electric vehicles (EVs) for vehicle-to-anything (V2X) ecosystems. The...     

‘Extreme Mass Spectrometry’: the role of mass spectrometry in the study of the Antarctic Environment

A focus on the studies of the Antarctic environment that have been performed by mass spectrometry is presented herein; our aim is to give evidence of the essential role of this instrumental technique in the framework of the scientific research in Antarctica, with a comprehensive review on the main literature of the last two decades. Due to the wideness of the topic, the present review is limited to the determination of organic pollutants, natural molecules and biomarkers in Antarctica, thus excluding elemental analysis and studies on inorganic species. The work has been divided into five sections, on the basis of the considered environmental compartment: air; ice and snow; seawater, pack ice and lakes; soil and sediments; and organisms and biomarkers. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.