A Two‐Dimensional Coordination Compound as a Zinc Ion Selective Luminescent Probe for Biological Applications

A 2D coordination compound {[Cu₂(HL)(N₃)]?ClO₄}_∞ ( 1 ; H₃L=2,6‐bis(hydroxyethyliminoethyl)‐4‐methyl phenol) was synthesized and characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction to be a polymer in the crystalline state. Each [Cu₂(HL)(N₃)]⁺ species is connected to its adjacent unit by a bridging alkoxide oxygen atom of the ligand to form a helical propagation along the crystallographic a axis. The adjacent helical frameworks are connected by a ligand alcoholic oxygen atom along the crystallographic b axis to produce pleated 2D sheets. In solution, 1 dissociates into [Cu₂(HL)₂(H₃L)]?2H₂O ( 2 ); the monomer displays high selectivity for Zn²⁺ and can be used in HEPES buffer (pH 7.4) as a zinc ion selective luminescent probe for biological application. The system shows a nearly 19‐fold Zn²⁺‐selective chelation‐enhanced fluorescence response in the working buffer. Application of 2 to cultured living cells (B16F10 mouse melanoma and A375 human melanoma) and rat hippocampal slices was also studied by fluorescence microscopy.     

A glucose electrode based on carbon paste chemically modified with a ferrocene-containing siloxane polymer and glucose oxidase,coated with a poly(ester-sulfonic acid) cation-exchanger

A carbon-paste chemically modified with glucose oxidase and a ferrocene-containing siloxane polymer was further modified by coating the electrode surface with a poly(ester-sulfonic acid) cation-exchanger, Eastman AQ-29D. The polymer is obtained as a homogeneous aqueous dispersion at pH 5–6; when dried, the polymer coating is not water-soluble. The coating was shown not to be detrimental to the enzyme activity but to prevent electrochemically active anionic interferents such as ascorbate and urate from reaching the electrode surface. The polymer coating also prevented glucose oxidase from leaking out of the carbon paste into the contacting solution and protected the electrode surface from fouling agents present in urine and bovine serum albumin. Uncoated electrodes lost some 10-2-15% of their original response to glucose after storage in buffer for three weeks whereas the response of the coated electrodes remained constant. Calibration curves for glucose were strictly linear up to about 5 mM for uncoated and up to 20 mM for coated electrodes. The response current to glucose was not decreased after coating.     

Optimizing the rapidity limit for nuclear stopping in intermediate energy heavy-ion collisions

A systematic study regarding the role of participant matter and spectator matter in nuclear stopping using isospin-dependent quantum molecular dynamics model is presented. The simulations have been carried out with soft equation of state along with the reduced isospin-dependent cross section to study the effect of different types and sizes of rapidity distributions on nuclear stopping for the whole colliding geometry with density-dependent symmetry energy. In addition to that, we attempt to investigate the role of isospin in heavy-ion collisions by calculating the individual contribution of neutrons and protons in nuclear stopping for different systems having different isotopic content.     

Observation of field induced anomalous quantum criticality in Ce0.6Y0.4NiGe2 compound

We report the results of our investigation of magnetization and heat capacity on a series of compounds Ce${}_{1?x}$Y_xNiGe₂ ($x=0.1,0.2\text{ and }0.4$) under the influence of external magnetic field. Our studies of the thermodynamic quantity $?\mathrm{d}M/\mathrm{d}T$ on these compounds indicate that magnetic frustration persists in Ce_0.9Y_0.1NiGe₂, as also reported for the parent compound CeNiGe₂. The weak signature of this frustration is also noted in Ce_0.8Y_0.2NiGe₂, whereas, it is suppressed in Ce_0.6Y_0.4NiGe₂. Heat capacity studies on Ce_0.9Y_0.1NiGe₂ and Ce_0.8Y_0.2NiGe₂ indicate the presence of a new magnetic anomaly at high field which indicates that quantum criticality is absent in these compounds. However, for Ce_0.6Y_0.4NiGe₂ such an anomaly is not noted. For this later compound, the magnetic field (H) and temperature (T) dependence of heat capacity and magnetization obey $H/T$ scaling above critical fields. However, the obtained scaling critical parameter (δ) is 1.6, which is away from mean field value of 3. This deviation suggests the presence of unusual fluctuations and anomalous quantum criticality in these compounds. This unusual fluctuation may arise from disorderness induced by Y-substitution.     

A Self-Healing Metal–Organic Hydrogel for an All-Solid Flexible Supercapacitor

A zinc containing metal–organic gel (Zn-MOG) with embedded free ions, which exhibits self-healing properties, has been synthesized for application in supercapacitors. The activated carbon-based flexible supercapacitor device with the MOG electrolyte has a broad potential window of 2.1 V, with high retention of specific capacitance compared to the traditional polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based gel. The Zn-MOG does not require an additional electrolyte. The sodium and sulphate ions embedded in the MOG are sufficient enough for the charge storage.     

Synthesis of thio- and furan-fused heterocycles: furopyranone,furopyrrolone, and thienopyrrolone derivatives

We report herein the synthesis of a novel class of compounds, ethyl 4-oxo-4H-furo[3,2-c]pyran-6-yl carbonate, (7E)-7-[(dimethylamino)methylene]-4H-furo[3,2-c]pyran-4,6(7H)-dione, 5-oxo-N-phenyl-2,5-dihydro-4H-furo[3,2-b]pyrrole-4-carboxamide, and 5-oxo-N-phenyl-5,6-dihydro-4H-thieno[3,2-b]pyrrole-4-carboxamide starting from the corresponding acid derivatives. Intramolecular cyclization in the presence of thionyl chloride formed the target fused ring systems. Additional transformation was seen in the cyclization of furan-fused heterocycle. A mechanism was proposed based on experimental and computational findings.     

Combined OX40 Agonist and PD-1 Inhibitor Immunotherapy Improves the Efficacy of Vascular Targeted Photodynamic Therapy in a Urothelial Tumor Model

Purpose: Vascular targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP) is a nonsurgical tumor ablation approach used to treat early-stage prostate cancer and may also be effective for upper tract urothelial cancer (UTUC) based on preclinical data. Toward increasing response rates to VTP, we evaluated its efficacy in combination with concurrent PD-1 inhibitor/OX40 agonist immunotherapy in a urothelial tumor-bearing model. Experimental design: In mice allografted with MB-49 UTUC cells, we compared the effects of combined VTP with PD-1 inhibitor/OX40 agonist with those of the component treatments on tumor growth, survival, lung metastasis, and antitumor immune responses. Results: The combination of VTP with both PD-1 inhibitor and OX40 agonist inhibited tumor growth and prolonged survival to a greater degree than VTP with either immunotherapeutic individually. These effects result from increased tumor infiltration and intratumoral proliferation of cytotoxic and helper T cells, depletion of Treg cells, and suppression of myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that VTP synergizes with PD-1 blockade and OX40 agonist to promote strong antitumor immune responses, yielding therapeutic efficacy in an animal model of urothelial cancer.     

Synthesis and characterization of sulfone containing main chain oligobenzoxazine precursors

The preparation of soluble and processable polybenzoxazine precursors capable of forming high performance networks is an important field of research with a broad spectrum of application. This study demonstrates an approach that utilizes aromatic sulfonediamine, bisphenol‐A, and formaldehyde in Mannich‐type polycondesation to prepare polybenzoxazine precursor. The structure of the oligomeric precursor (M_n = 2600) was confirmed by FTIR and ¹H NMR spectral analysis. The precursor contained both sulfone and benzoxazine ring structures in the backbone. It was shown that small amount of ring‐opened phenolic groups were also present. Thermally activated self‐curing behavior of precursor in the absence of catalyst was studied by differential scanning calorimetry. Thermal properties of the cured polymers were also investigated by thermo gravimetric analysis. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Surface Trapping and STM Observation of Conformational Isomers of a Bis(Terpyridine) Ligand from Metallosupramolecular Grids

Tetranuclear Co‐grid complexes incorporating bis‐tridentate ligands, namely 4,6‐bis(2,2′‐bipyrid‐6‐yl)‐2‐phenylpyrimidine, were electrosprayed onto a Au(111) substrate under an ultrahigh vacuum. Fragmentation occurs leaving the ligands in four different conformations. Most ligands are found to form H‐bonded dimers. The most abundant conformer of the ligand on the Au surface is an asymmetric form, which has not been observed before. The present results indicate that the fragmentation of coordination compounds during the deposition process, in principle, allows for surface trapping, identification, and investigation of high energy, out‐of‐equilibrium conformations of the ligand molecules at low temperatures, which otherwise would not be observable.