The fluid ensemble in the liquid lens, which is composed of electrolyte and silicone oil, is the key material system to vary the focal length processing of the electrochemical desorption. In order to characterize the capability of the liquid lens according to response time and optical range, we prepared a fluid ensemble comprising the electrolyte and oil. To elucidate the physical mechanism of the effective response time, we examined the viscosity dependency while satisfying the requirements for the density and refractive index of the electrolyte and oil, respectively. The characterization results indicated that the response time (up and down) is influenced by the viscosity of the electrolyte and oil. On this basis, we prepared a fluid ensemble capable of reversibly adjusting for the focal length of the liquid lens, as well as the response time. The ensemble is applicable to various systems such as micro-lens and optical sensors.

The interaction of myelin basic protein (MBP) from bovine central nervous system with divalent calcium ion was studied by isothermal titration calorimetry at 27 ${^{\circ}C}$ in aqueous solution. The extended solvation model was used to reproduce the enthalpies of $Co^{2+}$-MBP interaction over the whole $Co^{2+}$ concentrations. The solvation parameters recovered from the solvation model were attributed to the structural change of MBP due to the metal ion interaction. It was found that there is a set of three identical and noninteracting binding sites for $Co^{2+}$ ions. The association equilibrium constant is 0.015 ${\mu}M^{-1}$. The molar enthalpy of binding is $\Delta$H = −14.60 kJ $mol^{-1}$.

We have studied the folding mechanism of $\beta$ -hairpins in the proteins 1GB1, 3AIT and 1A2P by conducting unfolding simulations at moderately high temperatures. The analysis of trajectories obtained from molecular dynamics simulations in explicit aqueous solution suggests that the positions of the hydrophobic core residues lead to subtle differences in the details of folding dynamics. However, the folding of three different hairpins can be explained by a unified mechanism that is a blend of the hydrogen-bond-centric and the hydrophobiccentric models. The initial stage of $\beta$-hairpin folding involves various partially folded intermediate structures which are stabilized by both the van der Waals interactions of hydrophobic core residues and the electrostatic interactions of non-native hydrogen bonds. The native structure is obtained by forming native contacts in the final tune-up process. Depending on the relative positions of the hydrophobic residues, the actual mechanism of hairpi n folding may or may not exhibit well-defined intermediates.

To increase the solubility of sibutramine freebase, the solid dispersion was prepared using a fluid-bed granulator. The solid dispersion containing sibutramine freebase was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). After filling the sibutramine solid dispersion in the gelatin hard capsule, we performed in vitro dissolution test, the stability test under accelerated conditions and pharmacokinetic study in beagle dogs. The DSC and XRD data showed that sibutramine solid dispersion would be amorphous state. The dissolution rate of sibutramine solid dispersion was significantly increased about 70% than sibutramine freebase. The stability of sibutramine solid dispersion capsules was equivalent or above to commercial product of sibutramine. In beagle dogs, the sibutramine solid dispersion showed equivalent pharmacokinetic behavior with commercial product of sibutramine hydrochloride. In conclusion, the solid dispersion system provided a possible way to overcome the low solubility of sibutramine freebase, and the sibutramine solid dispersion can be a bioequivalent with the commercial product in humans.

A short and highly efficient synthetic method to prepare synthetically useful tetrahydroindolizinone derivatives from the ring-closing metathesis of N-allyl-5-allyl-5-hydroxylactams is described.

Nanoporous AAO (Anodic Aluminum Oxide) membranes have many advantages as a template for variety of magnetic materials. Materials can be embedded into the pores by electrodeposition, sputtering or magnetic-field-assisted infiltration of magnetic nanoparticles. This work focuses on the fabrication of the magnetic structures in the AAO templates by electrodeposition. Our method allows the controlled growth of Co nanostructures within the porous alumina membrane in the form of dots, rods and long wires. The shape of Co nanostructures has been investigated by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The magnetic hysteresis loops of Co nanostructures were measured using SQUID at 5 K and 300 K. The magnetic properties of the Co nanostructures are proportional to their aspect ratios and can be controlled by changing the aspect ratios.

Photoresponsive arylether dendrimers Bis-azo-Gn(3,5) 1a-1c and Bis-azo-Gn(3,4,5) 2a-2c (n = 1-3) with an azobenzene unit at the core and several vinyl groups (3,5-bis(but-3-enyloxy)phenyl groups or 3,4,5-tris(but-3- enyloxy)phenyl groups) at the periphery have been prepared. Their structures and reversible trans-cis isomerization behaviors have been investigated by $^1H$-NMR, $^{13}C$-NMR, MALDI-TOF-Mass, and UV-vis spectra. All six azobenzene-cored dendrimers carried out very fast trans $\rightarrow$ cis photoisomerization on irradiation of 350 nm light and reached to the photostationary state within 180 s. During the dark incubation, slow thermal back reversion from cis to trans form is observed for all six dendrimers and is completed within 3 days for 1a-1c and 1 day for 2a-2c. Isomerization efficiency decreases with increasing generation. However, the initial reaction rates of both trans $\rightarrow$ cis photochemical isomerization and cis $\rightarrow$ trans thermal isomerization increases significantly with increasing generation for dendrimers for 1a-1c but only slightly for 2a-2c.

Second-order rate constants have been measured spectrophotometrically for the Michael-type reaction of 1-(Xsubstituted phenyl)-2-propyn-1-ones (2a-f) with amines in $H_2O$ at 25.0 ${\pm}$ 0.1 ${^{\circ}C}$. A linear Brønsted-type plot is obtained with ${\beta}_{nuc}$ = 0.25 ${\pm}$ 0.02, a typical $\beta_{nuc}$ value for reactions which proceed through a stepwise mechanism with attack of amine on the electrophilic center being the rate-determining step. Secondary alicyclic amines are found to be more reactive than isobasic primary amines. The Hammett plot for the reactions of 2a-f with morpholine is not linear, i.e., the substrate with a strong electron-donating group (e.g., 4-MeO) exhibits a negative deviation from the Hammett plot. However, the Yukawa-Tsuno plot for the same reactions exhibits an excellent linear correlation with ρ = 0.62 and r = 0.82. Thus, it has been proposed that the nonlinear Hammett plot is not due to a change in the ra te-determining step but due to ground-state stabilization through resonance interactions.

Second-order rate constants ($k_N$) have been measured spectrophotometrically for reactions of 3,4-dintrophenyl 2-furoate (2) with a series of secondary alicyclic amines in 80 mol % $H_2O$/20 mol % dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at 25.0 ${^{\circ}C}$. The Bronsted-type plot exhibits a downward curvature for the aminolysis of 2, which is similar to that reported for the corresponding reactions of 2,4-dintrophenyl 2-furoate (1). Substrate 2 is less reactive than 1 toward all the amines studied but the reactivity difference becomes smaller as the amine basicity increases. Dissection of the second-order rate constants into the microscopic rate constants has revealed that the reaction of 2 results in a smaller $k_2/k_{-1}$ ratio but slightly larger $k_1$ value than that of 1. Steric hindrance has been suggested to be responsible for the smaller $k_1$ value found for the reactions of 1, since the ortho-substituent of 1 would inhibit the attack of amines (i.e., the $k_1$ process).

In this work, silver nanoparticles-containing polyacrylonitrile (PAN) solutions in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) were electrospun to be webs consisting of nanofibers. The inputted voltage and PAN content in the solution were fixed at 15 kV and 10 wt.% in DMF with 10 cm of tip-to-collector distance (TCD). The PAN/Ag nanofiber webs were stabilized by oxidation at 250 ${^{\circ}C}$ for 2 h in air and carbonized at 1000 ${^{\circ}C}$ for 2 h in $N_2$. The resultant diameter distribution and morphologies of the nanofibers were evaluated by scanning electron microscope analysis. The electrochemical behaviors of the nanofiber webs were also observed by cyclic voltammetry tests. It was found that the presence of silver nanoparticles in carbon nanofiber webs led to the increase of specific capacitance and the decrease of fiber diameters.

Ag/Ni bimetallic cluster loading on porous carbon fibers was accomplished in order to enhance the HCl removal efficiency of the carbons. The surface properties of the Ag/Ni/carbons were determined by XRD and SEM. N2/77 K adsorption isotherms were investigated using BET and Boers t-plot methods. The HCl removal efficiency was confirmed by a gas chromatography technique, and it was found that that efficiency was predominantly improved in the presence of Ag/Ni clusters compared with the efficiencies of the as-received and single-metal-plated carbons. This indicates that synergetic reactions exist between Ag/Ni and HCl gas, resulting in advanced HCl removal capacity of porous carbons.

The present study is the first report of utilizing $TiO_2$ photocatalyst to analytically calibrate the hydroperoxyl radical ($HO_2\;^{\cdot}$). An in-situ calibration method of $HO_2\;^{\cdot}$ is proposed for air monitoring by using an 2-methyl-6-(pmethoxyphenyl)- 3,7-dihydroimidazo-[1,2-a]pyrazin-3-one (MCLA)-chemiluminescence (CL) technique. In this method, $HO_2\;^{\cdot}$($pK_a$ = 4.80) is produced by the ultraviolet (UV) photolysis of immobilized $TiO_2$ using a constant flow rate of air equilibrated water, in which $HO_2\;^{\cdot}$ is controlled by using various lengths of knotted tubing reactor (KTR). The principle of the proposed calibration is based on the experimentally determined halflife ($t_{1/2}$) of $HO_2\;^{\cdot}$ and its empirically observed pH-dependent rate constant, $k_{obs}$, at a given pH. The concentration of $HO_2\;^{\cdot}$/$O_2\;^{\cdot}$− is increased as pH increases. This pH dependence is due to the different disproportionative reactivities between $HO_2\;^{\cdot}$/$O_2\;^{\cdot}$− and $HO_2\;^{\cdot}$/$O_2\;^{\cdot}$−. Experimental results indicate the practical feasibility of the approach, producing very promising method.

Nucleophilic addition reaction of benzenethiols (PhSH) to 1-(2-nitrovinyl) benzenes ($\beta$ NS) in the presence of triethylamine (TEA) has been studied in acetonitrile at 25 ${^{\circ}C}$. The rate is first order with respect to [PhSH], [TEA] and [$\beta$ NS]. The reaction is found to proceed with the formation of ion-pair between benzenethiol and TEA. A suitable mechanism with the formation of an adduct between ion-pair and substrate in a slow step followed by its rearrangement to 1,2-addition product in a fast step has been proposed and corresponding rate law derived. From the rate law, the rate constants for the interaction between ion-pair and $\beta$NS have been evaluated. Interestingly, in both para-substituted substrates and benzenethiols the rate increases with the electron-withdrawing power of the substituents. The positive sign of $\rho_x$ in benzenethiols has been explained. The magnitude of cross-interaction constant, $\rho_{xy}$ is small (0.08). The magnitude of the Hammett $\rho_x$ values is higher than that of the Bronsted, $\beta_x$ values for benzenethiols. The kinetic isotope effect, $k_H/k_D$, is found to be greater than unity. A suitable transition state with simultaneous formation of $C_\beta$ -H and $B_\alpha$ -S bonds involving the ion-pair and $\beta$NS in a single concerted step has been proposed to account for these observations.

The formation of complex $XeHCl^+$ in the collision-induced reaction of $Xe^+$ with HCl has been studied by use of classical dynamics procedures using the London-Eyring-Polanyi-Sato empirical potential energy surfaces. A small fraction of trajectories on the $Xe^+$ + HCl and Xe + $HCl^+$ surfaces lead to the formation of complex $XeHCl^+$ with life-times of 1-2 ps which is long enough to survive many rotations before redissociating back to the reactant state. The formation of complex $XeHCl^+$ occurs mainly from collision angle of $\Theta$ = ${45^{\circ}}$.

An amphiphilic diacetylene compound was deposited on the surface of nano sized magnetite particles ($Fe_3O_4$) using a self-assembly method. The diacetylene molecular assembly formed on the surface of nanoparticle was subjected to photopolymerization. This resulted in the formation of a polymeric assembly on the surface of the nanoparticles in which the adjacent diacetylene molecules were connected through conjugated covalent networks. The presence of immobilized polymer species on the surface of nanoparticles is expected to protect them from agglomeration and ripening, thereby stabilizing their physical properties. In this work, $Fe_3O_4$ nanoparticles were prepared by chemical coprecipitation method and the diacetylene molecule 10,12- pentacosadiynoic acid (PCDA) was anchored to the surface of $Fe_3O_4$ nanoparticles through its carboxylate head group. Irradiation of UV light on the nanoparticles containing immobilized diacetylenes resulted in the formation of a polymeric assembly. Presence of diacetylene molecules on the surface of nanoparticles was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and FT-IR measurements. Photopolymerization of the diacetylene assembly was detected by UV-Visible spectroscopy. Magnetic properties of the nanoparticles coated with polymeric assembly were investigated with SQUID and magnetic hysteresis showed superparamagnetic behaviors. The results put forward a simple and effective method for achieving polymer coating on the surface of magnetic nanoparticle.

Using metallic Ti powder as raw materials and 1,2-diaminocyclohexane (DACH) as the trial template, two novel reduced titanophosphate open-structures were hydrothermally isolated by varying the $H_3PO_4/H_2O$ ratio to adjust the pH value. TiPO-1 crystallizes in orthorhombic Pbca space group with cell parameters a = 21.956(3) $\AA$, b = 8.6268(11) $\AA$, c = 7.2883(9) $\AA$, V = 1380.5(3) $\AA^3$, Z = 4. TiPO-2 crystallizes in triclinic space group P$\bar{1}$ with parameters a = 5.1620(10) $\AA$, b = 8.815(2) $\AA$, c = 10.655(3) $\AA$, $\alpha$ = $99.45^{\circ}$, $\beta$ = $102.94^{\circ}$, $\gamma$ = $91.06^{\circ}$, V = 465.34 $\AA^3$. TiPO-1 is constructed by infinite -Ti-O-Ti-O- linkage that is capped by $PO_4$ groups to form a chain structure with protonated DACH molecules occupying the interchain spaces. TiPO-2 represents a rare 3-D reduced titanophosphate with 12-MR channels. The structure of TiPO-2 is a neutral framework with water molecules located in the channels.

2,5-Di-(2'-hydroxyethoxy)benzylidenemalononitrile (3) was prepared and polymerized with 2,4-toluenediisocyanate and 3,3'-dimethoxy-4,4'-biphenylenediisocyanate to yield novel T-type polyurethanes 4 and 5 containing 2,5-dioxybenzylidenemalononitrile, nonlinear optical (NLO)-chromophores as part of the polymer backbones. Polyurethanes 4 and 5 were soluble in common organic solvents such as acetone and N,Ndimethylformamide and showed a thermal stability up to $250{^{\circ}C}$ with glass-transition temperatures ($T_g$) in the range $119-146{^{\circ}C}$. The second harmonic generation (SHG) coefficients ($d_{33}$) of poled polymer films at 1064 nm fundamental wavelength were around $5.82{\times}10^{-9}$ esu. The dipole alignment exhibited high thermal stability up to $T_g$, and there was no SHG decay below $140{^{\circ}C}$ due to the partial main-chain character of the polymer structure, which was acceptable for nonlinear optical device applications.

We have investigated the influence of the crystal structure on the chemical bonding nature and photocatalytic activity of cubic and hexagonal perovskite A[$Cr_{1/2}Ta_{1/2}$]O3 (A = Sr, Ba) compounds. According to neutron diffraction and field emission-scanning electron microscopy, the crystal structure and particle size of these compounds are strongly dependent on the nature of A-site cations. Also, it was found that the face-shared octahedra in the hexagonal phase are exclusively occupied by chromium ions, suggesting the presence of metallic (Cr-Cr) bonds. X-ray absorption and diffuse UV-vis spectroscopic analyses clearly demonstrated that, in comparison with cubic Sr[$Cr_{1/2}Ta_{1/2}$]$O_3$ phase, hexagonal Ba[$Cr_{1/2}Ta_{1/2}$]$O_3$ phase shows a decrease of Cr oxidation state as well as remarkable changes in interband Cr d-d transitions, which can be interpreted as a result of metallic (Cr-Cr) interactions. According to the test of photocatalytic activity, the present semiconducting materials have a distinct activity against the photodegradation of 4-chlorophenol. Also the Srbased compound was found to show a higher photocatalytic activity than the Ba-based one, which is attributable to its smaller particle size and its stronger absorption in visible light region.

We report the cathodoluminescence and aging properties of a series of green phosphors of formula $Sr_{1-x}M_xGa_2S_4$:Eu (x = 0.0-1.0, M = Ba or Ca) that have potential applications in field emission displays (FEDs). The series of phosphors was synthesized via NaBr-aided solid-state reactions in a flowing $H_2S$ stream. A low level ($\sim$20%) of Ba or Ca substitution for Sr in $SrGa_2S_4$:Eu maintains the orthorhombic phase of pure $SrGa_2S_4$:Eu phosphors. Further, a low level ($\sim$20%) of Ba or Ca substitution for Sr in $SrGa_2S_4$:Eu provides various green colors and sufficient brightness for FED applications. Substitution of Ba or Ca for Sr in $SrGa_2S_4$:Eu also improved the stability of the phosphor when it was operated under electron-beam irradiation of 5 kV.

A new diarylethene compound with donor and acceptor substituent was synthesized from 2,3-bis(2-methylbenzo[b]thiophene-3-yl)hexafluorocyclopentene (BTF) over 5 steps. The donor-acceptor structured BTF compound (TBTFE) showed spectral change to a longer wavelength through photochromism with a high cyclization quantum yield (0.56). The 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (T) and carboethoxy (E) groups directly connected to BTF unit promoted electrical change accompanied with the photoisomerization of the BTF unit. Photo-induced electrical switching was achieved from a photocell containing TBTFE doped polymer film, which showed reversible and stable current change over repeated cycles by the alternative UV/Vis irradiation, as estimated by the I-V plot.

Principal component-genetic algorithm-multiparameter linear regression (PC-GA-MLR) and principal component-genetic algorithm-artificial neural network (PC-GA-ANN) models were applied for prediction of melting point for 323 drug-like compounds. A large number of theoretical descriptors were calculated for each compound. The first 234 principal components (PC’s) were found to explain more than 99.9% of variances in the original data matrix. From the pool of these PC’s, the genetic algorithm was employed for selection of the best set of extracted PC’s for PC-MLR and PC-ANN models. The models were generated using fifteen PC’s as variables. For evaluation of the predictive power of the models, melting points of 64 compounds in the prediction set were calculated. Root-mean square errors (RMSE) for PC-GA-MLR and PC-GA-ANN models are 48.18 and $12.77{^{\circ}C}$, respectively. Comparison of the results obtained by the models reveals superiority of the PC-GA-ANN relative to the PC-GA-MLR and the recently proposed models (RMSE = $40.7{^{\circ}C}$). The improvements are due to the fact that the melting point of the compounds demonstrates non-linear correlations with the principal components.

Layer-by-layer assembled multilayers of poly(ethersulfone)s were deposited on the surface of Nafion membrane for the application of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). Aminated poly(ethersulfone) (APES) and sulfonated poly(ethersulfone) (SPES) were used as a polycation and a polyanion for fabrication of the multilayer films. UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy verified a linear build-up of the multilayers of APES and SPES on the surface of Nafion. Thin multilayer films deposited on the Nafion membrane enabled methanol permeability of the membrane to decrease by 78% in comparison with the pristine Nafion. The performance of DMFCs in concentrated methanol was highly enhanced by using the multilayer modified Nafion.

Novel mercaptophenyl carbocyclic C-nucleoside analogue was synthesized via a cyclopentenol intermediate 10, which was prepared using a sequential [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement and ring-closing metathesis (RCM). Friedel-Crafts alkylation was then used to couple the thiophenol.

The reactions of O,O-diphenyl Z-S-phenyl phosphorothiolates with X-pyridines have been studied kinetically in acetonitrile at $35.0{^{\circ}C}$. The Hammett plots for substituent (Z) variations in the leaving group (log $k_2$ vs. $\sigma$ Z) are biphasic concave downwards with breaks at Z = H. The large magnitudes of ${\rho}X(\rho_{nuc})$, ${\beta}X(\rho_{nuc})$, and the cross-interaction constant, $\rho$XZ, suggest frontside nucleophilic attack toward the leaving group. The sign reversal of $\rho$Z from positive in $\sigma$ Z $\leq$ 0 to negative in $\sigma$ Z $\geq$ 0 is interpreted as the change in mechanism from concerted to stepwise with rate-limiting expulsion of the leaving group. The anomalous negative sign of $\rho$ Z for leaving groups with electron-withdrawing substituents is interpreted as the intramolecular ligand exchange process of the leaving group from the equatorial position in the intermediate to the apical position in the TS.