A new anion receptor utilizing carbamate functionality as hydrogen bonding site has been designed and synthesized. This new receptor 2 has two amide hydrogens and two carbamate hydrogens anchored at 1,8-position of anthracene. These four hydrogens form a concave structure for the anions and the receptor 2 was found to be a selective receptor for acetate among the anions investigated.

Three types of ${\beta}$-ketoacyl acyl carrier protein synthase (KAS) are important for overcoming the bacterial resistance problem. Recently, we reported the discovery of a antimicrobial flavonoid, YKAF01 (3,6-dihydroxyflavone), which exhibits antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria through inhibition of ${\beta}$-ketoacyl acyl carrier protein synthase III (KAS III). In this report, we suggested that YKAF01 can be an inhibitor ${\beta}$-ketoacyl acyl carrier protein synthase I (KAS I) with dual inhibitory activity for KAS I as well as KAS III. KAS I is related to the elongation of unsaturated fatty acids in bacterial fatty acid synthesis and can be a good therapeutic target of designing novel antibiotics. We performed docking study of Escherichia coli KAS I (ecKAS I) and YKAF01, and determined their binding model. YKAF01 binds to KAS I with high binding affinity ($2.12{\times}10^6$) and exhibited an antimicrobial activity against the multidrug-resistant E. coli with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 512 ${\mu}g$/mL. Further optimization of this compound will be carried out to improve its antimicrobial activity and membrane permeability against bacterial cell membrane.

To quantify the presence of mercuric ions in aqueous solution, double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) of poly(dT) was employed using a light switch compound, $Ru(phen)_2(dppz)^{2+}$ (1) which is reported to intercalate into dsDNA of a right-handed B-form. Addition of mercuric ions induced the dehybridization of poly(dT)${\cdot}$poly(dA) duplexes to form a hairpin structure of poly(dT) at room temperature and the metal-to-ligand charge transfer emission derived from the intercalation of 1 was reduced due to the dehybridization of dsDNA. As the concentration of $Hg^{2+}$ was increased, the emission of 1 progressively decreased. This label-free emission method had a detection limit of 0.2 nM. Other metal ions, such as $K^+$, $Ag^+$, $Ca^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$, $Mn^{2+}$, $Co^{2+}$, $Ni^{2+}$, $Cu^{2+}$, $Cd^{2+}$, $Cr^{3+}$, $Fe^{3+}$, had no significant effect on reducing emission. This emission method can differentiate matched and mismatched poly(dT) sequences based on the emission intensity of dsDNA.

A FRET-based high-throughput screening system was developed for the discovery of competitive smallmolecule Hsp90 inhibitors. The biarsenical fluorescein derivative FlAsH and dabcyl-conjugated Hsp90 inhibitor GM were employed as the FRET donor and quencher, respectively. The spatial proximity perturbation between FlAsH-labeled Hsp90N and GM-dabcyl upon treatment of a small molecule led to changes in the FRET-induced fluorescence, monitored in a high-throughput fashion.

The fluorescence of norfloxacin was quenched by various nucleotides. The ratio of the fluorescence intensities in the absence and presence of nucleotide was linearly dependent on nucleotide concentration, suggesting that quenching occurred through the formation of nonfluorescent norfloxacin-nucleotide complexes. The gradient of the linear relationship represented the equilibrium constant of complex formation; it decreased with increasing temperature. The slopes of van't Hoff plots constructed from the temperature-dependent equilibrium constants were positive in all cases, indicating that complex formation was energetically favorable - i.e., exothermic, with negative Gibb's free energy. The equilibrium constant increased when triphosphate was used instead of monophosphate. It also increased when the oxygen at the $C'_2$ position of the nucleotide was removed. Both enhancements were due to entropic effects: entropy decreased when complexes with AMP or GMP formed, while it increased when norfloxacin complexed with ATP, GTP, dAMP and dGMP.

Dinuclear Ni(II)-thiophene halides, which contain linear bridging thienylenes, trans,trans-[$(PR_3)_2$(X)Ni-Y-Ni(X)$(PR_3)_2$] {X = Cl, Br; $H_2Y$ = 5,5'-dichloro-2,2'-bithiophene ($H_2bth$); $H_2tth$ = 5,5"-dichloro-2,2':5',2''-terthiophene ($H_2tth$)} were prepared by the oxidative addition of dihalobithiophene ($H_2bth$) or dihaloterthiophene ($H_2tth$) to [$Ni(COD)_2$] in the presence of tertiary phosphines. Subsequent reactions of $NaN_3$ with the dinuclear Ni(II)-thiophene chlorides gave the corresponding Ni(II)-azido complexes, trans,trans-[$(PR_3)_2(N_3)$Ni-Y-Ni$(N_3)(PR_3)_2$], whose reactivity toward trimethylsilyl pseudohalides such as trimethylsilyl isothiocyanates and cyanides was investigated. In addition, the reaction of trans-[$BrNi(PEt_3)_2-C_4H_2S-C_4H_2S$-CHO], a thienyl Ni(II) complex containing a terminal aldehyde group, with phosphonium ylide was examined.

The nucleophilic substitution reactions of diisopropyl chlorophosphate (3) with substituted anilines ($XC_6H_4NH_2$) and deuterated anilines ($XC_6H_4ND_2$) are investigated kinetically in acetonitrile at $55.0^{\circ}C$. The anilinolysis rate of 3 is rather slow to be rationalized by the conventional stereoelectronic effects. The obtained deuterium kinetic isotope effects (DKIEs; $k_H/k_D$) are secondary inverse ($k_H/k_D$ = 0.71-0.95) with maximum magnitude at X = H.A concerted mechanism involving predominant backside nucleophilic attack is proposed on the basis of the secondary inverse DKIEs.

To probe the chemical constituents of Patrinia scabra, we undertook the phytochemical investigation on its roots, which led to the isolation and elucidation of three new iridoid glucosides, scabroside A-C (1-3), along with three known iridoids, jatamanin J (4), isopatriscabroside I (5) and loganic acid (6) from the aqueous fraction of the ethanolic extract of the roots. The structures and relative configurations of the three new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including IR, UV, MS, 1D and 2D NMR experiments. Compound 3 was an unusual iridoid with an oxygen bridge connecting C-3 and C-8.

Two novel binuclear metal-organic coordination complexes $[Cd_2(L)_2(bpy)_2(H_2O)_2]{\cdot}6H_2O$ (1), $[Cd_2(L)_2(phen)_2-(H_2O)_2]{\cdot}2H_2O$ (2) (where L = 2-methylquinoline-3,4-dicarboxylate dianion, bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and characterized by single crystal Xray diffraction, spectral method (IR), elemental analysis and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Both 1 and 2 consist of two Cd(II) atoms bridged by two monoatomic bridging carboxylate groups from two L ligands, and the second carboxylate group of each L is monodentately coordinated to Cd(II), creating a sevenmembered chelating ring. The coordination at each metal nucleus is completed by a water molecule and a chelating bidentate molecule. The 3D structures of the complexes are stabilized by ${\pi}-{\pi}$ stacking interactions and hydrogen-bonds.

The interaction of bilobalide (BB) and ginkgolides B (GB) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated by fluorescent technique and UV/vis absorption spectroscopy. The results showed that BB and GB could intensively quench the fluorescence of BSA through a static quenching procedure. The binding constants (Ka) and the average binding distance between the donor (BSA) and the acceptor (ginkgolides) were obtained ($r_{BB}$ = 5.33 nm and $r_{GB}$ = 4.20 nm) by the theory of non-radiation energy transfer, and then the thermodynamic parameters such as ${\Delta}S^0$ (0.17-0.32 kJ/mol), ${\Delta}G^0$ (-20.76 ~ -17.79 kJ/mol) and ${\Delta}H^0$ (32.47-76.52 kJ/mol) could be calculated, respectively. All these results revealed that the interaction of BB and GB with BSA were driven mainly by hydrophobie force. The synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy was applied to examine the effect of two ginkgolides on the configuration of BSA. The configuration alteration of BSA could be induced by the hydrophobicitv environment of tyrosine with the increase of the drug concentration.

Ag(I) carboxylate gelators with mixed-ligands were systemically investigated to understand the mechanism of the organic gel formation. The gelators constructed 3-D networks of nanometer-sized thin fibers which facilitated gel formation in various aromatic organic solvents, even at very low concentrations. The loss of reflection peaks in the X-ray diffraction data indicated the reduction of strong interactions between the long alkyl chains as the Ag(I) carboxylates formed gels by maximizing their interactions with the organic solvents. The gelation temperature ($T_{gel}$) was measured to explore the interaction between the gelator molecules and solvents depending on their composition and concentration. Based on the gelation phenomena, a dissociation/re-association mechanism was proposed.

Monodispersed porous NiO and $Co_3O_4$ microcapsules with a hollow core were synthesized using SBA-16 silica sol and PS as a hard template. The porous hollow microcapsules were characterized by XRD, TEM and $N_2$ adsorption/desorption analysis. After $H_2$ reduction of metal oxide microspheres, they were conducted as an active catalyst in the reduction of chiral butylronitrile and cyanobenzene. The mesoporous metals having a hollow structure showed a higher activity than a nonporous metal powder and an impregnated metal on the carbon support.

The materials composed of the 3d series transition metals are introduced into the hydrocarbon steam-reforming reaction in order to enhance the $H_2$ production and abruptly depress the catalytic deactivation resulting from the strong sintering between the Ni component and the ${\gamma}-Al_2O_3$ support. The conventional impregnation method is used to synthesize the Ni/3d series metal/${\gamma}-Al_2O_3$ materials through the sequentially loading Ni source and the 3d series metal (Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, and Zn) sources onto the ${\gamma}-Al_2O_3$ support. The Mnloaded material exhibits a significantly higher reforming reactivity than the conventional Ni/${\gamma}-Al_2O_3$ and the other Ni/3d series metal/${\gamma}-Al_2O_3$ materials. Particularly the addition of Mn selectively improves the $H_2$ product selectivity by eliminating the formation of $CH_4$ and CO. The $H_2$ production is maximized at a value of 95% over Ni(0.3)/Mn(0.3)/${\gamma}-Al_2O_4$(1.0) with a butane conversion of 100% above $750^{\circ}C$ for up to 55 h.

The properties of monomeric and dimeric salen-aluminum complexes, [salen(3,5-$^tBu)_2$Al(OR)], R = $OC_6H_4-p-C_6H_6$ (H1) and R = [salen(3,5-$^tBu$)AlOPh]C$(CH_3)_2$ (H2) (salen = N,N'-bis-(salicylidene)-ethylenediamine) as host layer materials in red phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PhOLEDs) were investigated. H1 and H2 exhibit high thermal stability with decomposition temperature of 330 and $370^{\circ}C$. DSC analyses showed that the complexes form amorphous glasses upon cooling of melt samples with glass transition temperatures of 112 and $172^{\circ}C$. The HOMO (ca. -5.2~-5.3 eV) and LUMO (ca. -2.3~-2.4 eV) levels with a triplet energy of ca. 1.92 eV suggest that H1 and H2 are suitable for a host material for red emitters. The PhOLED devices based on H1 and H2 doped with a red emitter, $Ir(btp)_2$(acac) (btp = bis(2-(2'-benzothienyl)-pyridinato-N,$C^3$; acac = acetylacetonate) were fabricated by vacuum-deposition and solution process, respectively. The device based on vacuum-deposited H1 host displays high device performances in terms of brightness, luminous and quantum efficiencies comparable to those of the device based on a CBP (4,4'-bis(Ncarbazolyl) biphenyl) host while the solution-processed device with H2 host shows poor performance.

Thermal behavior of poly (methyl methacrylate) was analyzed in the presence of tin (IV) chloride. Five different proportions - polymer to additive - were selected for casting films from common solvent. TG, DTG and DTA were employed to monitor thermal degradation of the systems. IR and py-GC-MS helped identify the decomposition products. The blends start degrading at a temperature lower than that of the neat polymer and higher than that of the pure additive. Complex formation between tin of additive and carbonyl oxygen (pendent groups of MMA units) was noticed in the films soon after the mixing of the components in the blends. The samples were also heated at three different temperatures to determine the composition of residues left after the expulsion of volatiles. The polymer, blends and additive exhibited a one step, two-step and three-step degradation, respectively. $T_0$ is highest for the polymer, lowest for the additive and is either $60^{\circ}C$ or $70^{\circ}C$ for the blends. The amount of residue increases down the series [moving from blend-1 (minimum additive concentration) to blend-5 (maximum additive concentration)]. For blend-1, it is 7% of the original mass whereas it is 16% for blend-5. $T_{max}$ also goes up as the concentration of additive in the blends is elevated. The complexation appears to be the cause of observed stabilization. Some new products of degradation were noted apart from those reported earlier. These included methanol, isobutyric acid, acid chloride, etc. Molecular-level mixing of the constituents and "positioning effect" of the additive may have brought about the formation of new compounds. Routes are proposed for the appearance of these substances. Horizontal burning tests were also conducted on polymer and blends and the results are discussed. Activation energies and reaction orders were calculated. Activation energy is highest for the polymer, i.e., 138.9 Kcal/mol while the range for blends is from 51 to 39 Kcal/mol. Stability zones are highlighted for the blends. The interaction between the blended parts seems to be chemical in nature.

A series of novel linear aromatic ether ketone polymers containing triazole units were synthesized by click chemistry and their structures and properties were characterized by FT-IR, $^1H$ NMR, GPC, TGA, DSC and WAXD. The results showed that these polymers exhibited relatively small molecular weights distributions, good thermal stability and solvent-repelling which could have potential applications as engineering thermoplastic.

New poly(arylene ether)s (PAEs) with both transparency and heat-resistance were prepared by a polycondensation of FBPODS, an ordered-sequence aromatic dihalide, and cardo typed aromatic diols containing fluorene and/or adamantane moiety and also non-cardo typed 1,5-naphthalene diol. The resulting polymers had their glass transition temperatures ranged from 202 to $247^{\circ}C$. Based on TGA data, they exhibited excellent thermal stabilities, showing 5% weight loss at $434-487^{\circ}C$. They had low thermal expansion coefficients of 58-59 ppm at temperature range of $50-200^{\circ}C$ as well as good mechanical properties with moduli of 1757-2143 MPa. The optical transmittance for the PAE films was over 70% at 550 nm, except for the PAE that contains naphthalene moiety (30% at 550 nm). They also showed water uptake of about 0.68% regardless of their chemical compositions. Therefore, the newly developed PAEs show strong potential as plastic substrates for flexible devices for display, solar cell and e-paper.

This study examines the photoelectric conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) when nanometer-sized Zr (0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mol %)-$TiO_2$ prepared using a solvothermal method is utilized as the working electrode material. The particle sizes observe in the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images are < 30 nm in all samples. The absorption band is slightly broadened at the tail for the 0.1 mol % Zr-$TiO_2$, and the intensity of the photoluminescence (PL) curves of the Zr-incorporated $TiO_2$ is significantly smaller than that of the pure $TiO_2$. Compared to that using pure $TiO_2$, the energy conversion efficiency is enhanced considerably by the application of Zr-$TiO_2$ in the DSSCs to approximately 6.17% for 0.5 mol % Zr-$TiO_2$ with the N719 dye (10.0 ${\mu}m$ film thickness and 5.0 mm ${\times}$ 5.0 mm cell area) under 100 mW/$cm^2$ of simulated sunlight.

Various aldoximes and ketoximes were efficiently reduced to their corresponding amines with $NaBH_3CN$ in the presence of $MoCl_5/NaHSO_4{\cdot}H_2O$ system. Reduction reactions were carried out in refluxing EtOH or DMF within 0.3-3.8 h to afford the amines in high to excellent yields.

Antimicrobial peptides have recently gained the much attention because of their ability to make defense system from attacking bacterial infections. Drosocin has been considered as very attractive antibiotic agents because of low toxicity against human erythrocytes and active at the low concentration. We have studied the structureactivity relationship of a glycopeptide drosocin focused on the N-acetyl-D-galactoside at $Thr^{11}$ residue. Based on the radial diffusion assay, we found that the acetylation of carbohydrate moiety increased the antimicrobial activity and the $Pro^{10}$, present in the middle of drosocin plays an important role in the antimicrobial activity. Our results provide a good lead compound for further studies on the design of drosocin-based analogues targeting glyco linked Thr site.

$ZnMn_2O_4$ has been prepared by a mechanochemical process using a mixture of $Mn_2O_3$ and ZnO as starting materials, and investigated as a possible anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The phase evolution and morphologies of the ball-milled and annealed powders are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive microanalysis (EDX), respectively. The solid-state reaction for the formation of $ZnMn_2O_4$, under the given experimental conditions, is achieved in a short time (30 min), and the prepared samples exhibit excellent electrochemical performances including an enhanced initial coulombic efficiency, high reversible capacity, and stable capacity retention with cycling.

We fabricated ceria ($CeO_2$) nanofibers by applying a mixed solution of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and various concentrations of cerium nitrate hydrate ($Ce(NO_3)_3$) ranging from 15.0 to 26.0 wt % by the electrospinning process. Ceria nanofibers were obtained after calcining PVP/$Ce(NO_3)_3$ nanofiber composites at 873 and 1173 K. The SEM images indicated that the diameters of $CeO_2$ nanofibers calcined at 873 and 1173 K were smaller than those of nanofibers obtained at RT. As the amount of cerium increased, the diameter of $CeO_2$ nanofibers increased. XRD analysis revealed that the ceria nanofibers were in cubic form. TEM results revealed that the ceria nanofibers were formed by the interconnection of Ce oxide nanoparticles. The ceria nanofibers obtained at low concentrations of Ce (CeL) showed spotty ring patterns indicated that the ceria nanofibers were polycrystalline structure. And the ceria nanofibers obtained at high concentration of Ce (CeH) showed fcc (001) diffraction pattern. XPS study indicated that the oxidation of Ce shifted from $Ce^{3+}$ to $Ce^{4+}$ as the calcination temperature increased.

A simple efficient and neat synthesis of ${\alpha}$-hydroxy phosphonates has been accomplished from aromatic/heterocyclic aldehydes and diethyl phosphite using $KHSO_4$ as a catalyst under solvent-free conditions at ambient temperature. These compounds are characterized by spectral and analytical data and tested for their anti-oxidant activity.

Oleanolic acid (OA) as template molecule, polyamide-6 (PA6) as basement membrane and poly(styrene-comaleic acid) (PSMA) were used to prepare PA6/PSMA-OA molecularly imprinted composite membranes by phase inversion method in supercritical $CO_2$ ($ScCO_2$). The template molecule (OA), [poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (PSMAH), PSMA, molecularly imprinted membranes (MIMs) imprinting OA and MIMs after elution were all characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The conditions that were the mass ratio between PSMA and OA from 3:1 to 8:1, temperature of $ScCO_2$ from $35^{\circ}C$ to $50^{\circ}C$ and pressure of $ScCO_2$ 12 MPa to 17 MPa were studied. It was obtained the largest adsorption rate and purity of OA after adsorption of the resultant MIMs, 50.41% and 96.15% respectively. After using PA6 film and non-woven fabrics as basement membrane respectively, it was found that smaller aperture of PA6 was used as basement membrane, a higher adsorption rate and a higher purity of OA after adsorption of the MIMs were obtained, and so were the stability and reproducibility of the resultant MIMs. After template molecules being removed, the MIMs had effective selectivity hydrogen bonding to separately bind in the binary components to the template molecules-oleanolic acid.

The nucleophilic substitution reactions of 1,2-phenylene phosphorochloridate (1) with substituted anilines ($XC_6H_4NH_2$) and deuterated anilines ($XC_6H_4ND_2$) are investigated kinetically in acetonitrile at $-15.0^{\circ}C$. The studied substrate of 1,2-phenylene phosphorochloridate is cyclic five-membered ring of phosphorus ester, and the anilinolysis rate of 1 is much faster than its acyclic analogue (4: ethyl phenyl chlorophosphate) because of extremely small magnitude of the entropy of activation of 1 compared to 4. The Hammett and Bronsted plots exhibit biphasic concave upwards for substituent X variations in the nucleophiles with a break point at X = 3-Me. The values of deuterium kinetic isotope effects (DKIEs; $k_H/k_D$) change from secondary inverse ($k_H/k_D$ < 1) with the strongly basic anilines to primary normal ($k_H/k_D$ > 1) with the weakly basic anilines. The secondary inverse with the strongly basic anilines and primary normal DKIEs with the weakly basic anilines are rationalized by the transition state (TS) variation from a predominant backside attack to a predominant frontside attack, in which the reaction mechanism is a concerted $S_N2$ pathway. The primary normal DKIEs are substantiated by a hydrogen bonded, four-center-type TS.

New Y-type polyester (3) containing nitrophenylazoresorcinoxy groups as NLO chromophores, which are components of the polymer backbone, was prepared and characterized. Polyester 3 is soluble in common organic solvents such as N,N-dimethylformamide and acetone. It shows a thermal stability up to $240^{\circ}C$ in thermogravimetric analysis with glass-transition temperature ($T_g$) obtained from differential scanning calorimetry near $116^{\circ}C$. The second harmonic generation (SHG) coefficient ($d_{33}$) of poled polymer film at the 1064 nm fundamental wavelength is around $4.63{\times}10^{-9}$ esu. The dipole alignment exhibits a thermal stability even at $4^{\circ}C$ higher than $T_g$, and there is no SHG decay below $120^{\circ}C$ due to the partial main-chain character of polymer structure, which is acceptable for NLO device applications.

An easy and convenient synthetic route to (S)-2-hydroxy-2'-(3-phenyluryl-benzyl)-1,1'-binaphthyl-3-carboxaldehyde (1), capable of recognizing tryptophan by fluorescence has been developed. The binol carboxaldehyde 1 exhibited a high selectivity to L-tryptophan over other examined L-${\alpha}$-amino acids such as alanine, phenylalanine, glutamine, arginine, lysine, serine, threonine, aspartat, valine, histidine and cysteine, with a fluorescence "turn-on" signal. In addition, 1 displayed chiral discrimination with good enantioselectivity toward L-tryptophan over D-tryptophan through different fluorescence enhancement factors.

We have studied the relative stability and atomic structures of five $C_{20}X_2$ regioisomers obtained as diadducts of a $C_{20}$ cage (X = H, F, Cl, Br, and OH). All the regioisomers are geometric isomers, i.e., they differ in their spatial arrangement. Full-geometry optimizations of the regioisomers have been performed using the hybrid density-functional (B3LYP/6-31G(d, p)) method. Our results suggest that the cis-1 regioisomer (the 1,2-diadduct) is the most stable and that the second most stable is the trans-2 (1,13-diadduct) regioisomer, implying that the long-range interaction between the two adducts and the resonance effect are more pronounced than the diadduct-induced strain in the $C_{20}$ cage. The HOMO and LUMO characteristics of each regioisomer with the same symmetry of structural regioisomers except $C_{20}(OH)_2$ are topologically same. This suggests that by using an entirely different set of characteristic chemical reactions for each regioisomer, we can distinguish between the five regioisomers for each $C_{20}$ diadduct derivative.

In this work, the amine grafting treated activated carbons were studied for carbon dioxide adsorbent. The surfaces of activated carbon were functionalized by 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane, which was subsequently grafted with amine compounds tris-(2-aminoethyl)amine and tri-ethylenetetramine and subjected to comparison. The surface functional groups of the amine grafted activated carbons were characterized using XPS. The textural properties of the amine grafted activated carbons were analyzed by $N_2$/77 K isotherms. Carbon dioxide adsorption behaviors of the amine grafted activated carbons were examined via the amounts of carbon dioxide adsorption at 298 K and 1.0 atm. From the results, tris-(2-aminoethyl)amine grafted activated carbons showed 43.8 $cm^3$/g of carbon dioxide adsorption while non-treated activated carbons and triethylenetetramine grafted activated carbons showed less carbon dioxide adsorption. These results were thought to be due to the presence of isolated amine groups in the amine compounds. Tris-(2-aminoethyl)amine grafted activated carbons have basic features that result in the enhancement of adsorption capacity of the carbon dioxide molecules, which have an acidic feature.

Reaction of barbituric acid (BA), 1,3-dimethyl barbituric acid (DMBA) and 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA) with cyanogen bromide and aldehydes in the presence of L-(+)-tartaric acid afforded a new route for the synthesis of stable heterocyclic 5-aryl-1H,1'H-spiro[furo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-6,5'-pyrimidine]2,2',4,4',6'(3H,3'H,5H)-pentaones which is a dimeric form of barbiturate (uracil and thiouracil derivative). In the reaction of 1,3-diethyl thiobarbituric acid (DETBA) the Knoevenagel condensation and then Michael adducts were obtained under the same condition. Structure elucidation is carried out by $^1H$ NMR, $^{13}C$ NMR, FT-IR and Mass analyses. Mechanism of the formation is discussed.

Isomeric trimethylbenzyl radicals were generated and vibronically excited from precursor 1,2,3,5-tetramethylbenzene, isodurene, with a large amount inert carrier gas helium in a corona excited supersonic expansion (CESE) using a pinhole-type glass nozzle. A long-path monochromator was used to record the visible vibronic emission spectra of the jet-cooled benzyl-type radicals in the $D_1{\rightarrow}D_0$ electronic transition. From the analysis of the spectra, we identified the evidence of the presence of three isomeric trimethylbenzyl radicals in the corona discharge, and obtained the electronic energy and a few vibrational mode frequencies in the ground electronic state for each isomer.

Copper oxide thin films were synthesized by reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering at different oxygen gas ratios. The chemical and physical properties of the thin films were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). XPS results revealed that the dominant oxidation states of Cu were $Cu^0$ and $Cu^+$ at 0% oxygen ratio. When the oxygen ratios increased above 5%, Cu was oxidized as CuO as detected by X-ray induced Auger electron spectroscopy and the $Cu(OH)_2$ phase was confirmed independent of the oxygen ratio. The valence band maxima were $1.19{\pm}0.09$ eV and an increase in the density of states was confirmed after formation of CuO. The thickness and roughness of copper oxide thin films decreased with increasing oxygen ratio. The crystallinity of the copper oxide films changed from cubic Cu through cubic $Cu_2O$ to monoclinic CuO with mean crystallite sizes of 8.8 nm (Cu) and 16.9 nm (CuO) at the 10% oxygen ratio level.

A new rhodamine B-coumarin conjugate (1) capable of recognizing both $Cu^{2+}$ and $Fe^{3+}$ using two different detection modes have been designed and synthesized. The metal ion induced optical changes of 1 were investigated in $CH_3CN-H_2O$ (1:1, v/v, HEPES 50 mM, pH = 7.0) solution. Sensor 1 exhibits selective colorimetric recognition of $Cu^{2+}$ and fluorescent recognition of $Fe^{3+}$ with UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, respectively. Moreover, both of the $Cu^{2+}$ and $Fe^{3+}$ recognition processes are observed to be barely interfered by other coexisting metal ions.

We have investigated the cytotoxic potential of tellurium (Te) nanowires in BALB/3T3 fibroblast cells. Te nanowires were synthesized through an aqueous phase surfactant assisted method. Toxicological experiments, such as analysis of morphological changes, MTT assay, DAPI staining, and estimation of intracellular reactive oxygen species, were carried out to reveal the cytotoxic effects of Te nanowires. Te nanowires were found to be cytotoxic at all concentrations tested, in a dose-dependent manner. The UV/Vis spectra of Te nanowires suspended in a culture medium showed drastic changes and disappearance of two broad absorption peaks. The physicochemical properties such as, surface charge, size, and shape of Te nanowires were found to be altered during exposure of cells, due to the instability and agglomeration of nanowires in the culture medium. These results suggest that the chemical components of the DMEM medium significantly affect the stability of Te nanowires. In addition, TEM images revealed that necrosis was the basic pattern of cell death, which might stem from the formation of toxic moieties of tellurium, released from nanowire structures, in the bioenvironment. These observations thus suggest that Te nanomaterials may pose potential risks to environmental and human health.

Kinetic and structural studies have been carried out on the effects of meso-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)-porphyrin ($H_2TPPS_4$) as an anionic and meso-tetrakis(3-N-methyl-pyridyl)porphyrin ($H_2TMPYP$) as a cationic porphyrin with adenosine deaminase (ADA) in 25 mM citrate/phosphate buffer, pH = 4-8, at $37^{\circ}C$ using UVvis spectrophotometry, circular dichroism (CD), fluorescence spectrophotometry as well as molecular dynamics (MD) and molecular docking. Kinetic results showed that the two porphyrins are non-competitive inhibitors. Increasing pH, increases $K_I$ and cationic porphyrin has a higher $K_I$ and lower binding constant ($K_b$) at all pH ranges. Analyzing the secondary structure revealed that both ligands decrease the secondary structure and that the anionic porphyrin is more effective.

The endogenous neurotoxin, 1-methyl-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (salsolinol), has been considered a potential causative factor for the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). In this study, we examined oxidative modification of neurofilament-L (NF-L) induced by salsolinol. When disassembled NF-L was incubated with salsolinol, the aggregation of protein was increased with the concentration of sasolinol. The formation of carbonyl compound was obtained in salsolinol-mediated NF-L aggregates. This process was protected by free radical scavengers, such as N-acetyl-L-cysteine and glutathione. These results suggest that the aggregation of NF-L is mediated by salsolinol via the generation of free radicals. We also investigated the effects of copper ion on salsolinol-mediated NF-L modification. In the presence of copper ions, salsolinol enhanced the modification of NF-L. We suggest that salsolinol might be related to abnormal aggregation of NF-L which may be involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases and related disorders.

Apolipoprotein A-I (Apo A-I) is a major component for high density lipoproteins (HDL). A number of mimetic peptides of Apo A-I were screened from the phase-displayed random peptide library by utilizing monoclonal antibodies (A12). Mimetic peptide for A12 epitope against Apo A-I was selected as CPFARLPVEHHDVVGL (pA1). From the BLAST search, the mimetic peptide pA1 had 40% homology with Apo A-I. As a result of the structural determination of this mimotope using homo/hetero nuclear 2D-NMR techniques and NMR-based distance geometry (DG)/molecular dynamic (MD) computations, DG structure had low penalty value of 0.3-0.7 ${\AA}^2$ and the total RMSD was 0.6-1.6 ${\AA}$. The mimotope pA1 exhibited characteristic conformation including a ${\beta}$-turn from Pro[7] to His[11].

Distribution diagram of $FeCl_2$ in HCl solution indicated that $FeCl^+$ was a predominant species in strong HCl solution up to 10 M. Solvent extraction of $FeCl_2$ has been performed in the HCl concentration range from 5 to 9 M by using Alamine336 as an extractant. Interaction parameter of $FeCl^+$ for Bromley equation was estimated from our solvent extraction data. This parameter thus obtained in our study can be employed in calculating the activity coefficient of $FeCl^+$ in high concentration of HCl.

Some of metal nanoparticles have the potential for use as colorimetric assays for estimating solution properties, such as pH and temperature due to localized surface plasmon (LSP) phenomena. This report describes the use of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) conjugated with cytochrome c (Cyt c) for the colorimetric determination of solution pHs. When the pH of a solution decreases, the Cyt c immobilized on the AgNP undergoes a conformational change, leading to a decrease in the interparticle distance between Cyt c-AgNP probes and consequent red-shift in LSP. As a result, the color of the Cyt c-AgNP probe solution changes from yellow to red and finally to a grayish blue in the pH range from 11 to 3. This gradual color change can be used to determine the pH of a solution over a wide pH range, compared to other colorimetric methods that use gold nanoparticles.

An on-line flow injection analysis with dual pre-concentration method was developed to determine the ultra trace tri and hexavalent chromium in water. In this system, the cation and anion pre-concentration columns were combined with a 10-port injection valve and then used to separate and concentrate Cr (III) and Cr (VI) selectively. The two species of concentrated chromium were sequentially eluted and determined by using HCl-KCl buffer of pH 1.8 as an eluent. Cr (III) was oxidized by hydrogen peroxide to Cr (VI). It was detected spectrophotometrically at 548 nm by complexation with DPC (diphenylcarbazide). Several factors such as concentration of $H_2O_2$, DPC and coil length in reaction condition were optimized. The linear range for Cr (III) and Cr (VI) was 0.1-50 ${\mu}g$/L. The limit of detections ($3{\sigma}$) of Cr (III) and Cr (VI) were 52 ng/L and 44 ng/L under the optimized FIA system, and their recoveries 98% and 103%, respectively. This method was applied to analyze contamination level of chromium species in tap water, groundwater and bottled water.

The spectroscopic behavior of catechin (5,7,3',4'-tetrahydroxyflavan-3-ol), has been studied in the presence and the absence of air using UV-vis absorption spectrophotometry and fluorescence spectroscopy. The UV-vis absorption spectrum of catechin shows a very sharp and strong absorption maximum peak at 275 nm in deaerated water. New absorption maximum peaks appeared in aerated water, as well as in basic aqueous solution, caused by the oxidation of catechin. The absorbances in the UV-vis absorption spectrum of catechin decreased when the solution was left in the dark for a long time. The fluorescence emission spectrum of catechin after a long time period differs markedly from that in freshly prepared solution; the fluorescence maxia shifted as time passes after adding catechin to the solutions. When the deaerated basic catechin solutions were left in the dark for a long time, their fluorescence quantum yields were found to be nearly zero. This suggests that the oxidized catechin molecules were seen to have slowly undergone successive chemical reactions in basic buffer solution.

Solvent-free reduction of various aldoximes and ketoximes to the corresponding amines was performed easily and efficiently with $NaBH_4$ in the presence of $ZrCl_4$ supported on $Al_2O_3$. The reactions were carried out rapidly (within 2 min) at room temperature to afford the amines in high to excellent yields.

The $Mg_xZn_{1-x}O$ thin films with the various content ratio ranging from 0 to 0.4 were prepared by sol-gel spincoating method. To investigate the effects of content ratio on the structural and optical properties of the $Mg_xZn_{1-x}O$ thin films, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and photoluminescence (PL) were carried out. With increase in the content ratio, the grain size of the $Mg_xZn_{1-x}O$ thin films was increased, however, at the content ratio above 0.2, MgO particles with cubic structure were formed on the surface of the $Mg_xZn_{1-x}O$ thin films, indicating that the Mg content exceeded its solubility limit in the thin films. The residual stress of the $Mg_xZn_{1-x}O$ thin films is increased with increase in the Mg mole fraction. In the PL investigations, the bandgap and the activation energy of the $Mg_xZn_{1-x}O$ thin films was increased with the Mg mole fraction.

In order to extend the scaffold of non-peptidic calpain inhibitor, we have designed and synthesized 14 chalcone derivatives categorized into two groups based on their structures. Compounds 7 ($IC_{50}=16.67{\pm}0.42{\mu}M$) and 8 ($IC_{50}=16.92{\pm}0.14{\mu}M$) in group A were most selective ${\mu}$-calpain inhibitor over cathepsins B and L. On the other hand, compound 14 possessing furan ring exhibited inhibitory activities for ${\mu}$-calpain ($IC_{50}=15.39{\pm}1.34{\mu}M$) as well as cathepsin B ($IC_{50}=20.59{\pm}1.35{\mu}M$). The results discovered implicated that chalcone analogues possessing proper size and functional groups can be a potential lead core for selective non-peptidic ${\mu}$-calpain inhibitor. Furthermore, dual inhibitors for ${\mu}$-calpain and cathepsin B can also be developed from chalcones by elaborate structure manipulation.