A convenient synthesis of sulfonamides from thiols and disulfides is described. In situ preparation of sulfonyl chlorides from thiols is accomplished by oxidation with 1,3-dichloro-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (DCH) under Nbenzyl-trimethylammonium chloride and water. The sulfonyl chlorides are then further allowed to react with excess amine in the same reaction vessel.

A series of Pd-based catalysts were prepared and examined for the amination of 2,6-dimethylphenol in a fixedbed reactor. The best results were obtained for Pd/$Al_2O_3$-BaO with a conversion of 99.89% and a selectivity of 91.16%. These catalysts were characterized using BET, XRD, XPS, TEM and $NH_3$-TPD. Doped BaO not only improved the dispersion of the Pd particles but also decreased the acidity of the catalyst, which remarkably enhanced the selectivity and stability of the catalyst. The generality of Pd/$Al_2O_3$-BaO for this kind of reaction was demonstrated by catalytic aminations of o- and p-alkyl phenols.

We report a new route to synthesize high quality zinc blende CdS and ZnS nanocrystals in noncoordinating solvent 1-octadecene, using dodecanethiol (DDT) molecules as both the sulfur source and surface capping ligands. Different reaction temperatures and Cd(Zn)/DDT molar ratios were tested to optimize the synthesis conditions. Absorption photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize assynthesized nanocrystals. The narrow half width at the half-maximum on the long wavelength side of the firstexcitonic absorption peak and TEM images demonstrated nearly monodisperse size distributions of asprepared CdS, ZnS, and CdS/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals. Only trap emissions of the nanocrystals were detected when the amount of DDT was excessive, this came from the strong quenching effect of thiol groups on the nanocrystal surfaces. After overcoating with ZnS shells, band-gap emissions of CdS nanocrystals were partially recovered.

ZnSe/$SiO_2$ coaxial nanowires were synthesized by a two-step process: thermal evaporation of ZnSe powders and sputter-deposition of $SiO_2$. Two different types of nanowires are observed: thin rod-like ones with a few to a few tens of nanometers in diameter and up to a few hundred of micrometers in length and wide belt-like ones with a few micrometers in width. Room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurement showed that ZnSe/$SiO_2$ coaxial nanowires had an orange emission band centered at approximately 610 nm. The intensity of the orange emission from the $SiO_2$-sheathed ZnSe nanowires was enhanced significantly by annealing in a reducing atmosphere whereas it was degraded by annealing in an oxidizing atmosphere. The origins of the PL changes by annealing are discussed based on the energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis results.

In this study, the homogenous Pd nanoparticles (Pd NPs) were first prepared with bayberry tannin (BT) as the stabilizers. Subsequently, the obtained bayberry tannin-stabilized Pd nanoparticles (BT-Pd) were immobilized onto ${\gamma}-Al_2O_3$ to prepare heterogeneous ${\gamma}-Al_2O_3$-BT-Pd catalysts. Fourier Transformation Infrared Spectrum (FTIR) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analyses confirmed that the Pd NPs were well stabilized by the phenolic hydroxyl groups of BT. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) observation indicated that the diameter of the Pd NPs can be effectively controlled in the range of 4.2-16.0 nm by varying the amount of BT. It is found that the ${\gamma}-Al_2O_3$-BT-Pd catalysts exhibit highly activity for various olefin hydrogenations. For example, the initial TOF (turnover frequency) of the ${\gamma}-Al_2O_3$-BT-Pd in the allyl alcohol hydrogenation is as high as $12804 mol{\cdot}mol^{-1}{\cdot}h^{-1}$. Furthermore, the ${\gamma}-Al_2O_3$-BT-Pd can be reused 5 times without significant loss of activity, exhibiting a superior reusability as compared with conventionally prepared ${\gamma}-Al_2O_3$-Pd catalysts.

Xanthorrhizol is a bisabolane type of natural sesquiterpene, the major component of essential oils of Curcuma xanthorrhiza. 2-(3-Methoxy-4-methylphenyl)propan-1-ol and 2-(3-hydroxy-4-methyl phenyl)propan-1-ol could be essential building block for enantioselective synthesis of xanthorrhizol. Enantioselective (c = 53%, E = $80{\pm}3$) for R-(+)-2-(3-hydroxy-4-methylphenyl) propan-1-ol and (c = 58%, E = $27{\pm}1$) for R-(+)-2-(3-methoxy-4-methylphenyl) propan-1-ol resolution processes were developed via lipase-catalyzed reaction. We found lipase Aspergillus oryzae (AOL) and Porcine pancreas (PPL) are selective to transesterification and hydrolysis in organic and aqueous phase. Modified demethylated substrate is appropriate for enantioselective hydrolysis reaction without any additives. Enantiopure chiral alcohol was crystallized from ethyl acetate/n-hexane co-solvent system. Gram scale resolved chiral intermediate will facilitate the synthesis of the unnatural S-(+)-xanthorrhizol, the corresponding isomer of the natural one.

Electrochemical characteristics of nitrite ion were investigated at a poly(methylene blue)-modified glassy carbon electrode by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. The poly(methylene blue)-modified glassy carbon electrode exhibited enhanced anodic signals for nitrite. The effects of key parameters on the detection of nitrite were evaluated at the modified electrode, such as pH, accumulation time, and scan rate. Under optimum condition, the chemically modified electrode can detect nitrite in the concentration range $2.0{\times}10^{-6}$ to $5.0{\times}10^{-4}$ M with the detection limit of $2.0{\times}10^{-6}$ M and a correlation coefficient of 0.999. The detection of nitrite using the chemically modified electrode was not affected by common ions such as $Na^+$, $K^+$, $Ca^{2+}$, $Cl^-$, $HPO_4^{2-}$ and $H_2PO_4^- $. The modified electrode showed good stability and reproducibility. The practical application of the present method was successfully applied to the determination of nitrite ion in cabbage samples.

The new organic semiconductors which are composed of divinylbenzene core unit and alkoxynaphthalene on both sides, 1,4-bis-2-(6-octyloxy)naphthalen-2-ylvinylbenzene (BONVB), 1,4-bis-2-(6-decyloxy)naphthalen-2-ylvinylbenzene (BDNVB) and 1,4-bis-2-(6-dodecyloxy)naphthalen-2-ylvinylbenzene (BDDNVB) were synthesized by Wittig reaction. The structures of obtained BONVB, BDNVB and BDDNVB were confirmed by FT-IR and mass spectroscopy. UV-absorption of thin film showed H-aggregates and J-aggregates due to closely packed structure between adjacent molecules. The characterization of vacuum-evaporated films by Xray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed that the chain length of alkoxy group affects the crystallinity and morphology. BONVB with octyloxy group showed the mobility of $0.011cm^2/V{\cdot}s$, on/off ratio of $1.31{\times}10^5$, and a subthreshold slope of 0.93 V.

The activity of an antimicrobial peptide, protegrin-1 (PG-1), on lipid membranes was investigated using solidstate NMR and a new sampling method that employed mechanically aligned bilayers between thin glass plates. At 95% hydration and full hydration, the peptide respectively disrupted 25% and 86% of the aligned 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphotidylcholine (POPC) bilayers at a P/L (peptide-to-lipid) ratio of 1/20 under the new experimental conditions. The kinetics of the POPC bilayers disruption appeared to be diffusioncontrolled. The presence of cholesterol at 95% hydration and full hydration reduced the peptide disruption of the aligned POPC bilayers to less than 10% and 35%, respectively. A comparison of the equilibrium states of heterogeneously and homogeneously mixed peptides and lipids demonstrated the importance of peptide binding to the biomembrane for whole membrane disruption.

The promise of stem cell therapy for various clinical applications seems getting realistic. An increasing number of researchers, from virtually every discipline of natural sciences, are flocking into this new world. Only ten years ago, gene therapy was the medicine for the 21st century. The possibility was endless. Although the science itself underlying gene therapy was very young, the field was exploding under the optimism that this new medicine would revolutionize both the basic and clinical sciences. For many reasons, the initial target was cancer. Here, we will focus on the results of cancer gene therapy clinical trials using liposome or nonviral gene carrier, hoping that the lesson from here will be a guideline for the new generation of cell-based therapies.

Ferrocenyl chalcones (Fc-C(O)CH=CH-Ar: Fc-Ar) with mono- and di-1-naphthalenyl moieties (Fc-1Naph and Fc-d1Naph) were prepared and spectroscopically characterized. The enone bridge was in the s-cis conformation and the $\pi$-electrons on the C=C bond were further delocalized on the bridge. The naphthalenyl moiety deviates greatly from the enone-Cp plane by $26.9(1)^{\circ}$. Cyclic voltammetry measurements for Fc-1Naph exhibit one reversible cycle for the redox of the ferrocenyl moiety at a lower potential, and one irreversible oxidation peak at the higher potential region. For Fc-d1Naph, the cyclic voltammogram is more featureless. Fluorescence properties for both compounds are active in polar solvents with $\lambda_{em}$ = 500 nm (EtOH) and $\lambda_{em}$ = 512 nm (MeOH) for Fc-1Naph and $\lambda_{em}$ = 496 nm (EtOH) and $\lambda_{em}$ = 508 nm (MeOH) for Fc-d1Naph. The intensity of Fc-d1Naph is more than twice than that of Fc-1Naph. The fluorescence properties for both compounds are inactive in the less polar solvents such as $CH_3CN$, $CH_2Cl_2$ and $CHCl_3$.

A polyaniline-gold composite was prepared via the polymerization of aniline hydrochloride with or without water-soluble graphite oxide using auric acid as an oxidant. The reaction products were characterized using Xray photoelectron spectroscopy. The thermal stability and embedded crystallinity of the composites were also investigated using thermogravimetric and X-ray diffraction analyses. The electrical properties of the composites were examined using cyclic voltammetric measurements at room temperature and temperature-dependent DC conductivity within 300-500 K. Compared to pure graphene oxide and polyaniline-gold composite, the polyaniline-gold-graphene composite exhibited higher crystallinity and thermal stability, and higher current density response under equivalent conditions.

Reactions of (N-isocyanimino)triphenylphosphorane with (1R)-(-)-campherchinon in the presence of aromatic carboxylic acids proceed smoothly at room temperature and in neutral conditions to afford sterically congested 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives in high yields. The reaction proceeds smoothly and cleanly under mild conditions and no side reactions were observed.

N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) and copper chloride ($CuCl_2$) were first utilized for aerobic oxidation of ${\alpha}$-isophorone (${\alpha}$-IP) to ketoisophorone (KIP) and the effects of co-catalysts, temperature, reaction time, solvent, amount of $CuCl_2$ and pressure of oxygen were investigated extensively. NHPI/$CuCl_2$ turned out to be highly efficient to this oxidation with up to 91.3% conversion and 81.0% selectivity under mild conditions. And various hydrocarbons including benzylic compounds, cycloalkene and its derivatives were also oxidized smoothly under optimized conditions. Moreover, the possible reaction mechanism was proposed and verified by FT-IR spectra.

Three solvent systems, chlorobenzene (ink 1), chlorobenzene/o-dichlorobenzene (ink 2) and chlorobenzene/tetrahydronaphthalene (ink 3), were compared as printable inks for the fabrication of polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) using poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyl-oxyl)-1,4-phenylenevinylene (MEH-PPV) as an emissive material and an inkjet printer (Fujifilm Dimatix DMP-2831). Ink 1 clogged the printer's nozzle and gave non-uniform film. Inks 2 and 3 were used to fabricate PLEDs with ITO/PEDOT:PSS/MEH-PPV/LiF/Al configurations. The best performance (turn-on voltage, 3.5 V; luminance efficiency, 0.17 cd/A; luminance, 1,800 cd/m) was obtained when ink 3 was used to form the emissive layer (thickness, 49 nm), attributable to the better morphology and suitable thickness of the MEH-PPV layer.

Intensity modulated photocurrent spectroscopy and intensity modulated photovoltage spectroscopy were investigated to measure the dynamic response of charge transfer and recombination in the standard, $TiCl_4$-treated and the combined scattering layer electrode dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). IMPS and IMVS provided transit time ($\tau_n$), lifetime ($\tau_r$), diffusion coefficient ($D_n$) and effective diffusion length ($L_n$). These expressions are derived that generation, collection, and recombination of electrons in a thin layer nanocrystalline DSSC under conditions of steady illumination and with a superimposed small amplitude modulation. In this experimental, IMPS/IMVS showed that the main effect of $TiCl_4$ treatment is to suppress the recombination of photogenerated electrons, thereby extending their lifetime. And the Diffusion coefficient of combined scattering layer electrode is $6.10{\times}10^{-6}$ higher than that of the others, resulting in longer diffusion length.

A novel malemide epoxy containing Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) ions have been synthesized by curing malemide epoxy resin (MIEB-13) and Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes of macrocyclic bis-hydrazone Schiff base. The Schiff base was synthesized by reacting 1,4-dicarbnyl phenyl dihydrazide with 2,6-diformyl-4-methyl phenol. The Schiff base and its Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes have been characterized by elemental analyses, spectral (IR, $^1H$ NMR, UV-vis., FAB mass, ESR), thermal and magnetic data. The curing reaction of maleimide epoxy compound with metal complexes was studied as curing agents. The stability of cured samples was studied by thermo-gravimetric analyses and which have excellent chemical (acid/alkali/solvent) and water absorption resistance. Further, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and definitional scanning colorimetric (DSC) techniques were confirmed the phase homogeneity of the cured systems.

We successfully decorated multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) with silver by reacting Ag-NPs with thiolfunctionalized MWNT-SH. Ag alkylcarbamate complex was used as an Ag precursor. Uniform Ag-NPs (5-10 nm) were effectively prepared by microwaving within 60 s using 1-amino-4-methylpiperazine (AMP), which acts as a reaction medium, reducing agent, and stabilizer. The MWNTs were functionalized with 2-aminoethanethiol. Exploiting the chemical affinity between thiol and Ag-NPs, Ag-MWNT nanohybrids were obtained by spontaneous chemical adsorption of MWNT-SH to Ag through Ag-S bonds. The Ag-S-MWNTs were characterized by TGA, XRD, and TEM to confirm that Ag-NPs were uniformly decorated onto the MWNTs. The Ag-S-MWNTs were then employed as conducting filler in epoxy resin to fabricate electrically conducting polymer composites. The electrical properties of the composites were measured and compared with that containing MWNT-SH. The electrical conductivity of composites containing 0.4 wt % Ag-S-MWNT was four orders of magnitude higher than those containing same content of MWNT-SH, confirming Ag-S-MWNT as an effective conducting filler.

An $^{125}I$-labeled resveratrol derivative 1 was synthesized. It was purified by reverse phase HPLC. Radiochemical purity of the product was more than 98%, and the yield was 35% (decay-corrected). Its biodistribution in tumorbearing mice was studied. The results showed that the highest radioactivity was located in intestine and stomach. The biodistribution profile suggests that compound 1 can be effectively used as a promising imaging probe for intestine and stomach.

A hyper branched 10-butylphenothiazine with in-situ thermally curable methacrylate (1,3,5-tris-[$\{$10-Butyl-3-(4-(2-methyl-acryloyloxy)-phenyl)-7-yl-10H-phenothiazine$\}$]-benzene, (tris-PTMA)) was synthesized successfully. From the TGA thermogram of tris-PTMA was thermally stable up to $336^{\circ}C$. In the first heating scan of DSC thermogram, tris-PTMA showed glass transition temperature (Tg) at $140^{\circ}C$ and broad endothermic process in the region of $144-179^{\circ}C$, which is thermally curing temperature. In the second heating process, $T_g$ exhibited at $158.7^{\circ}C$ and endothermic process was not observed. Thermally cured tris-PTMA showed no big change in the UV-visible spectrum after washing with organic solvent such as methylene chloride, chloroform, toluene, indicating that thermally cured film was very good solvent resistance. Thermally cured tris-PTMA was electrochemically stable and the HOMO energy level of tris-PTMA was -5.54 eV. The maximum luminance efficiency of double layer structured polymer light-emitting diode based on in-situ thermally cured tris-PTMA was 0.685 cd/A at 16.0 V, which was higher than that of the device without thermally cured tris-PTMA (0.348 cd/A at 15.0 V).

The specific rates of sovolysis of 4-methylthiophene-2-carbonyl chloride (1) have been determined in 26 pure and binary solvents at $25.0^{\circ}C$. Product selectivities are reported for solvolyses of 1 in aqueous ethanol and methanol binary mixtures. Comparison of the specific rates of solvolyses of 1 with those for p-methoxybenzoyl chloride (2) in terms of linear free energy relationships (LFER) are helpful in mechanistic considerations, as is also treatment in terms of the extended Grunwald-Winstein equation. It is proposed that the solvolyses of 1 in binary aqueous solvent mixtures proceed through an SN1 and/or ionization (I) pathway rather than through an associative $S_N2$ and/or addition-elimination (A-E) pathway.

Cobalt oxide nanostructure materials have been prepared by adding several concentrations of spectator Ni ions in solution, and analyzed by electron microscopy, X-day diffraction, calorimetry/thermogravimetric analysis, UV-vis absorption, Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electron microscopy results show that the morphology of the nanostructures is dramatically altered by changing the concentration of spectator ions. The bulk XRD patterns of $350^{\circ}C$-annealed samples indicate that the structure of the cobalt oxide is all of cubic Fd-3m $Co_3O_4$, and show that the major XRD peaks shift slightly with the concentration of Ni ions. In Raman spectroscopy, we can confirm the XRD data through a more obvious change in peak position, broadness, and intensity. For the un-sputtered samples in the XPS measurement process, the XPS peaks of Co 2p and O 1s for the samples prepared without Ni ions exhibit higher binding energies than those for the sample prepared with Ni ions. Upon $Ar^+$ ion sputtering, we found $Co_3O_4$ reduces to CoO, on the basis of XPS data. Our study could be further applied to controlling morphology and surface oxidation state.

A continuous flow hyperpolarized (HP) $^{129}Xe$ NMR spectroscopy was employed for the first time to investigate $TiO_2$ nanotubes (Ti-NTs) synthesized from commercial nanoparticles with different reaction times. A single peak attributing to channels for Ti-NTs was observed for variable temperature HP $^{129}Xe$ NMR spectra. It was also noted that there is alteration in value for heat of adsorption, ${\Delta}H$ from $12.6{\pm}1.3$ to $16.4{\pm}0.4kJ/mol$ and variation in chemical shift of the xenon adsorbed in channels, ${\delta}_s$ from $120{\pm}2\sim135{\pm}9ppm$ which were closely correlated to channel length and it was shown that P25-24 Ti-NTs with longest channel is most favorite Ti-NTs for Xe adsorption.

A series of substituted benzimidazoles and benzothiazoles were prepared through the one-pot reaction of ophenylenediamine and o-aminothiophenol with various aldehydes in the presence of ferric hydrogensulfate both in EtOH and water as solvent. The reactions proceed smoothly in excellent yield, high chemoselectivity and with an easy work-up.

A kinetic study is reported on nucleophilic displacement reactions of benzyl 2-pyridyl carbonate 6 with alkalimetal ethoxides, EtOM (M = Li, Na, and K), in anhydrous ethanol at $25.0{\pm}0.1^{\circ}C$. The plots of pseudo-firstorder rate constant $k_{obsd}$ vs. [EtOM] curve upward, a typical phenomenon reported previously for alkaline ethanolysis of esters in which alkali-metal ions behave as a Lewis-acid catalyst. The kobsd value for the reaction of 6 with a fixed EtOK concentration decreases rapidly upon addition of 18-crown-6-ether (18C6), a complexing agent for $K^+$ ion up to [18C6]/[EtOK] = 1.0 and then remains constant thereafter, indicating that the catalytic effect exerted by K+ ion disappears in the presence of excess 18C6. The reactivity of EtOM towards 6 increases in the order $EtO^-$ < EtOLi < EtONa < EtOK, which is contrasting to the reactivity order reported for the corresponding reactions of 2-pyridyl benzoate 4, i.e., $EtO^-$ < EtOK < EtONa < EtOLi. Besides, 6 is 1.7 and 3.5 times more reactive than 4 towards dissociated $EtO^-$ and ion-paired EtOK, respectively. The reactivity difference and the contrasting metal-ion selectivity are discussed in terms of electronic effects and transition-state structures.

A kind of nanosized sulfated zirconia was prepared by a hydrothermal method, and full characterized by XRD, TEM, BET, TGA, and FTIR. Its catalytic activity was evaluated in the esterification reactions, including the testing of the catalytic reusability and the optimization of reaction conditions. The obtained catalyst was revealed to be highly efficient solid catalyst for the esterification of acetic acid with n-butanol, presenting the advantages of high conversion and selectivity, easy recovery, and steady reusability.

The fluorescence of 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) bound to DNA at a [DAPI]/[DNA base] ratio of 0.005 was quenched by meso-tetrakis(N-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin (TMPyP) or cis-bis(N-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin (BMPyP) when both DAPI and either porphyrin spontaneously bound to the same DNA strand. The quenching was investigated using the "one-dimensional inner sphere" and the "F$\ddot{o}$rster resonance energy transfer" (FRET) models. Total quenching occurred when DAPI and TMPyP were up to 19.3 base pairs or $66\AA$ apart. BMPyP could quench the fluorescence up to 13.9 base pairs or $47\AA$. TMPyP, which intercalated between the DNA base-pairs, appeared to be a better acceptor than BMPyP, which stacked along the DNA stem. The higher quenching and higher resonance energy transfer efficiency of TMPyP was due to the larger overlap integral between its absorption spectrum and the emission spectrum of DNA-bound DAPI.

A series of benzamide-based histone deacetylases (HDACs) inhibitors possessing N-(aminopyridine) residue as the zinc binding site of HDAC were synthesized and evaluated. Among these derivatives, compounds with N-(2-amino-4-pyridine) benzamide moiety have been found as the most potent ones. Moreover, introduction of appropriate substituents on the terminal aryl group acting as the surface-recognition domain could significantly improve the antiproliferative activity. In particular, the compound 4k possessed favorable pharmacokinetic characteristics and exhibited potent antitumor activity on xenograft model in mice at well tolerated doses, thus suggesting a good therapeutic index.

New candidates composed of anthracene and 4-alkylethynylbenzene end-capped oligomers for OTFTs were synthesized under Sonogashira coupling reaction conditions. All oligomers were characterized by FT-IR, mass, UV-visible, and PL emission spectrum analyses, cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), $^1H$-NMR, and $^{13}C$-NMR. Investigation of their physical properties showed that the oligomers had high oxidation potential and thermal stability. Thin films of DHPEAnt and DDPEAnt were characterized by spin coating them onto Si/$SiO_2$ to fabricate top-contact OTFTs. The devices prepared using DHPEAnt and DDPEAnt showed hole field-effect mobilities of $4.0{\times}10^{-3}cm^2$/Vs and $2.0{\times}10^{-3}cm^2$/Vs, respectively, for solution-processed OTFTs.

This report presents a mobile instrumentation platform based on a smartphone using its built-in functions for colorimetric diagnosis. The color change as a result of detection is taken as a picture through a CCD camera built in the smartphone, and is evaluated in the form of the hue value to give the well-defined relationship between the color and the concentration. To prove the concept in the present work, proton concentration measurements were conducted on pH paper coupled with a smartphone for demonstration. This report is believed to show the possibility of adapting a smartphone to a mobile analytical transducer, and more applications for bioanalysis are expected to be developed using other built-in functions of the smartphone.

A simple new method was developed for the determination of betaine in Fructus Lycii using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection (HILIC-ELSD). Good chromatographic separation and reasonable betaine retention was achieved on a Kinetex HILIC column ($2.1{\times}100mm$, $2.6{\mu}m$) packed with fused-core particle. The mobile phase consisted of (A) acetonitrile and (B) 10 mM ammonium formate (pH 3.0)/acetonitrile (90/10, v/v). It was used with gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.7 mL/min. The column temperature was set at $27.5^{\circ}C$ and the injection volume was $10{\mu}L$. The ELSD drift tube temperature was $50^{\circ}C$ and the nebulizing gas (nitrogen) pressure was 3.0 bar. Stachydrine, a zwitterionic compound, was used as an internal standard. Calibration curve over $10-250{\mu}g/mL$ showed good linearity ($R^2$ > 0.9992) and betaine in the 70% methanol extract of Fructus Lycii was well separated from other peaks. Intraand inter-day precision ranged from 1.1 to 3.0% and from 2.4 to 5.3%, respectively, while intra- and inter-day accuracy ranged from 100.0 to 107.0% and from 94.3 to 103.9%, respectively. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was $10{\mu}g/mL$ and the recoveries were in the range of 98.2-102.7%. The developed HILIC-ELSD method was successfully applied to quantitatively determine the amount of betaine in fourteen Fructus Lycii samples from different locations, demonstrating that this method is simple, rapid, and suitable for the quality control of Fructus Lycii.

An analytical method for the simultaneous determination of veterinary medicines (amprolium and decoquinate) in cattle and chicken's muscle by HPLC/UV-vis was established. Samples were extracted by a HLB (Hydrophilic-Liphophilic Balance) cartridge with acetonitrile and methanol. Prior to HPLC injection, a mixture solvent (Water:MeOH, 1:1) was utilized as a reconstitution solvent. Chromatographic separation was achieved with a C18 column ($250{\times}4.6mm$, $5{\mu}m$) using gradient elution with 20 mM HFBA and MeOH:ACN (1:1.8). The calibration curves from the spiked blank matrix showed good linearity (above $r^2$=0.997) in the concentration range of $0.13-12.0mg\;kg^{-1}$. The relative recovery (accuracy) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were in the range of 78.5-107.1% and $0.13-0.42mg\;kg^{-1}$, respectively. The developed method can be used to determine under the MRL (Maximum Residue Limits) levels of veterinary medicines in animal tissues.

s-Tetrazine is the essential candidate of many energetic compounds due to its high nitrogen content, enthalpy of formation and thermal stability. The present study explores the design of s-tetrazine derivatives in which different $-NO_2$, $-NH_2$ and $-N_3$ substituted azoles are attached to the tetrazine ring via C-N linkage. The density functional theory (DFT) is used to predict the geometries, heats of formation (HOFs) and other energetic properties. The predicted results show that azide group plays a very important role in increasing HOF values of the s-tetrazine derivatives. The densities for designed molecules were predicted by using the crystal packing calculations. The introduction of $-NO_2$ group improves the density as compared to $-N_3$, and $-NH_2$ groups and hence the detonation performance. Bond dissociation energy analysis and insensitivity correlations revealed that amino derivatives are better candidates considering insensitivity and stability.

In present study, CdSe quantum dots (QDs) were prepared with a novel but simple, effective and exercisable method. Nine different types of carbohydrate molecules were used to modify CdSe QDs. D-mannose (Man)-coated quantum dots were prepared for labeling human hepatoma (HepG2) cells, because of the high expression of mannose receptor (MR) on HepG2 cells. The uptake characteristics of CdSe QDs-Man were investigated in HepG2 cells. The absorption rate result of MTT assay in 48 h suggested the extremely low cytotoxicity of CdSe QDs-Man. The presence of quantum dots was confirmed with fluorescence microscopy. These results were encouraging regarding the application of QDs molecules for early detection of HepG2 cells.

In continuance of our search for newer antihepatotoxic agents some novel thiazolidinone derivatives containing 1,4-benzodioxane ring system were synthesized starting from 2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodioxane-2-carbohydrazide. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for antihepatotoxic activity against $CCl_4$-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Among them some compounds have shown significant antihepatotoxic activity comparable to standard drug silymarin.

Functional interaction between Drosophila orphan receptor FTZ-F1 (NR5A3) and a segmentation gene product fushi tarazu (FTZ) is crucial for regulating genes related to define the identities of alternate segmental regions in the Drosophila embryo. FTZ binding to the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of FTZ-F1 is of essence in activating its transcription process. We determined solution structures of the cofactor peptide ($FTZ^{PEP}$) derived from FTZ by NMR spectroscopy. The cofactor peptide showed a nascent helical conformation in aqueous solution, however, the helicity was increased in the presence of TFE. Furthermore, $FTZ^{PEP}$ formed ${\alpha}$-helical conformation upon FTZ-F1 binding, which provides a receptor bound structure of $FTZ^{PEP}$. The solution structure of $FTZ^{PEP}$ in the presence of FTZ-F1 displays a long stretch of the ${\alpha}$-helix with a bend in the middle of helix.

In this paper, the reactive dynamics properties of the reactions Ba + $C_6H_5Br$ and Ba + m-$C_6H_4CH_3Br$ were studied by means of the quasi-classical trajectory method based on the London-Eyring-Polanyi-Sato potential energy surfaces. The vibrational distributions, reaction cross sections, rotational alignments of the products BaBr all were obtained. The peak values of the vibrational distributions are located at $\nu$ = 0 for the reactions Ba + $C_6H_5Br$ and Ba + m-$C_6H_4CH_3Br$ when the collision energies are 1.09 and 1.10 eV, respectively. The reaction cross sections increase with the increasing collision energy, which changes from 0.6 to 1.5 eV. The product rotational alignments deviate from -0.5 and firstly increase and then decrease while the collision energy is increasing, just like that of Heavy+Light-Light system.

Polyynes were formed by laser ablation of a graphite target in deionized water ($H_2O$ and $D_2O$) and various organic solvents such as acetonitrile, n-hexane, and c-hexane and were identified by analyzing ultraviolet (UV) absorption and Raman spectra. We assigned the major UV absorption peaks that coincided with the electronic transitions corresponding to linear polyyne chains. The UV absorption peak intensities of a polyyne solution decreased as the holding temperature of the solution increased. Also, the absorption spectra of polyynes obtained by laser ablation of a graphite target at different volume fractions of $H_2O$ and $D_2O$ were examined.

An aspect of organophilic modification for the delamination is described for the layered rare-earth hydroxides in this paper. The interlayer property of $RE_2(OH)_5NO_3{\cdot}nH_2O$, where RE=Eu (LEuH) and Tb (LTbH), was modified by the exchange reaction of nitrate ion with oleate anion that is one of the representative dispersion agents in nonpolar solvents. The bilayer arrangement of long oleate anions in the gallery of $RE_2(OH)_5NO_3{\cdot}nH_2O$ could effectively weaken the stacking of the hydroxide layers. Highly organophilic environment of the interlayer space promoted the introduction of toluene to delaminate the layered structure into their individual sheets. When irradiated with 365 nm UV, the resulting transparent colloidal solutions of toluene containing LEuH and LTbH nanosheets yielded typical red and green emissions, respectively, which are visible to the naked eye.

We investigated the cycling behavior of $Li_4Ti_5O_{12}$ electrode in a cross-linked gel polymer electrolyte based on non-flammable ionic liquid consisting of 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide and vinylene carbonate. The $Li_4Ti_5O_{12}$ electrodes in ionic liquid-based gel polymer electrolytes exhibited reversible cycling behavior with good capacity retention. Cycling data and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analyses revealed that the optimum content of the cross-linking agent necessary to ensure both acceptable initial discharge capacity and good capacity retention was about 8 wt %.

We applied several machine learning methods for developing QSAR models for prediction of acute toxicity to fathead minnow. The multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN) method were applied to predict 96 h $LC_{50}$ (median lethal concentration) of 555 chemical compounds. Molecular descriptors based on 2D chemical structure were calculated by PreADMET program. The recursive partitioning (RP) model was used for grouping of mode of actions as reactive or narcosis, followed by MLR method of chemicals within the same mode of action. The MLR, ANN, and two RP-MLR models possessed correlation coefficients ($R^2$) as 0.553, 0.618, 0.632, and 0.605 on test set, respectively. The consensus model of ANN and two RP-MLR models was used as the best model on training set and showed good predictivity ($R^2$=0.663) on the test set.

An efficient synthesis of poly-substituted furans, pyrroles, and thiophenes was carried out in a regiocontrolled manner via a three-step process; (i) conjugate addition of methyl cyanoacetate derivatives to ${\alpha}$,${\beta}$-enones, (ii) CuI-mediated aerobic oxidation, and (iii) Paal-Knorr type synthesis of five-membered heterocycles.

We investigated the interaction between polyynes (linear carbon chains) and various metal nanoparticles (Ag, Au, and Cu) to provide insight into the optical properties of metal-polyynes systems prepared by different experimental techniques. Polyynes were produced by laser ablation in deionized water, metal nanoparticles solutions, and copper chloride solution. Metal nanoparticles complexes with polyynes were analyzed by Raman, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, and UV-vis spectroscopy.

Two novel conjugated copolymers utilizing 4,7-dithien-2-yl-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (DTBT) coupled with cyano (-CN) substituted vinylene, as the electron deficient moeity, have been synthesized and evaluated in bulk heterojunction solar cell. The electron deficient moeity was coupled with carbazole and fluorene unit by Knoevenagel condition to provide poly(bis-2,7-((Z)-1-cyano-2-(5-(7-(2-thienyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazol-4-yl)-2-thienyl)ethenyl)-alt-9-(1-octylnonyl)-9H-carbazol-2-yl-2-butenenitrile) (PCVCNDTBT) and poly(bis-2,7-((Z)-1-cyano-2-(5-(7-(2-thienyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazol-4-yl)-2-thienyl)ethenyl)-alt-9,9-dihexyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl) (PFVCNDTBT). The optical band gaps of PCVCNDTBT (1.74 eV) and PFVCNDTBT (1.80 eV) are lower than those of PCDTBT (1.88 eV) and PFVDTBT (2.13 eV), which is advantageous to provide better coverage of the solar spectrum in the longer wavelength region. The high $V_{oc}$ value of the PSC of PCVCNDTBT (~0.91 V) is attributed to its lower HOMO energy level ( 5.6 eV) as compared to PCDTBT ( 5.5 eV). Bulk heterojunction solar cells based on the blends of the polymers with [6,6]phenyl-$C_{61}$-butyric acid methyl ester ($PC_{61}BM$) gave power conversion efficiencies of 0.76% for PCVCNDTBT under AM 1.5, 100 mW/$cm^2$.

We modify ZnO nanorods with Zn-porphyrin to obtain the improved characteristics of energy transfer, which is further investigated for the applicability to photovoltaic devices. A nitrogen heterocyclic ligand containing a thiol group is covalently grafted onto the surface of finely structured ZnO nanorods with a length of 50-250 nm and a diameter of 15-20 nm. Zn-porphyrin is then attached to the ligand molecules by the mechanism of metalligand axial coordination. The resulting energy band diagram suggests that the porphyrin-modified ZnO nanorods might provide an efficient pathway for energy transfer upon being applied to photovoltaic devices.

We used the hybrid density-functional (B3LYP/6-31G(d,p)) method to analyze the substitution patterns of $C_{20}H_{18}X_2$ derivatives (X = F, Cl, Br, or OH) obtained as disubstituted $C_{20}H_{20}$ cages. Our results suggest that the cis-1 regioisomers (1,2-dihalo derivatives) are less stable than the trans-1 regioisomers (1,20-dihalo derivatives), whereas in the case of the dihydroxy derivatives, the cis-1 regioisomer is more stable than the trans-1 regioisomer. This implies that in the dihalo-induced strain cages of $C_{20}H_{18}X_2$, the strain effect would affect the relative energies, while in the dihydroxide, the hydrogen bonds have a stronger effect on the relative energies in cis-1 regioisomer than the strain effect do. Thus this supports the experimental result in which the bisvicinal tetrol was of particular preparative-synthetic interest as a substitute for the lacking bisvicinal tetrabromide. Further, the topologies of the HOMO and LUMO characteristics of all $C_{20}H_{18}Cl_2$ and $C_{20}H_{18}Br_2$ regioisomers with the same symmetry are same, but they are different from those of $C_{20}H_{18}F_2$ and $C_{20}H_{18}(OH)_2$. This indicates that the five regioisomers of each $C_{20}H_{20}$ disubstituted derivative will have an entirely different set of characteristic chemical reactions.

Promising anticancer compounds of the type 1,6-disubstituted 4,5,6,7-tetrahydropyrazolo[3,4-c]pyridin-7-ones were identified. The target compounds were readily synthesized in a large scale via a sequence of reactions starting from the commercially available primary amines. Their in vitro anti-proliferative activity has been evaluated on prostate (DU-145), colon (HT-29 and HCT-116) and melanoma (A375P) human cancer cell lines. The relationships between the structure and the anticancer activity, covering all tested cancer cell lines, revealed that the compound 5c with 2,4-dimethylphenyl substituent at $R^2$ was the most potent with the $IC_{50}$ values in the range as low as 0.16 to $0.40{\mu}M$.

Cationic immunoliposomes were prepared by conjugation of Fab' fragments of the recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody (HuCC49) against tumor-associated glycoprotein (TAG)-72 to sterically unilamella liposomes. The cationic immunoliposomes are composed of cationic lipid (O,O'-dimyristyl-N-lysyl aspartate, DMKD), cholesterol, and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[maleimide(polyethyleneglycol)$_{2000}$] (DPPE-PEG-maleimide) with a molar ratio of 0.5:0.47:0.03. Plasmid DNA was effectively condensed by addition of transferrin (Tf) during the formation of anti-TAG-72 PEG-immunolipoplexes (PILPs). These anti-TAG-72 PILPs were able to adhere to the surface of TAG-72-overexepressing LS174T human colon cancer cells more effectively than conventional liposomes, thereby facilitating gene delivery in vitro. Furthermore, intravenous administration of the anti-TAG-72 PILPs into the tumor-carrying mice exhibited efficient localization of the reporter gene in the tumor tissues.

Mercaptoacetic acid (MAA) and mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) capped ZnS:Mn nanocrystals were synthesized and their physical characteristics were examined by XRD, HR-TEM, EDXS, and FT-IR spectroscopy. The optical properties of the MPA capped ZnS:Mn nanocrystals dispersed in aqueous solution were also measured by UV/Vis and solution photoluminescence (PL) spectra, which showed a broad emission peak around 598 nm (orange light emissions) with calculated relative PL efficiency of 5.2%. Comparative toxicity evaluation of the uncoordinated ligands, MAA and MPA, with the corresponding ZnS:Mn nanocrystals revealed that the original ligands significantly suppressed the growth of wild type E. coli whereas the ligandcapped nanocrystals did not show significant toxic effects. The reduced cytotoxicity of the conjugated ZnS:Mn nanocrystals was also observed in NIH/3T3 mouse embryonic fibroblasts. These results imply that potential toxicities of the capping ligands can be neutralized on ZnS:Mn surface.

The nucleophilic substitution reactions of dibutyl 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 obtained deuterium kinetic isotope effects (DKIEs; kH/kD) are secondary inverse ($k_H/k_D$ = 0.86-0.97) with the strongly basic anilines while primary normal ($k_H/k_D$ = 1.04-1.10) with the weakly basic anilines. The DKIEs, steric effects of the two ligands, activation parameters, cross-interaction constants, variation trends of the kH/kD values with X, and mechanism are discussed for the anilinolyses of the nine ($R_1O$)($R_2O$)P(=O)Cl-type chlorophosphates. A concerted mechanism is proposed with a backside nucleophilic attack transition state for the strongly basic anilines and with a frontside attack involving a hydrogen-bonded four-center-type transition state for the weakly basic anilines on the basis of the magnitudes, secondary inverse and primary normal, and variation trends of the $k_H/k_D$ values with X.

The photovoltaic performance of solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells employing hole transport material (HTM), 2,2',7,7'-tetrakis-(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenyl-amine)-9,9'-spirobifluorene (spiro-MeOTAD), has been investigated in terms of HTM overlayer thickness. Two important parameters, soak time and spin-coating rate, are varied to control the HTM thickness. Decrease in the period of loading the spiro-MeOTAD solution on $TiO_2$ layer (soak time) leads to decrease in the HTM overlayer thickness, whereas decrease in spin-coating rate increases the HTM overlayer thickness. Photocurrent density and fill factor increase with decreasing the overlayer thickness, whereas open-circuit voltage remains almost unchanged. The improved photocurrent density is mainly ascribed to the enhanced charge transport rate, associated with the improved charge collection efficiency. Among the studied HTM overlayer thicknesses, ca. 230 nm-thick HTM overlayer demonstrates best efficiency of 4.5% at AM 1.5G one sun light intensity.