An investigation of the coordination behavior of sulfur-containing mixed-donor tribenzo-macrocycles $L^1-L^3$ ($L^1$: 20-membered $O_3S_2$, $L^2$: 20-membered $O_2S_3$, and $L^3$: 23-membered $O_4S_2$) with $d^{10}$-metal ($Ag^+$, $Hg^{2+}$, and $Pb^{2+}$) salts is reported. The X-ray structures of five complexes (1-5) with different structural types and stoichiometries, including mono- to dinuclear species have been determined. Reactions of $L^2$ and $L^3$ with the silver(I) salts ($PF_6{^-}$ and $SCN^-$) afforded two dinuclear 2:2 (metal-to-ligand) complexes with different arrangements: a sandwich-type cyclic dinuclear complex $[Ag_2(L^2)_2](PF_6)_2{\cdot}3CH_2Cl_2$ (1) and a linear dinuclear complex $[Ag_2(L^3)_2(SCN)_2]$ (2), in which two monosilver(I) complex units are linked by an Ag-Ag contact. Reactions of $L^1$ and $L^2$ with mercury(II) salts ($SCN^-$ and $Cl^-$) gave a mononuclear 1:1 complexes $[Hg(L^1)(SCN)_2]$ (3) and $[Hg(L^2)Cl_2]$ (4) with anion coordination in both cases. $L^2$ reacts with lead(II) perchlorate to yield a mononuclear sandwich-type complex $[Pb(L^2)_2(ClO_4)_2]$ (5), giving an overall metal coordination geometry of eight with a square antiprism arrangement. From these results, the effects of the donor variation and the anioncoordination ability on the resulting topologies of the soft metal complexes are discussed.

Reduced tungsten bronze nanoparticles of ternary and quaternary compounds were prepared by adding sodium and cesium to crystal structures of tungsten trioxides ($Na_xCs_{0.33-x}WO_3$, x = 0, 0.11) while maintaining the overall alkali metal fraction at 0.33, in an attempt to control near infrared (NIR) shielding property in the particular wavelength range of 780 to 1200 nm. The structure and composition analysis of the quaternary compound, $Na_{0.11}Cs_{0.22}WO_3$, revealed that 93.1% of the hexagonal phase was formed, suggesting that both alkali metals were mainly inserted in hexagonal channel. The NIR shielding property for $Na_{0.11}Cs_{0.22}WO_3$ was remarkable, as this material demonstrated efficient transmittance of visible light up to 780 nm and enhancement in NIR shielding because of the blue-shifted absorption maximum in comparison to $Cs_{0.33}WO_3$.

Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) that bind to complementary nucleic acid sequences with extraordinarily high affinity and sequence specificity can be used as antisense oligonucleotides against microRNAs, namely antagomir PNAs. However, methods for efficient cellular delivery must be developed for effective use of PNAs as therapeutic agents. Here, we demonstrate that antagomir PNAs can be delivered to hepatic cells by complementary DNA oligonucleotide and cationic liposomes containing galactosylated ceramide and a novel cationic lipid, DMKE (O,O'-dimyristyl-N-lysyl glutamate), through glycoprotein-mediated endocytosis. An antagomir PNA was designed to target miR-122, which is required for translation of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome in hepatocytes, and was hybridized to a DNA oligonucleotide for complexation with cationic liposome. The PNA-DNA hybrid molecules were efficiently internalized into hepatic cells by complexing with the galactosylated cationic liposome in vitro. Galactosylation of liposome significantly enhanced both lipoplex cell binding and PNA delivery to the hepatic cells. After 4-h incubation with galactosylated lipoplexes, PNAs were efficiently delivered into hepatic cells and HCV genome translation was suppressed more than 70% through sequestration of miR-122 in cytoplasm. PNAs were readily released from the PNA-DNA hybrid in the low pH environment of the endosome. The present study indicates that transfection of PNA-DNA hybrid molecules using galactosylated cationic liposomes can be used as an efficient non-viral carrier for antagomir PNAs targeted to hepatocytes.

The temperature dependence of the partition coefficients of a neuropeptide, substance P (SP), in isotropic acidic bicelles was investigated by using a pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance diffusion technique. The addition of negatively charged dimyristoylphosphatidylserine to the neutral bicelle changed the SP partitioning a little, which implies that the hydrophobic interaction between the hydrophobic residues of SP and the acyl chains of lipid molecules is the major interaction while the electrostatic interaction is minor in SP binding in a lipid membrane. From the temperature dependence of the partition coefficients, thermodynamic functions were calculated. The partitioning of SP into the acidic bicelles is enthalpy-driven, as it is for small unilamellar vesicles and dodecylphosphocholine micelles, while peptide partitioning into a large unilamellar vesicle is entropy-driven. This may mean that the size of lipid membranes is a more important factor for peptide binding than the surface curvature and surface charge density.

Trehalose-tethered monomeric and dimeric berberines were synthesized in 50% and 30% from the reaction of berberrubine with 6-tosyl-${\alpha}$,${\alpha}^{\prime}$-trehalose and 6,6'-ditosyl-${\alpha}$,${\alpha}^{\prime}$-trehalose, respectively, and fully characterized by MS (HR and ESI) and NMR ($^1H$, $^{13}C$, COSY and HSQC). Spectrophotometric and spectrofluorimetric titrations indicated that compared with berberine, trehalose-tethered monomeric berberine had comparable DNA-binding affinity toward calf-thymus DNA, whereas trehalose-spaced dimeric berberine exhibited higher DNA-binding affinity. The potential application of these conjugates is also briefly discussed.

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been used to study the diffusion behavior of small gas molecules ($CO_2$) in polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/polylactide (PLA) blends. The Flory-Huggins interaction parameters (${\chi}$) determined from the cohesive energy densities are smaller than the critical value of Flory-Huggins interaction parameters (${\chi}_{critical}$), and that indicates the good compatibility of PET/PLA blends. The diffusion coefficients of $CO_2$ are determined via MD simulations at 298 K. That the order of diffusion coefficients is correlated with the availably fractional free volume (FFV) of $CO_2$ in the PET/PLA blends means that the FFV plays a vital role in the diffusion behavior of $CO_2$ molecules in PET/PLA blends. The slopes of the log (MSD) as a function of log (t) are close to unity over the entire composition range of PET/PLA blends, which confirmes the feasibility of MD approach reaches the normal diffusion regime of $CO_2$ in PET/PLA blends.

Four prominent features of Titan's haze are found within the '3.4-${\mu}m$' absorption to be uniform with recent vertically resolved Cassini/VIMS spectra. These are absorptions at 2998 $cm^{-1}$ (3.34 ${\mu}m$), 2968 $cm^{-1}$ (3.37 ${\mu}m$), 2927 $cm^{-1}$ (3.42 ${\mu}m$), and 2882 $cm^{-1}$ (3.47 ${\mu}m$). A detailed fitting suggests that the 2998 $cm^{-1}$ feature could originate from amorphous acetonitrile ($CH_3CN$) carrying about 25% of integrated optical depth; the remaining features, which account for 75% of the integrated optical depth, could arise from a distinct triplet (C-H stretching) structure of radiolyzed hydrocarbons. An additional feature was possibly evidenced at altitudes higher than 300 km and attributable to 'polymer-capped' methane ($CH_4$), significantly constraining the chemical composition of organic haze layers under Titan's active radiation field.

We resolved the controversial assignments of the visible vibronic bands observed from corona discharge of 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene. The vibronic bands belonging to the jet-cooled 2,6-dimethylbenzyl radical were clearly identified from the spectrum observed from corona discharge of 2,6-dimethylbenzyl chloride. After subtracting the bands of the 2,6-isomer from the spectrum observed from corona discharge of 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene, the vibronic bands of the 2,3-isomer were also identified. By comparing data with the known vibrational data of 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene and the results of ab initio calculations, we determined the electronic energies of the $D_1{\rightarrow}D_0$ transitions and vibrational mode frequencies in the ground electronic states of the 2,3-and 2,6-dimethylbenzyl radicals.

Layered mixed metal hydroxy double salts (HDS) with the formulas $(Cu_{0.75}Ni_{0.25})_2(OH)_3NO_3$ ((Cu, Ni)-HDS) and $Cu_2(OH)_3NO_3$ ((Cu, Cu)-HDS) were prepared via slow hydrolysis reactions of CuO with $Ni(NO_3)_2$ and $Cu(NO_3)_2$, respectively. The crystal structures, morphologies, bonding natures, and magnetic properties of (Cu, Ni)-HDS and (Cu, Cu)-HDS were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). Even though (Cu, Ni)-HDS has a similar layered structure to that of (Cu, Cu)-HDS, the bonding nature of (Cu, Ni)-HDS is slightly different from that of (Cu, Cu)-HDS. Therefore, the magnetic properties of (Cu, Ni)-HDS are significantly different from those of (Cu, Cu)-HDS. The origin of the abnormal magnetic properties of (Cu, Ni)-HDS can be explained in terms of the bonding natures of the interlayer and intralayer structures.

We have prepared 1-D BiSI and 2-D BiOI nanostructures, and characterized them by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction crystallography, thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry, and UV-visible absorption. Here, we first report clear HR-TEM image of BiSI. In addition, we first found that the growth direction of BiSI is [12-1] plane, with the neighboring distance of 0.30 nm. The crystal structures of BiSI and BiOI are found to be orthorhombic (Pnam) and tetragonal (P4/nmm), respectively. The absorption band gaps of BiSI and BiOI are measured to be 1.55 and 1.92 eV, respectively. Our study could further highlight the applications of V-VI-VII compounds.

In order to further reduce the sulfur content in liquid hydrocarbon fuels, a desulfurization process by adsorption for removing dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and propylmercaptan (PM) was investigated. Bentonite adsorbents modified by $CuCl_2$ for the desulfurization of model oil was investigated. The results indicated that the modified bentonite adsorbents were effective for adsorption of DMS and PM. The bentonite adsorbents were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermal analysis (TGA). The acidity was measured by FT-IR spectroscopy. Several factors that influence the desulfurization capability, including loading and calcination temperature, were studied. The maximum sulfur adsorption capacity was obtained at a Cu(II) loading of 15 wt %, and the optimum calcination temperature was $150^{\circ}C$. Spectral shifts of the ${\nu}$(C-S) and ${\nu}$(Cu-S) vibrations of the complex compound obtained by the reaction of $CuCl_2$ and DMS were measured with the Raman spectrum. On the basis of complex adsorption reaction and hybrid orbital theory, the adsorption on modified bentonite occurred via multilayer intermolecular forces and S-M (${\sigma}$) bonds.

The separation and capture process of carbon dioxide from power plants is garnering interest as a method to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, aqueous alkanolamine solutions were studied as absorbents for $CO_2$ capture. The solubility of $CO_2$ in aqueous alkanolamine solutions was investigated with a continuous stirred reactor at 313, 333 and 353 K. Also, the heat of absorption ($-{\Delta}H_{abs}$) between the absorbent and $CO_2$ molecules was measured with a differential reaction calorimeter (DRC) at 298 K. The solubility and heat of absorption were determined at slightly higher than atmospheric pressure. The enthalpies of $CO_2$ absorption in monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), triethanolamine (TEA), and 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) were 88.91, 70.44, 44.72, and 63.95, respectively. This investigation showed that the heat of absorption is directly related to the quantity of heat for absorbent regeneration, and is dependent on amine type and $CO_2$ loading.

A shortcoming of using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for structural analysis via electron diffraction is the relatively large error of the measurements as compared to X-ray diffraction. To reduce these errors, various internal standard methods from earlier studies have been widely used. We developed a new device to facilitate the application of internal standard methods in preparation of TEM grids used for nanopowder analysis. Through the application of a partial mask on the TEM grid, both the internal standards and the research materials can be loaded on the same grid. Through this process, we conducted a TEM analysis that compared synthetic hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanopowder to bone apatite from a bovine femur. We determined that the accuracy of the d-spacing measurements of the HAp and bone powders could be improved to better than 1% after statistical treatments of the experimental data. By applying a quarter mask, we loaded four different nanoparticles on a single TEM grid, with one section designated for the internal standard.

A few years ago, the plasmon-induced electronic coupling (PIEC) model was proposed in the literature to explain small changes in the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) in nanogap systems. If this model is correct, it will be very helpful in both basic and application fields. In light of this, we carefully reexamined its appropriateness. Poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) used in the earlier work was, however, never a proper layer, since most adsorbates not only adsorbed onto Ag nanoparticles sitting on P4VP but also penetrated into the P4VP layer deposited initially onto a flat Ag substrate, ultimately ending up in the SERS hot sites. Using 1,4-phenylenediisocyanide and 4-nitrophenol as the affixing layer and the foreign adsorbate, respectively, we could clearly reveal that the PIEC model is not suited for explaining the Raman signal in a nanogap system. Most of the Raman signal must have arisen from molecules situated at the gap center.

We investigate sensitivity and limit of detection (LOD) of trace copper (Cu) metal using pristine carbon nanotube (CNT) and acidified CNT (ACNT) electrodes. Squarewave based anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) is used to determine the stripped Cu concentration. Prior to performing the SWASV measurements, its optimal conditions are determined and with that, effects of potential scan rate and $Cu^{2+}$ concentration on stripping current are evaluated. The measurements indicate that (1) ACNT electrode shows better results than CNT electrode and (2) stripping is controlled by surface reaction. In the given $Cu^{2+}$ concentration range of 25-150 ppb, peak stripping current has linearity with $Cu^{2+}$ concentration. Quantitatively, sensitivity and LOD of Cu in ACNT electrode are 9.36 ${\mu}A\;{\mu}M^{-1}$ and 3 ppb, while their values are 3.99 ${\mu}A\;{\mu}M^{-1}$ and 3 ppb with CNT electrode. We evaluate the effect of three different water solutions (deionized water, tap water and river water) on stripping current and the confirm types of water don't affect the sensitivity of Cu. It turns out by optical inspection and cyclic voltammetry that superiority of ACNT electrode to CNT electrode is attributed to exfoliation of CNT bundles and improved interfacial adhesion occurring during oxidation of CNTs.

The thermodynamic parameters for the intercalative interaction of structurally related well known intercalators, 9-aminoacridine (9AA) and proflavine (PF) were determined by means of fluorescence quenching study. The fluorescence intensity of 9AA decreased upon intercalation to DNA, poly[$d(A-T)_2$] and poly[$d(G-C)_2$]. A van't Hoff plot was constructed from the temperature-dependence of slope of the ratio of the fluorophore in the absence and presence of a quencher molecule with respect to the quencher concentration, which is known as a Stern-Volmer plot. Consequently, the thermodynamic parameters, enthalpy and entropy change, for complex formation was calculated from the slope and y-intercept of the van't Hoff plot. The detailed thermodynamic profile has been elucidated the exothermic nature of complex formation. The complex formation of 9AA with DNA, poly[$d(A-T)_2$] and poly[$d(G-C)_2$] was energetically favorable with a similar negative Gibb's free energy. On the other hand, the entropy change appeared to be unfavorable for 9AA-poly[$d(G-C)_2$] complex formation, which was in contrast to that observed with native DNA and poly[$d(A-T)_2$] cases. The equilibrium constant for the intercalation of PF to poly[$d(G-C)_2$] was larger than that to DNA, and was the largest among sets tested despite the most unfavorable entropy change, which was compensated for by the largest favorable enthalpy. The favorable hydrogen bond contribution to the formation of the complexes was revealed from the analyzed thermodynamic data.

Micropatterns of streptavidin and human epidermal carcinoma A431 cells were successfully imaged, as received and without any labeling, using cluster $Au_3{^+}$ ion beam-based time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) together with a principal component analysis (PCA). Three different analysis ion beams ($Ga^+$, $Au^+$ and $Au_3{^+}$) were compared to obtain label-free TOF-SIMS chemical images of micropatterns of streptavidin, which were subsequently used for generating cell patterns. The image of the total positive ions obtained by the $Au_3{^+}$ primary ion beam corresponded to the actual image of micropatterns of streptavidin, whereas the total positive-ion images by $Ga^+$ or $Au^+$ primary ion beams did not. A PCA of the TOF-SIMS spectra was initially performed to identify characteristic secondary ions of streptavidin. Chemical images of each characteristic ion were reconstructed from the raw data and used in the second PCA run, which resulted in a contrasted - and corrected - image of the micropatterns of streptavidin by the $Ga^+$ and $Au^+$ ion beams. The findings herein suggest that using cluster-ion analysis beams and multivariate data analysis for TOF-SIMS chemical imaging would be an effectual method for producing label-free chemical images of micropatterns of biomolecules, including proteins and cells.

N,N,N',N'-Tetrabromobenzene-1,3-disulfonamide (TBBDA)/$PPh_3$ and N,N,N',N'-tetrachlorobenzene-1,3-disulfonamide (TCBDA)/$PPh_3$ are two highly reactive reagent systems for the conversion of alcohols corresponding into alkyl chlorides and bromides in moderate to excellent yields in dichloromethane at room temperature under mild and neutral conditions.

A low-${\varepsilon}$ solid-state NMR(Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) probe was developed for the spectroscopic analysis of two-dimensional $^{15}N-^1H$ heteronuclear dipolar coupling in dilute membrane proteins oriented in hydrated and dielectrically lossy lipid environments. The system employed a 800 MHz narrow-bore magnet. A solenoid coil strip shield was used to reduce deleterious RF sample heating by minimizing the conservative electric fields generated by the double-tuned resonator at high magnetic fields. The probe's design, construction, and performance in solid-state NMR experiments at high magnetic fields are described here. Such high-resolution solid-state NMR spectroscopic analysis of static oriented samples in hydrated phospholipid bilayers or bicelles could aid the structural analysis of dilute biological membrane proteins.

Investigation of an organic extract of the fruits Schisandra wilsoniana led to the isolation of two new highly oxygenated nortriterpenoids, named schilancidilactones V-W (1-2). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic evidence. Compounds 1-2 feature a double bond between C-7 and C-8 compared with related known nortriterpenoids isolated from the genus Schisandra. Compounds 1 and 2 were tested for their anti-HIV-1 activities and cytotoxicity. The results revealed that compounds 1 and 2 showed moderate anti-HIV-1 activities with $EC_{50}$ 3.05 and 2.87 ${\mu}g/mL$, respectively, and compound 1 showed high cytotoxicity against KB and MDA-MB-231 cell with $IC_{50}$ values of 3.18 and 5.22 ${\mu}M$, respectively.

Platinized counter electrode is common in most of the dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) researches because of its high catalytic activity and corrosion stability against iodine in the electrolyte. Platinum (Pt) film coating on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass surface by using alcoholic solution of hexachloroplatinic acid ($H_2PtCl_6$), paste containing Pt precursors or sputtering are widely used techniques. This paper presents a novel application of Pt ink containing nanoparticles for making platinized counter electrode for DSSC. The characteristics of Pt films coated on FTO glass surface by different chemical methods were compared along with the performance parameters of the DSSCs made by using the films as counter electrodes. The samples coated with Pt inks were sintered at $300^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes whereas Pt-film and Pt-paste were sintered at $400^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes. The Pt ink diluted in n-hexane was found to a promising candidate for the preparation of platinized counter electrode. The ink may also be applicable for DSSC on flexible substrates after optimization its sintering temperature.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a major pathogen of cattle, is a well-characterized pestivirus which has been used as a good model virus for HCV. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) plays a key role in the RNA replication process, thus it has been targeted for antivirus drugs. We employed two-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (2D-QSAR) and molecular field analysis (MFA) to identify the molecular substructure requirements, and the particular characteristics resulted in increased inhibitory activity for the known series of compounds to act as effective BVDV inhibitors. The 2D-QSAR study provided the rationale concept for changes in the structure to have more potent analogs focused on the class of arylazoenamines, benzimidazoles, and acridine derivatives with an optimal subset of descriptors, which have significantly contributed to overall anti-BVDV activity. MFA represented the molecular patterns responsible for the actions of antiviral compound at their receptors. We conclude that the polarity and the polarizability of a molecule play a main role in the inhibitory activity of BVDV inhibitors in the QSAR modeling.

This paper describes an environmentally friendly process for the recovery of $LiFePO_4$ cathode materials from scrap electrodes by a simple thermal treatment method. The active materials were easily separated from the aluminum substrate foil and polymeric binders were also decomposed at different temperatures ($400^{\circ}C$, $500^{\circ}C$, $600^{\circ}C$) for 30 min under nitrogen gas flow. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The electrochemical properties of the recycled $LiFePO_4$ cathode were evaluated by galvanostatic charge and discharge modes. The specific charge/discharge capacities of the recycled $LiFePO_4$ cathode were similar to those of the original $LiFePO_4$ cathode. The $LiFePO_4$ cathode material recovered at $500^{\circ}C$ exhibits a somewhat higher capacity than those of other recovered materials at high current rates. The recycled $LiFePO_4$ cathode also showed a good cycling performance.

The photoanode electrode of $TiO_2$ nanotubes (NTs) anchored with ZnS/CdSSe/CdS quantum dots (QDs) was prepared by anodization of Ti metal and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) procedure. The tuning of the band gap of CdSSe was done with controlled composition of Cd, S, or Se during the SILAR. A ladder-like energy structure suitable for carrier transfer was attained with the photoanode electrode. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of our solar cell fabricated with the regular array of $TiO_2$ NTs anchored with CdSSe/CdS or CdSe/CdS QDs [i.e., (CdSSe/CdS/$TiO_2NTs$) or (CdSe/CdS/$TiO_2NTs$)] was PCE = 3.49% and 2.81% under the illumination at 100 mW/$cm^2$, respectively. To protect the photocorrosion of our solar cell from the electrolyte and to suppress carrier recombination, ZnS was introduced onto CdSSe/CdS. The PCE of our solar cell with the structure of a photoanode electrode, (ZnS/CdSSe/CdS/$TiO_2$ NTs/Ti) was 4.67% under illumination at 100 mW/$cm^2$.

A series of azo disperse dyes having dicyanovinyl groups was synthesized by the Knoevenagel condensation with malononitrile from carbonyl substituted phenylazo disperse dyes which were prepared by conventional diazo coupling reaction of aniline derivatives as diazo components. A variety of coupling components such as anilines, an indole and a pyridone were used. The azo disperse dyes were evaluated for their spectral properties and dyeing assessment on the polyester fabrics. The azo disperse dyes containing dicyanovinyl groups showed bathochromic shifts and darker colors due to increased electron withdrawing strength in their azo components and extended conjugation by dicyanovinyl groups than their parent carbonyl substituted azo dyes. The dyes containing 2-acetylamino-5-methoxy substituent in the coupling component exhibited higher wavelength of maximum absorbance (${\lambda}_{max}$) and significant negative solvatochromism than those of other dyes due to intramolecular hydrogen bonding.

Efficient synthetic route to novel 2'-spirocyclopropanoid 4'-deoxythreosyl phosphonic acid nucleosides was described from 1,4-dihydroxy-2-butene. Cyclopropane moiety was prepared via ester enolate alkylation using (2-chloroethyl)dimethylsulfonium iodide. Synthesized nucleoside analogues 16, 19, 23 and 26 were tested for anti-HIV activity as well as cytotoxicity. However, none of them showed any anti-HIV activity or cytotoxicity up to 100 ${\mu}M$.

Ten new derivatives of 1,3-diazabicyclo[3.1.0]hex-3-enes linked via ether linkage to chalcones were synthesized and characterized by UV, FT-IR, $^1H$ NMR and $^{13}C$ NMR spectral techniques. The spectra of all synthesized compounds, confirmed structure-photochromic behavior relationships (SPBR) both in solution or in solid state by irradiation under UV light at 254 nm. In other efforts for first time photochromic behavior of ketoaziridines has been investigated.

Chemical investigation of the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma tropicum led to the isolation of two new phenolic compounds, ganodermatropins A (1) and B (2). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques (MS, 1D and 2D NMR). Ganodermatropin A exhibited antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus.

An efficient synthesis of 3-halofurans by the intramolecular cyclization of 2-(1-alkynyl)-2-alken-1-ones with cupric halide has been developed. A broad range of 3-chloro- and 3-bromofuran derivatives could be obtained in the present method in moderate to good yields. The 3-halofuran derivatives are potential synthetic intermediates for amplification of molecular complexity.

A field emission projection microscope was constructed to investigate the atomic and chemical-bonding structure of molecules using electron in-line holography. Fringes of carbon nanotube images were found to be interferograms equivalent to those created by the electron biprism in conventional electron microscopy. By exploiting carbon nanotubes as the filament of the electron biprism, we measured the transverse coherence length of the electron beam from tungsten field emitters. The measurements revealed that a partially coherent electron-beam was emitted from a finite area.

Using generated conformations from docking analysis by Gold algorithm, some 3D-QSAR models; CoMFA and CoMSIA have been created on 39 N-benzoylated phenoxazines and phenothiazines, including their S-oxidized analogues. These molecules inhibit the polymerization of tubulin into microtubules and thus they have been studied for the development of antitumor drugs. Training set for the CoMFA and CoMSIA models using 30 docked conformations gives $q^2$ Leave one out (LOO) values of 0.756 and 0.617, and $r^2$ ncv values of 0.988 and 0.956, respectively. The ability of prediction and robustness of the models were evaluated by test set, cross validation (leave-one-out and leave-ten-out), bootstrapping, and progressive scrambling approaches. The all-orientation search (AOS) was used to achieve the best orientation to minimize the effect of initial orientation of the structures. The docking results confirmed CoMFA and CoMSIA contour maps. The docking and 3D-QSAR studies were thoroughly interpreted and discussed and confirmed the experimental $pIC_{50}$ values.

Numbers of matrix- and analyte-derived ions and their sum in matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) of a peptide were measured using 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) as matrix. As for MALDI with ${\alpha}$-cyano-4-hydroxy cinnamic acid as matrix, the sum was independent of the peptide concentration in the solid sample, or was the same as that of pure DHB. This suggested that the matrix ion was the primary ion and that the peptide ion was generated by matrix-to-peptide proton transfer. Experimental ionization efficiencies of $10^{-5}-10^{-4}$ for peptides and $10^{-8}-10^{-7}$ for matrices are far smaller than $10^{-3}-10^{-1}$ for peptides and $10^{-5}-10^{-3}$ for matrices speculated by Hillenkamp and Karas. Number of gas-phase ions generated by MALDI was unaffected by laser wavelength or pulse energy. This suggests that the main role of photo-absorption in MALDI is not in generating ions via a multi-photon process but in ablating materials in a solid sample to the gas phase.

The electronic structure of LaFeAsO was analyzed by tight-binding band calculation based upon the normal and shrunk lattices. A strong Fermi surface nesting was found in the normal LaFeAsO, while most of the nesting area was disappeared in the shrunk LaFeAsO. It was found, therefore, high pressure atmosphere is required to become a superconductor for LaFeAsO by suppressing the SDW (spin density wave) state through the disappearance of the Fermi surface nesting.

A simple, quick and reliable analytical method for the confirmation and quantification of propisochlor was developed. The propisochlor was extracted from water, soil and rice (stalks, rice and hull) matrices using acetonitrile, and cleaned up with primary secondary amine and determined by UPLC-MS/MS. The LODs of propisochlor ranged from 0.03 ${\mu}g/kg$ to 0.12 ${\mu}g/kg$, while the LOQs ranged from 0.1 ${\mu}g/kg$ to 0.4 ${\mu}g/kg$ in different matrixes. The mean recoveries of propisochlor at three levels (0.005, 0.01 and 0.05 mg/kg) were in the range of 73.7-94.9% with intra-day relative standard deviations (RSD) of 1.1-13.9% and inter-day $RSD_R$ of 3.3-12.7%. This method is suitable for routine analysis of propisochlor under field conditions. The half-lives of propisochlor in rice stalks, water and soil were 1.7, 1.5 and 2.3 days in Hunan, 5.7, 1.0 and 1.9 days in Anhui and 4.8, 1.0 and 3.1 days in Guangxi.

3,3',4,4'-Tetrachlorobiphenyl (IUPAC PCB77) is one of seven indicative polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the surface sediments. The current study presents a novel polyclonal antibody for the determination of the PCB77 using indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Under optimum conditions, PCB77 was determined within the concentration range of 0.01-100 ${\mu}g\;L^{-1}$, with a detection limit of 0.057 ${\mu}g\;L^{-1}$. The assays were tested for their cross-reactivity profiles using 3 selected congeners and 4 Aroclor products. The assays were highly specific for coplanar PCB congeners, but less specific for Aroclor1248. The spiked recoveries from five sediment samples were 86%-114% for PCB77 from ELISA, which were satisfactory. The current study demonstrated that the developed antiserum and immunoassay procedure can be used to detect PCB77 in environmental samples. The results of the sediment analysis were confirmed by conventional GC/ECD.

We developed an electroplating process of cobalt nanowires of which line-widths were between 70 and 200 nm. The plating electrolyte was made of $CoSO_4$ and an organic additive, dimethyldithiocarbamic acid ester sodium salt (DAESA). DAESA in plating electrolytes had an accelerating effect and reduced the surface roughness of plated cobalt thin films. We obtained void-free cobalt nanowires when the plating current density was 6.25 mA/$cm^2$ and DAESA concentration was 1 mL/L.

Lipid events in liposome-mediated transfection (lipofection) are largely unknown. Here we studied whether phospholipase D (PLD), an important enzyme responsible for phospholipid breakdown, was affected during lipofection of HepG2 cells with a luciferase plasmid. Synthetic cholesterol (Chol) derivatives, including $3{\beta}$[L-ornithinamide-carbamoyl]Chol, [polyamidoamine-carbamoyl]Chol and $3{\beta}$[N-(N',N'-dimethylaminoethane)-carbamoyl]Chol, and a cationic lipid, N-[1-(2,3-dioleyloxy)propyl]-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride were mixed with a helper lipid dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine to form respective cationic liposomes. All cationic liposomes were found to stimulate PLD. Although orders of magnitude effects of the cationic liposomes on PLD stimulation did not consistently match those on cytotoxicity and luciferase expression, a causal relationship between PLD activation and cytotoxic effect was remarkable. PLD stimulation by the cationic liposomes was likely due to their amphiphilic characters, leading to membrane perturbation, as supported by similar results obtained with other membrane-perturbing chemicals such as oleate, melittin, and digitonin. Our results suggest that lipofection induces cellular lipid changes such as a PLD-driven phospholipid turnover.

Series of (E)-1-aryl-3-(2-pyrrolyl)-2-propenones, that were aldol condensation products between pyrrole-2-carbaldehyde and m- and p-substituted acetophenones, were prepared and their $^1H$ and $^{13}C$ NMR spectra were examined to obtain the information on the conformation of the enone system. Similar studies were carried out with (E)-3-aryl-1-(2-pyrrolyl)-2-propenones that were prepared from 2-acetylpyrrole and m- and p-substituted benzaldehydes. The substituent chemical shifts were studied by applying the Hammett relationship.