Ni/$La_2O_3$ with a high dispersion was prepared by reduction of $La_2O_3$ perovskite oxide to examine the catalytic activity for the $CO_2-CH_4$ reaction. The Ni/$La_2O_3$ catalyst was found to be highly active for the reaction. The ratios of $H_2$/CO were measured in a flow of the reaction mixture containing $CO_2/CH_4$/Ar using an on-line gas chromatography system operated at 1 atm and found to be varied with temperature between 0.66 and 1 in the temperature range of $500-800^{\circ}C$. A kinetic study of the catalytic reaction was performed in a static reactor at 40 Torr total pressure of $CO_2/CH_4/N_2$ by using a photoacoustic spectroscopy technique. The $CO_2$ photoacoustic signal varying with the concentration of $CO_2$ during the catalytic reaction was recorded as a function of time. Rates of $CO_2$ disappearance in the temperature range of $550-700^{\circ}C$ were obtained from the changes in the $CO_2$ photoacoustic signal at early reaction stage. The plot of ln rate vs. 1/T showed linear lines below and above $610^{\circ}C$. Apparent activation energies were determined to be 10.4 kcal/mol in the temperature range of $550-610^{\circ}C$ and 14.6 kcal/mol in the temperature range of $610-700^{\circ}C$. From the initial rates measured at $640^{\circ}C$ under various partial pressures of $CO_2$ and $CH_4$, the reaction orders were determined to be 0.43 with respect to $CO_2$ and 0.33 with respect to $CH_4$. The kinetic results were compared with those reported previously and used to infer a reaction mechanism for the Ni/$La_2O_3$-catalyzed $CO_2-CH_4$ reaction.

The rapid and spontaneous adsorption of proteins on nanoparticle (NP) surfaces in biological fluids such as blood is an important phenomenon as it possibly determines "what the cells see" and, thus, the fates of NPs in living organisms. In order to quantitatively understand protein coronas at the molecular level, we investigated human serum albumin (HSA) coronas that were produced on silica NPs of 20 nm and 50 nm diameters using conventional gel electrophoresis. Analysis of the concentration dependence of protein adsorption showed that HSA coronas preferentially formed a monolayer on silica NPs and revealed the presence of hard protein coronas. HSA adsorption was clearly dependent on NP size, and this might be due to the different surface curvatures of NPs of different sizes.

Platelets are anuclear discoid-shaped blood cells with key roles in human body. To understand the mechanisms of their activation process, it is required to have analytical imaging techniques capable of acquiring platelet images under fully hydrated conditions. Herein, for the first time, we demonstrate the capability of synchrotron-based transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM) to study platelets (resting and ADP activated) under hydrated and air-dried conditions. To confirm the biological imaging capability of TXM, fixed platelets were imaged and compared with whole mount electron microscopy (EM) images. TXM provided morphological information with sufficient spatial resolution with simple and quick sample preparation procedure. We also observed temporal changes during the platelet activation, which initially had a discoid shape (0 s), formed pseudopodia (30 s) and generated a network of fibrin (5 min). Our results clearly demonstrate the potential of TXM technique to study fully hydrated biological samples under in situ conditions.

The surface of natural graphite was modified by the use of hydrogen peroxide and evaluated as an anode material for lithium ion capacitors (LICs). The surface treatment was carried out under various ultrasonic conditions of 200, 300, and 400W, which were applied to a mixture of natural graphite and hydrogen peroxide solution for 1 h. While the bulk structure was maintained, the hexagonal symmetry and physical properties of natural graphite, such as BET surface area, tap density, and particle size, were affected by the surface treatment. FT-IR and XPS measurements confirmed the signature of C=O on the surface of graphite samples after treatment. Both the pristine and surface-treated graphites showed a similar reversible capacity of $370mAhg^{-1}$, and the coulombic efficiency of surface-treated graphite decreased with higher ultrasonic energies (89.1%, 89.0%, and 88.0% for 200, 300, and 400 W) comparing with pristine graphite (89.4%). The capacity retention of LICs was greatly improved with the treated natural graphite. The graphite treated under the ultrasonic energy of 300 W and pristine natural graphite showed capacity retention of 77.5% and 42.9%, implying that the surface treatment was an effective method for the improvement of natural graphite as an anode material for LICs.

Gold-catalyzed tandem cyclization-oxidative alkynylation and cyclization-fluorination reactions of 2-alkynone O-methyloximes are described. The reactions proceed smoothly at room temperature in the presence of 10 mol % of $(PPh_3)AuNTf_2$, 2.5 equivalents of selectfluor, and 2 equivalents of $K_3PO_4$. 2-Alkynone O-methyloximes undergo intramolecular oxyauration/cyclization and ensuing oxidative cross-coupling and fluorination process to afford the corresponding 3,4,5-trisubstituted isoxazoles in a cascade manner.

In this paper ultrafine copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) were prepared from copper salt via chemical reduction method with sodium citrate dispersant and polyvinylalcol (PVA) capping polymer. The colloidal CuNPs were characterized by using UV-Visible spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques. Our obtained results indicated that the CuNPs were produced ranging from 2 to 4 nm in diameter. The colloidal solution at 7 ppm of CuNPs exhibited a powerful antifungal activity against Corticium salmonicolor (C. Salmonicolor). Fungal killing assays showed colloid solutions containing 10 ppm of CuNPs killed entirely the cultured fungus. A highly killing activity against the fungus was also performed when the CuNPs were sprayed on pink disease-infected rubber trees. These positive results may offer a great potential to produce CuNPs-based eco-fungicide for pink disease.

Synthesis of north-5'-methylbicyclo[3.1.0]hexyl adenine and hypoxanthine nucleosides with an ethenyl group at C3' position was successfully achieved by a highly facile method. Methylbicyclo[3.1.0]hexanone (${\pm}$)-7 with three contiguous chiral centers and its epimer (${\pm}$)-6 was remarkably simply constructed only by four steps involving a carbenoid insertion reaction in the presence of rhodium (II) acetate dimer as a metal catalyst, giving a correct relative stereochemistry of the generated three chiral centers. Due to steric hindrance from the concave face of the bicyclo[3.1.0]hexanone system, a Grignard reaction of (${\pm}$)-7 with ethenylmagnesium bromide showed exclusive diastereoselectivity towards the b-face. The Grignard reaction chemoselectively proceeded without reacting with ester functionality. Coupling reaction of glycosyl donor (${\pm}$)-11 with 6-chloropurine nucleobase afforded only the desired $N^9$-alkylated nucleoside without the formation of $N^7$-regioisomer. By the conventional method, 6-chloro group was converted into 6-amino and 6-hydroxy groups to give the desired adenine and hypoxanthine bicyclo[3.1.0]hexyl carbanucleosides with 3'-ethenyl group, respectively.

Dual specificity protein phosphatase 4 (DUSP4) has been considered a promising target for the development of therapeutics for various human cancers. Here, we report the first example for a successful application of the structure-based virtual screening to identify the novel small-molecule DUSP4 inhibitors. As a consequence of the virtual screening with the modified scoring function to include an effective molecular solvation free energy term, five micromolar DUSP4 inhibitors are found with the associated $IC_{50}$ values ranging from 3.5 to $10.8{\mu}M$. Because these newly identified inhibitors were also screened for having desirable physicochemical properties as a drug candidate, they may serve as a starting point of the structure-activity relationship study to optimize the medical efficacy. Structural features relevant to the stabilization of the new inhibitors in the active site of DUSP4 are discussed in detail.

A simple method of depositing titanium dioxide ($TiO_2$) nanoparticles onto graphene oxide (GO) as a catalytic support was devised for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB). Thiol groups were utilized as linkers to secure the $TiO_2$ nanoparticles. The resultant GO-supported $TiO_2$ (GO-$TiO_2$) sample was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements, revealing that the anatase $TiO_2$ nanoparticles had effectively anchored to the GO surface. In the photodegradation of MB, GO-$TiO_2$ exhibited remarkably enhanced photocatalytic efficiency compared with thiolated GO and pure $TiO_2$ nanoparticles. Moreover, after five-cycle photodegradation experiment, no obvious deactivation was observed. The overall results showed that thiolated GO provides a good support substrate and, thereby, enhances the photodegradation effectiveness of the composite photocatalyst.

Aptamers are oligonucleotides or peptide molecules that are able to bind to their specific target molecules with high affinity via molecular recognition. In this study, we present development of aptamer-based precipitation assays (or simply aptamoprecipitation) for His-tagged proteins and thrombin to compare their purification efficiency with other conventional affinity precipitation methods. A crosslinking method was employed to immobilize thiol-functionalized aptamers onto the surface of polystyrene resins, enabling them to specifically bind to His-tag and to thrombin, respectively. The resulting aptamer-functionalized resins were successfully applied via a one-step experiment to purification of His-tagged proteins from complex E. coli and to thrombin extraction, exhibiting superior or at least comparable purification results to the conventional immobilized metal affinity precipitation or immunoprecipitation.

Double bond migration of butene-2 to butene-1 over ${\eta}$-alumina was investigated. The effects of calcination temperature on catalytic properties were analyzed by applying BET surface area, XRD, $NH_3$-TPD, and FT-IR of adsorbed pyridine techniques. The highest activity of the ${\eta}$-alumina catalyst calcined at $600^{\circ}C$ could be attributed not only to the highest amount of weak and medium strength acid sites, but also to the highest ratio of medium to weak strength Lewis acid sites.

The detailed mechanisms of the efficient $\small{L}$-proline and pyrrolidine catalyzed transamidation of acetamide with benzylamine have been investigated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our calculated results show: (1) the mechanisms of two catalytic cycle reactions are similar. However, the rate-determining steps of their reactions are different for the whole catalytic process. One is the intramolecular nucleophilic addition reaction of 1-COM, the other is hydrolysis reaction of 2-C. (2) COOH group of $\small{L}$-proline is essential for efficient transamidation. The computational results are in good agreement with the experiment finding and mechanism resported by Rao et al. for $\small{L}$-proline-catalyzed synthesis of amidesin good to excellent yields.

Mechanisms underlying the impacts of interactions between carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) and ionic liquids (ILs) on the physicochemical behavior of CNPs need to be more full worked out. This manuscript describes a theoretical investigation at multiple levels on the interactions of fullerene $C_{60}$ with 21 imidazolium-based ILs of varying alkyl side chain lengths and anionic types and their impacts on $C_{60}$ dispersion behavior. Results show that ${\pi}$-cation interaction contributed to mechanism of the $C_{60}$-IL interaction more than ${\pi}$-anion interaction. The calculated interaction energy ($E_{INT}$) indicates that $C_{60}$ can form stable complex with each IL molecule. Moreover, the direction of charge transfer occurred from IL to $C_{60}$ during the $C_{60}$-IL interaction. Quantitative models were developed to evaluate the self-diffusion coefficient of $C_{60}$ ($D_{fullerene}$) in bulk ILs. Three interpretative molecular descriptors (heat of formation, $E_{INT}$, and charge) that describe the $C_{60}$-IL interactions and the alkyl side chain length were found to be determinants affecting $D_{fullerene}$.

Two two-dimensional cyanide- and phenoxo-bridged heterometallic M(II)-Mn(III) (M = Ni, Pd) coordination polymers $\{[Mn(saltmen)]_4[Ni(CN)_4]\}(ClO_4)_2{\cdot}CH_3OH{\cdot}H_2O$ (1) and $\{[Mn(saltmen)]_4[Pd(CN)_4]\}(ClO_4)_2{\cdot}CH_3CN{\cdot}H_2O$ (2) ($saltmen^{2-}$ = N,N'-(1,1,2,2-tetramethylethylene)bis(salicylideneaminato)dianion) have been obtained by using $K_2[M(CN)_4]$ as building blocks and a salen-tpye Schiff-base manganese(III) compound as assembling segment. Single X-ray analysis reveals their isostrutural cyanide-bridged $MMn_4$ pentanuclear cationic structure. The four Schiff base manganese units of the pentanuclear entity are self-complementary through the phenoxo oxygen atoms from the neighboring complex, therefore forming cyanide- and phenoxo-bridged 2D sheet-like structure. Investigation over magnetic susceptibilities reveals the overall ferromagnetic coupling between the adjacent Mn(III) ions bridged by the phenoxo oxygen atoms with J = 2.13 and $2.21cm^{-1}$ for complexes 1 and 2, respectively.

The control over microstructure in block copolymer thin films using external electric fields has become an interesting research topic. In this article, the effect of nanoparticle on the microdomain alignments in block copolymer (polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine)/nanoparticle (Au) thin films under electric fields has been examined with transmission electron microscopy. The homogeneous dispersion of Au nanoparticles into the block copolymer matrix was achieved by surface modification of nanoparticles with compatible ligands. Compared with the phenomenon seen in the pristine block copolymer thin films, a peculiar alignment behavior was observed in the block copolymer/nanoparticle hybrid thin films under electric fields. In addition, the different pathways observed in the pristine and nanoparticle incorporated block copolymer thin films were also monitored as a function of exposure time. This work can provide the fundamental information for understanding microdomain alignment in block copolymer/nanoparticle thin films under external electric fields.

A multisegmented polystyrene (PS) with pH-cleavable ester and carbamate linkages was successfully synthesized by a combination of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and Cu(I)-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azide and alkynes (click chemistry). ATRP was employed to synthesize polystyrene from hydroxyl-terminated initiator using CuBr/N,N,N',N",N"-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA) as the catalyst. The reaction of the resulting PS with sodium azide yielded the azido-terminated polymer. The hydroxyl group in the other end of the polymer was reacted with 4-nitrophenyl chloroformate (NPC), followed by reaction with propargylamine to produce an alkyne end group with a carbamate linkage. The PS with an alkyne group in one end and an azide group in the other end was then self-coupled in the presence of CuBr/2,2'-bipyridyl (bpy) in DMF to yield a desired multisegmented PS. Molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of the self-coupled polymer increased with time, as in the typical step-growth-type polymerization processes. Finally, we demonstrated that the ester and carbamate linkages of the multisegmented PS were hydrolyzed in the presence of HCl to yield individual PS chains.

We solve the Klein-Gordon equation with the modified Rosen-Morse potential energy model. The bound state energy equation has been obtained by using the supersymmetric shape invariance approach. The relativistic vibrational transition frequencies for the $6^1{\Pi}_u$ state of the $^7Li_2$ molecule have been computed by using the modified Rosen-Morse potential model. The calculated relativistic vibrational transition frequencies are in good agreement with the experimental RKR values.

Catalase (CAT) decomposes hydrogen peroxide that is toxic to the body. In this study, simple and sensitive detector has been developed for observing catalase activity using liquid crystal droplet system. Microscale LC droplet patterns are formed by spreading aldehyde-doped nematic liquid crystal on pre-treated glass slides. When hydrogen peroxide is added, aldehyde is oxidized and amphiphiles are formed. Dodecanoates cause the pattern to transit from bright to dark as they self-assemble to form a carboxyalte monolayer at the interface. When a drop of pre-incubated CAT and hydrogen peroxide mixture is placed onto the pattern, bright fan-shape is observed. This planar optical appearance indicates that catalase has decomposed hydrogen peroxide. Compared to the detectors that have been previously developed, this system is more sensitive with detection limit of 1fM. This research suggests further studies to be on LC droplet patterning to develop highly sensitive and methodologically simple sensors for various chemicals.

The high content of potassium in molasses limits its usage as a raw material for stock feed. Moreover, its high viscosity makes it difficult to develop an efficient removal process. In this study, ion exchange and solvent extraction experiments have been performed to investigate the removal of potassium from a mixture of molasses with water. Cationic exchange resins (AG50W-X8 and Diphonix) showed a high loading percentage of potassium but the occurrence of breakthrough in few bed volumes was a drawback to the industrial application. Among the cationic extractants (D2EHPA, PC 88A, Cyanex 272) tested in this study, saponified PC 88A was found to be the best extractant for the removal of potassium. Batch simulation studies on a three stage counter current extraction confirmed that 85% of potassium was removed from 50 wt % molasses solution in water by using saponifed PC 88A.

The reaction mechanism between azacyclopropenylidene and epoxypropane has been systematically investigated employing the second-order M${\o}$ller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) method to better understand the reactivity of azacyclopropenylidene with four-membered ring compound epoxypropane. Geometry optimization, vibrational analysis, and energy property for the involved stationary points on the potential energy surface have been calculated. It was found that for the first step of this reaction, azacyclopropenylidene can insert into epoxypropane at its C-O or C-C bond to form spiro intermediate IM. It is easier for the azacyclopropenylidene to insert into the C-O bond than the C-C bond. Through the ring-opened step at the C-C bond of azacyclopropenylidene fragment, IM can transfer to product P1, which is named as pathway (1). On the other hand, through the H-transferred step and subsequent ring-opened step at the C-N bond of azacyclopropenylidene fragment, IM can convert to product P2, which is named as pathway (2). From the thermodynamics viewpoint, the P2 characterized by an allene is the dominating product. From the kinetic viewpoint, the pathway (1) of formation to P1 is primary.

Recently we have reported a novel class of anion receptors which are based on 2n-crown-n topology. Trioxane derivatives are capable of anion sensing through pure aliphatic C-H hydrogen bonding. In this work, we highlight another interesting property, i.e., they can also recognize cations as normal crown ethers (3n-crown-n topology). Since the same functional moiety can recognize anions and cations, these coronands are predicted to be amphi-ionophores. However, we could not detect cations even in the gas phase. Considering trioxane is analogous to [$1_6$]starand, this was rather counter-intuitive. The calculation results show that these coronands can detect alkali metals with very low affinity. The low affinity toward cations should be responsible for this failure of experimental detection. With careful theoretical study, we found that this low affinity toward cations could be explained by the unfavorable charge-dipolar moiety orientations as proposed by Cui et al. As in the case of [$1_6$]starand, this is an example that underscores the importance of charge-dipolar moiety orientation in supramolecular interactions.

The promoting effect of rhodium on the structure and activity of the supported Cu-Co based catalysts for CO hydrogenation was investigated in detail. The samples were characterized by DRIFTS, $N_2$-adsorption, XRD, $H_2$-TPR, $H_2$-TPD and XPS. The results indicated that the introduction of rhodium to Cu-Co catalysts resulted in modification of metal dispersion, reducibility and crystal structure. DRIFTS results of CO hydrogenation at reaction condition (P=2 MPa, $T=260^{\circ}C$) indicated the addition of 1 wt % rhodium improved hydrogenation ability of Cu-Co catalysts. The ethanol selectivity and CO conversion were both improved by 1 wt % Rh promoted Cu-Co based catalysts. The alcohol distribution over un-promoted and rhodium promoted Cu-Co based catalysts obeys A-S-F rule and higher chain growth probability was got on rhodium promoted catalyst.

A series of pyrazolyl thiosemicarbazone derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their anticonvulsant activity using the maximal electroshock (MES) method. Interestingly, all compounds prepared showed long duration of protection effect in the MES screens. Among them, compound 5b was considered as the most promising one with an $ED_{50}$ value of 47.3 mg/kg, and a PI value of 4.8, which was superior to phenobarbital and valproate in the aspect of safety. Furthermore, compound 5b showed protection against seizures induced by pentylenetetrazole suggesting that compound 5b may exert anticonvulsant activity through GABA-mediated mechanisms.

Geometry relaxation effects on the formation of benzene excimer were investigated by means of ab initio calculation at SOS-CIS($D_0$)/aug-cc-pVDZ level. In the case of T-shaped dimer configuration, intermolecular interactions in the excited states are found to be nearly the same as those in the ground state and structural deformations are limited within a single molecule; the geometry relaxation effects are then negligible and singlet-triplet energy gap remains constant. As for face-to-face eclipsed dimer, on the other hand, both molecules undergo structural change. As a result, intermolecular interactions in the excited states are significantly different than those in the ground state. Although the intermolecular distances obtained from potential energy curve calculation with frozen molecular structures are in qualitative agreement, the excited-state binding energies are notably overestimated with respect to those at optimized structures. In particular, the effects are calculated to be larger in $T_1$ state and hence singlet-triplet energy gap, which reduces markedly in this configuration, is underestimated without relaxation.

Novel 4'-trifluoromethyl-5'-norcarbocyclic purine phosphonic acid analogs were efficiently synthesized from commercially available 1,3-dihydroxy cyclopentane (5). Trifluoromethylation was successfully performed by using the Ruppert-Prakash reaction. The purine nucleosidic bases were efficiently coupled by using the Mitsunobu reaction. The synthesized adenosine phosphonic acids analogs 13 and 16 were screened for antiviral activity against human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1). Adenine derivative 13 exhibited significant anti-HIV-1 activity.

Recent studies have shown that single-stranded DNA adsorbed onto graphene oxide is protected from DNase I cleavage. However, double-stranded DNA bound to graphene oxide and could be digested by DNase I. To elucidate whether single-stranded DNA is protect from DNase I in the presence of graphene oxide, this study conducted DNase I digestion using single-stranded DNA and single-stranded DNA containing the duplex region in the presence of graphene oxide. Addition of DNase I resulted in restoration of the fluorescence emission that had been quenched when DNA was adsorbed to graphene oxide. It indicates that DNase I cleaved the adsorbed single-stranded DNA onto graphene oxide, which was sufficient for the detection of DNase I activity.

INtegrase Interactor 1 protein (INI1/hSNF5) or BRG1-associated factor 47 (BAF47) is a SWI/SNF-related matrix associated actin dependent regulator of chromatin subfamily B member. DNA binding domain of INI1/hSNF5 is cloned into E.coli expression vectors, pET32a and purified as a monomer using size exclusion chromatography. NMR data show that $INI1^{DBD}$ has folded state with high population of ${\alpha}$-helices. By fluorescence-quenching experiments, binding affinities between $INI1^{DBD}$ and two double stranded DNA fragments were determined as $29.9{\pm}2.6{\mu}M$ (GAL4_1) and $258.7{\pm}5.8$ (GAL4_2) ${\mu}M$, respectively. Our data revealed that DNA binding domain of INI1/hSNF5 binds to transcriptional DNA sequences, and it could play an important role as a transcriptional regulator.

We demonstrated the synthesis of organic carbonates using alkyl/aryl 4,5-dichloro-6-oxopyridazine-1(6H)-carboxylates and alcohol in the presence of aluminum chloride. Alkyl/aryl 4,5-dichloro-6-oxopyridazine-1(6H)-carboxylates were reacted with alcohol in the presence of $AlCl_3$ in toluene at room temperature to afford the corresponding unsymmetric and symmetric organic carbonates in good to excellent yields. These are efficient and convenient processes. Alkyl/aryl 4,5-dichloro-6-oxopyridazine-1(6H)-carboxylates are solid, stable and non-toxic $CO_2/CO_2R$(Ar) source. It is noteworthy that the reaction is carry out under an ambient and acidic conditions, the easy-to prepare and readily available starting materials and the quantitative isolation of reusable 4,5-dichloropyridazin-3(2H)-one.

Flower-like Au nanoparticles, so-called Au nanoflowers (AuNFs), were synthesized by simply adding ascorbic acid to a gold acid solution in the presence of a chitosan biopolymer. The chitosan-entangled AuNFs exhibited strong plasmon absorption in the near-infrared (NIR) wavelength due to the aggregation of primary Au nanoparticles. The chitosan-entangled AuNFs were preferentially adsorbed by Raman-active 2-chlorothiophenol (CTP) molecules, and the CTP-encoded AuNFs (AuNF-CTPs) were subsequently coated with a thin silica layer by a sol-gel reaction with Si alkoxides. The silica-coated AuNFs (AuNF-CTPs@silica) exhibited the distinct Raman signals of adsorbed CTP molecules, as a potential nanoprobe with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS).

In this work, a new family of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) based esters have been synthesized that consists eight ester functional groups. These are classified into Type-I and Type-II esters based on the starting materials, octakis(3-chloropropyl)silsesquioxane (Cl-POSS) and octakis(3-hydroxypropyldimethylsiloxy) octasilsesquioxane (OHPS) respectively. These new POSS type ester moieties can be used as insulating oils and oil additives in the transformers and also considered to be alternatives to mineral and vegetable oils that are presently used in the insulation system.

A dynamics study of relaxation and fragmentation of icosahedral argon cluster with a vibrationally excited $Ar_2^+$ (${\nu}$) is presented. Local translation is shown to be responsible for inducing energy flow from the embedded ion to host atoms and fragmentation of the cluster consisting of various low frequency modes. The total potential energy of $(Ar_2^+)Ar_{12}$ is formulated using a building-up procedure of host-guest and host-host interactions. The time dependence of ion-to-host energy transfer is found to be tri-exponential, with the short-time process of ~100 ps contributing most to the overall relaxation process. Relaxation timescales are weakly dependent on both temperature (50-300 K) and initial vibrational excitation (${\nu}$ = 1-4). Nearly 27% of host atoms in the cluster with $Ar_2^+$ (${\nu}$ = 1) fragment immediately after energy flow, the extent increasing to ~43% for ${\nu}$ = 4. The distribution of fragmentation products of $(Ar_2^+)Ar_{12}{\rightarrow}(Ar_2^+)Ar_n+(12-n)Ar$ are peaked around $(Ar_2^+)Ar_8$. The distribution of dissociation times reveals fragmentation from one hemisphere dominates that from the other. This effect is attributed to the initial fragmentation causing a sequential perturbation of adjacent atoms on the same icosahedral five-atom layer.

Human ${\alpha}_1$-antitrypsin (${\alpha}_1$-AT) is a natural inhibitor of neutrophil elastases and has several dozens of genetic variants. Most of the deficient genetic variants of human ${\alpha}_1$-AT are unstable and cause pulmonary emphysema. However, the most clinically significant variant, Z-type ${\alpha}_1$-AT, exhibits retarded protein folding that leads to accumulation of folding intermediates. These aggregate within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of hepatocytes, subsequently causing liver cirrhosis as well as emphysema. Here, we studied the role of an ER folding assistant protein Cpr5p on Z-type ${\alpha}_1$-AT folding. Cpr5p was induced > 2-fold in Z-type ${\alpha}_1$-AT-expressing yeast cells compared with the wild type. Knockout of CPR5 exacerbated cytotoxicity of Z-type ${\alpha}_1$-AT, and re-introduction of CPR5 rescued the knockout cells from aggravated cytotoxicity caused by the ${\alpha}_1$-AT variant. Furthermore, Cpr5p co-immunoprecipitated with Z-type ${\alpha}_1$-AT and facilitated its protein folding. Our results suggest that protein-folding diseases may be suppressed by folding assistant proteins at the site of causal protein biosynthesis.

Quercetin is a major dietary flavonoid found in onions, apples, tea, and red wine, and potentially has beneficial effects on disease prevention. We carried out this study to investigate the effect of quercetin on UVB-induced matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) expression in human keratinocyte HaCaT cells and to further understand the mechanisms of its action. The anti-inflammatory activity of quercetin was investigated and quercetin significantly suppressed the NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 mouse macrophages. Post treatment of quercetin decreased UV irradiation-induced phosphorylation of JNK, p38 MAPK, and ERK by 91%, 21%, and 17%, respectively. MMP-1 is mainly responsible for the degradation of dermal collagen during the aging process of human skin and quercetin suppressed the UVB-induced MMP-1 by 94%. Binding studies revealed that quercetin binds to p38 with high binding affinity ($1.85{\times}10^6M^{-1}$). The binding model showed that the 4'-hydroxy groups of the B-ring of quercetin participated in hydrogen bonding interactions with the side chains of Lys53, Glu71, and Asp168 and the 5-hydroxy group of the A-ring formed a hydrogen bond with the backbone amide of Met109. The major finding of this study shows that quercetin inhibits phosphorylation of JNK, p38 MAPK, and ERK pathway leading to the prevention of MMP-1 expression in human keratinocyte HaCaT cells. Therefore, our findings suggested the potentials of quercetin as a skin anti-photoaging agent.

The capture of $SO_2$ at or close to the temperatures of real flue gas is much more attractive in application. In this work, two kinds of ionic liquids (ILs) based on lactate anion were used to absorb $SO_2$ at high temperatures from 100 to $120^{\circ}C$. The ILs show high absorption capacities of over one mol $SO_2$ per mol IL at $110^{\circ}C$. The absorption of $SO_2$ by the ILs based on lactate anion is reversible and the ILs can be reused for the capture of $SO_2$ at high temperatures with high absorption capacity and thermal stability. Furthermore, the absorption mechanism of $SO_2$ by the ILs was studied by FT-IR, $^1H$ NMR and $^{13}C$ NMR spectra. It has been found that there are strong chemical interactions between the ILs and $SO_2$. Also the absorption mechanism is different when there is water present in ILs compared to when there is not.

Nucleophilic substitution reactions of Y-aryl methyl (8) and Y-aryl propyl (10) chlorothiophosphates with substituted anilines and deuterated anilines are investigated kinetically in acetonitrile at $55.0^{\circ}C$. A concerted mechanism is proposed for 8 based on the negative ${\rho}_{XY}$ (= -0.23) value, while a stepwise mechanism with a rate-limiting leaving group departure from the intermediate is proposed for 10 based on the positive ${\rho}_{XY}$ (= +0.68) value. The deuterium kinetic isotope effects (DKIEs; $k_H/k_D$) are 0.89-1.28 and 0.62-1.20 with 8 and 10, respectively. Primary normal and secondary inverse DKIEs are rationalized by a frontside attack involving hydrogen bonded, four-center-type transition state and backside attack involving in-line-type transition state, respectively.

High potential and fast electron transfer of a cathode mediator are significant factors for improving the performance of biofuel cells. This paper reports the first synthesis of a cathode redox polymer that is a coordination complex of poly (acrylic acid-vinylpyridine-acryl amide) (PAA-PVP-PAA) and [Os(4,4'-dicarboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridine)$_2Cl_2]^{/+}$ ($E^{\circ}=0.48V$ versus Ag/AgCl). Bilirubin oxidase can be easily incorporated into this polymer matrix, which carried out the four-electron oxygen under typical physiological conditions (pH 7.2, 0.14 M NaCl, and $37^{\circ}C$). This new polymer showed an approximately 0.1 V higher redox potential than existing cathode mediators such as PAA-PVI-$[Os(dCl-bpy)_2Cl]^{+/2+}$. In addition, we suggest increasing the polymer solubility with two hydrophilic groups present in the polymer skeleton to further improve fast electron transfer within the active sites of the enzyme. The maximum power density achieved was 60% higher than that of PAA-PVI-$[Os(dCl-bpy)_2Cl]^{+/2+}$. Furthermore, high current density and electrode stability were confirmed for this osmium polymer, which makes it a promising candidate for high-efficiency biofuel cells.

The 43-residue defensin-like peptide coprisin, which is isolated from dung bettle, Copris tripartitus, is a potent antimicrobial peptide. In our previous work, we determined the tertiary structure of coprisin and found that alpha helical region of coprisin from residue 19 to residue 30 is important for its antimicrobial activities. Here, we designed cop12mer and cop9mer analogs of coprisin based on the tertiary structure of coprisin. To investigate the relationship between hydrophobicity and antimicrobial activities and develop the potent peptide antibiotics, we designed cop9mer-1 with substitution of $His^2$ with Trp in cop9mer. The results showed that cop9mer-1 has higher toxicities as well as improved antimicrobial activities compared to cop9mer. In order to reduce the toxicity of cop9mer-1, we designed cop9mer-2 and cop9mer-3 with substitution of $Cys^3$ with Lys or Ser. Substitution of $Cys^3$ with these hydrophilic amino acids results in lower cytotoxicities compared to cop9mer-1. Cop9mer-2 with substitution of $Cys^3$ with Lys in Cop9mer-1 showed high antibacterial activities against drug resistant bacteria without cytotoxicity. Antibiotic action of cop9mer-1 analog appears to involve permeabilization of the bacterial cell membrane while cop9mer-2 and cop9mer-3 may have different mechanism of action. These results imply that that optimum balance in hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity in these 9-meric peptides plays key roles in their antimicrobial activities as well as cytotoxicities.

A new magnetic semiconductor material was synthesized to enable separation after a liquid-type photocatalysis process. Core@shell-structured $CuFeS_2@TiO_2$ magnetic nanoparticles were prepared by a combination of solvothermal and wet-impregnation methods for photocatalysis applications. The materials obtained were characterized using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible, photoluminescence spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area measurements, and cyclic voltammetry. This study confirmed that the light absorption of $CuFeS_2$ was shifted significantly to the visible wavelength compared to pure $TiO_2$. Moreover, the resulting hydrogen production from the photo-splitting methanol/water solution after 10 hours was more than 4 times on the core@shell structured $CuFeS_2@TiO_2$ nanocatalyst than on either pure $TiO_2$ or $CuFeS_2$.

Trp residue is considered as one of the important constituents in antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as it presence secured good activities in many cases. However, it is preferable to be changed because of their sensitivity towards light. We have synthesized the short Trp-rich AMP Pac-525 and its analogues to investigate the possibility of His(chx) as possible replacement analogue for Trp in AMPs. Based on the assay result of the antibacterial activity including anti-MRSA activity, His(chx) is considered as good candidate for the Trp replacement. Through these study, we found that His(chx) had several merits to design therapeutic antimicrobial agents compare to Trp in terms of i) increasing antibacterial activity without hemolytic activity, ii) successful in designing the short peptide (only four residues), iii) having anti-MRSA activity, iv) overcoming the light sensitivity. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dye leakage experiments suggested that P11 and P16 containing His(chx) kill bacteria via forming pore/ion channels on bacterial cell membranes.