Chemistry

Peptidic coating for gold nanospheres multifunctionalizable with photostable and photolabile moieties

by Valerio Voliani

Journal of Materials Chemistry 2012 (RSC), doi: 10.1039/C2JM31782F

A single-step method to coat and trifunctionalize water-dispersed gold nanospheres (AuNss) with
carboxylic acids,... more A single-step method to coat and trifunctionalize water-dispersed gold nanospheres (AuNss) with
carboxylic acids, amines, and alkynes is reported. The coating is based on a mix of two hexa-peptides,
differing only in the C-terminal amino acid. The process yields AuNss that are non-cytotoxic, stable in
physiological environments, and which present three reactive surface groups allowing rapid, selective,
10 and modular conjugation (click- and peptide-reactions) to virtually any chosen biomolecule or
fluorophore. Conjugated nanostructures were analyzed in vitro and in living cells. Confocal imaging and
colocalization analyses demonstrate the presence and reactivity of three different types of covalent bonds
with payloads: two of these are photostable while one bond is photolabile and can be cleaved by *Wpower
irradiation with a 561-nm cw laser.

Supermolecular alignment in a liquid crystal–polymer gel as studied optically and by dielectric relaxation spectroscopy

by Sara Shinton

Dielectric relaxation spectroscopy and alignment behavior of a polymer‐dispersed liquid crystal and its component materials

by Sara Shinton

Dielectric relaxation spectroscopy of a styrene/< i> n</i>-butyl methacrylate copolymer series

by Sara Shinton

Optical and Dielectric Properties of Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystals

by Sara Shinton

Engineering love

by Brian Earp

Savulescu, J. and Sandberg, A. (2012). Love machine: Engineering lifelong romance. New Scientist, 2864, 28-29.

Essay partially adapted from Earp, B. D., Sandberg, A., and Savulescu, J. (2012). Natural selection, childrearing, and the ethics of marriage (and divorce): Building a case for the neuroenhancement of human relationships. Philosophy & Technology, forthcoming [see "profile" box in article].

Available at the New Scientist website: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21428646.200-love-machine-engineering-lifelong-romance.html

New Scientist BIG IDEA section, May 2012.

With break-up and divorce a major part of modern life, it looks... more New Scientist BIG IDEA section, May 2012.

With break-up and divorce a major part of modern life, it looks like we may be outliving our inborn capacity to love. But there could be a way to outwit evolution and make love last.

Also available at New Scientist: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21428646.200-love-machine-engineering-lifelong-romance.html.

Internal selvedge in starched and dyed temple mantle - No invisible repair in Turin Shroud - No Maillard reaction

by Adrie Vd Hoeven

Version May 18, 2012. Another two additions:
Transformed starch on image fibers can not be the result of a Maillard reaction (p. 33, new 4.2.4.), and a reference to the scientific article on the image’s double superficiality (note 341).

In 1988, the radiocarbon dating of a sample from the Shroud of Turin yielded a 13-14th century date (1260-1390). The... more In 1988, the radiocarbon dating of a sample from the Shroud of Turin yielded a 13-14th century date (1260-1390). The scientists involved in the radiocarbon dating announced that the Shroud was medieval. However, many other evidences about the Shroud had already indicated that it couldn’t have been produced in the 13-14th century, and that it is much older. The announcement of a medieval date opened the doors for further studies that countered the radiocarbon dating. During these new researches, many hypotheses were established to help explain the discrepancy. One hypothesis, based on the unexpected presence of cotton and a gum crust in the carbon dating area, says that the carbon dating sample was chemically anomalous in comparison with the main part of the Shroud and that this sample contained a 16th -century repair. In this article I will question both this “anomaly” and that there was a repair, and propose another explanation for the research results: the Turin Shroud, already identified as a Pharisaic priest’s temple mantle in other ways, has an internal cotton-linen selvedge at the Pharisaic seam in the sample area; the mantle was also starched and slightly dyed with Madder at manufacture, to strengthen and give a uniform color to the temple garment, that – as the Talmud commentary Maimonides says of any temple garment – should look new and was not allowed to be washed. Later, when the Shroud was surviving the fire of 1532 AD, in light scorch areas, such as the radiocarbon dating area, the starch coating was roasted to a starch gum coating.

A Quinoline Based bis-Urea Receptor for Anions: A Selective Receptor for Hydrogen Sulfate

by Bryan Wong

Natural Product Communications, 7, 301 (2012)

A Necessary Condition for Proof of Abiotic Semiosis

by Marc Champagne

To appear in Semiotica.

This short essay seeks to identify and prevent a pitfall that attends less careful inquiries into “physiosemiosis.” It... more This short essay seeks to identify and prevent a pitfall that attends less careful inquiries into “physiosemiosis.” It is emphasized that, in order to truly establish the presence of sign-action in the non-living world, all the components of a triadic sign — including the interpretant — would have to be abiotic (that is, not dependent on a living organism). Failure to heed this necessary condition can lead one to hastily confuse a natural sign (like smoke coming from fire) for an instance of abiotic semiosis. A more rigorous and reserved approach to the topic is called for.

O aluno de química como co-autor de Recursos Educativos Digitais: no palco e espectador de si mesmo (The chemistry student as a Digital Educational Resources co-author: at the stage and at the audience)

by Cornélia Castro

Co-authored with António Andrade
ieTIC 2012
Conferência Ibérica em Inovação na Educação com TIC
IPB - Escola Superior de Educação de Bragança
Junho 1-2, 2012

The transformation of the Portuguese schools into technological enhanced environments making the computers a window to... more The transformation of the Portuguese schools into technological enhanced environments making the computers a window to bring the whole world to school, has created conditions for the reconceptualization of the activity of the teacher faced now with the need to transform teaching and to engage students in ways of learning based on collaborative work and sharing. It was intended to establish dynamic interactions students-content-teacher so as to exceed the previously diagnosed lack of motivation and commitment of students to studying chemistry.
With this purpose, a certain strategy to work in the classroom was designed being its core based in the creation, by students, of digital educational resources using the available technology and web 2.0 tools. Students were co-authors of the knowledge intended to acquire and stated in the official K-12 chemistry syllabus, having at the same time the opportunity to develop their digital skills in a supervised way.

New insight into the regeneration kinetics of organic dye sensitised solar cells

by Stefano Martiniani

Stefano Martiniani ,  Assaf Y. Anderson ,  ChunHung Law ,  Brian C. O'Regan and Claudia Barolo
Chem. Commun., 2012, 48, 2406-2408
DOI: 10.1039/C2CC17100G

The order of regeneration for DSCs based on two organic dyes has been investigated by transient absorption... more The order of regeneration for DSCs based on two organic dyes has been investigated by transient absorption spectroscopy on devices under operating conditions and determined to be 2nd order in iodide. The results shed light on the mechanism and limits to the regeneration rate relative to oxidation potential.

Recent advances in MeCP2 structure and function

by Kristopher Hite

Coil-to-helix transitions in intrinsically disordered methyl CpG binding protein 2 and its isolated domains

by Kristopher Hite

DNA binding restricts the intrinsic conformational flexibility of methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2)

by Kristopher Hite

Analytical Calculations of Molecular Integrals for Multielectron R-Matrix Methods

by Bryan Wong

Journal of Chemical Physics, 124, 014106 (2006)

Temperature and Molecular Size Dependence of the High-Pressure Limit

by Bryan Wong

Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 107, 6206 (2003)

A Theoretical and Experimental Kinetic Study of Phenyl Radical Addition to Butadiene

by Bryan Wong

Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 30, 1049 (2005)

Effects of Large-Amplitude Torsions on Partition Functions: Beyond the Conventional Separability Assumption

by Bryan Wong

Molecular Physics, 103, 1027 (2005)

Accurate Inertias for Large-Amplitude Motions: Improvements on Prevailing Approximations

by Bryan Wong

Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 110, 7406 (2006)

Electronic Signatures of Large Amplitude Motions: Dipole Moments of Vibrationally Excited Local-Bend and Local-Stretch States of S0 Acetylene

by Bryan Wong

Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 110, 18912 (2006)