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Interfacial water controls the process of adsorption of hyperactive antifreeze proteins onto the ice surface
PublicationA mechanism of interactions between the ice-binding surface of a hyperactive antifreeze protein molecule and the ice surface is proposed, involving the influence of water present between the two surfaces on the behavior of the approaching molecule. It is demonstrated that the interfacial water, even before its full solidification, can act as a factor that pushes away or pulls nearer the protein molecule to ensure its proper positioning....
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Precipitation and Transformation of Vaterite Calcium Carbonate in the Presence of Some Organic Solvents
PublicationIn this paper, the production of CaCO3 particles via the carbonation route in the reaction of CaCl2 and CO2, using NH3 as a promoter of CO2 absorption, was studied. The solvents used as the reaction media for CaCO3 precipitation were aqueous solutions of methanol, isopropanol and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), in a concentration range of 0–20% (v/v). It was found that the presence of an organic additive influenced the precipitation...
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Soft X-ray Induced Production of Neutral Fragments in High-Rydberg States at the O 1s Ionization Threshold of the Water Molecule
PublicationDissociation of water molecules after soft X-ray absorption can yield neutral fragments in high-Rydberg (HR) states. We have studied the production of such fragments by field ionization and ion time-of-flight (TOF) spectrometry. Neutral HR fragments are created at all resonances below the O 1s ionization potential (IP) and particularly within 1 eV above the O 1s IP. The latter effect is due to the recapture of the O 1s photoelectrons...
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Mapping the Structural and Dynamic Determinants of pH-Sensitive Heparin Binding to Granulocyte Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor
PublicationGranulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GMCSF) is an immunomodulatory cytokine that is harnessed as a therapeutic. GMCSF is known to interact with other clinically important molecules, such as heparin, suggesting that endogenous and administered GMCSF has the potential to modulate orthogonal treatment outcomes. Thus, molecular level characterization of GMCSF and its interactions with biologically active compounds is critical...
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Multi-state multi-reference Møller-Plesset second-order perturbation theory for molecular calculations
PublicationThis work presents multi‐state multi‐reference Møller–Plesset second‐order perturbation theory as a variant of multi‐reference perturbation theory to treat electron correlation in molecules. An effective Hamiltonian is constructed from the first‐order wave operator to treat several strongly interacting electronic states simultaneously. The wave operator is obtained by solving the generalized Bloch equation within the first‐order...
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Understanding the interactions between protein stabilizers and the peptide bond through the analysis of the volumetric and compressibility properties for the model systems
PublicationThis work confirms our earlier supposition, that volumetric and acoustic parameters for simple model proposed by us are directly related to stabilizing/destabilizing effect of osmolytes on proteins structure. The apparent molar volumes, V and the apparent molar isentropic compressions, KS,, of glycine and N,N,N –trimethylglycine (betaine) were determined from densities and speed of sound measurements in aqueous solution of N-methylacetamide...
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Generation-recombination and 1/f noise in carbon nanotube networks
PublicationThe low-frequency noise is of special interest for carbon nanotubes devices, which are building blocks for a variety of sensors, including radio frequency and terahertz detectors. We studied noise in as-fabricated and aged carbon nanotube networks (CNNs) field-effect transistors. Contrary to the majority of previous publications, as-fabricated devices demonstrated the superposition of generation-recombination (GR) and 1/f noise...
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Development of Safirinium dyes for new applications: fluorescent staining of bacteria, human kidney cells, and the horny layer of the epidermis
PublicationLow-molecular synthetic fluorophores are convenient tools in bioimaging applications. Several derivatives of Safirinium dyes as well as their reactive N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) esters bearing diverse substituents were synthesized and evaluated experimentally in terms of their lipophilicity by means of reverse-phase and immobilized artificial membrane high-performance liquid chromatography. Subsequently, the selected compounds...
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Can sodium 1-alkylsulfonates participate in the sodium dodecyl sulfate micelle formation?
PublicationThe aggregation behavior of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was studied in an aqueous solution in the presence of increasing concentrations of selected sodium 1-alkylsulfonates, namely sodium 1-octanesulfonate, sodium 1-decanesulfonate, and sodium 1-dodecanesufonate. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of SDS was determined by conductivity and fluorescence intensity measurements. The steady-state fluorescence quenching experiments...
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Occurrence of Surface Active Agents in the Environment
PublicationDue to the specific structure of surfactants molecules they are applied in different areas of human activity (industry, household). After using and discharging from wastewater treatment plants as effluent stream, surface active agents (SAAs) are emitted to various elements of the environment (atmosphere, waters, and solid phases), where they can undergo numerous physic-chemical processes (e.g., sorption, degradation) and freely...
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Novel Functionalization of Boron-Doped Diamond by Microwave Pulsed-Plasma Polymerized Allylamine Film
PublicationWe report the novel modification of a hydrogen-terminated polycrystalline boron-doped electrode with a microwave pulsed-plasma polymerized allylamine. Boron-doped diamond (BDD) was coated with a very thin layer of adherent cross-linked, pinhole- and additive-free allylamine plasma polymer (PPAAm) resistant to hydrolysis and delamination and characterized by a high density of positively charged amino groups. The pulsed microwave...
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Preparation and characterization of Pt–N/TiO2 photocatalysts and their efficiency in degradation of recalcitrant chemicals
PublicationSeries of Pt–N/TiO2 photocatalysts were synthesized using the sol–gel method. The photocatalysts’ characteristics by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that sample with the molar ratio Ti:N equal 1:4 and platinum nanoparticles size of about 3 nm had anatase structure, about 94 m2/g specific surface area...
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Common methods for the chiral determination of amphetamine and related compounds II: Capillary electrophoresis and nuclear magnetic resonance
PublicationAmphetamine group and related ring-substituted substances are generally synthetic compounds, belonging to one of the most heavily abused drug groups in recent years. Some compounds in this class also originate from plants. Analysis of the enantiomers of AM-type compounds and metabolites is extremely important for a number of scientific disciplines. From studies of biological activity or mechanisms through determination of precursor...
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Electron-impact dissociation of molecular hydrogen: benchmark cross sections
PublicationWe present a joint experimental and theoretical investigation of a fundamental process in atomic and molecular physics: electron impact excitation of molecular hydrogen’s (H2) most dominant transition (X1Σg+ → b3Σu+). Excitation of this state is by far the main channel that causes the dissociation of H2 into H + H atoms at low energies. The Convergent Close-Coupling (CCC) calculations predicted significant, more than factor of...
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The potential of imogolite nanotubes as (co-)photocatalysts: a linear-scaling density functional theory study
PublicationWe report a linear-scaling density functional theory (DFT) study of the structure, wall-polarization absolute band-alignment and optical absorption of several, recently synthesized, open-ended imogolite (Imo) nanotubes (NTs), namely single-walled (SW) aluminosilicate (AlSi), SW aluminogermanate (AlGe), SW methylated aluminosilicate (AlSi-Me), and double-walled (DW) AlGe NTs. Simulations with three different semi-local and dispersion-corrected...
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Anion–water interactions of weakly hydrated anions: molecular dynamics simulations of aqueous NaBF4 and NaPF6
PublicationIn aqueous ionic solutions, both the structure and the dynamics of water are altered dramatically with respect to the pure solvent. The emergence of novel experimental techniques makes these changes accessible to detailed investigations. At the same time, computational studies deliver unique possibilities for the interpretation of the experimental data at the molecular level. Here, using molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrate...
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Which casein in sodium caseinate is most resistant to in vitro digestion? Effect of emulsification and enzymatic structuring
PublicationWe investigated the resistance of individual constituent casein epitopes (αS1-, αS2-, β- and κ-CN) in food-grademilk protein sodium caseinate (NaCN) to simulated human gastro-duodenal digestion. The influence of NaCNadsorption to the surface of oil-in-water emulsion droplets and the effect of crosslinking of the protein withenzyme transglutaminase (TG) on the proteolysis were studied by indirect ELISA. TG crosslinking renderedfragments...
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Biopolymer based nanomaterials in drug delivery systems: A review
PublicationDrug delivery systems (DDS) are used to achieve a higher therapeutic effects of a pharmaceutical drug or natural compound in a specific diseased site with minimal toxicological effect and these systems consists of liposomes, microspheres, gels, prodrugs and many. Nanotechnology is a rapidly developing multi-disciplinary science that ensures the fabrication of the polymers to nanometer scale for various medical applications. Uses...
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Experimental and Quantum Chemical Evaluation of 8-Hydroxyquinoline as a Corrosion Inhibitor for Copper in 0.1 M HCl
PublicationThe corrosion inhibition properties of 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) in 0.1 M HCl for copper have been investigated by using experimental (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (DEIS), and potentiodynamic polarization) and theoretical methods complemented by surface morphological examination with the aid of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy...
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New bis(azobenzocrown)s with dodecylmethylmalonyl linkers as ionophores for sodium selective potentiometric sensors
PublicationNovel biscrowns 1 and 2 were synthesized from 13-membered azobenzocrown ethers containing bromoalkylenoxy chains in para position relative to the azo group. The synthesized diester molecules are dodecylmethylmalonic acid derivatives differing by the linker length. The synthesized compounds have the potential of being used as sodium ionophores in ion-selective electrodes. They were characterized and used as ionophores in classic...
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Mangiferin Affects Melanin Synthesis by an Influence on Tyrosinase: Inhibition, Mechanism of Action and Molecular Docking Studies
PublicationMangiferin is a strong antioxidant that presents a wide range of biological activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate, for the first time, the influence of mangiferin on tyrosinase, an enzyme responsible for melanin synthesis and the unwanted browning process of food. The research included both the kinetics and molecular interactions between tyrosinase and mangiferin. The research proved that mangiferin inhibits tyrosinase...
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Pathogenesis of psoriasis in the “omic” era. Part II. Genetic, genomic and epigenetic changes in psoriasis
PublicationPsoriasis is a multifactorial disease in which genetic, environmental and epigenetic factors regulating gene expression play a key role. In the “genomic era”, genome-wide association studies together with target genotyping platforms performed in different ethnic populations have found more than 50 genetic susceptible markers associated with the risk of psoriasis which have been identified so far. Up till now, the strongest association...
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Experimental and DFT insights into an eco-friendly photocatalytic system toward environmental remediation and hydrogen generation based on AgInS2 quantum dots embedded on Bi2WO6
PublicationBismuth tungstate (Bi2WO6) can work as a photocatalyst but suffers from rapid recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. Herein, density functional theory (DFT) simulations revealed that the formation of a thermodynamically stable AgInS2(112)/Bi2WO6(010) heterojunction could promote charge separation and enhance the photoactivity of Bi2WO6. To confirm these theoretical predictions, a new type of photocatalysts in the form...
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Correlation–polarization effects in electron/positron scattering from acetylene: A comparison of computational models
PublicationDifferent computational methods are employed to evaluate elastic (rotationally summed) integral and differential cross sections for low energy (below about 10 eV) positron scattering off gas-phase C2H2 molecules. The computations are carried out at the static and static-plus-polarization levels for describing the interaction forces and the correlation–polarization contributions are found to be an essential component for the correct...
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Simultaneous removal of heavy metals and dyes in water using a MgO-coated Fe3O4 nanocomposite: Role of micro-mixing effect induced by bubble generation
PublicationThis study focused on the development of a nano-adsorbent for contaminant removal without the use of any external energy. An eco-friendly Fe3O4@MgO core-shell nanocomposite was synthesized and tested for the removal of a heavy metal, lead (Pb2+) and a dye, rhodamine B (RhB). The addition of H2O2 into the system enabled the self-mixing of the aqueous solution containing Fe3O4@MgO through the generation of bubbles. This system showed...
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Topical delivery of pharmaceutical and cosmetic macromolecules using microemulsion systems
PublicationMicroemulsions are transparent, thermodynamically stable colloidal systems. Over the recent years, they have been increasingly investigated due to their potential as skin delivery vehicles for a wide range of drug molecules. The nanoscale particle size and the specificity of microemulsion components are the main features determining the skin permeation process. However, in order to effectively cross the skin barrier, the active...
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Deep Eutectic Solvents or Eutectic Mixtures? Characterization of Tetrabutylammonium Bromide and Nonanoic Acid Mixtures
PublicationDeep eutectic solvents have quickly attracted the attention of researchers because they better meet the requirements of green chemistry and thus have the potential to replace conventional hazardous organic solvents in some areas. To better understand the nature of these mixtures, as well as expand the possibilities of their use in different industries, a detailed examination of their physical properties, such as density, viscosity,...
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DFT study of low-energy electron interaction with pyridine, pyrazine and their halo derivatives
PublicationIn this work, the density functional theory with B3LYP hybrid functional was employed to calculate quantities useful for estimating the behavior of pyridine, pyrazine and their derivatives monosubstituted with Cl or Br atom, when exposed to low-energy electron impact. Vertical electron affinities obtained in several Pople basis sets and in aug-cc-pVTZ basis set are reported. Although some of the investigated molecules do not form...
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Soiling Effect Mitigation Obtained by Applying Transparent Thin-Films on Solar Panels: Comparison of Different Types of Coatings
PublicationDust accumulation on the front cover of solar panels is closely linked to location and orientation of photovoltaic (PV) installation. Its build-up depends on the module tilt angle, frequency of precipitation, humidity, wind strength and velocity, as well as grain size. Additionally, soil composition is determined by solar farm surroundings such as local factories, agricultural crops, and traffic. Over time, molecules of atmospheric...
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Advantageous conditions of saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass for biofuels generation via fermentation processes
PublicationProcessing of lignocellulosic biomass includes four major unit operations: pre-treatment, hydrolysis, fermentation and product purifcation prior to biofuel generation via anaerobic digestion. The microorganisms involved in the fermentation metabolize only simple molecules, i.e., monosugars which can be obtained by carrying out the degradation of complex polymers, the main component of lignocellulosic biomass. The object of this...
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The influence oil additives on spread cracks in silicon nitride
PublicationThe paper presents an experimental study of the influence of oil additives (Cl, S, P, cerium dioxide (CeO2)) on spread cracks in silicon nitride. The additives Cl, S, P are bound in molecules in liquid form soluble in the base oil. The CeO2 is purely in powder form in suspension. The use of CeO2 powder was made based on the good results of polishing of silicon nitride. A ceramic angular contact ball bearing was modelled using a...
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Sano-Tachiya-Noolandi-Hong, Onsager and Braun models vs Monte Carlo simulation of charge photogeneration in organic solids
PublicationThe Sano-Tachiya-Noolandi-Hong (STNH), Onsager, and Braun models as well as Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of charge recombination/separation have been applied for the first time to reproduce the results of the electromodulated photoluminescence measurements in vacuum-evaporated films of fluorescent materials commonly used in optoelectronic devices. The values of the electron-hole pair final recombination speed in the monomer emitters:...
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Ordered titanium templates functionalized by gold films for biosensing applications – Towards non-enzymatic glucose detection
PublicationRecently, metal nanostructures evoke much interest due to application potential in highly sensitive detectors in biochemistry and medical diagnostics. In this work we report on preparation and characteristics of thin (1–100 nm) Au films deposited onto highly ordered structured titanium templates for SERS (Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy) and electrochemical sensing. The Ti templates are formed by selective removal of TiO2 nanotubes...
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The importance of anchoring ligands of binuclear sensitizers on electron transfer processes and photovoltaic action in dye-sensitized solar cells
PublicationThe relatively low photon-to-current conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells is their major drawback limiting widespread application. Light harvesting, followed by a series of electron transfer processes, is the critical step in photocurrent generation. An in-depth understanding and fine optimization of those processes are crucial to enhance cell performance. In this work, we synthesize two new bi-ruthenium sensitizers...
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Chalcogen bonding interactions in a series of aromatic selenocyanates
PublicationSelenium atoms in aromatic selenocyanates are characterized by the occurrence of two σ-holes, a stronger one in the prolongation of the NC–Se bond and a weaker one in the prolongation of the Ar–Se bond. The crystal structures of several bis(selenocyanato) derivatives, prepared by a method originally developed for ortho bis-substituted derivatives, illustrate very well this difference, with a short NC–Se⋯NC ChB interaction organizing...
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Extraction pathways and purification strategies towards carminic acid as natural-based food colorant: A comprehensive review
PublicationAs a current trend of fabricating healthier products, food manufacturing companies seek for natural-based food colorant aiming to replace the synthetic ones, which apart from meeting sensorial and organoleptic aspects, they can also act as health promoters offering additional added value. Carminic acid is a natural based food colorant typically found in several insect taxa. However, there are current approaches which pursue the...
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Heptaene macrolides biosynthesis by Streptomyces species
PublicationPolyene macrolides are one of the groups of secondary metabolites, generated by microorganisms belonging to the Streptomyces genus. These compounds, containing 3 - 7 conjugated double bonds systems in their molecules exhibit high antifungal activity against a broad spectrum of fungal pathogens with heptaenes demonstrating the highest antifungal potential. At the large extent, efficiency of biosynthesis of these natural products...
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Solvation of ionic liquids based on N-methyl-N-alkyl morpholinium cations in dimethylsulfoxide – volumetric and compressibility studies
PublicationThe density and sound velocity of the solutions of ionic liquids based on N-alkyl-N-methyl-morpholinium cations, N-ethyl-N-methylmorpholinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, N-butyl-N-methylmorpholinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, N-methyl-N-octyl-morpholinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide and N-decyl-N-methylmorpholinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide in dimethylsulfoxide were measured at T = (298.15 to 318.15)...
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Properties of water in the region between a tubulin dimer and a single motor head of kinesin
PublicationA kinesin is a molecular motor that can perform movement on a microtubule track in a stepping-like manner. This motion is connected with processes of association and dissociation of kinesin and tubulin. Water is an important participant in these kinds of molecular interactions. This is why we have decided to investigate the dynamical and structural properties of water in the region between the kinesin catalytic domain and the tubulin...
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Chiral Schiff base complexes as an effective catalyst in Diels-Alder reaction
PublicationDiels Alder reaction is a very important tool in carbon-carbon bond formation. It is a cycloaddition between a conjugated diene and a second compound called dienophile. Where one or more heteroatoms are present in the diene and/or dienophile framework, the cycloaddition is called hetero-Diels-Alder reaction (HDA). The asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction is among the most powerful available methodologies for that construction of optically...
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Prototype of an opto-capacitive probe for non-invasive sensing cerebrospinal fluid circulation
PublicationIn brain studies, the function of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) awakes growing interest, particularly related to studies of the glymphatic system in the brain, which is connected with the complex system of lymphatic vessels responsible for cleaning the tissues. The CSF is a clear, colourless liquid including water (H2O) approximately with a concentration of 99 %. In addition, it contains electrolytes, amino acids, glucose, and...
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Hyaluronan-Chondroitin Sulfate Anomalous Crosslinking Due to Temperature Changes
PublicationGlycosaminoglycans are a wide class of biopolymers showing great lubricating properties due to their structure and high affinity to water. Two of them, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate, play an important role in articular cartilage lubrication. In this work, we present results of the all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of both molecules placed in water-based solution. To mimic changes of the physiological conditions,...
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Cross sections for electron collision with pyridine [C5H5N] molecule
PublicationThe absolute grand -total cross section (TCS) for electron scattering from pyridine, C5H5N, molecules has been measured at impact energies from 0.6 to 300 eV in the linear electron-transmission experiment. The obtained TCS energy dependence appears to be typical for targets of high electric-dipole moment; the cross section generally decreases with rising energy, except for the 3–20 eV range, where a broad enhancement peaked near...
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Effect of osmolytes of different type on DNA behavior in aqueous solution. Experimental and theoretical studies
PublicationOsmolytes, the small organic molecules accumulated in cells under environmental stress, can modulate the stability of biopolymers such as proteins and DNA. In spite of many years of research, there is no established molecular mechanism of the influence of osmolytes on DNA structure. Here, we used two model osmolytes that denature (urea) or stabilize (trimethylglycine, TMG) proteins to study their effect on DNA in aqueous solutions...
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Curing epoxy resin with anhydride in the presence of halloysite nanotubes: the contradictory effects of filler concentration
PublicationEpoxy resins can be cured with a wide variety of curing agents such as amines and anhydrides, but anhydride curing would be more favorable for research purpose because of epoxy-anhydride curing taking place slowly at room temperature. Incorporation of natural nanosized minerals into epoxy is of environmental importance. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) display chemical properties similar to those of silica and alumina, and hydroxyl...
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Improved Performance of 1-Ethyl-3-Methylimidazolium Tetrafluoroborate at Steel/HCl Interface by Iodide Ions
PublicationThe corrosion and corrosion inhibition of St37 steel in 0.1 M HCl solution by 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMITFB) and the effect of addition of KI on the inhibitive performance of EMITFB have been examined by electrochemical [electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potentiodynamic polarization, and dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (DEIS)] and surface examination [scanning electron microscope (SEM)...
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Influence of silver-core gold-shell nanoparticle parameters on the variation of surface-enhanced Raman spectra
PublicationThe detection of molecules by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is dependent on the nanomaterial used to induce the enhancement effect. This depends on a variety of parameters of the substrate such as the metal used for their creation, their shape, size and size distribution, concentration, as well as the parameters of the solution, such as packing of the nanoparticles, the complexity of the sample, the solvent, etc. It...
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Chemical Aspects of Biological Activity of Isothiocyanates and Indoles, the Products of Glucosinolate Decomposition
PublicationThere is growing evidence that cancer chemoprevention employing natural, bioactive compounds may halt or at least slow down the different stages of carcinogenesis. A particularly advantageous effect is attributed to derivatives of sulfur-organic phytochemicals, such as glucosinolates (GLs) synthesized mainly in Brassicaceae plant family. GLs are hydrolysed enzymatically to bioactive isothiocyanates (ITC) and indoles, which exhibit strong...
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Interaction of 4-nitrothiophenol with low energy electrons: Implications for plasmon mediated reactions
PublicationThe reduction of 4-nitrothiophenol (NTP) to 4-4′-dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB) on laser illuminated noble metal nanoparticles is one of the most widely studied plasmon mediated reactions. The reaction is most likely triggered by a transfer of low energy electrons from the nanoparticle to the adsorbed molecules. Besides the formation of DMAB, dissociative side reactions of NTP have also been observed. Here, we present a crossed electron-molecular...
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Electrochemical, theoretical and surface physicochemical studies of the alkaline copper corrosion inhibition by newly synthesized molecular complexes of benzenediamine and tetraamine with π acceptor
PublicationTwo charge transfer complexes, namely [(BDAH)+(PA−)] CT1 [(BTAH)2+(PA−)2] and CT2 (BDAH = 1,2-benzenediamine, BTAH = 1,2,4,5-benzenetetramine, and PA− = 2,4,6-trinitrophenolate), were synthesized and fully characterized using various spectroscopic techniques. CT1 and CT2 were tested as inhibitors to effectively control the uniform and anodic corrosion processes of copper in an alkaline electrolyte (1.0 M KOH) using various electrochemical...