Single-entity electrochemistry (SEE) describes a recent trend in state-of-the-art electrochemistry applied to the study of individual “things.” Conceptually, SEE covers fundamentals and applications ...of SEE, as well as methods and tools to make SEE measurements. SEE is especially appealing, as it unifies different branches of electrochemistry and comingles diverse approaches and techniques toward similar goals. In this Perspective, motivations and advantages of SEE are considered. A brief historical perspective and overview of recent ideas and directions in research in SEE are considered. In closing, future challenges, opportunities, and destinations related to SEE are discussed.
Similar to its popular older cousins the fullerene, the carbon nanotube, and graphene, the latest form of nanocarbon, the carbon nanodot, is inspiring intensive research efforts in its own right. ...These surface-passivated carbonaceous quantum dots, so-called C-dots, combine several favorable attributes of traditional semiconductor-based quantum dots (namely, size- and wavelength-dependent luminescence emission, resistance to photobleaching, ease of bioconjugation) without incurring the burden of intrinsic toxicity or elemental scarcity and without the need for stringent, intricate, tedious, costly, or inefficient preparation steps. C-dots can be produced inexpensively and on a large scale (frequently using a one-step pathway and potentially from biomass waste-derived sources) by many approaches, ranging from simple candle burning to in situ dehydration reactions to laser ablation methods. In this Review, we summarize recent advances in the synthesis and characterization of C-dots. We also speculate on their future and discuss potential developments for their use in energy conversion/storage, bioimaging, drug delivery, sensors, diagnostics, and composites.
Online social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace are used by billions of people every day to communicate and interact with others. There has been increasing interest in ...the potential impact of online social networking on wellbeing, with a broadening body of new research into factors associated with both positive and negative mental health outcomes such as depression. This systematic review of empirical studies (n = 30) adds to existing research in this field by examining current quantitative studies focused on the relationship between online social networking and symptoms of depression. The academic databases PsycINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and EMBASE were searched systematically using terms related to online social networking and depression. Reporting quality was critically appraised and the findings discussed with reference to their wider implications. The findings suggest that the relationship between online social networking and symptoms of depression may be complex and associated with multiple psychological, social, behavioral, and individual factors. Furthermore, the impact of online social networking on wellbeing may be both positive and negative, highlighting the need for future research to determine the impact of candidate mediators and moderators underlying these heterogeneous outcomes across evolving networks.
The extracellular, matrix-modifying enzyme lysyl oxidase (LOX) has recently been linked to colorectal cancer (CRC) progression, in particular to the stages of invasion and metastasis. In this report, ...we use cell lines expressing a catalytically inactive mutant form of LOX to show that catalytic activity is required for LOX-mediated effects on proliferation and invasion in both in vitro and in vivo models of CRC. Furthermore, we use rheology to measure the relative stiffness of modified collagen matrices and subcutaneous tumors, and show that LOX-induced collagen cross-linking results in stiffening of the matrix both in vitro and in vivo. We observe a strong association between matrix stiffness and activation of the FAK (focal adhesion kinase)/SRC-signaling pathway, with a stiffer environment resulting in increased FAK/SRC phosphorylation and a more proliferative and invasive phenotype. We are the first to show a direct relationship between LOX enzymatic activity and tissue stiffness, and to demonstrate a role for stiffness in driving CRC progression. Our findings provide significant evidence to suggest that therapeutic inhibition of LOX activity may provide a novel effective treatment option for patients with metastatic CRC.
Conspectus Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) represent an alternative class of ionic fluids closely resembling room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs), although, strictly speaking, they are distinguished ...by the fact that they also contain an organic molecular component (typically, a hydrogen bond donor like a urea, amide, acid, or polyol), frequently as the predominant constituent. Practically speaking, DESs are attractive alternatives to RTILs, sharing most of their remarkable qualities (e.g., tolerance to humidity, negligible vapor pressure, thermostability, wide electrochemical potential windows, tunability) while overcoming several limitations associated with their RTIL cousins. Particularly, DESs are typically, less expensive, more synthetically accessible (typically, from bulk commodity chemicals using solvent/waste-free processes), nontoxic, and biodegradable. In this Account, we provide an overview of DESs as designer solvents to create well-defined nanomaterials including shape-controlled nanoparticles, electrodeposited films, metal–organic frameworks, colloidal assemblies, hierarchically porous carbons, and DNA/RNA architectures. These breakthroughs illustrate how DESs can fulfill multiple roles in directing chemistry at the nanoscale: acting as supramolecular template, metal/carbon source, sacrificial agent (e.g., ammonia release from urea), and/or redox agent, all in the absence of formal stabilizing ligand (here, solvent and stabilizer are one and the same). The ability to tailor the physicochemical properties of DESs is central to controlling their interfacial behavior. The preorganized “supramolecular” nature of DESs provides a soft template to guide the formation of bimodal porous carbon networks or the evolution of electrodeposits. A number of essential parameters (viscosity, polarity, surface tension, hydrogen bonding), plus coordination with solutes/surfaces, all play significant roles in modulating species reactivity and mass transport properties governing the genesis of nanostructure. Furthermore, DES components may modulate nucleation and growth mechanisms by charge neutralization, modification of reduction potentials (or chemical activities), and passivation of particular crystal faces, dictating growth along preferred crystallographic directions. Broad operational windows for electrochemical reactions coupled with their inherent ionic nature facilitate the electrodeposition of alloys and semiconductors inaccessible to classical means and the use of cosolvents or applied potential control provide under-explored strategies for mediating interfacial interactions leading to control over film characteristics. The biocompatibility of DESs suggests intriguing potential for the construction of biomolecular architectures in these novel media. It has been demonstrated that nucleic acid structures can be manipulated in the ionic, crowded, dehydrating (low water activity) DES environmentincluding the adoption of duplex helical structures divergent from the canonical B form and parallel G-quadruplex DNA persisting near water’s boiling pointchallenging the misconception that water is a necessity for maintenance of nucleic acid structure/functionality and suggesting an enticing trajectory toward DNA/RNA-based nanocatalysis within a strictly anhydrous medium. DESs offer tremendous opportunities and open intriguing perspectives for generating sophisticated nanostructures within an anhydrous or low-water medium. We conclude this Account by offering our thoughts on the evolution of the field, pointing to areas of clear and compelling utility which will surely see fruition in the coming years. Finally, we highlight a few hurdles (e.g., need for a universal nomenclature, absence of water-immiscible, oriented-phase, and low-viscosity DESs) which, once navigated, will hasten progress in this area.
In recent years, the designer nature of ionic liquids (ILs) has driven their exploration and exploitation in countless fields among the physical and chemical sciences. A fair measure of the ...tremendous attention placed on these fluids has been attributed to their inherent designer nature. And yet, there are relatively few examples of reviews that emphasize this vital aspect in an exhaustive or meaningful way. In this critical review, we systematically survey the physicochemical properties of the collective library of ether- and alcohol-functionalized ILs, highlighting the impact of ionic structure on features such as viscosity, phase behavior/transitions, density, thermostability, electrochemical properties, and polarity (e.g. hydrophilicity, hydrogen bonding capability). In the latter portions of this review, we emphasize the attractive applications of these functionalized ILs across a range of disciplines, including their use as electrolytes or functional fluids for electrochemistry, extractions, biphasic systems, gas separations, carbon capture, carbohydrate dissolution (particularly, the (ligno)celluloses), polymer chemistry, antimicrobial and antielectrostatic agents, organic synthesis, biomolecular stabilization and activation, and nanoscience. Finally, this review discusses anion-functionalized ILs, including sulfur- and oxygen-functionalized analogs, as well as choline-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs), an emerging class of fluids which can be sensibly categorized as semi-molecular cousins to the IL. Finally, the toxicity and biodegradability of ether- and alcohol-functionalized ILs are discussed and cautiously evaluated in light of recent reports. By carefully summarizing literature examples on the properties and applications of oxy-functional designer ILs up till now, it is our intent that this review offers a barometer for gauging future advances in the field as well as a trigger to spur further contemplation of these seemingly inexhaustible and--relative to their potential--virtually untouched fluids. It is abundantly clear that these remarkable fluidic materials are here to stay, just as certain design rules are slowly beginning to emerge. However, in fairness, serendipity also still plays an undeniable role, highlighting the need for both expanded in silico studies and a beacon to attract bright, young researchers to the field (406 references).
AAA+ family proteolytic machines (ClpXP, ClpAP, ClpCP, HslUV, Lon, FtsH, PAN/20S, and the 26S proteasome) perform protein quality control and are used in regulatory circuits in all cells. These ...machines contain a compartmental protease, with active sites sequestered in an interior chamber, and a hexameric ring of AAA+ ATPases. Substrate proteins are tethered to the ring, either directly or via adaptor proteins. An unstructured region of the substrate is engaged in the axial pore of the AAA+ ring, and cycles of ATP binding/hydrolysis drive conformational changes that create pulses of pulling that denature the substrate and translocate the unfolded polypeptide through the pore and into the degradation chamber. Here, we review our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms of substrate recognition, adaptor function, and ATP-fueled unfolding and translocation. The unfolding activities of these and related AAA+ machines can also be used to disassemble or remodel macromolecular complexes and to resolubilize aggregates.
Endoscopic sinus surgery is commonly performed and has a low risk of major complications. Intraoperative bleeding impairs surgical conditions and increases the risk of complications. Remifentanil ...appears to produce better surgical conditions than other opioid analgesics, and total intravenous anaesthesia with propofol may provide superior conditions to a volatile‐based technique. Moderate hypotension with intraoperative β blockade is associated with better operating conditions than when vasodilating agents are used. Tight control of CO2 does not affect the surgical view. The use of a laryngeal mask may be associated with improved surgical conditions and a smoother emergence. It provides airway protection equivalent to that provided by an endotracheal tube in well‐selected patients, but offers less protection from gastric regurgitation. Post‐operatively, multimodal oral analgesia provides good pain relief, while long‐acting local anaesthetics have been shown not to improve analgesia.
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