Reduction of CuO Butterfly Wing Scales Generates Cu SERS Substrates for DNA Base Detection

We prepare three-dimensional Cu plasmonic structures via a reduction of CuO photonic crystals replicated from butterfly wing scales. These Cu superstructures with high purity provide surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates for the label-free detection of DNA bases down to a micromolar level, which is achieved for the first time on Cu and even comparable to the detection-sensitivity for DNA bases on some Ag substrates. The generation of such superstructures has provided a substantial step for the biotemplated SERS substrates with high sensitivity, high reproducibility, and ultra-low cost to detect biomolecules, and presented affordable high-quality routine SERS consumables for corresponding biolaboratories

Presentation1.PDF

<p>Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of serious nosocomial infections, and recurrent MRSA infections primarily result from the survival of persister cells after antibiotic treatment. Gas plasma, a novel source of ROS (reactive oxygen species) and RNS (reactive nitrogen species) generation, not only inactivates pathogenic microbes but also restore the sensitivity of MRSA to antibiotics. This study further found that sublethal treatment of MRSA with both plasma and plasma-activated saline increased the antibiotic sensitivity and promoted the eradication of persister cells by tetracycline, gentamycin, clindamycin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, rifampicin, and vancomycin. The short-lived ROS and RNS generated by plasma played a primary role in the process and induced the increase of many species of ROS and RNS in MRSA cells. Thus, our data indicated that the plasma treatment could promote the effects of many different classes of antibiotics and act as an antibiotic sensitizer for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacteria involved in infectious diseases.</p

MOESM3 of Alteration of metabolite profiling by cold atmospheric plasma treatment in human myeloma cells

Additional file 3: Table S3. Pathway metabolite mapping

MOESM1 of Alteration of metabolite profiling by cold atmospheric plasma treatment in human myeloma cells

Additional file 1: Table S1. KEGG metabolite mapping

Oxygen harvesting from carbon dioxide: Simultaneous epoxidation and CO formation

Due to increasing concentrations in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide has, in recent times, been targeted for utilisation (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage, CCUS). In particular, the production of CO from CO2 has been an area of intense interest, particularly since the CO can be utilized in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Herein we report that CO2 can also be used as a source of atomic oxygen that is efficiently harvested and used as a waste-free terminal oxidant for the oxidation of alkenes to epoxides. Simultaneously, the process yields CO. Utilization of the atomic oxygen does not only generate a valuable product, but also prevents the recombination of O and CO, thus increasing the yield of CO for possible application in the synthesis of higher-order hydrocarbons

trans‐Stilbene epoxidation by He+O2 atmospheric pressure plasma: Epoxidation without oxidant waste stream

Plasmas interacting with organic liquids can lead to novel synthetic processes that are not feasible with conventional vacuum systems due to vapor pressure limitations. Of particular interest are processes that eliminate the generation of waste-streams. Here we show that He+O2 plasma can drive the epoxidation of alkenes in solution, in a process that generates epoxides without oxidant waste-streams, runs at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, and requires no catalyst. The reactions between different reactive oxygen species generated in the plasma and the target alkene, trans-stilbene in this study, have been identified and optimization of the plasma conditions within the constraints of the current experimental set-up have led to yields of ~70%, which are of preparative interest