Recent advances in the design and photocatalytic enhanced performance of gold plasmonic nanostructures decorated with non-titania based semiconductor hetero-nanoarchitectures

Plasmonic photocatalysts combining metallic nanoparticles and semiconductors have been aimed as versatile alternatives to drive light-assisted catalytic chemical reactions beyond the ultraviolet (UV) regions, and overcome one of the major drawbacks of the most exploited photocatalysts (TiO2 or ZnO). The strong size and morphology dependence of metallic nanostructures to tune their visible to near-infrared (vis-NIR) light harvesting capabilities has been combined with the design of a wide variety of architectures for the semiconductor supports to promote the selective activity of specific crystallographic facets. The search for efficient heterojunctions has been subjected to numerous studies, especially those involving gold nanostructures and titania semiconductors. In the present review, we paid special attention to the most recent advances in the design of gold-semiconductor hetero-nanostructures including emerging metal oxides such as cerium oxide or copper oxide (CeO2 or Cu2O) or metal chalcogenides such as copper sulfide or cadmium sulfides (CuS or CdS). These alternative hybrid materials were thoroughly built in past years to target research fields of strong impact, such as solar energy conversion, water splitting, environmental chemistry, or nanomedicine. Herein, we evaluate the influence of tuning the morphologies of the plasmonic gold nanostructures or the semiconductor interacting structures, and how these variations in geometry, either individual or combined, have a significant influence on the final photocatalytic performance

High-radiance LED-driven fluidized bed photoreactor for the complete oxidation of n-hexane in air

This work presents a highly efficient photo-reactor configuration for VOC abatement. It consists of a fluidized bed made of commercial, easy to fluidize, transparent borosilicate glass beads coated with commercial TiO2 nanoparticles (0.15–2.3 wt% loadings). Herein, we demonstrate that the use of high-radiance/low consumption UV-LEDs as irradiation sources with a deeper light penetration under fluidizing conditions facilitates the photocatalytic response to achieve the complete oxidation of VOCs. The role of different parameters such as catalyst loading and irradiation power have been thoroughly studied and evaluated to maximize the full combustion of n-hexane. Under the high radiance (up to 2200 mW/cm2) conditions used the bed heats significantly (up to 190 °C), although this did not have an effect on the conversions reached, which depended solely on the wavelength and power used. The productivity of the photoreactor tested and the space velocity used were around 5.25 × 10-2 mol/g·h and 12000 h-1 respectively

Laser-driven direct synthesis of carbon nanodots and application as sensitizers for visible-light photocatalysis

We present the first successful synthesis of monodisperse carbon nanodots (CNDs) with tunable photoluminescence (PL) carried out by laser pyrolysis of two common volatile organic precursors such as toluene and pyridine. Remarkably, the initial chemical composition of the precursor determines the formation of undoped or N-doped CNDs and their corresponding absorption response in the visible range (expanded for the latter). We demonstrate the control and versatility of this synthesis method to tune the final outcome and its potential to explore a great number of potential solvent candidates. Furthermore, we have successfully exploited these CNDs (both undoped and N-doped) as effective sensitizers of TiO2 nanoparticles in the visible-light driven photo-degradation of a cationic dye selected as model organic pollutant

Tissue culture of ornamental cacti

Cacti species are plants that are well adapted to growing in arid and semiarid regions where the main problem is water availability. Cacti have developed a series of adaptations to cope with water scarcity, such as reduced leaf surface via morphological modifications including spines, cereous cuticles, extended root systems and stem tissue modifications to increase water storage, and crassulacean acid metabolism to reduce transpiration and water loss. Furthermore, seeds of these plants very often exhibit dormancy, a phenomenon that helps to prevent germination when the availability of water is reduced. In general, cactus species exhibit a low growth rate that makes their rapid propagation difficult. Cacti are much appreciated as ornamental plants due to their great variety and diversity of forms and their beautiful short-life flowers; however, due to difficulties in propagating them rapidly to meet market demand, they are very often over-collected in their natural habitats, which leads to numerous species being threatened, endangered or becoming extinct. Therefore, plant tissue culture techniques may facilitate their propagation over a shorter time period than conventional techniques used for commercial purposes; or may help to recover populations of endangered or threatened species for their re-introduction in the wild; or may also be of value to the preservation and conservation of the genetic resources of this important family. Herein we present the state-of-the-art of tissue culture techniques used for ornamental cacti and selected suggestions for solving a number of the problems faced by members of the Cactaceae family

Partial IFN-?R2 deficiency is due to protein misfolding and can be rescued by inhibitors of glycosylation

PubMed ID: 23963039We report a molecular study of the two known patients with autosomal recessive, partial interferon-? receptor (IFN-?R)2 deficiency (homozygous for mutations R114C and G227R), and three novel, unrelated children, homozygous for S124F (P1) and G141R (P2 and P3). IFN-?R2 levels on the surface of the three latter patients' cells are slightly lower than those on control cells. The patients' cells also display impaired, but not abolished, response to IFN-?. Moreover, the R114C, S124F, G141R and G227R IFNGR2 hypomorphic alleles all encode misfolded proteins with abnormal N-glycosylation. The mutants are largely retained in the endoplasmic reticulum, although a small proportion reach and function at the cell surface. Strikingly, the IFN-? response of the patients' cells is enhanced by chemical modifiers of N-glycosylation, as previously shown for patients with gain-of-glysosylation T168N and misfolding 382-387dup null mutations. All four in-frame IFNGR2 hypomorphic mutant alleles encoding surface-expressed receptors are thus deleterious by a mechanism involving abnormal N-glycosylation and misfolding of the IFN-?R2 protein. The diagnosis of partial IFN-?R2 deficiency is clinically useful, as affected patients should be treated with IFN-, unlike patients with complete IFN-?R2 deficiency. Moreover, inhibitors of glycosylation might be beneficial in patients with complete or partial IFN-?R2 deficiency due to misfolding or gain-of-glycosylation receptors. © 2013 by The American Society of Hematology.Rockefeller Foundation Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Inserm Agence Nationale de la Recherche, ANR: HEALTH-F3-2008-200732 National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NCATS Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Inserm Rockefeller University Shanghai Educational Development Foundation Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Ohio State University, CCTS, OSU: 8UL1TR000043 St. Giles Foundation Université Paris Descartes National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NCATS National Center for Research Resources, NCRR AXA Research Fund, AXA Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, BMGF National Council for Eurasian and East European Research, NCEEER: ERC-2010-AdG-268777 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIAID: 1R01AI089970 Jeffrey Modell Foundation, JMF Stony Wold-Herbert FundThis study was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration, with written informed consent obtained from the patient family. Approval for this study was obtained from the Comité de Protection des Personnes and Institut National de la Santéet de la Recherche Médicale in France and the Rockefeller Institutional Review Board (New York, NY). -- This work was supported by grants from the European Research Council (ERC-2010-AdG-268777), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, University Paris Descartes, French National Agency for Research (ANR), the EU-grant HOMITB (grant HEALTH-F3-2008-200732), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the St. Giles Foundation, the Jeffrey Modell Foundation,and Talecris Biotherapeutics, Rockefeller University Center for Clinical and Translational Science grant 8UL1TR000043 from the National Center for Research Resources and the National Center for Advancing Sciences (NCATS), the Rockefeller University, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (grant 1R01AI089970). R.M.-B. is supported by the EMBO Long Term Fellowship program. X.-F.K. is supported by the Stony Wold-Herbert Fund, Choh-Hao Li Memorial Fund Scholar award, and the Shanghai Educational Development Foundation, Y.I. was supported by the AXA Research Fund. V.L.B. was supported by the Stony Wold-Herbert Fund, and A.Y.K. was supported by the Fondation Médicale Medische Stichting Mathilde E. Horlait-Dapsens. -

Replication study of plasma proteins relating to Alzheimer's pathology

Altres ajuts: Innovative Medicines Initiative (EMIF grant agreement n° 115372); Stichting voor Alzheimer Onderzoek (grant numbers #11020, #13007, and #15005); Flemish Research Foundation (FWO); Department of Health of the Basque Government (allocation 17.0.1.08.12.0000.2.454.01.41142.001.H); University of Antwerp Research Fund; Swedish Research Council (#2018-02532); Swedish State Support for Clinical Research (#ALFGBG-720931); the Alzheimer Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), USA (#201809-2016862); UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL; NIHR biomedical research center at UCLH.Introduction: This study sought to discover and replicate plasma proteomic biomarkers relating to Alzheimer's disease (AD) including both the "ATN" (amyloid/tau/neurodegeneration) diagnostic framework and clinical diagnosis. Methods: Plasma proteins from 972 subjects (372 controls, 409 mild cognitive impairment [MCI], and 191 AD) were measured using both SOMAscan and targeted assays, including 4001 and 25 proteins, respectively. Results: Protein co-expression network analysis of SOMAscan data revealed the relation between proteins and "N" varied across different neurodegeneration markers, indicating that the ATN variants are not interchangeable. Using hub proteins, age, and apolipoprotein E ε4 genotype discriminated AD from controls with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.81 and MCI convertors from non-convertors with an AUC of 0.74. Targeted assays replicated the relation of four proteins with the ATN framework and clinical diagnosis. Discussion: Our study suggests that blood proteins can predict the presence of AD pathology as measured in the ATN framework as well as clinical diagnosis