A study of the electron transfer inhibition on a charged self-assembled monolayer modified gold electrode by odd random phase multisine electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

The interest of self-assembled monolayers (SAM) comes from their wide range of very specific technolog-ical applications. The SAMs having a terminal charged group are of great importance as model surfaces forelectron transfer studies. The electron transfer for highly charged electroactive ions at a SAM modifiedelectrode involves an electrostatic interaction. The present work studies a negatively charged SAM of2-mercaptobenzimidazole-5-sulfonate (MBIS). The adsorption of the molecule on polycrystalline gold isdescribed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and the reductive desorption of MBIS. The behaviorof the MBIS monolayer towards the electron transfer of the ferri/ferrocyanide reaction is investigated bycyclic voltammetry and odd random phase multisine electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (ORP-EIS).This technique ensures reliable experiments and enables a statistically founded modeling. The combinedelectrochemical and surface study allows the investigation of the characteristics and electrochemicalproperties of the MBIS monolayer formed on polycrystalline gold to provide a quantitative modeling,which is physically and statistically validated. The major contribution of this work is the use of ORP-EISand XPS to understand how the interaction between a charged SAM and electroactive ions affects theelectron transfer.SCOPUS: ar.jSCOPUS: ar.jSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable

Brazil, home to one of the planet's last great forests, is currently in trade negotiations with its second largest trading partner, the European Union (EU). We urge the EU to seize this critical opportunity to ensure that Brazil protects human rights and the environment

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field