Half a century of amyloids: past, present and future

Amyloid diseases are global epidemics with profound health, social and economic implications and yet remain without a cure. This dire situation calls for research into the origin and pathological manifestations of amyloidosis to stimulate continued development of new therapeutics. In basic science and engineering, the cross-ß architecture has been a constant thread underlying the structural characteristics of pathological and functional amyloids, and realizing that amyloid structures can be both pathological and functional in nature has fuelled innovations in artificial amyloids, whose use today ranges from water purification to 3D printing. At the conclusion of a half century since Eanes and Glenner's seminal study of amyloids in humans, this review commemorates the occasion by documenting the major milestones in amyloid research to date, from the perspectives of structural biology, biophysics, medicine, microbiology, engineering and nanotechnology. We also discuss new challenges and opportunities to drive this interdisciplinary field moving forward. This journal i

Effect of Dimethyl Disulfide on Activity of NiMo Based Catalysts Used in Hydrodeoxygenation of Oleic Acid

Alumina supported NiMo catalysts were synthesized. The prepared NiMo catalysts were activated by DMDS in a sulfidation process and characterized. The sulfided NiMo catalysts were next used in hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of oleic acid in a batch reactor. Afterward, the NiMo catalysts were recovered and used in another set of HDO reactions of oleic acid under the same conditions used in the previous HDO reactions. After the HDO experiments, the active phase and deposited coke on spent catalysts were characterized. The results indicated that higher concentrations of DMDS promoted the production of heptadecane (C-17) but had no effect on the production of octadecane (C-18). Moreover, the XPS results revealed the promotional effect of DMDS concentration on maintenance of the sulfidity of the catalysts. In addition, the results for the experiments with the second run catalyst revealed a clear deactivation due to increased coke depositions. Furthermore, after two repeated experiments with first run and second run catalysts, it was observed that coke formation decreased when the concentration of DMDS was increased. These results dearly indicate a correlation between the concentration of DMDS and coke formation

Preparation of multifunctional nanoparticles and their assemblies

This article describes the synthesis of multifunctional nanoparticulate systems and a range of organic reactions for modifying the surface functionalities of these particles and their composites. The reactions include surface silanization, amine-azide conversion, azide-alkyne 'click' chemistry, thiol and amine click chemistry and amide coupling. In addition, we discuss a number of relevant nanoparticle preparations to exemplify the interrelationship of these reactions. This system can readily be adapted to produce a wide range of composites with different features, such as fluorescence, magnetism, plasmon resonance and multiple biofunctionalities.</p