A Perspective on Recent Advances in Phosphorene Functionalization and its Application in Devices

Phosphorene, the 2D material derived from black phosphorus, has recently attracted a lot of interest for its properties, suitable for applications in material science. In particular, the physical features and the prominent chemical reactivity on its surface render this nanolayered substrate particularly promising for electrical and optoelectronic applications. In addition, being a new potential ligand for metals, it opens the way for a new role of the inorganic chemistry in the 2D world, with special reference to the field of catalysis. The aim of this review is to summarize the state of the art in this subject and to present our most recent results in preparation, functionalization and use of phosphorene and its decorated derivatives. In particular, we discuss several key points, which are currently under investigation: the synthesis, the characterization by theoretical calculations, the high pressure behaviour of black phosphorus, as well as decoration with nanoparticles and encapsulation in polymers. Finally, device fabrication and electrical transport measurements are overviewed on the basis of recent literature and new results collected in our laboratories

The normal and fibrotic mouse lung classified by spatial proteomic analysis

Single cell classification is elucidating homeostasis and pathology in tissues and whole organs. We applied in situ spatial proteomics by multiplex antibody staining to routinely processed mouse lung, healthy and during a fibrosis model. With a limited validated antibody panel (24) we classify the normal constituents (alveolar type I and II, bronchial epithelia, endothelial, muscular, stromal and hematopoietic cells) and by quantitative measurements, we show the progress of lung fibrosis over a 4 weeks course, the changing landscape and the cell-specific quantitative variation of a multidrug transporter. An early decline in AT2 alveolar cells and a progressive increase in stromal cells seems at the core of the fibrotic process

On the molecular structure of human neuroserpin polymers

The polymerization of serpins is at the root of a large class of diseases; the molecular structure of serpin polymers has been recently debated. Here, we study the polymerization kinetics of human neuroserpin by Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopy and by time-lapse Size Exclusion Chromatography. Firstly we show that two distinct neuroserpin polymers, formed at 45 and 85 °C, display the same isosbestic points in the Amide I′ band, and therefore share common secondary structure features. We also find a concentration independent polymerization rate at 45 °C, suggesting that the polymerization rate-limiting step is the formation of an activated monomeric species. The polymer structures are consistent with a model that predicts the bare insertion of portions of the reactive center loop into the A β-sheet of neighboring serpin molecule, although with different extents at 45 and 85 °C

CO rebinding kinetics and molecular dynamics simulations highlight dynamic regulation of internal cavities in human cytoglobin

Cytoglobin (Cygb) was recently discovered in the human genome and localized in different tissues. It was suggested to play tissue-specific protective roles, spanning from scavenging of reactive oxygen species in neurons to supplying oxygen to enzymes in fibroblasts. To shed light on the functioning of such versatile machinery, we have studied the processes supporting transport of gaseous heme ligands in Cygb. Carbon monoxide rebinding shows a complex kinetic pattern with several distinct reaction intermediates, reflecting rebinding from temporary docking sites, second order recombination, and formation (and dissociation) of a bis-histidyl heme hexacoordinated reaction intermediate. Ligand exit to the solvent occurs through distinct pathways, some of which exploit temporary docking sites. The remarkable change in energetic barriers, linked to heme bis-histidyl hexacoordination by HisE7, may be responsible for active regulation of the flux of reactants and products to and from the reaction site on the distal side of the heme. A substantial change in both protein dynamics and inner cavities is observed upon transition from the CO-liganded to the pentacoordinated and bis-histidyl hexacoordinated species, which could be exploited as a signalling state. These findings are consistent with the expected versatility of the molecular activity of this protein

Electron and ion spectroscopy of Azobenzene in the valence and core shells

Azobenzene is a prototype and building block of a class of molecules of extreme technological interest as molecularphoto-switches. We present a joint experimental and theoretical study of its response to irradiation with light across theUV to X-ray spectrum. The study of valence and inner shell photo-ionization and excitation processes, combined withmeasurement of valence photoelectron-photoion coincidence (PEPICO) and of mass spectra across the core thresholdsprovides a detailed insight onto the site- and state-selected photo-induced processes. Photo-ionization and excita-tion measurements are interpreted via the multi-configurational restricted active space self-consistent field (RASSCF)method corrected by second order perturbation theory (RASPT2). Using static modelling, we demonstrate that thecarbon and nitrogen K edges of Azobenzene are suitable candidates for exploring its photoinduced dynamics thanks tothe transient signals appearing in background-free regions of the NEXAFS and XP

Alterations of natural killer cells activatory molecules phenotype and function in mothers of ASD children: a pilot study

IntroductionAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is accompanied by complex immune alterations and inflammation, and the possible role played by Natural Killer (NK) in such alterations is only barely understood.MethodsTo address this question we analysed activating and inhibitory NK receptors, as well as NK cells phenotype and function in a group of mothers of children who developed ASD (ASD-MO; N=24) comparing results to those obtained in mothers of healthy children who did not develop (HC-MO; N=25).ResultsResults showed that in ASD-MO compared to HC-MO: 1) NK cells expressing the inhibitory receptor ILT2 are significantly decreased; 2) the activating HLA-G14bp+ polymorphism is more frequently observed and is correlated with the decrease of ILT2-expressing cells; 3) the CD56bright and CD56dim NK subsets are increased; 4) IFNγ and TNF production is reduced; and 5) perforin- and granzymes-releasing NK cells are increased even in unstimulated conditions and could not be upregulated by mitogenic stimulation.DiscussionResults herein reinforce the hypothesis that ASD relatives present traits similar to, but not as severe as the defining features of ASD (Autism endophenotype) and identify a role for NK cells impairment in generating the inflammatory milieu that is observed in ASD

Epitaxial multilayers of alkanes on two-dimensional black phosphorus as passivating and electrically insulating nanostructures

© The Royal Society of Chemistry. Mechanically exfoliated two-dimensional (2D) black phosphorus (bP) is epitaxially terminated by monolayers and multilayers of tetracosane, a linear alkane, to form a weakly interacting van der Waals heterostructure. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and computational modelling show that epitaxial domains of alkane chains are ordered in parallel lamellae along the principal crystalline axis of bP, and this order is extended over a few layers above the interface. Epitaxial alkane multilayers delay the oxidation of 2D bP in air by 18 hours, in comparison to 1 hour for bare 2D bP, and act as an electrical insulator, as demonstrated using electrostatic force microscopy. The presented heterostructure is a technologically relevant insulator-semiconductor model system that can open the way to the use of 2D bP in micro-and nanoelectronic, optoelectronic and photonic applications

Performance of CMS muon reconstruction in pp collision events at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The performance of muon reconstruction, identification, and triggering in CMS has been studied using 40 inverse picobarns of data collected in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the LHC in 2010. A few benchmark sets of selection criteria covering a wide range of physics analysis needs have been examined. For all considered selections, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify a muon with a transverse momentum pT larger than a few GeV is above 95% over the whole region of pseudorapidity covered by the CMS muon system, abs(eta) < 2.4, while the probability to misidentify a hadron as a muon is well below 1%. The efficiency to trigger on single muons with pT above a few GeV is higher than 90% over the full eta range, and typically substantially better. The overall momentum scale is measured to a precision of 0.2% with muons from Z decays. The transverse momentum resolution varies from 1% to 6% depending on pseudorapidity for muons with pT below 100 GeV and, using cosmic rays, it is shown to be better than 10% in the central region up to pT = 1 TeV. Observed distributions of all quantities are well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Performance of CMS muon reconstruction in pp collision events at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The performance of muon reconstruction, identification, and triggering in CMS has been studied using 40 inverse picobarns of data collected in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the LHC in 2010. A few benchmark sets of selection criteria covering a wide range of physics analysis needs have been examined. For all considered selections, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify a muon with a transverse momentum pT larger than a few GeV is above 95% over the whole region of pseudorapidity covered by the CMS muon system, abs(eta) < 2.4, while the probability to misidentify a hadron as a muon is well below 1%. The efficiency to trigger on single muons with pT above a few GeV is higher than 90% over the full eta range, and typically substantially better. The overall momentum scale is measured to a precision of 0.2% with muons from Z decays. The transverse momentum resolution varies from 1% to 6% depending on pseudorapidity for muons with pT below 100 GeV and, using cosmic rays, it is shown to be better than 10% in the central region up to pT = 1 TeV. Observed distributions of all quantities are well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO