Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Matrices From Vegetable Oils, Cashew Nut Shell Liquid, And Other Relevant Systems For Biocomposite Applications, Rafael L. Quirino, Thomas F. Garrison, Michael R. Kessler

Rafael L. Quirino

The partial replacement of petroleum-derived plastics and composites by novel bio-based materials from inexpensive, renewable, natural resources has the potential to greatly impact the plastics, coatings, and composites industries. Natural starting materials are usually abundant and renewable on a time scale many orders of magnitude smaller than petroleum. These characteristics, in combination with good mechanical properties, make the design of bio-based composites an interesting strategy for lowering the environmental impact of the plastics and composites industries while maintaining economical competitiveness. The present review will focus on the progress made over the last decade in the development of a select group …

A Two Years Longitudinal Study Of A Transgenic Huntington Disease Monkey, Anthony W. S. Chan, Yan Xu, Jie Jiang, Tayeb Rahim, Jannet Kocerha, Dongming Zhao, Tim Chi, Heidi Engelhardt, Sean Moran, Katherine Larkin, Adam Neumann, Haiying Cheng, Chunxia Li, Katie Nelson, Heather Banta, Stuart M. Zola, Francois Villinger, Jinjing Yang, Claudia M. Testa, Hui Mao, Xiaodong Zhang, Jocelyne Bachevalier

Jannet Kocerha

Background: A two-year longitudinal study composed of morphometric MRI measures and cognitive behavioral evaluation was performed on a transgenic Huntington’s disease (HD) monkey. rHD1, a transgenic HD monkey expressing exon 1 of the human gene encoding huntingtin (HTT) with 29 CAG repeats regulated by a human polyubiquitin C promoter was used together with four age-matched wild-type control monkeys. This is the first study on a primate model of human HD based on longitudinal clinical measurements.

Results: Changes in striatal and hippocampal volumes in rHD1 were observed with progressive impairment in motor functions and cognitive decline, including deficits in learning stimulus-reward …

Disassembly Of Preformed Amyloid Ss Fibrils By Small Organofluorine Molecules, Abha Sood, Abid Shaikh, Catharine Sauer, Samson Hailemichael, Michelle Foster, Béla Török, Marianna Török

Abid Shaikh

A potential therapeutic approach for Alzheimer’s disease is to reduce the amount of toxic amyloid-beta oligomers and fibrillar amyloid plaques. In order to contribute to this approach the ability of small organofluorine compounds that were previously reported as successful inhibitors of fibrillogenesis to destabilize preformed fibrils of the amyloid-beta peptide was studied. These organofluorine molecules including chiral compounds were tested in vitro using standard methods based on Thioflavin-T (THT) fluorescence spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It was observed that 5′-halogen substituted 3,3,3-trifluoromethyl-2-hydroxyl-(indol-3-yl)-propionic acid esters showed significant activity in the disassembly of the preformed fibrils. Since …

Effect Of Chirality Of Small Molecule Organofluorine Inhibitors Of Amyloid Self-Assembly On Inhibitor Potency, Abha Sood, Abid Shaikh, Samson Hailemichael, Michelle Foster, Béla Török, Marianna Török

Abid Shaikh

The effect of enantiomeric trifluoromethyl-indolyl-acetic acid ethyl esters on the fibrillogenesis of Alzheimer’s amyloid β (Aβ) peptide is described. These compounds have been previously identified as effective inhibitors of the Aβ self-assembly in their racemic form. Thioflavin-T Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy were applied to assess the potency of the chiral target compounds. Both enantiomers showed significant inhibition in the in vitro assays. The potency of the enantiomeric inhibitors appeared to be very similar to each other suggesting the lack of the stereospecific binding interactions between these small molecule inhibitors and the Aβ peptide.

Triflic Acid Controlled Successive Annelation Of Aromatic Sulfonamides: An Efficient One-Pot Synthesis Of N-Sulfonyl Pyrroles, Indoles And Carbazoles, Abid Shaikh, Liliana Teixeira, Béla Török

Abid Shaikh

A novel one-pot synthesis of N-substituted heterocycles via successive cyclization/annelation starting from primary sulfonamides is described. This process directly leads to N-sulfonyl pyrroles, indoles and carbazoles. The selection of an appropriate reactant/triflic acid ratio successfully controls the formation of the desired product.

Using Gold Nanorods To Probe Cell-Induced Collagen Deformation, John W. Stone, Patrick N. Sisco, Edie C. Goldsmith, Sarah C. Baxter, Catherine J. Murphy

John W. Stone

In biological tissue, complex mechanisms of cellular response are closely linked to the mechanical environment that cells experience. The key to understanding these mechanisms may lie in measurement of local mechanical fields near living cells and between cells. We have developed a novel optical measurement technique which combines the light elastically scattered from gold nanorods with digital image analysis to track local deformations that occur in vitro between cells, in real time, under darkfield optical microscopy. We find that measurable tension and compression exist in the intercellular matrix at the length scale of micrometers, as the cells assess, adapt, and …

Synthesis Of Trifluoromethyl-Imines By Solid Acid/Superacid Catalyzed Microwave-Assisted Approach, Abid Shaikh, Markku Savolainen, Shainaz M. Landge, Jinbo Hu, G. K. S. Prakash, George A. Olah, Béla Török

Abid Shaikh

Trifluoromethyl, Imine, Clay, Solid acids, Solid superacid, Catalysis, Microwave irradiation Abstract: A new solid acid/superacid catalyzed microwave assisted synthesis of trifluoromethyl-imines is described. Various α,α,α-trifluoromethylketones react readily with primary amines to produce the corresponding imines. Two different strategies have been employed; one is the application of microwave irradiation coupled with solvent-free solid acid catalysis. The other method, for highly deactivated substrates includes the use of a pressure vessel at 175 °C temperature, with solid superacid catalysis. Using the solid acid K-10 montmorillonite or the superacidic perfluorinated resinsulfonic acid Nafion-H, a wide variety of trifluoromethylated imines have been synthesized using the …