RSC Advances Blog

Pumping gone soft

11 Apr 2014

Written by Harriet Brewerton for Chemistry World

Scientists are a step closer to producing soft machines that are efficient and long-lasting enough for practical applications.

Soft pump

Engines and other machinery are currently composed of rigid parts that bear considerable forces and degrade over time. They are also limited to moving in a certain direction or around a certain axis. In nature many mechanical processes are carried out using soft materials that are nevertheless highly durable, efficient and capable of deforming and returning to their original shape in complex ways, for example the heart.

Interested? If so, read the full article at Chemistry World here.

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Sol-Gel Synthesis and Investigation of Inorganic Compounds, Functional Hybrid Materials and Dispersed Systems (Sol-gel 2014)

01 Apr 2014

By Mary Badcock, Deputy Editor.

The 3rd International Conference of CIS countries “Sol-Gel Synthesis and Investigation of Inorganic Compounds, Functional Hybrid Materials and Dispersed Systems” (Sol-Gel 2014), will be held in Suzdal, Russia bettwen the 8-12 Spetember 2014.

The prinicple topics which will be discussed at the conference are:

New Applications for Sol-Gel Materials	Aerogels and Insulating Materials
Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials	Sol-gel Materials for Electronic Applications (Magnetic, Ferroelectric, Semiconductor)
Size and Shape Control in the Synthesis of Nanoparticles. Colloid Materials.	Sol-Gel Materials for Optics and Photonics
Self-Assembly, Supramolecular and Hierarchically Structured Sol-Gel Materials and Sorbents	Sol-Gel Materials for Energy, Sensor, Solar and Space applications
Biomaterials, Biohybrids and Biomimetic Materials, Controlled Release	Sol-Gel Materials for Catalysis and Membranes
Thin Films, Coatings and Surfaces	Sol-gel Science & Technology and Industry

The confirmed Plenary speakers at the conference are:

Prof. Jean-Marie Nedelec (France)
Prof. Y.K. Gun’ko (Ireland)
Prof. Michel Wong Chi Man (France)
Prof. Andrei Kanaev (France)
Prof. Gabriela Kuncova (Czech Republic)
Prof. Wieslaw Strek (Poland)
Prof. Robert Pazik (Poland)
Prof. Florence Babonneau (France)
Prof. Rafael Wiglusz (Poland)
Prof. Gulaim A. Seisenbaeva (Sweden)
Prof. Vadim Kessler (Sweden)

The key dates for this event are as follows:

Abstract submission deadline: 15th April 2014
Conference registration: 15th April 2014
Early-Bird registration: 15th April 2014
Hotel booking deadline: 30th April 2014
Visa application deadline: 15th April 2014

To register and find out more about the conference, visit the website.

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RSC Advances is now on Twitter

21 Mar 2014

By Guy Jones, Deputy Editor.

Want to keep up with all the latest news from RSC Advances?

You can now follow us on Twitter @RSC_Adv.

The feed features news on the latest HOT articles, themed issues, review articles and journal announcements. It is also a great place to follow news from the Royal Society of Chemistry, with updates on the latest conferences and bursaries as well as featuring news from our other journal publications.

Check out the feed at www.twitter.com/rsc_adv and start following RSC Advances today!

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Cystic fibrosis treatment clears the way

18 Mar 2014

By Aliya Anwar.

written by Charlie Quigg for Chemistry World

Stabilising a mucus attacking enzyme with cross-links could allow it to be delivered orally to fight infections in cystic fibrosis patients.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the commonest opportunistic pathogens in cystic fibrosis. The bacterium produces alginate, a polysaccharide which causes significant mucus build-up in the lungs and intestine. In addition to affecting patients’ quality of life, this also significantly obstructs the delivery of antibiotics, requiring increased dosages which can lead to antibiotic resistance and an increased chance of side-effects.

Guillermo Castro at the National University of La Plata in Argentina, and his team, investigate the delivery of drugs with significant administrative problems’…

Interested? If so, read the full article at Chemistry World here.

Cross-linking alginate lyase in the presence of BSA stabilises the enzyme but leaves the active site intact

Please click on the below title to access the original article which is free to access until 7^th April 2014 :

Development of novel alginate lyase cross-linked aggregates for the oral treatment of cystic fibrosis
G. A. Islan, Y. N. Martinez, A. Illanes and G. R. Castro
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 11758-11765
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA47850E

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‘HOT’ articles!

10 Mar 2014

By Aliya Anwar.

Our referees have spoken once again and chosen the below ‘HOT’ articles. Please have a gander and let us know what you think in the comments section below:

Mn²⁺/graphene oxide nanocomposite efficiently catalyzes the epoxidation of alkenes with H₂O₂
Weiguo Zheng, Rong Tan, Lili Zhao, Yaju Chen, Chuanwu Xiong and Donghong Yin
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 11732-11739
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA47183G

Enzymatic oxidation as a potential new route to produce polysaccharide aerogels
Kirsi S. Mikkonen, Kirsti Parikka, Jussi-Petteri Suuronen, Abdul Ghafar, Ritva Serimaa and Maija Tenkanen
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 11884-11892
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA47440B

Sensitive and regenerable organochalcogen probes for the colorimetric detection of thiols
Shah Jaimin Balkrishna, Ananda S. Hodage, Shailesh Kumar, Piyush Panini and Sangit Kumar
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 11535-11538
DOI: 10.1039/C4RA00381K

And remember – these articles are free to access for 4 weeks!

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Turmeric – potential ingredient to anti-cancer therapies

27 Feb 2014

By Liz Bowley.

A potential ingredient to anti-cancer therapeutics has been reviewed by Elizabeth Gillies and colleagues, of The University of Western Ontario.

Turmeric, a spice commonly used in curries, contains a natural polyphenol called curcumin, which has been revealed as a promising anti-cancer therapeutic.

Tautomeric forms of curcumin and nanoparticle drug delivery systems

The undesirable properties and side effects of current anti-cancer therapeutics have inspired scientists to search for a natural remedy which may be better tolerated. Curcumin has been demonstrated to inhibit cancer cell survival and to induce apoptosis without promoting the development of side effects.

Studies comparing the incidences of cancer in India and the West revealed that there was a lower risk of cancer in India. It is proposed that a major contribution to these statistics could be the increased intake of plant derivatives, such as curcumin, into the diet. In Asia, turmeric has been used for its medicinal properties for more than two thousand years!

In the 1800s scientists were able to isolate the curcumin molecule, but the structure wasn’t elucidated until 1910 – it is the structure which is responsible for its unique physiochemical and biological properties:

Often used as a dye due to its vibrant colour.
Increases the thermal stability of collagen, used for dermal wound healing.
Stability is maintained at room temperature allowing it to be used for medicinal purposes.

Traditional medicine has used curcumin to treat several conditions including inflammation, respiratory infections and blood clotting, but there is a rapidly growing interest in its effects on cancer.

Curcumin has yet to be licenced as a drug, possibly due to its susceptibility to rapid degradation in a wide range of environments and its sensitivity to pH and light. Under certain conditions curcumin becomes unstable and degrades, yielding other compounds. As many drug delivery systems tend to stabilize curcumin it needs to be determined whether it is curcumin itself or its degradation products that provided the biological activities observed.

To find out more about the chemical properties, bioactivity and approaches to cancer cell delivery of curcumin, read the full review by clicking the link.

Curcumin, a promising anti-cancer therapeutic: a review of its chemical properties, bioactivity and approaches to cancer cell delivery
Melessa Salem, Sohrab Rohani and Elizabeth Gillies
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA46396F

Access is free* until the 28.03.14 for registered users

*Access is free for 4 weeks through a registered RSC account – click here to register

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‘HOT’ articles – take a look!

21 Feb 2014

By Aliya Anwar.

Our referees have selected the below ‘HOT’ articles for this month. Please have a read and let us know your thoughts below!

Utilization of the photophysical and photochemical properties of phosphorescent transition metal complexes in the development of photofunctional cellular sensors, imaging reagents, and cytotoxic agents
Kenneth Kam-Wing Lo, Steve Po-Yam Lia
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 10560-10585
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA47611A

Carbon-based quantum dots for fluorescence imaging of cells and tissues
Pengju G. Luo, Fan Yang, Sheng-Tao Yang, Sumit K. Sonkar, Liju Yang, Jessica J. Broglie, Yun Liu and Ya-Ping Sun
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 10791-10807
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA47683A

Automated system for extraction and instantaneous analysis of millimeter-sized samples
Jie-Bi Hu, Ssu-Ying Chen, June-Tai Wu, Yu-Chie Chen and Pawel L. Urban
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 10693-10701
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA48023B

These articles are free to access for 4 weeks!

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10 of the Highest Cited RSC Advances Articles from 2013

13 Feb 2014

By Liz Bowley.

Here are 10 of the highest cited RSC Advances articles published in 2013:

Thermo-responsive fluorescent vesicles assembled by fluorescein-functionalized pillar[5]arene
Huacheng Zhang, Xing Ma, Junfei Guo, Kim Truc Nguyen, Quan Zhang, Xiao-Jun Wang, Hong Yan, Liangliang Zhu and Yanli Zhao.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 368-371
DOI: 10.1039/C2RA22123C

Bioinspired self-cleaning surfaces with superhydrophobicity, superoleophobicity, and superhydrophilicity
Shunsuke Nishimoto and Bharat Bhushan.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 671-690
DOI: 10.1039/C2RA21260A

Organocatalytic enantioselective decarboxylative Michael addition of beta-ketoacids to alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones
Young Ku Kang, Hyun Joo Lee, Hyoung Wook Moon and Dae Young Kim.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 1332-1335
DOI: 10.1039/C2RA21945J

First application of core-shell Ag@Ni magnetic nanocatalyst for transfer hydrogenation reactions of aromatic nitro and carbonyl compounds
Manoj B. Gawande, Huizhang Guo, Anuj K. Rathi, Paula S. Branco, Yuanzhi Chen, Rajender S. Varma and Dong-Liang Peng.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 1050-1054
DOI: 10.1039/C2RA22143H

3-Substituted 2-phenyl-indoles: privileged structures for medicinal chemistry
Henrik Johansson, Tanja Bøgeløv Jørgensen, David E. Gloriam, Hans Bräuner-Osborne and Daniel Sejer Pedersen.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 945-960
DOI: 10.1039/C2RA21902F

Towards artificial neurons and synapses: a materials point of view
Doo Seok Jeong, Inho Kim, Martin Ziegler and Hermann Kohlstedt.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 3169-3183
DOI: 10.1039/C2RA22507G

Rational design on n-type organic materials for high performance organic photovoltaics
Christos L. Chochos, Nikos Tagmatarchis and Vasilis G. Gregoriou.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 7160-7181
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA22926B

Recent advances in electrochemical glucose biosensors: a review
Chao Chen, Qingji Xie, Dawei Yang, Hualing Xiao, Yingchun Fu, Yueming Tan^a and Shouzhuo Yao.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 4473-4491
DOI: 10.1039/C2RA22351A

Laser flash synthesis of graphene and its inorganic analogues: An innovative breakthrough with immense promise
Prashant Kumar
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 11987-12002
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA41149D

Aqueous biphasic systems: a benign route using cholinium-based ionic liquids
Shahla Shahriari, Liliana C. Tomé, João M. M. Araújo, Luís Paulo N. Rebelo, João A. P. Coutinho, Isabel M. Marrucho and Mara G. Freire.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 1835-1843
DOI: 10.1039/C2RA22972B

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Dr Amitava Das joins the RSC Advances Editorial Board

07 Jan 2014

By Mary Badcock, Deputy Editor.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Amitava Das (CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, India) to the RSC Advances Editorial Board.

Amitava graduated from Jadavpur University in Kolkata (India) and pursued his Ph.D degree at the same University. After postdoctoral stint in the group of Professor Jon A. McCleverty at Birmingham University and then at Bristol University (UK), he joined the CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute (India) in 1992. He was elected as a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences in 2010 and the National Academy of Science (India) in 2012. In 2013, Amitava moved to the Organic Chemistry Division of the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (Pune, India). His major research interests focus on synthetic chemistry, supramolecular chemistry and photoinduced processes for developing materials for molecular recognition, sensing, bioimaging, diagnostic and DSSC applications.

We are delighted to welcome Amitava and his expertise to the Editorial Board and look forward to working with him.

The end of 2013 also marks the retirement of Professors T. N. Guru Row, Suning Wang and Marcos Eberlin from the Editorial Board as they finish their terms. We would like to thank them all for their support of RSC Advances over the last few years and their help in shaping and guiding the journal from it’s launch in 2011.

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RSC Advances Blog

Pumping gone soft

Sol-Gel Synthesis and Investigation of Inorganic Compounds, Functional Hybrid Materials and Dispersed Systems (Sol-gel 2014)

RSC Advances is now on Twitter

Cystic fibrosis treatment clears the way

‘HOT’ articles!

Top 10 most-accessed articles: October – December 2013

Turmeric – potential ingredient to anti-cancer therapies

‘HOT’ articles – take a look!

10 of the Highest Cited RSC Advances Articles from 2013

Dr Amitava Das joins the RSC Advances Editorial Board

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