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Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles and Halogen Bonding Interactions Involving Fentanyl and Fentanyl Derivatives
Get PDFFentanyl (FTN) and synthetic analogs of FTN continue to ravage populations across the globe, including in the United States where opioids are increasingly being used and abused and are causing a staggering and growing number of overdose deaths each year. This growing pandemic is worsened by the ease with which FTN can be derivatized into numerous derivatives. Understanding the chemical properties/behaviors of the FTN class of compounds is critical for developing effective chemical detection schemes using nanoparticles (NPs) to optimize important chemical interactions. Halogen bonding (XB) is an intermolecular interaction between a polarized halogen atom on a molecule and e−-rich sites on another molecule, the latter of which is present at two or more sites on most fentanyl-type structures. Density functional theory (DFT) is used to identify these XB acceptor sites on different FTN derivatives. The high toxicity of these compounds necessitated a “fragmentation” strategy where smaller, non-toxic molecules resembling parts of the opioids acted as mimics of XB acceptor sites present on intact FTN and its derivatives. DFT of the fragments’ interactions informed solution measurements of XB using 19F NMR titrations as well as electrochemical measurements of XB at self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-modified electrodes featuring XB donor ligands. Gold NPs, known as monolayer-protected clusters (MPCs), were also functionalized with strong XB donor ligands and assembled into films, and their interactions with FTN “fragments” were studied using voltammetry. Ultimately, spectroscopy and TEM analysis were combined to study whole-molecule FTN interactions with the functionalized MPCs in solution. The results suggested that the strongest XB interaction site on FTN, while common to most of the drug’s derivatives, is not strong enough to induce NP-aggregation detection but may be better exploited in sensing schemes involving films
Portfolio Optimization Tools in Excel
Get PDFThe calculus and matrix algebra associated with finding the optimal portfolio weights for a set of securities is tedious. However, Excel tools make the computations simple, with minimal programming needed to arrive at optimal portfolio weights for securities in a portfolio. We provide this Excel template and techniques for acquiring optimal weights, which is useful for personal and institutional investors alike.
Takeaways: The calculus and matrix algebra associated with optimizing portfolio weights is tedious, but not necessary for finding optimal portfolio weights Based on the results of the associated mathematics for optimizing portfolio weights, a very accessible Excel template can be produced to perform the optimization for an individual investor. Excel’s =MDETERM function makes the programming very easy. Although demonstrated using three funds and a risk-free rate, the Excel template can be extended to allow for many more funds and/or securities
Wildflower of the Year, White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra)
No full textWhite Turtlehead is a perennial herb rising from a rhizomatous rootstock
Arts-Integrated Learning Ignites K-12 Student Motivation And Engagement
No full textArts-integrated instruction, pairing community creatives and schools, can meet K-12 curriculum standards, motivate students, and encourage relevant, vibrant classrooms
CTE Letter-Of-Intent Signing Day Celebrates K-12 Graduates’ Pathways To Success
No full textOn April 24, 2024, sixty graduating students solidified their post-high school plans through Henrico County Public Schools’ CTE Letter-of-Intent Signing Day celebration. Through their chosen high school paths these students are entering the workforce with specialized credentials and skills. These highly employable young people, like this group of Carter Myers Automotive interns, proudly sat at the table with their future employers and signed lucrative employment agreements that included robust career options, competitive salaries, and for many, a respectable benefits package
What do Turtleheads & Cotton have in common?
No full textI will not be offended if, dear reader, your response to the question posed in the title is something along the lines of, “Hmmm, probably not very much!
UR’s Witness Oak project honors enslaved ancestors
No full textThis article is about one tree and one cemetery plot. Though the existence of some may have been forgotten, many more burial grounds for the enslaved are known and some of these may still have trees old enough to have “witnessed” the interments of those who toiled so hard, for so long. What better way to remember their contributions to the land that continues to nourish us than by maintaining a living legacy of Witness Tree progeny
Turtleheads, iridoids, and checkerspots
No full textThis article follows the story of how a plant, a molecule, and an herbivore interact with each other. The plant, of course, is White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra), the 2024 VNPS Wildlower of the Year; the molecule is something called an iridoid glycoside; and the herbivore is the Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly (Euphydras phaeton)
Reports of Cases in the Court of Chancery From 1683 to 1688
Get PDFThis collection of law reports brings together in one place the reports of cases in the Court of Chancery from the short tenure of Sir Francis North, lord Guilford, and that of Sir George Jeffreys, Lord Jeffreys, who was the Lord Chancellor during the reign of King James II. These reports have been scattered heretofore, but it is hoped that, by reprinting them in one place, they can be more easily comprehended individually and the jurisprudence of this court can be better understood. They come from the reigns of King Charles II and King James II, and date from 1683 to 1688
