SBA-15 is an interesting mesoporous silica material having highly ordered nanopores and a large surface area, which is widely employed as catalyst supports, absorbents, drug delivery materials, etc. Since it has a lack of functionality, heteroatoms and organic functional groups have been incorporated by direct or post-synthesis methods in order to modify their functionality. The aim of this article is to review the state-of-the-art related to the use of SBA-15-based mesoporous systems as supports for hydrodesulfurization (HDS) catalysts.

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Biogenesis and recycling of iron–sulfur (Fe–S) clusters play important roles in the iron homeostasis mechanisms involved in mitochondrial function. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the Fe–S clusters are assembled into apoproteins by the iron–sulfur cluster machinery (ISC). The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of ISC gene deletion and consequent iron release under oxidative stress conditions on mitochondrial functionality in S. cerevisiae. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, caused by H2O2, menadione, or ethanol, was associated with a loss of iron homeostasis and exacerbated by ISC system dysfunction. ISC mutants showed increased free Fe2+ content, exacerbated by ROS-inducers, causing an increase in ROS, which was decreased by the addition of an iron chelator. Our study suggests that the increment in free Fe2+ associated with ROS generation may have originated from mitochondria, probably Fe–S cluster proteins, under both normal and oxidative stress conditions, suggesting that Fe–S cluster anabolism is affected. Raman spectroscopy analysis and immunoblotting indicated that in mitochondria from SSQ1 and ISA1 mutants, the content of [Fe–S] centers was decreased, as was formation of Rieske protein-dependent supercomplex III2IV2, but this was not observed in the iron-deficient ATX1 and MRS4 mutants. In addition, the activity of complexes II and IV from the electron transport chain (ETC) was impaired or totally abolished in SSQ1 and ISA1 mutants. These results confirm that the ISC system plays important roles in iron homeostasis, ROS stress, and in assembly of supercomplexes III2IV2 and III2IV1, thus affecting the functionality of the respiratory chain.

By impedance spectroscopy, Gonzalez‐Campos et al. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 2009, 47, 932–943, reported the first evidence of a glass transition in a polysaccharide. To gain a better understanding on the molecular relaxations in polysaccharides, we study composites of chitosan (CS)/silver nanoparticles (AgnP) films by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and dielectric spectroscopy in the 2–250 °C temperature range. CS/AgnP films conductivity increases in two orders of magnitude in comparison with pristine CS. Three relaxation processes ascribed to the α‐relaxation, σ‐relaxation, and degradation process have been observed for the first time. Molecular dynamics and conductivity strongly depends on moisture content; since a plasticizing effect on the glass transition temperature is observed, similarly the increase in AgnP weight percent leads to a glass transition temperature decrease and also increases CS thermal stability. Infrared spectroscopy analysis reveals the AgnPs interaction with OH, NH2, CO.NH2, and COC groups implying an evident redistribution of the vibration bands for these groups. These new bonds affects the molecular dynamics of the CS chain bearing important changes in relaxations processes when compared CS/AgnP composite with pristine CS. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 739–748, 2010

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Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have a broad range of applications and are generally considered human-engineered nanomaterials. However, carbon nanostructures have been found in ice cores and oil wells, suggesting that nature may provide appropriate conditions for CNT synthesis. During forest wildfires, materials such as turpentine and conifer tissues containing iron under high temperatures may create chemical conditions favorable for CNT generation, similar to those in synthetic methods. Here, we show evidence of naturally occurring multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) produced from Pinus oocarpa and Pinus pseudostrobus, following a forest wildfire. The MWCNTs showed an average of 10 walls, with internal diameters of ∼2.5 nm and outer diameters of ∼14.5 nm. To verify whether MWCNT generation during forest wildfires has a biological effect on some characteristic plant species of these ecosystems, germination and development of seedlings were conducted. Results show that the utilization of comparable synthetic MWCNTs increased seed germination rates and the development of Lupinus elegans and Eysenhardtia polystachya, two plants species found in the burned forest ecosystem. The finding provides evidence that supports the generation and possible ecological functions of MWCNTs in nature.