Strengthening tobacco control policies during the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

Problem considered: The aim of this paper was to support policy makers to make informed decisions regarding public health response in general, and tobacco control interventions particularly, in the context of COVID-19. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey using a semi-structured questionnaire was conducted in the year 2020 with stakeholders in tobacco control and public health experts from private and government organizations. Information pertaining to background characteristics of study participants and impact of pandemic on tobacco use and means to leverage tobacco control policy was collected. Data was analysed using Microsoft excel 2010 and results are presented as frequencies and percentages along with key responses from open ended questions. Results: A total of 72 stakeholders were approached out of which, 46 (56.1%) responded and were included. About 32 (74.4%) of the participants thought that public health authorities had given advice on stopping tobacco use during COVID-19 pandemic. About 19 (43.2%) participants did not notice any change in level of interest in tobacco cessation during the pandemic while a majority 34(73.8%) agreed that COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on health seeking behaviour of patients with non-communicable diseases. Nearly half of participants, 21(48.8%) opined that tobacco industry was engaged in corporate social responsibilities during COVID-19. Conclusion: The stakeholders expressed that there is a good opportunity to further strengthen tobacco control activities during COVID-19 pandemic and also emphasized need to closely monitor tobacco industry interference during this time.

Synthesis of Biologically Active Heterospirocycles through Iterative 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition Pathways.

We demonstrate the novel spiroannulation of exo-imines with 1,3-dipoles, for the first time, leading to 3D spirocycles with a secondary amine (NH) in the spiro-ring. The synthetic method described herein allows access to these previously unexplored heterospirocyclic cores that have application in the discovery of functional molecules for medicinal and materials science. This was demonstrated by discovering an unprecedented class of heterospirocycles with antimalarial activity against the human protozoan P. falciparum.

Molecular Design of pH-Sensitive Ru(II)-Polypyridyl Luminophores.

Three new [Ru(bpy)2X]+ complex ions, where bpy represents bipyridyl ligand and X denotes pyridyl diazolate or pyrazinyl diazolate coordination site, have been computationally designed and synthesized as pH-sensitive molecules. The choice of pyridyl and pyrazinyl moieties allows for the nitrogen content to vary, whereas the influence of the protonation site is quantified by using 1,2-diazolate and 1,3-diazolate derivatives. The absorption and emission properties of the deprotonated and protonated complex ions were characterized by UV-vis and photoluminescence spectroscopy as well as by time-dependent density functional theory. Protonation causes (1) a strong blue shift in the lowest energy 3MLCT → S0 emission wavelengths, (2) a substantial increase in the emission intensity, and (3) a change in the character of the corresponding 3MLCT emitting states. The blue shift in the emission wavelength becomes less pronounced when the nitrogen content in the X-ligand increases and when going from 1,2- to 1,3-diazolate derivatives. The contrast in the emission intensity of the protonated/deprotonated forms is the highest for the complex ion, containing a 2-pyridyl derivative of the 1,2-diazolate. The complex ions are suggested as potential pH-responsive materials based on change in the color and intensity of the emitted radiation. The broad impact of the research demonstrates that the modification of the nitrogen content and position within the protonable ligands is an effective approach for modulation of the pH-optosensing properties of Ru-polypyridyl complexes.

Synthesis of 1,2,4-Triazol-3-imines via Selective Stepwise Cycloaddition of Nitrile Imines with Organo-cyanamides.

A convenient method for the synthesis of 1,2,4-triazol-3-imines through a selective, formal, 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of organo-cyanamide ions with nitrile imine dipoles is reported. Hydrolysis of the 1,2,4-triazol-3-imines yields the corresponding 1,2,4-triazol-5-ones. A stepwise mechanism, supported by DFT calculations, is invoked to explain the reaction selectivity.

Recent Advances in Cyanamide Chemistry: Synthesis and Applications.

The application of alkyl and aryl substituted cyanamides in synthetic chemistry has diversified multi-fold in recent years. In this review, we discuss recent advances (since 2012) in the chemistry of cyanamides and detail their application in cycloaddition chemistry, aminocyanation reactions, as well as electrophilic cyanide-transfer agents and their unique radical and coordination chemistry.

High efficiency air stable organic photovoltaics with an aqueous inorganic contact.

We report a ZnO interfacial layer based on an environmentally friendly aqueous precursor for organic photovoltaics. Inverted PCDTBT devices based on this precursor show power conversion efficiencies of 6.8-7%. Unencapsulated devices stored in air display prolonged lifetimes extending over 200 hours with less than 20% drop in efficiency compared to devices based on the standard architecture.

The Role of Substituent Effects in Tuning Metallophilic Interactions and Emission Energy of Bis-4-(2-pyridyl)-1,2,3-triazolatoplatinum(II) Complexes.

The photoluminescence spectra of a series of 5-substituted pyridyl-1,2,3-triazolato Pt(II) homoleptic complexes show weak emission tunability (ranging from λ=397-408 nm) in dilute (10(-6) M) ethanolic solutions at the monomer level and strong tunability in concentrated solutions (10(-4) M) and thin films (ranging from λ=487-625 nm) from dimeric excited states (excimers). The results of density functional calculations (PBE0) attribute this "turn-on" sensitivity and intensity in the excimer to strong Pt-Pt metallophilic interactions and a change in the excited-state character from singlet metal-to-ligand charge transfer ((1)MLCT) to singlet metal-metal-to-ligand charge transfer ((1)MMLCT) emissions in agreement with lifetime measurements.

Hybrid carbon nanotube networks as efficient hole extraction layers for organic photovoltaics.

Transparent, highly percolated networks of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (rr-P3HT)-wrapped semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (s-SWNTs) are deposited, and the charge transfer processes of these nanohybrids are studied using spectroscopic and electrical measurements. The data disclose hole doping of s-SWNTs by the polymer, challenging the prevalent electron-doping hypothesis. Through controlled fabrication, high- to low-density nanohybrid networks are achieved, with low-density hybrid carbon nanotube networks tested as hole transport layers (HTLs) for bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic photovoltaics (OPV). OPVs incorporating these rr-P3HT/s-SWNT networks as the HTL demonstrate the best large area (70 mm(2)) carbon nanotube incorporated organic solar cells to date with a power conversion efficiency of 7.6%. This signifies the strong capability of nanohybrids as an efficient hole extraction layer, and we believe that dense nanohybrid networks have the potential to replace expensive and material scarce inorganic transparent electrodes in large area electronics toward the realization of low-cost flexible electronics.