On a quest of reverse translation

Explaining the emergence of life is perhaps central and the most challenging question in modern science. Within this area of research, the emergence and evolution of the genetic code is supposed to be a critical transition in the evolution of modern organisms. The canonical genetic code is one of the most dominant aspects of life on this planet, and thus studying its origin is critical to understanding the evolution of life, including life’s emergence. In this sense it is possible to view the ribosome as a digital-to-analogue information converter. Why the translation apparatus evolved, is one of the enduring mysteries of molecular biology. Assuming the hypothesis that during the emergence of life evolution had to first involve autocatalytic systems, which only subsequently acquired the capacity of genetic heredity, in the present article we discuss some aspects and causes of the possible emergence of digital, discrete information arising from analogue information realized in the intra- and inter-molecular interactions throughout molecular evolution. How such reverse translation was achieved at a molecular level is still unclear. The results of such debates and investigations might shift current biological paradigms and might also have a momentous significance for modern philosophy in understanding our place in the universe.     

Propagation of Reactions in Inhomogeneous Media

Consider reaction‐diffusion equation u _t =Δ u + f (x,u ) with and general inhomogeneous ignition reaction f ≥ 0 vanishing at u = 0,1. Typical solutions 0 ≤ u ≤ 1 transition from 0 to 1 as time progresses, and we study them in the region where this transition occurs. Under fairly general qualitative hypotheses on f we show that in dimensions d ≤ 3, the Hausdorff distance of the superlevel sets {u ≥ ε } and {u ≥ 1‐ε} remains uniformly bounded in time for each ε ? (0,1). Thus, u remains uniformly in time close to the characteristic function of in the sense of Hausdorff distance of superlevel sets. We also show that each {u ≥ ε} expands with average speed (over any long enough time interval) between the two spreading speeds corresponding to any x ‐independent lower and upper bounds on f . On the other hand, these results turn out to be false in dimensions d ≥ 4, at least without further quantitative hypotheses on f . The proof for d ≤ 3 is based on showing that as the solution propagates, small values of u cannot escape far ahead of values close to 1. The proof for d ≥ 4 is via construction of a counterexample for which this fails. Such results were before known for d =1 but are new for general non‐periodic media in dimensions d ≥ 2 (some are also new for homogeneous and periodic media). They extend in a somewhat weaker sense to monostable, bistable, and mixed reaction types, as well as to transitions between general equilibria of the PDE and to solutions not necessarily satisfying . © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

FTIR spectroscopy of biodegraded historical textiles

Fungal attack is a common and severe problem in the storage rooms of museums. Fungi can damage different materials; organic materials are especially sensitive. In this work two different FTIR spectroscopy methods (micro-spectroscopy with diamond anvil cell and ATR) were used to investigate structural changes on biodeteriorated and non-affected textile fibres obtained from different Slovene museums and sacred objects. Several structural changes were observed in spectra of biodeteriorated as well as of non-affected cellulosic fibres, whereas no changes were observed in proteinaceous fibres. In the scope of spectral analysis crystallinity index has also been calculated by comparing two different band ratios. The research showed that the crystallinity index, calculated from the band intensity ratio I₁₃₇₂/I₂₉₀₀ groups fibres into two groups; biodeteriorated fibres predominantly have lower crystallinity index.     

Investigation of biodeteriorated historical textiles by conventional and synchrotron radiation FTIR spectroscopy

We have examined specimens of historical biodeteriorated cellulose textiles using synchrotron radiation and conventional source FTIR spectroscopy. The main aim of our research was to investigate structural changes caused by ageing and biodeterioration in different types of cellulose fibres. We compared the results, obtained with both methods regarding spectral quality and information obtained with each method. Additionally, we obtained mapping images of the cross sections of the investigated specimens using synchrotron FTIR in order to analyze structural changes in cross sections, caused due to biodeterioration.     

Photoinduced superoxide radical anion and singlet oxygen generation in the presence of novel selenadiazoloquinolones (an EPR Study)

Novel 7‐substituted 6‐oxo‐6,9‐dihydro[1,2,5]selenadiazolo[3,4‐h]quinoline ( SeQ(1–6) ) and 8‐substituted 9‐oxo‐6,9‐dihydro[1,2,5]selenadiazolo[3,4‐f ]quinoline derivatives ( SeQN(1–5) ) with R₇, R₈ = H, COOC₂H₅, COOCH₃, COOH, COCH₃ or CN were synthesized and their spectral characteristics were obtained by UV/Vis spectroscopy. Ultraviolet A photoexcitation of the selenadiazoloquinolones in dimethylsulfoxide or acetonitrile resulted in the formation of paramagnetic species coupled with molecular oxygen activation generating the superoxide radical anion or singlet oxygen, evidenced by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The cytotoxic/photocytotoxic impact of selenadiazoloquinolones on murine and human cancer cell lines was demonstrated using the derivative SeQ5 (with R₇ = COCH₃).     

Cation-anion interactions involving hydrogen bonds: Syntheses and crystal structures study of hexafluorotitanate(IV) salts with pyridine and methyl substituted pyridines

Fluorotitanates (LH)₂[TiF₆]·nH₂O (1: R = pyridine, n = 1, 2: R = 2-picoline, n = 2, 3: R = 2,6-lutidine, n = 0, 4: R = 2,4,6-collidine, n = 0) and (LH)[TiF₅(H₂O)] (3a: L = 2,6-lutidine) have been synthesized by the reaction of pyridine or corresponding methyl substituted pyridines and titanium dioxide dissolved in hydrofluoric acid. The crystal structures of ionic compounds 1, 2, 3, 3a and 4 have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The hydrogen bonding led to the formation of discrete (LH)₂[TiF₆] units (4), chains (1-3), and layers (3a). The additional π-π interactions present in 1, 2, and 4 results in chain structures of 1 and 4 and in a layer structure of 2. The [TiF₆]²⁻ and [TiF₅(H₂O)]⁻ anions were observed by ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy in aqueous solutions of 1, 2, 3, 3a and 4.     

Hydrogen isotope type-curves of very hot crude oils

Several crude oil accumulations in the Pannonian Basin are trapped in uncommonly hot (>170°C) reservoirs. Their maturities range from mature to very mature on the basis of cracking parameters of their biological marker homologous series (ratio of products to reactants). A stable carbon isotopic study of these oils, poor in biological markers commonly used for correlation purposes, did not provide a reliable oil-to-oil correlation. As an alternative tool, the hydrogen isotope compositions of oil fractions separated on the basis of different polarities were measured, and hydrogen isotope type-curves were generated for a set of mature to very mature crude oil samples. This method of presenting hydrogen isotope composition of fractions as type-curves is novel. Nineteen samples (17 crude oils from SE-Hungary, 1 oil condensate and 1 artificial oil) were chosen for the present study. The aim was to examine the applicability of hydrogen isotope type-curves in oil-to-oil correlation and to test the simultaneous application of carbon and hydrogen isotope type-curves in the field of petroleum geochemistry. We have shown that, although the conventionally used co-variation plots proved to be inadequate for the correlation of these hot and mature oils, the simultaneous use of carbon and the newly introduced hydrogen isotope type-curves allows us to group and distinguish oils of different origins.     

Size-dependent electrocatalytic activity of gold nanoparticles on HOPG and highly boron-doped diamond surfaces

Gold nanoparticles were prepared by electrochemical deposition on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and boron-doped, epitaxial 100-oriented diamond layers. Using a potentiostatic double pulse technique, the average particle size was varied in the range from 5 nm to 30 nm in the case of HOPG as a support and between < 1 nm and 15 nm on diamond surfaces, while keeping the particle density constant. The distribution of particle sizes was very narrow, with standard deviations of around 20% on HOPG and around 30% on diamond. The electrocatalytic activity towards hydrogen evolution and oxygen reduction of these carbon supported gold nanoparticles in dependence of the particle sizes was investigated using cyclic voltammetry. For oxygen reduction the current density normalized to the gold surface (specific current density) increased for decreasing particle size. In contrast, the specific current density of hydrogen evolution showed no dependence on particle size. For both reactions, no effect of the different carbon supports on electrocatalytic activity was observed.     

Optimal anisotropic three-phase conducting composites: Plane problem

The paper establishes tight lower bound for effective conductivity tensor K₁ of two-dimensional three-phase conducting anisotropic composites and defines optimal microstructures. It is assumed that three materials are mixed with fixed volume fractions and that the conductivity of one of the materials is infinite. The bound expands the Hashin–Shtrikman and translation bounds to multiphase structures, it is derived using a combination of translation method and additional inequalities on the fields in the materials; similar technique was used by Nesi, 1995, Cherkaev, 2009 for isotropic multiphase composites. This paper expands the bounds to the anisotropic composites with effective conductivity tensor K₁. The lower bound of conductivity (G-closure) is a piece-wise analytic function of eigenvalues of K₁, that depends only on conductivities of components and their volume fractions. Also, we find optimal microstructures that realize the bounds, developing the technique suggested earlier by Albin et al., 2007a, Cherkaev, 2009. The optimal microstructures are laminates of some rank for all regions. The found structures match the bounds in all but one region of parameters; we discuss the reason for the gap and numerically estimate it.     

Stereochemical Features of the Condensation of Lithiated (<Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis>)-<Emphasis Type="Italic">N,N</Emphasis>-Dimethyl-1-phenylethylamine with <Emphasis Type="Italic">o</Emphasis>-Methoxybenzophenones

The condensation of lithiated (S)-N,N-dimethyl-1-phenylethylamine with o-methoxybenzophenones occurs in a nonstereoselective fashion due to possible coordination of lithium not only at the carbonyl group but also at the oxygen atom of the ortho-methoxy group.__________Translated from Zhurnal Organicheskoi Khimii, Vol. 41, No. 4, 2005, pp. 567–570.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Dem’yanovich, Shishkina, Gritsyuk, Potekhin, Chesnova, Ashkinadze.