Antiparasitic agents produced by microorganisms

Microorganisms produce many useful antiparasitic agents. Antiparasitic activities and biochemical targets of antiprotozoal and anthelmintic antibiotics are reviewed. Antimalarial apicidin, thiolactomycin, fosmidomycin, and borrelidin, antitrypanosomal ascofuranone, and nematocidal emodepside, 2-deoxoparaherquamide A, and nafuredin are recently discovered antibiotics, and they have potential as useful drugs.     

Potential-dependent structure of the interfacial water on the gold electrode

Doubly tunable sum frequency generation (SFG) spectra demonstrate that the water molecules at gold/electrolyte interface change their orientation with applied potential. At negative potentials, water molecules in the double layer align with their oxygen atom pointing to the solution. As potential became positive to be close to the potential of zero charge (PZC), the SFG signal decreased, suggesting the OH groups of the water molecule are either in random orientation or parallel to the electrode. As potential became more positive than the PZC, the SFG signal increased again with the oxygen-up orientation as same as in the negative potential region, indicating that water molecules interact with the adsorbed sulfate anions. The peak position of the SFG spectra indicates a relatively disordered state of water molecules at the gold electrode surface, in contrast to the previously observed ice-like structure of water at electrolyte/oxide interfaces.     

Control of the bioluminescence starting time by inoculated cell density.

In this study, we attempted to control the timing of light-emission from bioluminescent bacteria, by changed cell numbers inoculated into medium. Luminous bacteria express bioluminescence when the number of cells reached a threshold. Inoculated cell density had an effect on the time of bioluminescence starting. Samples were prepared by varying cell density of inoculation. In the results, all the vials showed different luminescence profiles in the order of inoculated cell population.     

Photografting of vinyl polymers onto ultrafine inorganic particles: Photopolymerization of vinyl monomers initiated by AZO groups introduced onto these surfaces

The photografting of polymers onto ultrafine inorganic particles, such as silica and titanium oxide, initiated by azo groups introduced onto these surfaces was investigated. The introduction of azo groups onto the particles was achieved by the reaction of 4,4′-azobis(4-cyanopentanoic acid) with surface isocyanate groups, which were introduced by the treatment with tolylene 2,4-diisocyanate. It was found that the photopolymerization of vinyl monomers, such as methyl methacrylate (MMA), styrene, and N-vinylcarbazole, is initiated by ultrafine particles having azo groups. The corresponding polymers were effectively grafted onto these surfaces through the propagation of the polymer from the surface radicals formed by the photodecomposition of the azo groups: e.g., the percentage of grafting of PMMA and polystyrene onto silica was reached to 112 and 176%, respectively. The percentage of grafting onto silica in the graft polymerization initiated by photodecomposition of surface azo groups was much larger than that initiated by thermal decomposition. Polymer-grafted ultrafine particles thus obtained gave a stable colloidal dispersion in good solvents for the grafted chain. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Borderline of hydrogen bonding of silanols

Two new silanols bearing very bulky silyl groups, (i-Pr₃ Si)₃SiOH and (t − BuMe₂Si)₃SiOH were prepared by peracidoxidation of their respective silanes. The X − ray crystallographic analysis revealed that (t − BuMe₂Si)₃ SiOH forms a dimeric structure with hydrogen bonding, while (i − Pr₃ Si)₃ SiOH exists as a monomer in the crystal. The effects of the size of the substituents as well as the reactivity of these silanols are discussed.     

Surface Modification of Fine Particles with a SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Film by Using a Polyhedral-Barrel Sputtering System

Fine particles were modified with a thin film of SnO₂ by using a barrel sputtering system that is a dry process. The conditions for the preparation of SnO₂ were studied by reactive sputtering onto a glass plate substrate. The optimal conditions for the preparation of tetragonal SnO₂ were identified as 60% partial oxygen pressure and 1.0 Pa total gas pressure with the substrate at room temperature. Under the optimized conditions, the surfaces of Al flake particles were modified with a thin film of SnO₂. XRD and SEM/EDS analysis of the prepared samples showed that the Al particle surfaces were uniformly modified by a thin film of SnO₂ in all cases. The film thicknesses were 80, 130, and 180 nm at RF outputs of 195, 350, and 490 W. These measured thicknesses coincided with the values estimated from the interference colors of the samples.     

Fluorescence modification of Gb3 oligosaccharide and rapid synthesis of oligosaccharide moieties using fluorous protective group

The use of the bisfluorous chain-type propanoyl (Bfp) group as a fluorous protective group made it possible to rapidly synthesize the Gb2 and Gb3 oligosaccharide derivatives by a simple fluorous-organic extraction purification. Furthermore, the fluorescence-labeled Gb2 and Gb3 oligosaccharides were prepared as a potential Vero Toxins detecting reagent.     

Alternating copolymers consisting of arylalkyl methacrylates. I. Fluorescence properties of poly(arylalkyl methacrylate-alt-styrene) in organic solution

Alternating and random copolymers of 9-phenanthrylmethyl methacrylate or 2-(9-carbazolyl)ethyl methacrylate with styrene were synthesized and their fluorescence properties were examined. There was no noticeable difference in the spectral features of the alternating and random copolymers in tetrahydrofuran (THF), demonstrating that this type of polymers have no quenching sites in the polymer chains. The fluorescence quenching studies indicated that the alternating copolymers permitted singlet-state energy migration as efficiently as the corresponding random copolymers but less efficiently than the random copolymers with higher chromophore contents. These results strongly suggest that to be chromophores close to each other is most important for facilitation of an intramolecular energy migration. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

On the Theory of Gravitational Field in Finsler Spaces

Some structural considerations are made on the Finslerian gravitational field: A Finslerian metrical structure such as g_λχ(x, y) = γ_λχ(x) + h_λχ(x, y) is proposed, where γ_λχ denotes the Riemann metric of Einstein's gravitational field, while hλχ the Finsler metric induced by the Riemann metric h_ij(y) of the internal field; The intrinsic behaviour of the internal variable y, which is expressed as ?ⁱ = K(x, y) y^j in the internal field, is grasped by the Finslerian parallelism δyⁱ (=0), which is reflected in the spatial structure of the external gravitational field by the mapping relation δy^χ = e(x) δyⁱ. The whole metrical Finsler connection D for g_λχ(i.e., Dg_λχ = 0) is determined by taking account of the intrinsic behaviour δy^χ.     

Novel synthesis of macrocycles with 1,1′-binaphthalene-2,2′-diol using intramolecular oxidative coupling

A new series of BINOL-based macrocycles with two phenolic protons have been synthesized via oxidative coupling reaction using CuCl(OH)-TMEDA.